“I apologize for my verbal attack toward you and your sisters,” she fiddled with her dress. His eyes darted to her, and he nodded.
“So, can you tell me anything about you guys?” she asked him as she stepped over a large mossy log, a small red mushroom growing from the top.
“Well,” he started, “We have lived for hundreds of years. We have waited for you for a long time. When you arrived, we instinctively knew you were here. We were unable to locate you, so we consulted the Wisps for your current location. All Corvids know who you are, but most are hesitant as you are not ready.”
Well, this was the most information she had gotten from them.Maybe she needed to talk to Feich more. Curiosity was eating at her to know them, so she asked, “How many Corvids are there?”
“Thousands of us, living amongst the trees and caves of the high mountains. Roya has been our chosen leader for as long as I have known. Our father came prior.”
“How do you guys communicate with each other since it’s just the three of you here?”
“We call it the Corvid Whispers. We can communicate telepathically amongst each other as needed.”
“Is this why you don’t talk much?” Seda asked, intrigued. She blushed, realizing how rude that sounded, and looked away. “Sorry.”
“No need. I’m a man of few words. I also do not say much to my kin unless necessary,” he smiled at her. His light skin radiated in the filtered sunlight through the trees.“They nag too much.”
Seda laughed loudly and stepped over a group of small red mushrooms. She looked down at them, noting their colorful tops with yellow spots.
“Ouch!” Askold yelled from ahead of the group. He dropped one of the mushrooms he picked up, his fingers turning red.
“Don’t think those are edible, Askold,” Kalon said from his side, shaking his head. “Watch out, everyone, these mushrooms bite back when touched, and I see a lot more of them in the distance. They seem to be getting larger also.” He walked back to Seda and offered her his arm. She accepted it as he guided her around the large swaths of mushrooms, avoiding them with her bare feet.
Elco was flying with Roya and Ferona. They were playing through the air. She looked up and smiled. Elco was free to fly again and enjoy the freedom it brought, no longer being chained and caged. She wondered about his past and where he came from. They imprisoned him for more than a thousand years. This beautiful, magical creature endured horrors no one should see for far too long.
Seda accidentally stepped on and crushed a mushroom. Pain shotup through her foot and leg. She hissed and nearly lost her balance, but Kalon caught her in his arms. “I think it’s safe to say you might want a ride until we pass this.”
She smelled his sandalwood scent as he smiled down at her. She blushed, flinching from the pain, but was grateful for the offer. He picked up her dirty foot, examined the bottom, and gently squeezed it. “You have a blister, but it doesn’t look too bad.”
She held onto him as her foot throbbed. The warmth of him crept into her, and she shivered as she thought about Cahir holding her the same way.
“Are you cold?” he asked her. He looked down at her, and his beautiful seafoam-colored eyes seemed to slow down time. He looked at her like he saw the person she was meant to be, not the weak Seda of the past, but the strong woman she longed to become, almost as if he understood her true potential.
She shook her head and looked away from him, breaking the trance she felt she was in.
Thoughts of Cahir circled back through her mind. He must have had a reason for lying to her for all these years. Allowing her to inseminate herself with him artificiallyenragedher. At what point did he realize things were going too far? Did he ever think that? Did he even feel guilty for lying to her? She wondered what he was doing now.
She desperately wanted to talk to him again, even if it was for closure. And honestly, to even see if what everyone was saying was true, because what if it wasn’t?
“What are you thinking about?” Kalon asked as he was stepping over dozens of mushrooms on the ground. “You look lost in thought.”
She thought about what to say. Should she be honest? Would she find comfort in sharing her thoughts with this man, especially so soon after one had liedto her for years?
“I’m thinking about closure,” she replied.
“Hmm.” His full lips thinned, and he said, “The most dangerous liars are the ones who think they are doing it for the right reasons.”
She looked back up into his bright eyes, surrounded by dark eyelashes, as he gazed down the path. “Have you ever been lied to before by someone you care about?”
He looked down at her, and her heart fluttered. Then he smiled at her before glancing back up to watch his steps. “Yes. I’ve been lied to, and it broke me.” He sighed. “Want to hear something honest?”
“Yes,” she replied anxiously. She did want to hear something honest. She wanted honesty from everyone.She was tired of the mysteries.
“Sometimes forgiveness is the hardest part, but it loosens the chains we strap ourselves with when we carry our anger.” He took a deep breath and continued, “And… I think you’re the most stunning and powerful being walking this planet. I believe you’re more than you even see about yourself.” He kept walking through the trees and the mushrooms, then stopped and looked up.
Seda blushed. No one ever said that to her before. It was very flattering that someone could see qualities in her that she didn’t recognize in herself.
She looked up at what Kalon was staring at, and Benny had his hand raised in the air, stopping everyone.
