Lorien waited until those guards were well ahead of us, then he casually sauntered in the direction of the fleeing figure. Winding his way through a short maze of sculpted hedges, he rounded a corner and found himself facing a young woman as she huddled in an ivy-draped gazebo, attempting to make herself small and unnoticeable. Darkness shifted unnaturally around this woman, cloaking her further.
Lorien chuckled at the sight. “Calista, my Shadow...you’re going to need a better hiding place if you’re planning to avoid them all night.”
She rose to face him, eyes wide with alarm. Then annoyance. The shadows parted, fully revealing her striking figure that was draped in an elegant, plum-colored gown, its elaborate beadwork shimmering like trapped stars.
Like Lorien, she was much younger than I’d ever seen her; this must have been one of the first times they’d met.It used to be customary for the Vaelora to train separately during their youth—though I’d heard stories that these two had corresponded by way of letters and such long before they’d ever seen one another in person.
But only once they had matured, mastered their magic, and taken their own respective vows, would they present themselves together before the leaders of the realms—an occasion usually marked by a grand ceremony in this central kingdom of Midna. And, judging by their elegant clothing and the hum of activity echoing from the palace, I wondered if that ceremony was imminent.
“I’m not hiding,” Calista snapped.
“No?” Lorien arched a brow. “What are you doing, then? Inspecting the hedges? Taking notes for the gardeners?”
She scowled.
He clasped his hands behind his back, a grin playing at the corner of his mouth as he strolled along the hedge line. “The northeast corner looks like it needs trimming. And there’s a broken fountain near the rose arbor—you should make a note of that, too.”
Folding her arms across her chest, Calista gave a curt nod toward the palace. “Don’t you have somewhere to be? A royal court to go show off for, perhaps?”
“I’m only half of the show, unfortunately. And the uglier half, at that.”
She scoffed, but her cheeks flushed pink; it was obvious she didn’t believe any part of him was ugly.
Lorien’s expression softened. “We can’t keep them waiting forever, you know.”
She lifted her chin. “Yes, I do in fact know my duty, thank you very much.”
“And you’ve committed your sins and vows to the Chamber of Echoes…”
She stiffened. “Of course.”
“So now all that remains…”
She fidgeted with the silver bracelet at her wrist—a simple band that looked out of place against her ornate gown.
Lorien’s crooked grin didn’t falter, but his hand twitched, as though he’d thought for a moment about reaching it out to her.
You’re afraid of what comes next, aren’t you?
Calista didn’t answer him—and I soon realized it was because Lorien hadn’t actually said these words out loud. It had been a thought. One wrapped in something tender, and the stirrings of what felt like concern. Protectiveness.
I recoiled, once again uncomfortable over the intimate connection I had to him. The vision wavered a bit, but I managed to stay focused enough to keep watching.
Lorien took a small step closer. Calista held her ground, though her breathing quickened.
Voices echoed from deeper in the garden.
I could feel her pounding heart as she backed into the shadows, dark green eyes wide, delicate fingers anxiously twisting themselves up in the long, flowing sleeves of her dress.
Lorien’s gaze lingered on her for an instant longer before he strode away, intercepting the group of searching guards as they approached.
“No sign of her around here, I’m afraid,” he told them with a shrug. “But one of the groundskeepers said he saw her heading toward the southern gate.”
They gave a respectful nod and changed direction.
Subtly, he tilted his face back toward the spot where Calista hid.
Her shoulders relaxed. The smallest of smiles crossed her face, and that tender feeling bloomed even stronger in Lorien’s chest.
