“How do you know the tunnels so well?”
“One of my ancestors drew a map. We thought it had gone missing, along with all the original settler writings in Terra centuries ago, but a few rotations ago, I found it.” With his admission, a strange thought occurs to me.We both found something long-forgotten that somehow brought us together. A shiver runs down my spine.
Rivern turns his head to find my eyes. His hair brushes every inch of his face, and I itch to tie it back up so I can see his devastating features. “The song?” I ask.
“Everything was eventually lost of the old ways, the old world. However, we could not rely only on our memories. It’s as if she wanted us to forget—until the map was found,” he states, looking at me like if he takes his eyes off me for even one moment, I will melt into space.
A dream to the question of both our hearts answered.
Still, so many questions remain.Why does the Goddess do what she does?
I suppose she will always be aware of events we can never hope to know or understand. As creatures of creation, we live but for a mere blink of the eye, whereas she is eternal.
The fae and dyre wolves are the only ones who come close to understanding her plight, living far greater than a human life, but they are not infallible, as history has proven.
Moving forward up the staircase, stuck in our own contemplations, we pause.
No door blocks us. Instead, a curtain-covered archway blocks our way, light freely spilling from its rounded corners.
Low chatter and clanking emanate from beyond the material, and though I’ve never been in this place before, the smell reminds me of a previous life.
“It looks like we’re near the kitchen,” Rivern says, poking his head slightly out from behind the curtain. “I’m going to manoeuvre us through the shadows as best I can until we reach the door.”
My blood pumps rapidly throughout my limbs.Another new place. Another hurdle to overcome.The smell alone is enough to wake memories long put to bed, so I seek comfort in the only thing that is currently holding me down—Rivern.
Gripping onto his hand tightly, I move my head slowly up and down.
I can hear raucous laughter, and my whole body withers, almost freezing at the sound.
The tunnels, even Gideon’s room, were different. They were recognisable to me, hidden and quiet. This place where people mingle, laugh and drink is not. It is everything that contributes to my bad memories as a child. I abhor it, and my body physically recoils.
Rivern senses my distress through the bond and spins, covering me from the tavern. His eyes beat into mine, and he touches a hand to my chest. “Remember why you are here. I could’ve taken you from this place. We could be on my horse riding away right now. Remember… Let your bravery shine through, Little Dove.” His voice trails off, and his eyes feed my fire, Argus rearing his head and blowing flames through my chest.The children. The families. I can’t leave them to starve under a lying king.
“Let’s go,” I proclaim firmly. Standing taller, Rivern gives me a wide smile. He squeezes my hand and pulls me from our hiding place, following the shadows just like he said.
His body glides through the space. With his size, you would think the small number of patrons still drinking at nearby stools and booths would notice us, but they do not. It is as if the Goddess herself is blessing us with invisibility as we weave our way.
As I grip tightly onto his hand, I remember to breathe my way through the smell.
Just before we head for the door, Rivern spots some cloaks hanging over the edge of a booth.Yes.What luck.
With the slipperiest fingers I have ever seen, he glides us past the cloaks, picks them up and slides us through the swinging door.
My heart rate hits hard and fast as Rivern sequesters us against the darkest side of the building. Deftly, he places the cloak around my shoulders first, securing my hood over my head before doing his own.
Fixed on the sight before me, my fire burns strong and willing as my heart ricochets through each ear.
The moon is beginning to sink behind the manor ahead, signalling our need to move before the king sicks his wolves on us.Mywolf. Mybeast. Gideon. The gentle giant who proved kindness can come in all sizes and packages.
“Come on.” This time, I grab Rivern’s hand and pull his cloaked body towards the people seeking relief around small fires on the stairs. The broad landings leave plenty of space on the lower half of the long stairway for large enough fires to place pots over.
The closer I get, the more I realise that I have no plan of conviction.How will I get these people to trust me? Will they remember me as the witch, the girl in the cage who sings the Goddess’s song?
I stop, and Rivern slams into my back. Grasping my hips, he angles his head down towards the back of mine. “How will I convince these people to follow us to Terra?” I ask.
His hands come around to push against that tugging I feel constantly in my heart. A bond. A Goddess. Love? “Fire,” he breathes.
That’s when I hear it—a sound that gives me my answer tenfold. A giggle, a tiny flawless note.
