The roar of the ocean is still in his ears.
He’d marveled at the path, the way the water had defied gravity but obeyed Beqanna to allow them passage across the sea. Then and there, he had decided that it was worth it. That the loss of the Dale had been one step backwards for two steps gained. That paradise and the favor of the gods is well worth the price of admission.
Because as his young eyes find each new wonder of their new home, it is obvious that they have arrived. He doesn’t see the sadness in his grandmother’s eyes or hear the melancholy words his grandfather shares with her. He sees only the glimmer of the sea-sprayed sands, hears only the calls of native parrots. He imagines what secrets they will find in the nooks and crannies of the island, what treasures Beqanna will have buried for them to discover over time. He only wishes he wasn’t the only one young enough to make an adventure out of it.
Sabrael is about to sneak off from the rest of his family when his mother catches him with a look. The bay roan colt wavers on the spot, cursing both the fading light and his inherent need to please and protect Ea. But it is less easy to leave her side as of late (even if he should be growing more distant with age). He spins on his heels and comes back to her, back to them all. Not all, he thinks, as bitter as the salt air. He has already looked over his dam’s shoulder for the storm-cloud grey of his sire and found turquoise-ocean instead.
When the waves crash back down over the path, he shakes once, violently.
Ea’s voice rises over the small gathering and soothes him. Despite his young age, he is wise enough to realize that she needs her own leadership more than anyone. He is infinitely glad that she has bent to the yoke of responsibility once again, that the others have allowed her to do so. He can’t imagine if the world had taken everything from her at once. “I know we had a peace and war caste before, but times have changed.” He knows all about the old Dalean systems and ranks, has learned them since he was a child. But he knows that this is a completely different world, a better world. They need to evolve as the land has.
“Maybe we should all train together, since we are out here all alone? Let everyone learn all of it, fighting and diplomacy and defense.” His gold-tinged eyes flick from one face to another around him, wondering if they’ll agree, confident that he is right. Inter-land relations will be difficult enough for them as it is, based on simple geography; they need to be more well-rounded than anywhere else. The thought of learning how to fight from his grandfather and the mysterious Ashley warms him even more to the idea of becoming the ultimate student. Perhaps he’ll simply be absent from the softer side of lessons.
Sabrael