The Moonlit Curse

Ch 31: Northern Serenity

The sound of footsteps that didn't belong snapped Kiya out of the vision and brought the cavernous temple back into sharp focus. Twisting around, she looked down the main tunnel to see August approaching at a stiffly casual pace. "I asked to be left alone," she called, not bothering to try hiding the ice in her tone.

"It's been a full day," he responded, but his steps faltered and slowed. "You need to eat. You need to sleep."

"I slept for a few hours here. It's a hell of a lot warmer than back at the cabin and a lot less stuffy when it's not too crowded."

"Crowded? There's only two of us-" August caught on halfway through the statement and stopped with a low growl. Looking away for a moment, he sucked in a deep breath, then blew it out again slowly. "I would like to show you something."

"Another lesson?" she scowled and turned back to the statue of the goddess. "Guess that's fitting. There are only a few days left."

"No lessons today. Just a ride out of this goddess-forsaken place and out of the magic bubble."

That was too tempting an offer to pass up, even if the last thing she wanted was to spend any more time alone with him. She pulled on her second layer of clothes and followed August back down the tunnel, which now felt much longer and narrower than before. Keeping her distance from him felt impossible, and his oppressive presence and heat bore into her. For once she was relieved to feel the blast of ice-cold air at the entrance to the caves.

Outside, Kipper and the other shire were both saddled and tacked, rather than hooked up to the sleigh. At least she could keep her distance easier when they rode separately. It didn't make the silence between them any less awkward or tense, and they rode for hours in silence until the magical cold lifted. While it was still far from a balmy summer's day, at least her many layers now worked to keep her warm.

August pulled back on Kipper's leads, slowing down until he rode side-by-side with Kiya. "We should talk about yesterday," he said quietly.

"We? You mean I should talk, don't you? It's always me talking, anyway. There's always something wrong with Kiya, and it has nothing to do with anyone else in the room."

"Kiya..."

"Don't 'Kiya' me." Kiya twisted in the saddle to meet his gaze head on, letting her anger and frustration rise to the surface for a moment. "I trusted you enough to follow you out to the middle of nowhere, but ever since we got here, you have been acting like an ass. I get it, you have boundaries, and I want to respect that. But you don't get to order me to keep my nose out of your business and then demand to know what's wrong with me every time I'm upset."

"You're right," August muttered and winced. "I haven't been... no. Saying that I haven't been myself would be disingenuous."

"I think 'not yourself' is an apt description," Kiya scowled.

"You wouldn't be saying that if you knew me twenty years ago." August let out a heavy sigh, leaned back in his saddle and looked up at the sky washed in deep blues and purples from the setting sun. "Do you remember when I told you the magic effects everyone in different ways?"

"That was barely a week ago, of course I remember."

"Well, I am not immune to that. I didn't feel it creeping in until you mentioned my family. It all just came crashing back."

Kiya waited quietly, too curious to be impatient. August's jaw was clenched tight, and the conflict in his silver eyes seemed to fight with wanting to keep his private life private and making things right.

"I don't know what you've seen of my life in your visions," he finally continued after a long time. "But I assume it hasn't been enough to know how I was really raised. Surrounded by a loving family until it was ripped apart by fate, but there was a lot of time before and in between. You and the world and most of the civilian population know the Celestial Isles as a paradise of eternal summer, crystal clear waters, and fertile soils. In reality, however, it's not all that different from Westmora.