Chapter 268: Greeting Dawn
"I never learned to swim," Ashlynn mentioned at one point. "Even though we’re so close to the sea, we couldn’t take the risk that my mark would be seen through wet clothes or while I changed. I was so jealous when my father started taking Jocey to the beach to learn."
"Wasn’t he worried that something would happen to your sister," Nyrielle asked, looking down at the waves crashing forcefully against the rocks below the cliff. "Swimming in the sea seems dangerous."
"There are sheltered coves and places where the waves are more gentle," Ashlynn said, pointing further down the coast. "There are even places where people dive from cliffs like this into the water below. Father drew a line at learning how to dive, even Jocey wasn’t allowed that much freedom. But still," she said, her voice turning wistful. "I would have liked to learn."
"The Briar has several pools and there’s an entire lake nearby," Nyrielle pointed out. "Perhaps you can learn while you’re there. Or would it mean less since your father wouldn’t be the one to teach you?"
"I, I don’t know," Ashlynn said. In truth, she’d never thought of it, but given how much travel in the Briar depended on boats, it might not be a bad idea. "There are dangerous creatures in the waters of the Briar, but it might be possible to learn in the lake. I’ll think about it."
"I think you should," Nyrielle said as she gave Ashlynn a reassuring squeeze. "If you don’t learn in the Briar then I can teach you to swim in the river when we get home."
"So even you got to learn to swim," Ashlynn said, pouting playfully at the unfairness of the world.
"Of course," Nyielle said, keeping her voice light. "My father was a very practical man. He put me through his own version of ’survival training’ in case I ever needed to flee the Vale of Mists. I, I wish he had been wrong about needing to learn those things, but I’m glad for the lessons. Without them, I might have..." Her voice trailed off as neither woman wanted to contemplate what could have happened if she hadn’t been able to escape the Lothian’s attack when the Vale of Mists fell.
Ashlynn’s childhood had been defined in many ways by her mark of the witch but for Nyrielle, it was her status as a True Vampire that defined her childhood. While Ashlynn would be reviled if her true nature was ever discovered, Nyrielle faced an entirely different form of isolation. A True Vampire was certain to be an important figure in the future, one with great power who was feared and worshipped by the masses.