Again, the setting whirled and churned, making Caelian’s head spin. Her stomach rolled with nausea. Her lungs burned for air, but she refused to release the breath she was holding. She came to Wenfyre for the truth. She wanted it. Needed it. Not only for herself, but for her brothers and sisters. When the colors settled and the image finally cleared, there was only Trysta standing alone in her office. The whites of her eyes were rimmed red, silent tears streaming down her face. Her breath caught on a choking sob. In one hand was a vial of some mysterious, unknown liquid. And in her other she held the memory stone, with the triple spirals. Pressing the large pebble to her lips, Trysta’s voice broke as she whispered, “Remember, I love you.”
“No!” Caelian screamed, reaching for her mother as the vision blurred, then vanished from sight completely.
She stumbled back into Lira’s arms as hot tears burned her eyes and scalded her cheeks.
“Caelian, are you okay? What is it?” Lira’s voice was a soothing balm to the devastating ache in her soul. “What happened?”
The truth poured from her before she could stop it, the words fresh and painful, like charred layers of skin peeling off burnt flesh.
“I was wrong about her. We all were. She was…she was good. My mother, that is.” Caelian pressed the heel of her hand against her heart in a desperate attempt to ease the ache building there. But it continued to grow and fester until it became an unbearable weight. A burden of unimaginable guilt. “She loved us. Once.”
If only Caelian could look through all of Trysta’s memories and figure out why she stopped. Or at the very least, when.
“Don’t let your heart trouble you.” Lira wrapped her arms tightly around Caelian, as though she was trying to infuse their embrace with sympathy, kindness, and warmth. “You have the truth, and in time, you will have the understanding.”
Lira made a valid point. Eventually, this would all be sorted out. Eventually, Caelian would be able to make sense of it. Eventually, she would no longer feel as though she’d misjudged her mother, loathed her, when all the while, Trysta would have moved the moon and stars for her. If she hadn’t been forced to do Queen Elowyn’s bidding.
Perhaps Ariesian could help her understand, since he was the eldest.
And if that was the case, then as much as she yearned to stay in Wenfyre, she knew she needed to return to Aeramere first.
“Come with me.” Lira looped their arms together, their cotton skirts swaying and tangling in the playful breeze. “I have just the thing to make you feel better.”
“Does it by chance involve another memory stone?” Caelian asked, ever hopeful.
Lira’s tinkling laugh rang out. “No, but it does involve a new dress and a large glass of bloomfire wine.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
The meadow surrounding the Eldergrove was alive with vibrant sounds of music and jovial laughter. Druids danced beneath the twinkling glow of lanterns and starlight, spinning individually in large circles, each step in tune to the rhythm floating through the air. Most of the males were shirtless and wore necklaces of polished amber, while the females donned crowns of flowers and twigs, all of them tied with ribbon. There was food and drink as far as the eye could see, but Kjeld was only looking for one female in particular.
Caelian had yet to arrive.
Sylvan told him not to worry, that females often took a lifetime to prepare for these sorts of events. But Kjeld wasn’t concerned in the least, because through the flutes, drums, and lutes, and over the jovial cadence of voices, he could still hear the steadfast beating of her heart drawing near.
While he’d spent some of the morning hunting with a bow and arrow since the whelps weren’t yet old enough to do so on their own, the better part of his afternoon he’d been busy crafting Caelian a ring. Carved from rosewood, he inlaid the band with opals, then smoothed and refined the shape until itgleamed. He currently had it folded into a small bit of cloth and tucked safely in his pocket.
Kjeld sensed her before he saw her, the excited flittering of her heart leapt across his tongue, and his blood started to pump. He caught the scent of her on the air, the mingle of starflower and vanilla buried beneath the mouthwatering smells of delicious food and the ever-present layers of rose and cedarwood. With an ocean of people between them, the sea of bodies finally parted, and then he saw her.
Caelian was starlight in its purest form.
Her hair was swept off her neck, pulled into an ornate bun while tiny wisps framed her face. Shimmery powder dusted her bare shoulders and the apples of her cheeks. She looked beautiful every day, but this time what she was wearing made it impossible for Kjeld to take his eyes off her. The strapless lavender dress she wore dipped low and sheer, beaded sleeves draped her arms. The waist was tight and the skirt unfurled in a wave of gossamer fabric, almost too delicate to be real. Drifting around her like butterfly wings, her iridescent dress was gauzy and dreamlike, and made her look like she was walking among the clouds.
“What do you think?” she asked, eyes bright and glossy as she did a little twirl. “I’m quite fond of the slit myself.”
Caelian winked, then swished her skirts, revealing miles of her perfectly smooth flesh.
Kjeld’s arm shot out, snaring her by the waist as he dragged her against him. “I think it makes me want you all to myself.”
“Mm,” she hummed in agreement, flattening her smooth palms to his chest. “I’m inclined to agree.”
She trailed her hands over his tattoos first, then followed the ridges of his abdomen. But when her fingers snaked toward the waistband of his pants, he caught her by the wrist.
“Caelian…” It was hardly a warning, but she looked up at him then, eyes wide, lips pouty.
“I thought you said you wanted me.” She stuck out that bottom lip further, and he was half tempted to bite it.
“Of course I want you. I always want you. But…” Kjeld caught her by the chin, forcing her to look up at him. The sparkling lanterns overheard reflected in her sapphire eyes, illuminating the faint glaze. Her pupils were blown and when she licked her lips, her tongue and mouth were stained a deep hue of red, and a hint of ripe berries lingered heavily on her breath. “Did Lira offer you some of that bloomfire wine?”
