The Viin


    Trystan had lived long enough, truly. Sage certainly seemed to think so, as she didn’t mind making blood vessels burst behind his eyes from the amount of yelling he did when she wrapped her arms around an out-of-control, murderous, immortal bird and squeezed. The animal iled, thrashing and trying to shove itsrge beak into Sage’s neck.


    Fortunately, as was her tendency, Sage gripped its neck in an unbreakable lock. It couldn’t reach her.


    “Everything is okay,” she soothed, running her hands up and down its purple feathers. Trystan approached slowly, knowing one wrong move could set the animal off again. “It’s okay. I know it hurts and that it’s confusing. I won’t leave you alone,” she said into its feathers, and he was overwhelmed by how deeply the words affected him.


    How deeply every move she made affected him.


    It was even worse now that he knew what it was to hold her, to have her pliant and sweet and open to him. He’d thought a taste of what it would be like to have her would curb the wanting. And it had curbed it, only to make way for the burning.


    “Evie…” he whispered. The animal stilled in her arms and…godsdamned chirped. “This cannot actually be working.”


    But it was.


    Therge bird drooped, its neck craning down to wrap around her back. She pulled away and looked upon the destructive animal with a fierce affection. “It’s all right if you’re scared. I’m scared all the time, butshing out when we’re hurting isn’t how to fix it.”


    She pulled away, and the animal allowed it, allowed her to stick out her leg and motion to the wound. “A second of reprieve is not worth a lifetime of regret. Don’t you agree?”


    The animal made a trilling sound—


    Then shot a re of purple fire at Sage’s leg.


    “Fuck!” Trystan roared, running toward her until the animal screeched in his face, swatting him to the ground like a stray piece of lint.


    When he stood, he fully expected to see Sage up in mes, her body scorched, and he knew his own would hollow out as his soul passed over to the deands from the sight. But that’s not what he saw. Sage wasn’t burned. She glowed. Her leg was fully healed, all signs of blood or torn fabric gone, and she was spinning in a circle, her skirts billowing around her, the strapless fitted bodice glittering as she moved.


    And because that wasn’t enough absurdity for him, right then the clouds parted and the sun made its first formal appearance of the day, shining right onto Evie. And he realized Fowler’s gifted dress wasn’t ck at all. When the sunlight hit the fabric, it shined a different color with every twirl, each ray of light on her catching a new shade until she was lit up everywhere.


    Colorful. All the color in his world existed just before him.


    Evie Sage is meant to be your downfall, and you her undoing.


    Until you decide to forge your own path no matter what destiny says…those dreams will be all you ever have.


    He’d aspired to things before Sage, career goals that still mattered. Years of nning he could not let go of and a dear little green friend who desperately needed his help. The Viin was all he’d ever been; who was he if he let that go? And could it be someone who deserved her?


    You’ve always had the habit of ruining everything and everyone, haven’t you?


    If the only good thing in life he ever did was ensure Sage had a happy future, he’d do it, his own fate be damned.


    He’d exist without color. He’d done it for his first twenty-nine years of life—he could do it again. He had to.


    The phoenix eyed him as he edged closer, hands outstretched in deference. “I’m with her.” It was an animal, so he knew there was no logical way that it raised a skeptical brow, but Trystan felt it regardless, and he rolled his eyes. Up close, he could see that the bird’s eyes were red, and…he’d never im to be an expert at emotion, but he felt they looked somber, sad.


    Sage reached out, gently stroking its beak, and whispered, “Go. Fly somewhere grand for now, and when we restore the magic, you may return, and you won’t feel so out of control.”


    The sun made his eyes burn; he had to rub at them.


    A ring of fire had appeared around Sage when he stopped, purple mes trapping her in ce. Trystan rushed at the mes and felt the heat burn into his arms as he reached for her. Sage gasped, gripping both his hands, drawing him into the circle with her before he burned any further.


    He held on to her hips to steady himself, and his foreheadnded against hers. Her shoulder glowed, the dagger in her hand, too, and it was the damnedest thing, but Trystan began to feel a little like he was glowing as well. She flicked his nose and scrunched hers.


    I love you, he thought.


    The phoenix trilled, a sad sound as it looked upon the vigers screaming in its direction.


    Vigers who used to worship the animal, now holding pitchforks and weapons, ready to destroy the being who once protected them.


    It made him feelpassion.


    He’d retch over a basinter.


    Looking the animal in the eye, he steadied his voice. “They’ll forgive you. And if they don’t, you’ll have a home at Massacre Manor. We’ve made a habit of taking in strays.”


    The phoenix let out a final screech beforeunching for the skies, and the vige fell quiet as the fires fizzled into nothing more than bits of ash. The smells of burned hay and smoke scratched the inside of his nose and throat—it exined the burning in his eyes.


    He coughed into his hand. “How did you know that would work?”


    Sage gave him a pointed look. “You said they were as gentle as you are, and I remembered that even viins need a bit of softness every now and again. Forgiveness even more.”


    Trystan pushed a hand through his hair, in desperate need of a trim. “I care nothing for forgiveness.”


    Sage hummed, and he knew she saw right through him. “Fine, then. You’re right, and I’m wrong.”


    It didn’t feel like a victory.


    He followed her. They searched out his sister and Tatianna, finding them healing two young girls with burns on their hands by the vige’s entrance. Tatianna smiled at the little girl he’d saved, pulling one of the many pink bows from her hair and clipping it into the little girl’s braid.


    Trystan froze when every pair of eyesnded on him. Realization dawned from one person to the next, a teetering deck of cards, falling one by one until they all connected that the man and women who’d helped them could fetch a very generous reward.


    Trystan waited for them to call the Valiant Guard, for someone to scream and point, to be what he’d been for more than half his life. Spurned.


    Instead, one of the elderly gentlemen hobbled to the front of the line and mmed his palms together repeatedly.


    “What’s he doing?” Trystan said to no one in particr.


    “That’s called pping, Tryst,” re whispered.


    “I realize that,” he hissed. “Why are they doing it right now?”


    The little girl toddled forward, her mother following carefully after her until she was at Trystan’s feet. “Uh…hello?”


    Her cherub cheeks were rosy, and her smile was cheery. “Here, Mr. The Viin.” In her hand was a singr dandelion. “For a wish.”


    He looked at it and then back to the little girl, her curly brown locks giving him hideous pause as he contemted a future he knew could never exist.


    “Thank you,” he said, his throat burning, though the smoke had long gone.


    “Make a wish now,” she whispered around cupped hands, and Trystan stared at the dandelion, incredulous. But then he closed his eyes and blew. Wisps of seeds flew like floating snow.


    “Thank you, uh, Mr. Maverine? Do you have a preference as to what you’re called?” the young mother asked him.


    “I don’t know. Nobody’s ever asked,” Trystan said honestly, and a few nervous chuckles made their way through the crowd.


    “In any case, thank you for saving my Ate, and thank both of you on behalf of the whole vige for saving us from that monster.”


    Sage murmured quietly beside him, “I’d wager the bird wasn’t the only monster present today.” Trystan followed her gaze to the men in the back who were still holding tight to their pitchforks. Her ire was so palpable, all of them dropped them at once. “Remember, down the line, when it matters, that forgiveness is canine. Meaning if a dog can do it, then you certainly can.” Her encouragements wereing out more and more threatening each time.


    And he was having immense trouble not letting himself beam with pride.


    “On our way?” Sage asked the three of them and Kingsley, who peeked his head out of re’s satchel, looking half asleep, crown crooked and eyelids drooped.


    “Have a nice nap?” Trystan said sardonically, mounting his steed and cing the frog on his shoulder.


    The rest followed suit, and they heard a few hearty goodbyes called after them as they trotted down the cobblestone road.


    “So…now we head to the border, right? Or do we have to make a stop at your…mother’s house?” Sage asked as they passed into the woods.


    “We can’t enter my home vige the normal way,” Trystan admitted, dreading this part of the journey. “My mother has eyes all over town. She’ll know we’reing. I’ll have my contact arrange to make a stop, discreetly. Through Benevolent Vige’s docks. ”


    Sage frowned, and the wind swept her locks away from her face. “We’re entering through the docks? What contact?”


    re gasped in realization, followed closely by Tatianna. “No! Trystan, you did not ask Jellyfish Jones!” Tatianna whined. “Even you’re not that sadistic.”


    “In this case, it would be masochistic, considering this hurt me just as much as it’s hurting you,” he grumbled, cantering ahead.


    Sage frowned as she came up alongside his horse. “Uh, hello? Earth to Evil Overlord? Who in the deands is Jellyfish Jones?”


    Say it fast and maybe she won’t catch on.


    Tatianna sighed, throwing Trystan a death re that well outshined his.


    “Jellyfish Jones is the best fisherman in the southern part of the continent. His boat is legendary.” re patted Tatianna’s arm. “And he also happens to be Tatianna’s father.”


    Evie flinched. “Oh.” Tatianna’s defensive re made Evie brighten. “I’m excited to meet him.”


    “You should be, Sage. You have much inmon.” Trystan smirked at Tatianna, and she threw her canteen at him, hitting his gut hard.


    “Thirsty?” She gave him a sharine smile.


    “What do we have inmon?” Sage asked, obviously not following a thing they were talking about.


    “You’ll see. It’s not for me to exin, but do let me know if you spy anything fishy,” he whispered.


    Sageughed, confused, but her eyes sparkled anyway. For him.


    “Trystan!” Tatianna screamed, galloping after him.


    Heughed all the way to the docks and the Lc Sea.


    Almost forgetting every reason he had to neverugh again and all the danger thaty ahead.


    Almost.


    But not quite.