As the wind tore through her hair, she sat on a plush chair and gazed across his kingdom to the west, where the ocean lay no claim upon the land. Verdant landscapes and the twinkling of the green essence, like fireflies scattered across the land, fought fortriumph against the sparkle of the stars. She inhaled the fresh, salty air and sighed. The essence swirled around her and settled on her skin, softly tickling her once more.
Umbrea was beautiful, its charm not only in its lush scenery but also in the peaceful atmosphere that enveloped everyone here. Unlike Joro, where citizens faced punishments and restrictions on their essential resources. Food, shelter, and safety shouldn’t be hard to find. It waswrong.
If the Jotnar had a reliable supply of food from Joro, why were they trying to break the dome? It didn’t add up. She saw firsthand how people were treated in the Camp. The Wyrd was just an excuse for cruelty to kill and control.
She thought about Mordred. How old was he, anyway? When she was a child, he was the lord then, as well. How long had he been running the city prior to her father? If the lord wasn’t the one in charge, then who was this Monster King pulling the strings?
She refused to believe her father was intentionally hurting people now that he was the lord. There was more at play that she didn’t understand yet.
Warm hands gently rested on her shoulders as she gazed into the distance. She looked up and saw Cahir standing behind her, smiling down with a tenderness of love she hadn’t allowed herself to see before.
“It’s beautiful here, Cahir,” she said as she looked across the land to the distant mountain range beyond, bathed in soft moonlight.
“This could be your home, too,” he replied. “We could stay here… together.”
Seda hadn’t thought about that. She had no plans when she escaped the Camp; her only goal was to find safety. Peace sounded nice. She had finally found the safety she had been searching for.
For several heartbeats, she breathed in the fresh air, allowing the silence to settle.
Her journey to the Wisps and meeting with Tahti had taughther more about herself than she had realized. She was called a key, someone, orsomethingnecessary for the safety of all of Xyberus.
She thought about Joro and how living there only taught her fear. She tensed when she remembered the painful cries from Esper in the Camp.
The others who lived there deserved to live in a place like this, too.
Remaining in Umbrea was a childish hope.
“I can’t. I’m needed for things I don’t even understand yet,” she finally whispered.
Cahir stayed silent for a moment. He gradually took his hands off her shoulders and let out a sigh. “I wish things were different.”
“Me, too.”
He gently touched her hair and twirled it around his fingers. “This is changing,” he said of her sparkling strands.
“Yeah, I’ve been noticing that as well.” She collected a handful of it and admired it in the moonlight’s glow.
“Would you like to go to the library now?” he asked, extending his hand to her. “I have a book I’d like us to see when we get there, as well.”
She accepted his offered hand, and they left the patio, heading toward where she hoped to find answers.
Chapter 18
Seda
Cahir carried a weathered book as they walked, one he had picked up from his bedside table before leaving.
When they entered the library, they began in the history section, where Seda was last with Meir. Most of the books were covered in a thick layer of dust as they pulled them from the shelves and sorted through them on the table. They were surrounded by a diverse range of options, including the history of the Fae, historical recipes, and stories of monsters.
Nothing in that section was quite right, and Seda sighed in frustration. The only interesting option here was the book he had brought, which he was looking through.
“Nothing here helps. What’s that one about?” she asked as she plopped roughly into the chair beside him, causing it to squeak.
He sighed. “Tahti seems to have gone missing. But I found this book in her house.”
“She’s missing?!” Seda gasped.
“Yup. Went there to talk to her, and her house was empty, as ifshe hadn’t lived there in years. The only two things left were her cauldron and this book.”
