surface was as hard and uncomfortable as her admonishing gaze. The immortal
had no true need for sleep, though that did not mean he didn’t appreciate a warm,
soft spot on which to rest his body.
“Cro-oak! Cro-oak! Cro-oak!” Above Kalona, the ravens that had taken to following him around the prairie lent
their words to his tirade.
“If you must shadow me, do it quietly!”
The black birds preened and stared at him. Kalona shook his head. “I have to find
my focus! I must wield Water more wisely than I did Air. I must win Nyx’s pleasure
from Erebus.”
That shouldn’t have been so difficult. Before the botched test, Nyx had regularly
sought him out. They had spent many days and nights together, and she had seemed well
pleased to be in his presence.
“Without being wooed by an unpredictable element!” Kalona shouted his frustration,
causing the ravens to flutter their wings restlessly.
Kalona stopped pacing and reasoned aloud. “I pleased her without using an element
or invoking Divine magick to do so. I did it before, and I shall do it again. And
from an intimate, pleasant interlude wherein I remind her that it is me she desires, not magick or elements or the unpredictable power of creation, I will
take her to my next test. It will be something as simple and intimate as our interlude,
and I will be victorious, winning Nyx’s favor!” Kalona hurried to the pile of furs
and leathers and such that were rich gifts from the Prairie People. He dug through
the mound until he found what he sought—a knife made of a black stone, hewn to a strong,
sharp point. “I am liking these Prairie People more and more each day.” Kalona rolled
the knife and a basket of fruit and fragrant flatbread within the softest of the furs,
and then he took to the sky and headed into the northwest, seeking that which he knew
would please his Goddess.
He didn’t use magick to fell the tall pine tree, though he did use his immortal strength,
as well as his preternatural speed, to hollow it out and carve from it the form of
a gracefully pointed boat. Kalona found he enjoyed using his hands as much as he enjoyed
the scent of wood and the sight of the azure lake. Nyx had been right about the beauty
of the lake. Its color was so lovely that he often glanced at it to be sure it wasn’t
just a trick of his sight. But it didn’t change. Even under the moonlight the huge
round body of water, dotted with one tree-covered island, seemed to glisten aqua,
its high sides looking like a bowl made of clouds that had trapped the sky.
Kalona worked without pause all day and night on the little boat, and as he worked
he thought of Nyx. Her beauty inspired him, and when he was finished he stood back
and surveyed his work. Kalona was well pleased. The craft was more than seaworthy.
Kalona liked to believe that it also reflected Nyx’s beauty. All around it he had
meticulously carved symbols that reminded him of the Goddess: stars and moons, delicate
shells and waves. He had even replicated the white flowers she had worn in her hair
when last he’d seen her.
He carried the boat down the steep side of the lake so that it rested on the rocky
shore. Then he placed the thick, soft fur within it, as well as the basket of fruit
and flatbread. He was ready for Nyx. He had even decided what he would create for
her during his next test. He hadn’t practiced over and over again as he had with the
funnel cloud, but he felt confident that he had changed his intent enough that he
wouldn’t make the same mistake as before. This time he would not show her the power
of his passion. This time he would make tangible the delight he felt at her beauty,
and show her how much he cherished her, in whatever visage she chose.
There was just one thing that he couldn’t figure out, and that was how to get Nyx
to come to him without using Water to summon meddling Mother Earth. He wanted to be
had no true need for sleep, though that did not mean he didn’t appreciate a warm,
soft spot on which to rest his body.
“Cro-oak! Cro-oak! Cro-oak!” Above Kalona, the ravens that had taken to following him around the prairie lent
their words to his tirade.
“If you must shadow me, do it quietly!”
The black birds preened and stared at him. Kalona shook his head. “I have to find
my focus! I must wield Water more wisely than I did Air. I must win Nyx’s pleasure
from Erebus.”
That shouldn’t have been so difficult. Before the botched test, Nyx had regularly
sought him out. They had spent many days and nights together, and she had seemed well
pleased to be in his presence.
“Without being wooed by an unpredictable element!” Kalona shouted his frustration,
causing the ravens to flutter their wings restlessly.
Kalona stopped pacing and reasoned aloud. “I pleased her without using an element
or invoking Divine magick to do so. I did it before, and I shall do it again. And
from an intimate, pleasant interlude wherein I remind her that it is me she desires, not magick or elements or the unpredictable power of creation, I will
take her to my next test. It will be something as simple and intimate as our interlude,
and I will be victorious, winning Nyx’s favor!” Kalona hurried to the pile of furs
and leathers and such that were rich gifts from the Prairie People. He dug through
the mound until he found what he sought—a knife made of a black stone, hewn to a strong,
sharp point. “I am liking these Prairie People more and more each day.” Kalona rolled
the knife and a basket of fruit and fragrant flatbread within the softest of the furs,
and then he took to the sky and headed into the northwest, seeking that which he knew
would please his Goddess.
He didn’t use magick to fell the tall pine tree, though he did use his immortal strength,
as well as his preternatural speed, to hollow it out and carve from it the form of
a gracefully pointed boat. Kalona found he enjoyed using his hands as much as he enjoyed
the scent of wood and the sight of the azure lake. Nyx had been right about the beauty
of the lake. Its color was so lovely that he often glanced at it to be sure it wasn’t
just a trick of his sight. But it didn’t change. Even under the moonlight the huge
round body of water, dotted with one tree-covered island, seemed to glisten aqua,
its high sides looking like a bowl made of clouds that had trapped the sky.
Kalona worked without pause all day and night on the little boat, and as he worked
he thought of Nyx. Her beauty inspired him, and when he was finished he stood back
and surveyed his work. Kalona was well pleased. The craft was more than seaworthy.
Kalona liked to believe that it also reflected Nyx’s beauty. All around it he had
meticulously carved symbols that reminded him of the Goddess: stars and moons, delicate
shells and waves. He had even replicated the white flowers she had worn in her hair
when last he’d seen her.
He carried the boat down the steep side of the lake so that it rested on the rocky
shore. Then he placed the thick, soft fur within it, as well as the basket of fruit
and flatbread. He was ready for Nyx. He had even decided what he would create for
her during his next test. He hadn’t practiced over and over again as he had with the
funnel cloud, but he felt confident that he had changed his intent enough that he
wouldn’t make the same mistake as before. This time he would not show her the power
of his passion. This time he would make tangible the delight he felt at her beauty,
and show her how much he cherished her, in whatever visage she chose.
There was just one thing that he couldn’t figure out, and that was how to get Nyx
to come to him without using Water to summon meddling Mother Earth. He wanted to be
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