Dawn's light lit up the cave entrance as a group of mages and one anti mage walked out.

"Is it just bad luck or are the demons getting bolder?" Magnus said to the others.

"Can't just be bad luck," Sebastian responded. "They're up to somethin'. We've stopped Nurhia's reign of terror in this village but two more of her apostles are at large. Call me paranoid but I have a feelin' they're setting up idols in other villages."

Lucien wanted to find Rowan and then get to Nua before anything else. Nurhia was a problem but not one that the Sanguine couldn't handle on their own.

Sebastian seemed to have the same idea. "A-mu, ask the Sanguine to get their asses over here and begin huntin' the demons."

Artemus had already thought about it the moment he realised what the demons were up to. Messages would be sent out soon. But he needed sleep first.

_____

"Sir you have to leave, please, before they find you," the innkeeper pleaded for what seemed to be the hundredth time since the others had been taken away for sacrifice.

"I won't leave till they're back," Alka replied irritably. The innkeeper was bugging them out of the goodness of his heart and it was the only reason he hadn't already slammed the door in the man's face. "Believe me, they'll return soon." As if a group consisting of two overpowered mages, an Artemus, and a half demonic necromancer could be beaten by a bunch of dumb villagers. The plant mage snorted.

"But-"

Akida loudly threw a log of wood into the Brazier he was using to dry his wet wings. The action hurled sparks of ember into the air.

"Sir, please don't burn my inn down," he pleaded.

"I'll pay for any damages he may cause," Alka assured the worried innkeeper. "Now please go get some rest yourself."

The plant mage turned around after closing the door. Now that they had privacy, Akida stretched his wings out on either side of the Brazier and fluffed his feathers. He had very dark blue wings on the outside. But his fluffier down feathers were white on the inside and they looked soft to the touch.

"Aren't you afraid?"

Akida's answer was a shrug.

"One feather catches fire and its bye-bye wings."

"That's what the bucket of water is for," Akida pointed out.

Alka had never seen an avian's wings up close so he walked behind Akida and admired the feathers stacked with astonishing symmetry. He wondered what features avian culture regarded as beautiful.

"Can I touch it?" The plant mage asked softly.

"Huh.. sure," Akida replied.

He felt the plant mage palm his feathers gently.

"Do all avians have wings of the same colour?" Alka enquired as he admired the dark blue shimmer on a feather lit up by firelight.

"No. Some are ugly, some nice," he bluntly answered. Akida raised his wings higher so the heat could get to his damp under-feathers that were stuck to his shoulder blades.

"Can avian feathers be used as quills?"

"Yeah, they make the best quills."

"So can I have one?"

The question caught Akida off-guard. "The hell do you want mine for? Go pluck a chicken."

"Come on, I want yours."

"Why?"

"Because of its rarity. I can probably find quills made of avian feathers on the market but none of them would be made from yours, which makes it very unique. Only I in this whole world would be the owner of a quill made from your feather."

The avian wasn't sure how he felt about that. After considering it for a moment, he decided to allow the request.

"Take one from there," Akida said as he stretched his left wing out with a swish.

"This one?" Alka pointed to a large feather close to Akida's body.

"Yeah."

The avian looked to the ceiling, trying to pretend this was a normal scenario. A sharp tug at his side made him wince. It was over quickly and now he was staring at a deep blue feather that was separated from him. Alka held it up and twirled the feather around by its quill.

"Thanks, Akida. I won't lose it."

"Whatever," the avian mumbled. It was just a dumb feather. By Alka's logic, the innkeeper's chicken could lose a feather and it would be precious because no one else owned a feather from that particular bird.

"What?" Alka said to the avian. "You think I'm being silly, don't you?"

"You should sleep," Akida suggested. "Aren't you tired?"

"Yes but my older brother is also tired. I can't enjoy the luxury of sleep knowing that he's out there probably fighting demons. I'll wait for Artemus."

Akida thought Alka was being silly but he didn't say it. If they were at war- well, they weren't at war, he told himself. If this was Alka's way of dealing with his concerns then he would be an asshole to say so otherwise.

"I change my mind. I will use this as a bookmark," Alka declared.

"Good for you."

The avian's gaze was on the Brazier, eyes at half-mast from the sleepiness that swirled behind his eyelids.

"Here," Alka held out something to him. "As thanks for the feather."

Akida sleepily regarded the flower petal that was encased in clear hard amber.

"What's this?" He asked.

"The petal from a plant that's gone extinct."

The avian was surprised that Alka would give him something so precious. "Why are you giving this to me?"

"Because I feel it's an appropriate exchange. I have no use for it like how you have no use for the feather I took from you."

Akida swiped his thumb over the amber. "Thank you," he said to Alka, appreciating the gesture.

The plant mage smiled and proceeded to flop over Artemus' bed. Abigail was resting on the adjoining smaller cot. Her fever was breaking but she needed more care before being declared well. Alka sighed and closed his eyes, mind drifting to Syryn.