256. Ayla

256. Ayla
Drax sat at the campfire, close to Marianna, who was deep in thought. He took in the stew slowly cooking over the fire, and the bottle of wine and a soft grin formed on his lips. 
“Having a party without me?” he accused, but his voice was full of amusement. 
Drax looked much better. He wasn’t in pain anymore—a healing potion and Ayla’s magic had helped—and he even looked…happy. A light glow was around him. It didn’t ease Ayla’s conscience, but allowed her to breathe easily knowing he was with Droyn. 
She liked Droyn. He was a good man. She was happy that Drax and Droyn had found each other. 
Ayla sat across from Drax and Marianna. 
“We were just talking,” she replied. A giggle rose in her throat at the thought of what she and Marianna had been talking about, but she pushed it down, since it wasn’t something she wanted to bring up in front of Drax, not because she was ashamed—which she was, of course—but because it wasn’t her story to tell. 
“I hope not about me,” he teased. 
Ayla shook her head in denial. “Other matters.” 
Drax nodded but didn’t press the subject. “What now?” he wondered. 
Ayla looked at the horizon and said, “We will wait for Milton and Eluvene’s return for a few more days. Then we part for Drara. The last artefact is there. And after that—Korinus.” 
“To find Uzriel,” Drax murmured. 
The mention of Uzriel dragged Marianna out of her thoughts. Her brows drew together. “Uzriel?” she murmured. “I’ve heard that name before.” 
So little was known about the Avatar of Addanos, and Ayla was starved for information, no matter how insignificant it was. “Where did you hear it?” 
“Ada. She was talking to Laac.” Marianna’s frown deepened. “She said that Uzriel could be used to bring either Chaos or Peace to the world, but only Fire could unlock Uzriel’s full potential.” 
Fire. It was a reference to the Avatar of Inoss. 
“How did Ada know about Uzriel?” Ayla wondered.
“It’s how she planned to allow the Umbraes, the Lords of Hel, to enter this world, by making the cracks in the Void large enough to allow them to slip into our world.” 
If Ayla had any regrets, any guilt for ending the lives of so many people, it evaporated that instant. Ada’s gods were not good gods. They were probably worse than Beliar. If Ada had succeeded with what she had planned, Ayla was certain that nothing would have stopped the Umbraes. Maybe only the Gods of this world, but for that, the three brothers would have had to join forces, but Inoss and Beliar would never make peace.
Drax stared into the fire. “Good thing we don’t have to worry about that anymore.” 
Another giggle rose in her throat, and this time Ayla couldn’t stop it. “I buried the threat under a mountain.” 
Drax gave her a strange look. “You sound tipsy.” 
Ayla brought her thumb and forefinger together. “Just a little bit,” she promised.
He didn’t look convinced. “So, what were you two really talking about?” 
Marianna glanced at Ayla, and both women started giggling. 
“It doesn’t concern you,” said Ayla at the same time as Marianna said, “About the twins.” 
Drax was intrigued. “What about the twins?” 
Marianna let out a long sigh. “I don’t know how to make them like me.” 
“I think they like you,” said Drax, “but something is holding them back.” 
Ayla knew what was holding Eude and Hudde back from accepting Marianna wholeheartedly—their n’alxa.
“What can I do about that?” Marianna wondered. 
Drax rubbed his chin. “A man knows when a woman is the one. It may be that they are not sure about you.”
Tizgar approached the campfire with a load of chopped logs. 
“It’s because I’m not a lady,” Marianna sighed. “But I’m determined to learn how to be one so they can be proud of me.” 
Tirgaz tilted his head to the side while he put the logs nearby.
Confusion appeared on Drax’s face, and he looked at Ayla for an explanation. Ayla shrugged, not knowing how to explain her conversation with Hudde. 
Drax turned his attention back to Marianna. “While I’m missing some details, what I can say is that you should do what feels right to you.”
Marianna contemplated Drax’s words for a moment. “What feels right,” she murmured. “Eude and Hudde… I am meant to be with them.” 
Tizgar’s eyebrows climbed up his forehead. 
Marianna kept talking. “Ayla already promised to teach me how to be a lady. Then, they will accept me.” 
Tizgar burst out laughing, catching everyone’s attention. “You? A lady?” He pressed his lips together while he shook his head. “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks just as you can’t teach a wildling how to be civilized.” 
Marianna’s eyes filled with unshed tears. 
“That’s not nice!” Ayla protested. 
Tizgar folded his arms against his chest. “I’m not trying to be nice, just truthful. You think there are wild clans in Nordmar? There had been numerous attempts to change them, to educate them, but it was fruitless. I wouldn’t bother with her if I were you.” 
“Change has to come from inside,” Ayla mused. “Regardless of Marianna’s reason for wanting to learn to be a lady, we should support her, not mock her attempts.” 
Tizgar flicked his hand in Marianna’s direction. “You do realize she’s wearing a man’s tunic.” 
Marianna’s shoulders dropped. 
Anger was starting to rise inside Ayla. Her head turned clear, her thoughts no longer clouded by alcohol. She didn’t understand why Tizgar was judging Marianna so harshly. He had always been kind to her. 
“Do you see a tailor around here?” Drax asked. 
Tizgar blinked. “What?” 
“A tailor. Do you see one around?” Drax insisted. 
“No?” Tigzar replied. 
Ayla spoke next. “You might not approve what she’s wearing, but she’s doing her best.”   
“I suppose,” Tizgar agreed. “But it doesn’t mean that we should trust her. She can kill us in our sleep anytime.” 
Ayla was finally starting to understand why Tizgar was hostile toward Marianna, so she reminded him, “Marianna is the reason why we are alive. If she wanted us dead, she would have never helped me kill Ada.” 
 Tizgar fell silent. The others dropped the subject. It wasn’t worth the hassle. 
Ayla checked the stew—it was ready. “Who’s hungry?” she asked. 
“Me!” Drax and Tizgar said at the same time. Marianna said nothing, so Ayla served her first. 
After breakfast, Drax returned to his tent, while Tizgar went fishing nearby, leaving Ayla and Marianna together by the campfire.
“Your world doesn’t like me very much,” Marianna observed. 
Ayla studied Marianna for a moment. “My world didn’t like me in the beginning, because I was the one who had a hard time accepting it. Sometimes, the hardest fights is with ourselves. You can’t live in two worlds at the same time. Choose the one that makes you happy.” 
Marianna contemplated Ayla’s reply, then stood. “I’m going to sharpen my sword,” she said as she walked away, leaving Ayla alone by the fire. 
Rhobart and the others returned from hunting an hour later. Droyn and Gorn were carrying the carcass of a deer while Rhobart brought salt. 
While Eude and Hudde prepared their knives to butcher the deer, Rhobart went to Ayla. 
“I can’t believe we found salt,” he said. “We can replace what we lost and have extra to salt some meat. We will smoke the rest of the deer.” 
Ayla nodded approvingly. “It will make the voyage to Drara easier.” 
Rhobart put the salt nearby. “How are your hands today?” he wanted to know. 
“Not much worse than yesterday,” she replied as Rhobart took her hands in his. He placed a kiss on each of her trembling fingers before slowly massaging them. 
“Milton will be here any day now.” He sounded so certain about it. 
Ayla nodded. She knew it was a matter of time before Milton and Eluvene would return, but she wasn’t sure that anything could be done about her hands. After all, wounds inflicted by dark magic were hard, if not impossible, to heal. She didn’t want Rhobart to know that she had already accepted her fate. Let him hope when she couldn’t.
“Are you hungry?” she asked him. 
“I’m starving.” 
Ayla rose to serve him, but he stopped her. 
“I can do it,” he said. 
“I don’t mind,” she reassured him. Besides, it gave her something to do. 
Rhobart nodded, and Ayla gave him a chaste kiss before putting stew in a bowl. She had gotten used to the tremor of her hands, and now, she barely spilled any food. 
“Where is Kerra?” she asked. 
“Hunting,” replies Rhobart. 
Ayla passed the bowl to Rhobart and sat next to him. 
“Do you hear that?” she wondered. 
Rhobart looked around. “What thing? It’s very quiet.” 
“Don’t you think it’s strange?”
Rhobart didn’t get to reply as suddenly, an earthquake coming from the bowels of Aylarra violently shook the ground and lasted for several minutes. Cracks appeared in the hard soil, and rock avalanches started on mountains. Trees snapped in the forest, and wildlife tried to flee from the imminent danger. 
Rhobart got Ayla away from the fire in time and protected her from harm. The others kept safe as well.
The earthquake stopped just as it started.
After Rhobart made sure Ayla was alright, he helped her to their tent, which, by some miracle, was still standing. 
“What could have caused such a strong earthquake?” she thought out loud. 
Rhobart took his time before he answered. “Do you think Milton and Eluvene succeeded in destroying the Black Tower?”