A way

The night was longer than the one before it had been, despite the fact that Esus had fallen into an exhausted sleep. He did not feel rested when he woke. The thought of Malies dark grip on his little Charyic was unbearable agony. He should have defied them when they sent him to Isemalrocath. He would have found her.

He dressed after washing in the basin and went to find the Holy Father. He needed to know if there was a way to get her back.

The steward seemed surprised to see him up so early, the sun had barely risen. He ushered the grim-faced Light Bringer to a pool of clear water that reflected the sun’s light blindingly as it rose. The Holy Father was already there with a handful of others staring intently into the water.

After a time, as the sun rose higher, the Holy Father looked up, his mirrored eyes so bright from the sunlight that they looked as if the sun beamed out of them. “She has been bound to the favored of Malies, by Malies himself. The only way to take her back would be to persuade her from his side and you would be dead before you spoke a single word. Malav would see to it.”

“No.” Esus shook his head. “There has to be something. She’s-” He rubbed his face roughly.

Miryil spoke pensively and he snapped his head around, he hadn’t realized she was there, “What if we persuaded him from her side instead?” She smiled grimly at Esus. “He’s been preparing for a fight, and no favored of Malies passes up the chance to bloody his blade. Didn’t your song say something about the winds of war?”

Esus returned her grim smile, and nodded, “Yes.”

“It would give you the chance to fly in and do whatever it is you do that makes her tame and lead her out.” Her mirrored eyes glittered but Esus felt a knot in the pit of his stomach.

“She isn’t one of my birds. And even if she’ll come with me I won’t be able to just lead her out.” He shook his head.

“Isemal is willing to aid you in that.” The others began to look up from the water one by one as they spoke, their eyes as bright as the Holy Father’s.

“Win a kiss from her.”

“Have her put aside the trappings of his station.”

“Take her hands in yours and change.”

“You will not change back, and neither will she, as long as the sun shines.”

Esus sank to his knees. “I can’t-there is no thanks I can give to-” He shook his head speechless.

They spoke now in unison. “Bring my beloved’s songbird to Isemalrocath, that will be thanks enough.”

Esus grinned. “She is no songbird, your Luminousness, my beauty is a bird of prey, despite her size.”

“They have always been my favorite.” The unified voice sounded amused. The eyes of the men and women next to the Holy Father began to fade back to their normal brightness.

The Holy Father wore a hawkish smile, “It seems we now prepare for war.”