The king does not understand the game he is playing, and that works to my advantage.
As soon as I relayed the information of the songbird fleeing the castle with a fae companion, he bid me go solo to find the girl. Fenrir is his favourite drinking buddy and general good-time friend, so he was not willing to part ways with my brother as well, even though the stakes are higher with the fae involved.
So, just as I predicted, I am on my own to fetch the songbird.
It’s a pity he did not mention anything about a solid timeframe or how I should treat the girl. Like last time, the king does not understand the nuances of his compulsion.He is a fool, just like the others.
As soon as he gave me his orders, I walked out of the receiving room. I did not want to hear more of the king’s anger-fuelled ramblings.
So, here I am, free to wander my way across the northernmost forests of Haven, sniffing out the sweet vanilla-honeyed scent of the songbird. I decide that shifting won’t be necessary since I am taking this journey in my stride.Slow and steady wins the race, right?
A grin splits my cheeks. It has been an age since I’ve been outside of Haven, and my wolf form itches to run.Maybe when I hit a wide-open space.
Heading closer to the shore, I find the songbird’s sweet smell stronger, not bogged down by other scents as I found when I’d scaled the mountain.
The villagers, I surmised, had gone with them—the songbird and her fae male—considering they had also taken for the mountains on the same night. She is helping them somehow, but she has separated from them with the fae. That sunshine smell is hard to miss, especially when it pairs so well with the sweetness of the songbird.
“Bonded,” the fae had said. I look towards the sky. I’ve seen bonded crumble at the hands of one another. Bonded means nothing when you’ve lived an eternity.
The quiet forest reminds me of another time. A time spent in liberation with my brothers. Where we ruled this land. A land governed by monsters until they took it from us. They said it belonged to them. He said he created it for us, for the ones like us until it was stripped away.
They called us unnatural. “No one should live forever but the Gods,” they said.
But it turns out there is only one way to kill us: betrayal. No God deserves our faith in them. They only seek to control us for their own means. I learnt that a long time ago.
With the faithless humans controlling us, I used to see methods in their madness. Now, I see it’s just madness, and they are no better than the Gods themselves.
This songbird intrigues me, though. She has been right under my nose this whole time. She sings the Goddess’s song but does not understand its repercussions.
Suddenly, I hit a field where her scent only just lingers in the air, and the steely smell of animal hits my nostrils—a horse. They are rare creatures. Castor holds the last one born in Haven.
Looking out at the opportunity before me, the niggle deep within takes hold.
A gruff rumble enters my throat at the notion of running in this open field, and I cannot stop the compulsion of the beast within.
My wolf form breaks free, and I’m off—running, bounding, leaping through tall, willowy grass.
Nothing else matters in this moment but the release in this form and the soft notes of vanilla sweetness on the wind.
twenty-nine
Dove
Trudging through the endlessforest, we come to a large pool of water. Crystal blue in appearance, it is fanned out by smaller connecting rivers in multiple directions, making the centre pool almost a hub to the surrounding land.
A soft breeze moves through the branches of the trees, leaving the smell of refreshing rain and dew to fill my lungs.
The sights and smells are revitalising as we haven’t seen any other lakes of water big enough to immerse our full bodies. We could’ve trekked via the coastline, but Rivern informed me this waywould be faster, and speed—our speed—is something we must be very conscious of. Especially with a mammoth dyre wolf after us—well, me.
Sniffing the air, I catch the unseemly whiff of my clothes after being stuck on a horse for multiple turns of the suns. The fae behind me still gives off the aroma of pine trees and brilliantly blinding sunshine.Lucky him!
Perfect fae prince. Not only is he inhumanly beautiful, but he is also good at everything. Braiding hair, check. Foraging for food and water, check. Doesn’t need sleep, check. Can speak to animals, check. Well, I am not sure he can speak to Mage, more like watch his body clues, but he definitely has conversations with his intimate, Solen.
“Let’s rest for the night here,” Rivern announces behind me.
“The whole night?” I question. We have not made a full night’s camp this entire trip. We stopped only for me to nap and to find food and water. That is it. Rivern never rests.
“Well, the wolf seems to be making minimal progress, and this is the only good place to bathe along our journey. Plus, this may come as a surprise to you, but I do need to rest occasionally,” he adds jovially. Since announcing me as his princess for the whole wild wood to hear, he has become more playful, lighter, and more charming. It is like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders.
