This notion intrigues me because I’ve never heard of the king or Castor doing anything productive for Haven. I’m also still not sure how Cardinal contributed to the temple.
As the suns start to break upon the shore, we manage to get our group of around forty people to the top of the mountain. Luckily, the farmers and their families are used to the rough terrain, as they often collect berries along the southern mountain ranges. This knowledge proves very beneficial as we stumble across a ripened blueberry bush towards the top.
Food is a concern moving forward, but Rivern assures us that the land will provide if we treat her with the respect she deserves.
My second concern is the fae prince himself. The farmers and their families worked out pretty quickly that the male is not a human. This resulted in a revolt halfway up the mountain, which took precious movements to defuse. Mercifully, the fact that Rivern is fae isn’t reason enough for our little party to disband, but the others watch his steps carefully.
“We need to move faster.” Rivern crouches upon the edge of the cliff that gives us an overview of Haven and the ocean below.
Running dirt through his hand, he whispers to the air as I watch a large snow-white bird caw overhead.
“Once the king knows of your disappearance, he will send the dyre wolves after you,” Rivern sneers, standing to stride back towards the humans, who are taking a moment to pause.
“They need rest,” I press.
Swivelling like a dancer doing a perfect spin, Rivern strides back towards me, securing me with his violet irises. “And what of you? You forget who the king wants.” He motions his hands towards thevillagers within the shade of the trees. “He does not care whether they live or die. You, though…” He brings his broad hand to cover the side of my face. “You, he wants dead, and I’m guessing he will stop at nothing to make that happen.” His thumb rubs soothingly back and forth along my cheek, and everything within me wants to melt into a puddle at the feel of his touch. “You will die if we stay with these humans.”
The pieces of my broken heart wither.He is right. Gideon found me once, and he will find me again.
My mind spins.Am I putting these people in danger by being here? I promised them sanctuary.
I grasp Rivern’s wrists. “You have to take them.” He looks down at me, confused. “You are right. My presence will only keep the villagers I brought here in danger. You must take them,” I plead.
Rivern’s eyes widen as gleaming lines flicker to life on his bronzed skin. “No.” One word, spoken with such depth and clarity that it scores the depths of our bond. “You may send the villagers on without you, but you are not leaving my sight, Little Dove.” His fingers move down my neck, soothing the uneven map of my scars. Shivers take over my exposed fragility.
I want to battle him over this, make him see logic. I’m a lost cause, not worthy of the Goddess’s song or to be his bond. I’m broken. My heart is nothing but shattered pieces of glass lying within the cavity of my chest.
The bond will break with my death. By leaving Haven, I’ve only prolonged the inevitable. By surrendering to the Goddess, I surrender to my fate. But I will be damned if I don’t try my hardest to follow through on my commitments. My word, my integrity, this truth is the only thing I have left.
I will get these people safely to Terra, and then I will expose the king for what he truly is—a deceiver. A cheat. A knave.
“Fine,” I concede, understanding the depths of his commitment through our connected threads.
I take a step back and direct my gaze to the waiting villagers. “How do you suppose we get to Terra before the dyre wolves catch us?”
At the tail end of my words, a gust of wind whips my hair around, and the already-loosened ribbon flies from my head. With extremely quick reflexes, Rivern darts out a hand and grabs it before it flies out towards the ocean.
Breathing in deeply, he looks up at the lightening sky above and whistles, a musical sound reminiscent of his lyrical voice moving through his lips.
Before my eyes, the same large ivory bird I spotted before comes into view. The beauty of its flight is not lost on me. The priestesses most revered creatures.
They are taught within the priesthood that the Goddess gifted the birds to her disciples as a direct line of access to the one true Goddess herself in the stars. The aviary within the temple houses many smaller species of birds. Nothing like this expansive, winged bird of prey.
Unable to take my eyes off the massive bird, the snowy creature swoops down to land on Rivern’s outstretched arm.
My voice catches in my breath as I see him start conversing with the bird. “It is a risk,” he says, and I miss parts of the conversation as shock sets in.
I read about this.The priestesses told us one story, but my books told me another.
It’s a story of the Goddess choosing birds as her tokens from the stars, yes, but also asintimatesto her fae people. A balance—one of land, one of sky, connected by choice, bonded by devotion. A give and take. Like witnessing like.Intimates.
The texts describe intimates as bridges to the world in the stars, the playground of the Gods.
“I…” The word falls from my lips softly, but Rivern does not miss it, looking towards me. “It’s true?” I continue. He stares at me quizzically, and his oddly handsome white bird cocks its head. “Intimates exist?”
Truly, I’m surprised he can hear me with the utter lack of noise coming out of my voice, just the barest trickle.
I don’t think I’ve ever held such admiration for another creature. When I first came to the temple, I would sit outside the aviary and watch as the many differently coloured birds reached up to touch the sky. The freedom they possessed was unfathomable to my child’s mind. Until I was told the aviary was only for the priestesses, not servants, and I was quickly moved along.
