The Cypher Wheel by Alison Pensy Page A

enter. “After you,”
she said. Jocelyn gave her a warm smile and walked past her into
the cave room.
    Faedra followed and let the cloth fall behind her,
covering the entrance to the room. For a room carved into rock, it
was surprisingly cozy, especially with the curtain draped over the
entrance. There was a little furniture in the room. A small dresser
with a bowl and pitcher of water stood at one end, and a couple of
single beds covered with blankets was all there was room for. It
was all they needed, though.
    Jocelyn wandered over to one of the beds and sat on
the end. Faedra headed over to the pitcher and poured some of the
cool water into the bowl. She leaned over the bowl, cupped her
hands and splashed her face. She let out a sigh.
    “Etyran likes me, doesn't he?” Jocelyn blurted as she
fiddled with the corner of the blanket.
    Faedra stopped mid splash and turned her head towards
her friend. Water dripped from her wet face into the bowl below.
She gave her friend a big grin.
    “Well, I think that would be the understatement of
the year,” Faedra replied.
    Jocelyn crinkled her eyebrows.
    “I think he likes you very much.” Faedra didn't
think, she knew. Etyran's energy was not subtle that was for sure.
“How do you feel about him?”
    Jocelyn dropped her gaze and sighed. “I am not sure.
No one has taken an interest in me before.”
    Faedra grabbed the cloth on the dresser and wiped her
face. “You're kidding me?”
    “No, not kidding. I am not sure how I am supposed to
feel in this situation.”
    “Forget about what you're supposed to feel.
How do you actually feel?” Faedra could quite easily determine how
Jocelyn actually felt but thought her friend needed to talk about
it.
    Jocelyn mulled it over for a moment. “Well, when he
is around, I feel like butterflies are fluttering around in my
stomach. It is a very odd feeling; I have never felt anything like
it before. At first, I thought I may be getting sick, but after a
few days I could still feel it and I was still well.”
    Faedra gave her friend a warm smile.
    “Is that normal, do you think?” Jocelyn asked.
    Faedra moved to the bed and sat down next to Jocelyn,
laying the damp cloth across her lap. “Yes, it is normal. I still
get that feeling every time your brother looks at me.”
    “You do?” Jocelyn seemed surprised. “How long does it
last?”
    “Everyone is different. I'm afraid I can't answer
that, sorry.”
    “What do I do now?”
    “Follow your heart and only do what you are
comfortable doing. If Etyran does anything that makes you feel
uncomfortable, you must let him know. He would be devastated if he
did anything to upset or offend you. You know how clumsy he can be,
especially around women. I don't think he has a lot of experience
with our kind.”
    “Our kind? But we are of different kinds,” Jocelyn
stated, completely misunderstanding Faedra's statement.
    “I mean females.”
    “Oh, I see. He does stumble over his words a lot when
he talks to me. I was unsure why, but now it makes sense.” Jocelyn
gave Faedra a big smile. “I think I like these butterflies.” She
looked down at her stomach. Faedra returned Jocelyn's smile.
    “Well, I guess we should get some rest before
darkness falls,” Faedra said as she moved over to the other bed.
She took off the pouch containing the cypher wheel and laid it on
the small table next to the bed. She then leaned over to take off
her boots before swinging her legs up to lay down on top of the
blankets. Faedra heard a rustle from the other bed as Jocelyn lay
down. She turned her head to look at her friend.
    Jocelyn was lying on her side, hands tucked under her
cheek. She was looking intently at the Custodian. “Are you nervous
about tonight?”
    Faedra looked up at the ceiling, thought about it for
a moment and turned back to face her friend. “You know, I'm not at
the moment. I know I can do almost anything with this power if I
put my mind to it. I just need to figure out how to