Vassal Sterling D'Este (top 10 books of all time .TXT) 📖

peppered among them. The first fistful was already making its way down her throat by the time Delyth reached her, Etienne on the warrior’s heels.

“They’re just blackberries,” Delyth said, relief plain in her voice if not in the rigid lines of her face, and Etienne felt himself relax as well. Blackberries surely could not do Alphonse too much harm, even in the quantities she was presently consuming.

“Enyo,” he started, as that was clearly who he was speaking to, “why don’t you eat and walk? So that we can reach Thlonandras even faster.”

Perhaps they would be lucky— after all, some days she listened to reason, though other days she would blatantly refuse to do something because it was reasonable.

He almost sighed aloud when she nodded, and they again resumed their slow journey, Enyo still shoving handfuls of berries into her mouth and Delyth following silently behind. Etienne opened his journal again and scribbled a hasty ‘blackberries’ in his factors column, underlining the word several times.

“My innards are churning,” Enyo complained several minutes later, looking accusingly at Etienne and then Delyth as if they had played some trick on her.

“Well you did just consume a bushel of blackberries.” Etienne’s reply did little to mollify the Goddess, and when neither he or Delyth could allay her misery, she left Alphonse to deal with the consequences of her gluttony.

Etienne raised an eyebrow and started a new list in his journal, titling it ‘Factors for Enyo’s Withdrawal.’

❀

Alphonse rubbed a purple hand over her stomach as they meandered up the road, occasionally grimacing at some cramp or stab of discomfort. However chewing on peppermint leaves and sipping water was slowly mitigating her illness. The bird calls overhead were the only sound she’d heard in some minutes, their group having fallen into what she wished was a comfortable silence. Alphonse cast furtive glances between Delyth and Etienne. No such luck.

Things were still a bit tense between the two of them.

“Perhaps we should try to get to know one another a bit better?” she suggested aloud, a little smile tracing her purple lips. “I think that could be fun.” Or like pulling teeth. But she didn’t want to walk in silence the entire way to Thlonandras.

“What did you have in mind?” Delyth’s voice was a bit gruffer than usual, perhaps because of the poor weather that morning.

“Hmm,” she hummed, tapping one long shapely finger against her lips. “Have you ever played the game, two truths and one falsehood?” It was one that was popular enough at Moxous—perhaps not the most creative of games, though it was a sure way to learn about their companions. “You say two things that are true about yourself, and one thing that is not, and then Etienne and I guess which is false. I’ll start!”

Etienne looked up reluctantly from his journal, but he didn’t argue, and Alphonse beamed at him.

“My favorite color is blue. I’ve always dreamt of being a healer, and I hate blackberries…” An easy one, as it was clear which was the lie from her mouth smeared with blackberry juice. She smiled encouragingly at Delyth. “Now you guess.”

✶

Etienne had never really enjoyed these games at school, though they were familiar to him. He had considered them a waste of time when there were undiscovered magics and explanations all around him for the finding.

Still, he had played with Alphonse a time or two before. He had always had a weakness for her requests, whether it was getting him to stop researching long enough to eat or playing a school game. He sighed and allowed Delyth to answer. Alphonse had made her first go easy for explanation.

“You like blackberries, evidently,” the warrior was saying. “That one is the lie.”She thought for a moment, her angled face inscrutable, her eyes turned towards the trees.

“My favorite color is a honey yellow,” she started. “I have led the dances for my people’s Fall Solstice Celebration, and I have never been in love.”

Etienne snorted. It was too easy. Everything about Delyth was in dark, brutish tones, so he doubted her favorite color was a shade of yellow. “The first one is the lie,” he announced.

“No. You lose.” She smirked.

“Delyth, you were supposed to let me guess as well. Now I know that yellow was not your falsehood.” While Alphonse’s tone was chiding, she was smiling too much for it to have any weight. “I shall guess that you have never led the fall dances. Because dancing in front of a crowd of onlookers sounds terrifying?”

“Well, I will let both of you guess next time. Still, it did not help you, bykhan.” Delyth was obviously enjoying the game, having stumped both her companions. “The last one is the lie.”

Alphonse smiled encouragingly at the warrior. “Try again, I’m certain we’ll get it right this time.”

“Hmmm, very well. I grew up within the temple I serve, my favorite food is baked apples, and I have always known that I would wield the sword of Enyo.”

Etienne shrugged. “I’m not going first this time. Alphonse?”

“Baked apples?” she guessed without waiting, clearly having a good time.

Etienne couldn’t see how anyone could know that they would have to wield the sword of a Goddess if that Goddess was banished. Enyo’s reappearance had been entirely accidental. “It’s the last one, isn’t it?” he asked, though with a little less bravado.

Delyth nodded. “You get to go then?”

Etienne wondered for a moment. Alphonse knew everything about him, or nearly. They had known each other half their lives. How was he going to think of something she didn’t know?

“Ummm… I cast my first spell at age three, I have four siblings, and I have never broken a bone.”

❀

Alphonse remembered the broken, bent finger she had healed a few weeks earlier.

A finger her hands had snapped.

“I’ll let Delyth guess first since I’ve known you for so long,” she murmured, determined not to let the vivid memory of his pleading for her to fix that broken bone darken the game. She was supposed to be learning more about her