“I was just thinking of all the times we’ve been standing, sitting, or laying in a forest, and yet you never provided accommodations such as this before.”
She grinned. “Why would I do that when it was so fun to listen to Jen grumble about how uncomfortable she was?”
He grunted. “Okay, but I was uncomfortable, too.”
She shrugged. “A small price to pay.”
Nissa took a seat and crossed one leg over the other. “While we wait, why don’t we see if we can access our memories? They have to be buried somewhere in our minds.”
Peri took the seat next to her. “You think we should attempt to look into each other’s minds instead of searching our own?”
Nissa nodded. “Maybe our power can affect whatever magic is blocking the memories.”
“It’s worth a try, and it’s not like we have anything else to do.” Peri held out her hand, and Nissa took it. “Try to avoid the more personal memories.”
Nissa’s eyes briefly rested on Lucian. He winked at her, which made her smile.
“Quit flirting with her, Lucian,” Peri snapped. “I could still use a nice fur rug in our bedroom.”
“As you wish.” She shivered when she felt his hand run down her spine, though he wasn’t standing beside her.
“Behave,” she said through their bond.
“With you? Never.”
Galan and Serapha watched the two high fae and the wolf through the veil using Serapha’s magic.
“Are you just going to make them sit out there?” Galan tilted his head as he stared through the veil.
“Sometimes waiting is necessary,” she told her young. “It produces patience, which will eventually lead to perseverance.”
“They don’t appear to be interested in increasing either virtue.”
Serapha chuckled. “If Perizada had it her way, she’d never have to wait for anything. But that’s not how life, or the Great Luna, works. Peri should know that by now. And yet…” Serapha gestured with her snout to the veil. She turned to look at her son, her brave, bold, and courageous son. “You waited as Ludcarab’s prisoner. Eventually the goddess came to you. She let you know when it was time for you to act. That wasn’t easy, was it?”
Galan shook his head and shifted on his feet. The youngling’s tail came around and wrapped itself around him in what she recognized as a self-soothing gesture. “It was very hard.”
“I am so proud of you, Galan. What you did, many others would not have been able to do.” Serapha’s stomach clenched. The waiting wasn’t difficult just for him. During his absence, it had taken everything in her not to go barreling into the human realm, killing everything in sight while she searched for Galan. But the Great Luna had come to her, as well. Serapha had told no one about the goddess’s visit, not even Peri. Perhaps she should have told the fae when she’d been a guest in the draheim realm. Would it help Perizada to know that the Great Luna even required patience from the draheim? Probably not. The fae needed to understand that she wouldn’t always get her answers when she wanted them… if ever.
Galan settled himself onto the ground, folding his legs beneath him. “How long will you make them wait?”
“Until it’s time for them to stop waiting.”
“When will that be?”
Serapha smiled. “When do you think it will be?”
He snorted, and a puff of smoke came from his snout. “When the Great Luna says the time has come.”
“You’re learning. I might have to tell Peri that you’re learning lessons faster than she is. That would get on her nerves.”
“You like to get on her nerves.” It wasn’t a question.
“It has become a favorite pastime. I miss her presence here for that reason alone.” Serapha wasn’t telling the whole truth. She missed Peri for more than the pleasure of getting an easy rise out of the fae. It had been nice having the companionship of someone that knew what was happening in the world beyond the draheim realm. Her kind typically stayed out of the business of the other supernaturals, though there was the incident of two draheim brothers, Grus and Vollaman, who had sought to kill the warlock king and his female. That had been quite unfortunate and out of character, but then Volcan had either promised them something or used powerful magic upon them to bend their wills. With their help, Volcan had hidden out in one of their ancient castles—a fortress built by the elves long, long ago when the draheim maintained relationships with the other supernatural races. But other than that, the draheim now kept to themselves. Having Peri around had been a breath of fresh air.
“How long will you sit and watch them, Galan?”
“What else am I going to do? Torion is gone. He was a lot of fun to play with.”
