SECOND BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES OF FANTASILIA SERIES
𝘈𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘦. 𝘈 𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘴. 𝘈 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧.
Xanthiene Vivenca, af...
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"Here we are again, huh?" Xanthy leaned against the wall, watching Reeca shove her things inside a borrowed satchel. She had dropped by to pass Reeca the ointment for her wings. "I'm doing my own thing. You're off to somewhere," Xanthy rolled her fingers in the air.
Reeca shrugged, stuffing a rolled tunic into the satchel. "I'm not obligated to stay with you," she frowned. Then, she smiled and flicked her gaze towards Xanthy. "But I'll miss you."
Xanthy coughed. What? "You'll miss me?" she massaged her throat against the pain of choking on her own saliva. "Who are you and what did you do to Reeca?"
The varichria raised an eyebrow. "Did that come as much as a surprise?"
"I never thought something along the lines of 'I miss you' would ever spout from you," Xanthy pursed her lips before cocking her head to one side. "It's...new."
Reeca chuckled and shouldered her satchel. The varichria had been laughing a lot these days. "Well, get used to it," she strode towards the door where Xanthy was standing beside. "We're friends after all."
Xanthy blinked. "You're making friends now?" she edged off the wall to face the varichria completely.
Reeca's cheeks reddened. Was she actually blushing? Was Xanthy missing something? "I'm learning," the varichria nodded before inclining her head in Xanthy's direction. "Don't you want me to?"
Xanthy stretched her palms forward, shaking her head. "No, no. I do want to be friends with you," she smiled. Things are kind of looking up now.
Reeca nodded, shifting her weight from foot to foot. "Do we swear on it? Do we shake hands or...?"
Xanthy threw her arms around Reeca. The varichria flinched, making Xanthy chuckle. Xanthy kept her hands on Reeca's shoulder when they broke apart even though she had to stand on her toes to do so. Queen's breeches, Reeca was tall. "Get used to a lot of hugs," Xanthy grinned. "You dug your own grave."
Reeca reddened as she shrugged Xanthy's hands off her shoulders. Xanthy chuckled. They both have come far from the people they were before.
"Why the sudden change?" Xanthy asked as Reeca reached for the knob. "You weren't the type to make friends when we first met."
Reeca returned her arm to her side and turned to Xanthy. "Did you remember when I told you about the time I was in Asopus? The poachers?"
Xanthy nodded. Reeca sighed. "It wouldn't have ended up like that if you or at least someone was there. I can't rely on chance to always intervene. I need friends. I need allies."
A bitter taste made its way to the back of Xanthy's throat with the way Reeca said the word allies. It's like Reeca had let it slip deliberately. Xanthy knitted her eyebrows. Reeca was hinting at something...but what?
Reeca took a step forward before pausing. A curse rang from the varichria's mouth as she bent down and took something from her boots. Xanthy caught a flash of metal as Reeca threw a device into the satchel slung on her shoulder. What was that?
