Chapter 5 (Nyght)

                                    

                                          
5
                          
Nyght
                          
The setting sun hung low in the sky when I came back to camp. Luka was using the refection of the blue green lake to speak with Myra. I sat down on the crumbling wall of a forgotten fortress that sat a few miles from my home. Luka had found some trouble in a small village on the edge of my kingdom that I had to get him out of. That was part of why I had gone on a walk through the woods near our camp. But mostly it was so I wouldn’t have to listen to him talk to Myra.
                          
I had hoped to find Luka done talking to her by now. Instead, with nowhere else to go, I sat and tried to block out the one sided conversation. I listened to my surroundings. The gentle breeze through the aspen trees, the slow creek flowing nearby, and the moose I had seen during my walk crunch by. The sound of Luka’s shouting caught my attention.
                          
“What do you mean he knows where we are?” He exclaimed.
                          
So Myra had finally told someone. Good.
                          
“He’s a finder. That’s rare. How is Mother taking it?”
                          
They must be speaking of Rykar. So he has a rare talent just like Myra. I’m sure the queen was fine with it. Despite what her children thought Tait didn’t hate magic, but was afraid of the darkness it could draw. Myra on the other hand would do anything in her power to keep others from finding out. She knew how hard it was to have a rare talent. As do I.
                          
“That might be a good thing…. Tomorrow.”
                          
I pulled a blade of grass from the stone wall behind me. I hoped that good thing Luka was talking about is that we were going home. It had been six months since we left and I was sure Luka had no idea what he was looking for, just afraid to go home. At least he knew what was going on at home. I put the blade of grass between my hands and blow to make a low whistle.
                          
“Nyght’s back.”
                          
I tried to ignore my longing to hear Myra’s voice and the jealousy I felt that Luka could. I tossed a twig into the small fire pit in front of me. The fire crackled, then devoured the light colored wood.
                          
“I will. Love you, Sis.”
                          
Neither of us talked about home much, an update here and there an occasional story about his siblings… but never Myra. I ached to hear about her, but hated that he could talk to her and I couldn’t.  Added to that was the guilt I felt for walking away from her without a word. In a sense, asked her to lie for me. Just like Luka.
                          
Luka heavy steps moved across the rocky shore of the lake. He had tried to talk about Myra a few days ago. It was after he almost got himself hauled off by the guard. I had to save his butt. Again. He was just looking for a fight and honestly so was I. Let just say it didn’t go over well.
                          
Luka sat down next to me. “Rykar came into his talent.”
                          
“I gathered that,” I said.
                          
I didn’t want to talk about Rykar and talents. I didn’t want to talk about anything.  But I knew Luka wouldn’t sit quiet, he needed to hear the sound of voices. It must have come from never leaving the castle. There was always some activity within its walls.
                          
He sighed. “She said Rykar’s a finder.”
                          
I rose and add wood to the fire. “That’s nice,” I said before sitting down again. I thought about the last time Myra and I had been alone together. We were in the Hideaway, she had brought me there using the forest entrance. We should have been training. I smiled at the memory.
                          
Luka stared into the distance his brow crunched in thought. “Nyght, can I ask for something.”
                          
This wasn’t going to be good. His questions always put me in a foul mood, granted everything he has been doing as of late did that.  I poked at the fire to give myself some time to answer with a calm I didn’t feel. “You can ask but I might not answer.”