I ignored him, stepping onto a narrow, uneven path following the sound, mindful of my footing. Endymion’s footfalls faltered as he tethered Luca, assuring him we’d be right back before following after me.
“Nyleeria?” he called out, his voice distant.
With every step I took, the sweet, calming rhythm rang clear as ifthe Mother herself played it for me, and my world narrowed to that beautiful, rich, loving, ethereal call.
I picked my way through the boulders and heaved myself atop a small outcrop—finally able to see the source of the hymn. Needing more than anything to feel the bark of the massive standalone tree against my palms, I recklessly scrambled down the rocky slope of the crater.
Every cell in my body hummed in response to the song emanating from the epicenter that was not of this world. Impossibly thick branches peaked through the droves of tendrils that cascaded toward the ground like the boughs of a weeping willow—only, she didn’t hold sorrow. Such a thing would be impossible for her. No, she held life itself, each luminescent wisp swarming in every hope-filled color imaginable.
My fingertips tingled anticipating the bark’s velvety smoothness, yearning to trace its beautiful patchwork of soft greens, purples, and blues.
Oh, how I craved its touch.
I was vaguely aware of colors shifting in the air in my periphery, like the hues caught within a bubble sliding to-and-fro in the sunlight’s embrace. Somehow, I knew a dome now protected her and me—even from Endymion.
Her power flowed more freely the closer I got, as if the budding anticipation I felt wasn’t mine alone.
As I took those final steps, that slumbering part deep within me awoke, yearning to yield to the sweet, sweet melody as much as I did.
I lifted my hands, and, at long last, pressed my palms against her.
White filled my vision.
I felt everything. Heard everything.
A thrum from the impossible depths of Lumnara’s pulse—a heartbeat. Her heartbeat. Our heartbeat.
I was part of her, and she was part of me. Down to our very core.
Pressing my palms harder against the bark, I let go.
Thrum. Thrum. Thrum.
Every beat deepened our connection.
Thrum. Thrum. Thrum.
Every beat allowed us to be one.
Thrum. Thurm. Thurm.
It was the source of all life, of all creation on Lumnara. It was the Mother herself.
Thrum. Thurm. Thurm.
I tilted my head back and breathed it all in, releasing every bit of who I was to her as an offering.
The dance between our magic felt like the unbridled jubilation of a family reunited after too long apart. The humming of loving conversations. The laughter of old and new memories. The dance of lovers who needed no words. The cries of a newborn child.
It was hope. And joy. And love.
It was the harmony that had been lost long, long ago.
Thrum. Thrum. Thrum.
Another flash of light.
And like an evening that must end, the thrumming melody faded as our powers mindfully disentangled themselves until, eventually, she was gone.
