Chapter 83 Eighty-three.

Chapter 83 Eighty-three.
I looked to the lake as we neared, marveling at the small strip of blue that reminded me so much of the place Kael had taken me. It was where I had come to grab water with Saf. I looked in the direction where the barn would be on the side, but the veil covered the view, and I could see that even the lake was segregated across with a veil.

"Come on, we're already late," Ayla whispered, ushering me over with a hand, and I looked to see that all the female villagers were already immersed in the ablution, talking to one another idly. Some were even making their way back toward the blossom forest, smiling at us as they passed.

I let Ayla haul me over to the water bank where I stood right beside the veil. Ayla was beside me, followed by Dendi, Maya, Saf, and Jamila. Despite being right at the far end, Jamila poked her head out to look at me, a smirk on her face.

"Remember when I mentioned what the best part was?" she asked coyly, making Dendi giggle and Maya let out a groan. I nodded in response, making them giggle all the more until she pointed to my right where the veil was.

"See anything you like?" she merely said in a playful voice, and my eyebrows furrowed when all that met my sight was a white veil. It was only after a few minutes of staring that I realized it was somewhat transparent, showing the silhouettes of bodies. It wasn't enough to make out faces, but I found my cheeks tinting red when I could see the distinct action of males pulling shirts over their heads.

I snapped my gaze back to the girls, feeling as though I was intruding, but the girls continued with ogling eyes. I gaped at this, even more so when Dendi sent me a wink.

"And that's supposed to be the best bit?!" I squeaked out, to which Dendi rolled her eyes, motioning for me to turn again, and I obeyed her request with a heavy sigh.

"It's not a crime to appreciate art, Aeryn. Besides, look again and tell me it's not worth staring at," she spoke pointedly, and I tutted at her words. Nevertheless, I let my eyes linger for a mere moment. I couldn't make out any faces, but the clear definition of the silhouettes could be seen, and from that, the muscled forms of the males who were performing their ablution. Maybe to Dendi, but I wouldn't lie to myself and say it wasn't an enthralling sight.

Despite this, I still found it in me to turn around and instead saw that most of the women had dispersed and the girls had now begun their ablution. I turned to Ayla in panic as she washed her arms in a somewhat specific manner.

"What do I do first?" I asked unsurely, to which Ayla gestured to her own hands with a look of focus.

"Wash your hands, right first, and then clasp your right fingers into your left fingers to wet in between," she explained, and I nodded, following her instructions. It went on like this for a moment, with Ayla telling me what to do and me following, often asking questions to make sure I was doing it right. I made sure to try to remember as much as I could if the need arose to do it again or if I was here next year for the ablution. For a moment, I let myself dwell on the fact that I had made the decision to stay here for my whole life, but I chose to dismiss the thought. I had made that decision without regret and now had to stick to it. I instead chose to wonder how next year's festival would be without the looming threat of an impending war or a vicious treasure hunt for keys, how it would be to finally be at peace.

"Quickly, Aeryn, the next step. The moon is high, so it's going to be time to feast soon," Ayla urged, breaking me out of my reverie, and I shook myself out of the trance before instinctively looking to the moon. It was on the other side of the veil, but it was clear even through the thin material, and I raised my hand to place my palm against the veil, trying to feel the comfort of the moon. It had been a while since I had last looked at it. It was still at its thinnest, making me think back to how we had fought the Baken on the first day of the thin moon. I knew soon it would be the new moon, where the light of the moon would disappear.

"You need to wash your legs up to the mid-shin section, right first," Ayla explained the last step, and I nodded absentmindedly, looking to her to see all the girls were gone, leaving just Ayla and me. Ayla gestured behind her to where there were towels draped against the branches of the blossom trees.

"I'm going to go dry myself, and when you're finished, come there and I'll show you how to dry yourself properly," she instructed before turning and walking off, grabbing her shoes from the bank while holding her dress up. I watched her go with a small smile, but the sudden feel of warmth against my hand made me snap around toward the veil.

I realized I still had my hand against the veil from when I was looking at the moon, and now there was a presence on the other side of the veil, making me suck in a sharp breath.

"Why are you always late for everything?" the presence suddenly spoke, his voice a familiar timbre, making my eyes widen as I looked at his palm against mine, with only the veil in between.

"Rhydian," was all I could mutter, taking in his silhouette. I didn't know it was possible, but without being able to see his face or features, his form looked much taller, so much so that I felt small in his presence. The feeling of his hand against mine was foreign, and I blushed hard, thankful that he couldn't see my face.

There was a small silence that followed my utterance, so still that, had his hand not been against mine, I would have assumed he had left. Instead of giving in to the silence, I chose to respond to his question, my voice a meek whisper against the thrums of music coming from the center.

"I slept in," I merely said, to which he let out a small laugh, his voice husky and deep.

"Late night?" he teased, but his voice was devoid of the playful mirth it would usually possess, and I felt, for a second, I could see the silver glint in his eyes. I thought briefly back to last night when Ayla and I snuck downstairs to grab snacks before going into my room to talk about various topics. Nevertheless, I wasn't going to share this bit of information with him, choosing instead to nod despite the fact that he couldn't see me.

"Not as late as you. I saw you on the terrace when I woke to go to the bathroom," I reminded him, recalling how he had sat there with the meager darkness of the thin moon shining on him. I had half contemplated going out to him, but decided against it, thinking it might irritate him. Rhydian chose not to respond, and a small silence descended. In any other case, it wouldn't have unnerved me, but here I couldn't see his face nor ascertain his expression. I was, in all senses, clueless, and I spoke in a bid to fill the silence.

"Are you not tired?" I asked in concern, feeling relieved when he answered, making a sound akin to a hum.

"Why? Going to try to heal me again?" he finally spoke in a bid to joke, and I faltered slightly, knowing that the thought had crossed my mind, but I couldn't help it. Ever since I had discovered the powers, the need to help had become insatiable. Surely, if I had the resources, they should be used when required.

I allowed myself to contemplate, thinking how easy it would be to use the powers. I could feel the heat that emanated from his hand, which was still against mine. It would be so easy to set the doors open and, 

"Don't even think about it, Aeryn," Rhydian murmured, moving back slightly; the absence of his hand caused a shiver to run across my form. Hurriedly, I shook my head before instinctively grabbing at his wrist slightly, making him tense up.

"I won't do it," I whispered out, my cheeks burning with my own actions, even more so when I couldn't tell how he took it. It was another moment before he relaxed, his hand barely touching mine in a feather-like caress. I let out a breath at this, my own hand staying put.

"Are you wearing white?" he suddenly asked, his tone causing flickers of heat to dance across my form. I nodded my head slowly, despite the fact that he couldn't see it.

"Yeah, with gold," I answered gently, my voice wavering against the hot, windy breeze that made ripples form in the white veil dividing us.

"Not silver?" His question was a soft murmur, and I tensed slightly as his hand moved from my hand, touching against my wrist in a feather-like caress. The very heat emanating from the touch made my cheeks tint red and my ears pulse with blood, a stark contrast to the silent surroundings of the lake.

"Why? Do I not look pretty in gold?" I tepidly asked, glad my voice didn't waver. I had meant to be playful, but the feeling of warmth on my arm made me sound unsure: a timid girl needing reassurance.

"I didn't say that," he simply said, his voice surprisingly gentle against the wind.

"Does that mean I do look pretty, then?" I tried to tease him, but again, my voice came out unsteady, especially with his hand still resting against my arm. There was another small silence before he spoke again.

"I'm not blind, Aeryn," he murmured, and I blushed furiously at his words, tensing slightly when I felt Rhydian's fingers caress softly down my arm, sending a thrum of heat crawling up my skin. Blinking out of the daze, I cleared my throat.

"Right now, we might as well be blind, seeing as we can't see one another," I added, trying not to focus on the movements of his hand that ignited where it touched.

Silence.

"I wish I could," he suddenly responded, his deep voice cutting through the dark night and making my heart lurch violently in my throat.

"Aeryn!"

I snapped quickly toward the sound of Ayla calling my name, my hand dropping instinctively from the veil. Looking back, I saw Ayla standing with her shoes on and hands on her hips as she stared at me pointedly.

"Are you coming or not? We need to be there for the feast," she urged, and I nodded at her words, turning quickly to wash my shins as Ayla waited patiently. I sneaked a look at the veil then, but I could tell that the presence was gone, that he was gone, and I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

When I was done with the ablution, I made my way to Ayla and began drying myself in the way that she instructed. Somewhere in that time, Maya had come to call us, and now I stood watching as Ayla spoke to Maya about propriety of attire.

"Who gives a rat's ass about what I wear?!" Maya seethed, leaning against a tree trunk while examining her nails. Ayla only responded with a huff, placing her hands against her hips in a way that was so typically her.

"Because tomorrow is already unlucky as it is. By the Gods, do not add another bad omen to the mix," Ayla whined out, a pout forming on her face that would have made any other person melt, but Maya only side-eyed her in disgust before looking stonily at a petal on the floor.

"No amount of dresses can change an inauspicious day; we must only pray and heed the customs," Maya voiced out, and immediately the atmosphere felt tenser at her words. Ayla turned to look at me, her lips pursed in concern.

Indeed, she had told me tomorrow was the birth of Set, the ascendant of Anouke and the God of Chaos. It was an unlucky day, celebrated so as to ward off evil. With any luck, we'd be successful in our wishes.

All we could do was hope.

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See you in the next one!