A servant brought in a tray of food for me, and I noted the lack of a second plate.
“You’re not eating breakfast?”
“I am afraid not,” he replied, smoothing down his mantle. “I would enjoy nothing more than to dine with you, but with the Council a mere three days away I simply cannot. I only came to let you know that a dressmaker will be arriving a bit later this morning to design your gown for the banquet. Dey will retrieve you from the Sylvarium at the appropriate time.”
For a short blissful while I had forgotten about the upcoming ball.
Feeling like we had connected a bit, I decided to throw a hail Mary. “Are you sure all this is a good idea? I’m still leaving in a few weeks. How will you explain my disappearance again?”
My father gave me a small smile, kissed me on the forehead, and turned to leave the room. “A few weeks is a long time, Raynella,” he tossed over his shoulder. “You may yet change your mind.”
“Not likely,” I muttered under my breath and sat down to eat breakfast.
Alone.
The Sylvarium was empty when I arrived, save for the usual flock of baby crescia. I was pleased to see Jenni and Opal make a beeline in my direction
“I’m starting to think you guys like me,” I joked. I definitely had my fair share of others fluttering nearby, but Jenni and Opal had definitely staked their claim. “So which one of you is it going to be then?” I asked, trying to decide if I even had a preference. Opal was smaller, quieter, and a bit more timid, while Jenni was considerably more vocal, playful, and always the first to land in my hair.
I ran my fingers lightly over both of their delicate wings. “Just so you guys know, I like you both, but I also won’t be around long. You might want to hold off for someone better.”
“Now who could be better than the princess?”
I whirled around as the sweetly amused voice of Jo slipped through my mind. I watched as she moved lazily through the Sylvarium, picking the occasional berry and sniffing the flowers.
“Can you teach me how to do that?” I asked as she got closer.
“How to do what?”
“Talk inside your mind. Like, can I project my thoughts or whatever into your head without speaking out loud?”
Jo popped a berry into her mouth.“There is nothing to teach, Rain. Whenever someone wishes to speak with me, their mind essentially opens up, making it easy for me to pull out the thoughts.”
My eyes followed her around the room, and I decided to give it a shot. Without opening my mouth, I thought,“So… can you hear me?”
She smiled.“I can.”
My face almost hurt I was grinning so big.“Do I have to be looking at you?”
“No,” she replied, ducking behind a massive hanging plant with vines so thick they formed a solid curtain down to the ground.“You need only be thinking of me. Try again now that I am hidden.”
I closed my eyes, wanting to see if I could do it with no visuals at all.“Is it insulting if I ask how old you are? I’ve learned that appearance means very little in terms of age.”
It was like I could feel her shrug inside my head as she replied.“It is not a commonly asked question, no, but I do not mind. Given the varying lifespans of our people, it is typically viewed as irrelevant by most. Similar to asking one’s favorite color. Just a random factoid about them. And for the record, I am twenty-three. I have no healing magic so I will age much like a human.”
I settled onto the floor of the Sylvarium and leaned back against the bench, keeping my eyes closed.“Huh. I don't think I realized that only the ones with healing magic got to live longer.”
Something like a sigh rolled through my mind before she responded.“It is one of many injustices that may be correctedonce the ley lines are restored. Let us not speak of such things, though. Why did you wish to know my age?”
I bit my lip and fought back the twinge of guilt that I basically wanted to ask Jo a million questions. It didn’t seem like a particularly balanced friendship when I barely knew anything about her.
“I can sense you are conflicted about something, Rain.”
“I’m sorry. It’s just… I have a lot of questions, but I don’t want you to think that I only wanted to hang out so I could grill you for information.”
The soft scuff of boots alerted me to Jo’s presence before I felt her settle down beside me.
“I would never think that, Rain. If I can help you understand our world even a little better than I will do so gladly.”
