I cannot linger in these halls.
The king asked the wrong questions, and I provided just enough information. For now, my place within these halls is safe, but I cannot say the same for my songbird.
twenty-four
Rivern
As we begin ourdescent down the opposite side of the mountain, we come to an unforeseen end.
“Well, this is ill-fated,” Dove mutters beside me.
Everyone behind us comes to a halt as we look over the steep drop below. Hidden by trees and foliage, we hadn’t noticed the drop-off until nearly tumbling over the edge.
“Surely, there’s a way around this?” I ask in a hushed voice so only Dove can hear.
“This is one of the reasons no one makes it into Haven on foot.” Dove’s face falls.
The villagers behind us have put their faith in us, and we are potentially leading them towards death. My only mission here is to see Dove back to Terraanddestroy our bond,but I continue to feel the weight of her responsibility to these people, and it is starting to affect me as well.
I gently grasp her arm and move down to breathe into her ear, “I’ll call Solen back. He will find us a path down.”If not, I have another plan.
My earlier mentions of wisps intrigued the determined female beside me, and we had shared our sporadic knowledge about the tiny flying creatures with each other on our walk down the mountain.
Dove had come across the little creatures in her library texts, and I had heard tales about them from the elders within Terra.
We discussed how the wisps had once been the magical fairy workers of the fae. They were pure magic, a creation of the Goddess and fuelled by the fae’s connection to the land’s energetic properties. The wisps could control the elements around them—earth, air, water and fire. They helped build Haven alongside the fae, and together, the species thrived within Haven until the humans arrived.
The wisps were made for creation and joy, not destruction and death. So, when Haven was overrun, they hid when the fae fled.
However, I haven’t told her the most important part of my discovery—that the forests are littered with the small sleeping creatures if you know what to look for. Something inside me wants to witness her surprise, her wonder. I’ve already seen such an array of emotions from her, and I want—no, Ineed—to see how they play out on the lines of her face and the sparkle in her eyes. She is magic, and I want to watch her shine.
Solen is my first port of call. He is keeping watch over the manor in Haven for dyre wolves. On the first spotting of a dyre wolf leaving the area, I’ve instructed him to return to us.
A melodic whistle springs free of my lips, and Dove faces our throng of villagers to explain our predicament. She sounds a lot more convincing than she feels through our constantly buzzing connection.
She is worried.
The responsibility she has placed on herself regarding these people could rival my own for the people of Terra. And her growing concern for her people before her own life is concerning to me.That’s because you are bonded, you idiot.
Right now, we are her people’s only hope, and Dove is clinging to her mission like moss sticking to the many trees of the forest surrounding us.
A low squawk sounds out in the distance.
Solen is fast, and within movements, I can hear a rustle in the leaves above, his body appearing on a low-lying branch. Walking over to my intimate, careful to keep my bodily actions inconspicuous to the humans, I converse with Solen through clenched teeth. “We need a safer way down this mountain.”
“I see you have run into a spot of trouble,”he teases. My intimate always brings a light-hearted nature to any rough spot we find ourselves in.
He often levels me out when I am too serious about an endeavour. He is my compass.
“Just a spot.”
“Let me see what I can find. Hang tight.”With that, he is gone before any of the villagers know what is happening.
Puffing out my held breath, I resort to surrendering to the Goddess on this task.Surely, there is a way down, and if anyone can find it, Solen can.
Walking back towards the group, I declare, “We will rest here a movement while I scout a safe route down the mountain.” A few of the villagers try to talk at once, but Lucas stands up as their official unofficial spokesperson.
“Are we stuck?” The question rings clear in the air, only the leaves rustling in the breeze to keep them company.
