By the Silver Wind/The Salt Lake Shore

**The Salt Lake Shore** is the second chapter in*By the Silver Wind.*

## Summary

*Rashard POV*

The first chapter of the book starts with Shard hitting the waves of a salt lake. He then corrects and flies out, demonstrating a bad crash and how to correct. He had been teaching his Vanir how to swim and fly for the journey home. Recalling his dream, Shard thought about whether he and Rhydda dreamed together.

A holler from the shore snaps Shard out of his thoughts. The holler came from his uncle and mentor, Stigr, an exiled gryfon from The Silver Isles who is missing an eye and a wing. He tells Keta, a young Vanir gryfess, that she did well swimming and flying into the water.

Seeing a gryfon struggling, Shard floats over to Toskil who was trying to right himself in the water. He advises Toskil to use his wings like fins and to just float. He then says that he knows it's frightening, but he should try to dive head first as he is less likely to strain a wing or to break a bone. Toskil replies calling him 'sire' as he tries to sort himself out. When Shard almost corrects him and asks for him to use his name, but stops himself, knowing that Stigr wouldn't approve.

Watching his Vanir, Shard is caught off guard when a gryfess attacks him from under the water crying "Sea Wolf Attack!" Shard submits in the water after a playful spar with her, and he recalls with dread how he had almost been killed by sea wolves on his way to bring Hikaru to his family in the Sunland.

The gryfess, whose name is Brynja, asks if she did well for an Aesir pretending to be a Vanir. Shard replies she did just as well as anyone of them could. Rashard thinks about telling Brynja about his dream, but he decided not to knowing that she had other things to worry about. Brynja nipped his ear and dove under the water again.

Shard begins to pursue, but a voice from the shore stops him from chasing after his future mate. Shard gathers his thoughts before to turns to swim to Ketil, Keta and Ilse's mother (the latter's nest-mother). Ketil approaches Rashard and mantles to him, then looks out at the water. She then tells Shard that one of the elder Vanir, Frar, insists that Shard's wingbrother, Prince Kjorn, is going to send them all into battle against the wyrms, but only for glory and not for helping the Vanir reclaim their isles.

Shard insists that Kjorn would never do something like that, but Ketil replies that she keeps trying to assure him that it would never happen. He [Rashard] says that he will speak to Frar, and quickly changes to subject to note how well Keta was doing in the water, but soon regrets choosing it.

Ketil says that he is right, and rambles on about how well she does in the water, and how she leads the other Vanir. She then goes on to say that she hopes he will get to know her better and Rashard replies saying that he will get to know all of them better.

Brynja trots out of the water and comments to Shard he should start the fires before it gets dark. Shard agrees and dips his head to Ketil, telling her fair winds. Ketil returns the gesture to Shard with her eyes still locked on the lake and her daughter. Shard, annoyed at the slight to Brynja, lashed his tail and tells Ketil she will acknowledge a fellow member of her pride and her future queen. Ketil replies that Brynja has her respect, but will not acknowledge an Aesir as her queen until both of the have made the vow under Tyr and Tor's light together, but says that she also hopes they see the folly of their love. Without saying another word, she leaves.

Rashard goes to follow, but Brynja says that he shouldn't follow. Rashard murmurs into her feathers that he will make his vow under the shore, but Brynja says that it must be under their home in the Silver Isles. Shard then tells her about the dream he had. Brynja says she would like to hear more, but he should tell Kjorn as well. He bids farewell to Brynja and runs into his uncle Stigr.

Stigr says that Ketil is quite annoyed and is complaining all the time. The two talk about how Ketil wants Shard to mate with Keta or another Vanir. Stigr then goes on to say that his brother needs him.

## Characters

### Major

* Rashard
* Brynja
* Ketil

### Minor

* Keta
* Toskil
* Stigr

### Mentioned

* Hikaru
* Frar
* Kjorn

## Important Events

* Rashard trains the Vanir, preparing them for the flight to the Silver Isles.
* Ketil and Rashard get into a small argument over Brynja being recognized as queen of the Vanir.
* Stigr leads Rashard to his wingbrother.

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