I’d barely made it up the hill when I heard his voice—Blake. He met my pace. “Morning,” he said, removing his woven hat.
“Good morning,” I returned.
“Are you a warrior or something?”
I chuckled. “A warrior? No, nothing of the sort.”
“Then why were you training?”
A pause, then, “It makes me feel better, stronger.”
“I know what you mean. I also train sometimes. Unlike the others here, they never do anything. No fighter chose to come here; they’re all cowards. Did King Ryvar send you to find us as well?” Blake asked.
“No, I…I came here of my own free will, sort of.” I failed to mention that it was tens of armed Naari soldiers and their mouthfuls of threats who’d sped up our encounter.
“Why did you come here, then?”
I didn’t meet his chestnut eyes when I answered, “I came here because I was made to believe that what I searched for was here.”
“And what’s that?”
I met his gaze, slowing my pace to a halt. “Answers…answers about my family. I lost my parents in an accident when I was very young. I have questions about them.” I gave him more than half the truth, I would say.
“Oh, I see. I’m sorry. I, too, lost my father. But what made you believe your answers are here? Does anyone else know about us?” I swore this boy had the mind of an ancient being.
“No, no. I read something in a book—it’s a long story. But hey, since you’re here, do you know anyone else who goes by the surname Wildheart?”
His puzzled eyes softened. “Mmm, no, sorry. You’re the first Wildheart I’ve met—not that I’ve met many people. I’m stuck here, remember? Maybe you could ask my mother or some of the others.”
It was serene in the afternoon.
The hut felt cozy. The only sounds were those of birds chirping, insects buzzing, and water boiling. Alma and I sipped on green tea while Marshen and Blake went out to chop logs for the stove.
“Must be strange for you, huh? To be in such quiet. Your friend is quite a talkative one,” Alma commented, lowering her cup.
I snickered at that. “He sure is.” Then I asked, “So…what gave it away? Our friendship.”I bet it was the separated beds.
She stared at me for a while, then said, “Your eyes, dear.” I shied them away. “You know, I carried that same look once—eyes that spill hurt and betrayal.” She reached for my hand. “It’ll pass. And do you know why I’m so certain? It’s because the first time I met my husband, Norrin, I was sitting on the sand of Crystal Bay, pouring tears into the ocean. Tears for a different man—tears he didn’t deserve. Then someone sat beside me. I remember lifting my head and getting lost in his deep blue eyes. He showed me his palm. It was filled with translucent pearl-like beads. I only realised what they were after he told me, ‘No one deserves your tears, not even the sea of our goddess.’ The beads floated at his command, one after the other, finding their way around my wrist,” Alma said, rubbing the memory of her bracelet. “They melted away when our powers were taken,” she whispered. New tears trailed down her cheeks. No one was there to give them back to her now, so I took her hands in mine and spoke words of solace.
“You’re right,” Alma murmured, wiping her cheeks. “I should forever hold on to the beautiful memories.” She smiled. “How could I not? He took me in—a girl with a broken heart—and turned me into something else. Made me part of his powerful family. I hadn’t known my true strength until then. Norrin taught me how to listen to the beat of my own powers, how to make use of them.”
“Are you a Water Nymph?” I asked, perhaps a bit too curiously.
Alma chuckled. “No, girl. If I were, I wouldn’t have these creases and white hairs popping out of my head by the minute.”
“Oh.”
“The Water Nymphs haven’t aged in the past ten years, but they lost their ability to shift. Their daughters, stripped of their right to the Confirmation.”
“The Confirmation?” I asked, pouring us more tea.
“Mmhmm. It’s a traditional ceremony—or more like a sacred ritual pertaining to the female lineage of Water Nymphs. When their daughters become of age, they…well, they drown them.”
I almost choked on my tea, giving her a horrified look that deepened as she laughed. Her eyes, though, were gentle. They lingered on mine.
“What?” I asked quietly, “Seems a bit cruel, don’t you think?”
“I laugh because you remind me of someone.”
