With the bond connection, I know its verity. But to see it before my eyes, to feel my whole body alight with her magic for the first time… Because she—my bonded, myhumanbonded—is the key to unlocking the missing fae magic, a feat no other has achieved.
The song never seems to end, yet finishes within the blink of an eye. Dove opens her eyes and turns to face me from her perch on the leafy floor. “Did it work?” she asks, puzzled.
Now that her singing has ceased, I notice the lack of sound around us. Not even the children who followed us can be heard.
A rustling sound comes from above our heads. Looking up, my smile grows wide. “It worked,” I murmur, careful not to scare our new little friends, who are waking up for the first movement in centuries.
Dove’s gaze lands on the silken green hives above, and she gasps.
One by one, out of the smallest of holes within the cocoon constructions, little, iridescent, glowing critters emerge with spacious, delicate wings, their bodies nothing but a small speck between.
They begin to whir around us, making a soothing humming sound, inspecting the land and inspecting us until they find her—Dove.
Hundreds of dazzling wisps hover and dance around her body, alight in celebration. Dove opens her palms to them and watches as they tickle her fingers. She lets out a small laugh, and the wisps get brighter, glorying in her joy, feeding off her excitement.
“Rivern,” Dove breathes out in laughter.
Our gazes lock, and the bond grasps for us, pulling our bodies together.I need to touch her.To kiss her. To love every part of her body.
My hand moves of its own accord, reaching out to touch just under her chin, keeping her gaze connected to mine.
The wisps, sensing our connection, make a rope around us, pulling me towards my queen. She kneels at my feet until I drop down to my knees in front of her because no queen of mine will ever kneel for me.
If I could keep her, I’d kneel for her every turn of my life.
Together, we are encased in a wisp cocoon. A cocoon I never want to leave.
In our kneeled positions, I look down at my brilliant little human. The bond drums, and I grip her face between my strong hands, pulling her face towards mine. Our noses touch, and her eyes shine bright.
“You are everything my soul has dreamt of since the Goddess’s creation,” I proclaim. Dove gasps, the surprise on her face evident and the longing through the tether of our hearts undeniable.
“Riv—” Dove tries to get out before a loud squawking startles us out of our bubble.
The wisps scatter and Solen is in my head. “You can suck face later. The wolf is coming.”
My whole body goes rigid, and I address Dove. “The dyre wolf is on his way.”
“Shit,” she curses.
“We need the wisps to help us make a path down the mountain and then guide the villagers to Terra,” I start to tell Dove my plan.
There is too much to organise and not enough time to do it. Dyre wolves, in their wolf forms, are fast. The wolf could be on us within only movements of the suns’ progression into the sky.
Without having to speak a word, Dove is grabbing my hand and running towards the villagers, back to their resting place.
The children gawk at us but do not hesitate in following, same as the wisps. They follow the Goddess’s song giver, their life force until instructed otherwise.
As we come upon the villagers, Dove is panting, my fae stamina longer lasting.
The villagers stand. “What is following you?” Lucas asks in surprise at the trail of flying yellow creatures behind us.
“Your guides to Terra,” I proclaim.
“But I thought you were our guide.” Lucas points a finger at me, his creased eyes wide at our flying followers.
Without further explanation, Dove turns towards the wisps following us. “Uh, hi, wisps,” she exclaims. An excited buzzing rings through my ears at her acknowledgement. “It’s very nice to meet you. We are in a bit of a hurry to get down this mountain. I am hoping you could help make a path that will be safe for us to use.” She directs the wisps to look towards the edge we need to get down, and before her arm falls back to her side, the wisps are off, fulfilling her task without question.
They work in unison, a chorus of trained precision as they connect with the elements to manipulate objects around them. Rocks start to give way to a staircase. Vines creep up the sides of the newly made stairs,acting as railings, and soft moss grows along the winding path to soften footfalls.
