Page 42 of Eryx

“The first thing you need to know is the pain,” Paris said. “It’s not the type of pain we’re accustomed to as soldiers. It can feel like you’re being ripped apart if you aren’t careful.”

He then explained ways I could take away some of that pain by using my fingers and oil. I asked many questions, and we drank wine in between them. By the time they dismissed me and I returned to the barracks, I was a little intoxicated but eager for the moment I could test my knowledge on Axios.

“Where have you been?” Axios whispered, once I was beside him on my bed.

I tucked an arm around him and pressed my face into his hair. “It matters not where I’ve been, only that I’m here with you now.”

“Very cryptic, Ery. Should I be jealous?”

“Jealous of what?” I asked, running my fingers through his hair.

“You smell of wine and musk,” he said in a strange tone.

“It is not a thing you need to worry your mind over.” I pressed my lips to his hair and closed my eyes.

“But I do worry.”

Did he believe I’d taken a lover in my absence? The notion was absurd and impossible. The only one I desired was right there in my arms.

“On my way back from speaking with Gaius, Belos stopped me,” I answered, slowly grazing my fingers through his soft hair. “He invited me for a drink, and I sat with him and his men as we spoke of the war and the battle that was lost.”

I wouldn’t tell him about the other conversation I’d had. I wanted it to be a surprise.

“Belos?” Axios questioned. “I thought you wanted to slit his throat.”

“I did,” I admitted, before nuzzling my face against the side of his head. “Now sleep. Morning comes early.”

***

Spring had arrived, replacing the once dead, dry grass with new growth and allowing warmth to fill the air again. A slight chill remained, but the sun felt nice on my skin as Axios and I rested beside our stream in our secret place.

Well,Iwas here… Axios appeared to be far away as he lay beside me. He stared at the sky with a creased brow and a dazed look in his eyes.

“What are you thinking?” I asked.

He glanced at me before staring at a flock of birds that flew overhead. A moment passed, then another, and still he didn’t answer me. His mind had fled again, just like the birds in the sky.

“Axios,” I said, suppressing a laugh. His attention was easily swayed. “Your mind in the clouds again?”

He flipped to his side and faced me, a smile tugging at his lips as he pushed his foot between my calves. “Perhaps soaring with the birds,” he answered, resting his head on my arm.

I noticed small flecks of gold in his eyes as the sun hit them. Beautiful and otherworldly. I caressed his cheek. “I know a story about birds. Well, ravens.”

His dark hair slid through my fingers, soft like a raven’s feathers. I feared the day when he would spread his wings and fly away from me.

“Tell me,” he said.

Needing him closer, I slipped an arm under him and pulled him to my chest. “Ravens had feathers white as snow once upon a time,” I said, drawing circles on his shoulder with my fingertips. “Apollo entrusted his messenger—a white raven—to guard a beautiful princess called Coronis. He’d fallen in love with her, you see, and his child grew in her womb. But, the princess did not return his affections and soon found a new lover, Prince Ischys.”

“I suppose the god Apollo was not pleased of this deception,” Axios said, nestling against my neck. His breath tickled my skin.

“You are correct.” I kissed his forehead, finding comfort in his earthy scent. “The white raven learned of the infidelity and sent word to Apollo. The god became infuriated that the messenger had not killed the prince upon learning of the betrayal.‘You come tell me the news instead of pecking out his eyes?’the god had screamed at the bird. So he cursed the raven in a fit of pure rage. The bird’s once white feathers were scorched black as punishment.”

“What became of Coronis and the prince?” he asked.

Knowing he’d whine about not knowing the rest of the story, I stared up at the blue sky and said, “We should return home. It will be dusk soon.”

He slapped my chest and laughed. “You cannot stop there, Ery. I must know what happens.”