Page 41 of In Your Light

It was a healing remedy all on its own.

He was sure the good folks of Tenebrae would agree with him.

Maybe he would broach the subject with Hadeom.

Maybe he would go past the hut tomorrow after seeing Zaq and ask Hadeom if he would be interested. Fyn’s new house was more than big enough. And as Fyn lay in his new bed in his new home, he imagined the possibility of sharing this new life with Hadeom. If he would want that, of course.

He smiled to himself as he closed his eyes, his heart already deciding for him.

Chapter

Ten

HADEOM

Hadeom was in the forest well before the sun, and he’d been there for some time already. He’d given up on any attempt at sleep. Granted, he’d slept more in his time at the hut than he could ever remember experiencing before. But his body needed to move, and his mind...

Well, his mind was a mess.

What he needed was clarity. He needed focus. He needed single-minded concentration.

Once upon a time, he’d been driven by attention and could aim with an accuracy any military would have envied. They had envied him.

His mind used to be a processing unit better than any computer humans could invent.

And now...

Well, now he was standing in the forest under the fading moonlight with his hands on a tree trunk, trying to listen. While also trying to clear his mind of everything else. Meaning all things Fyn.

His bright smile, his warmth, his strong body. His curled horns and eyes the colour of moss.

Yes, he needed to clear his mind of all that.

And listen to what?

The trees.

Right.

You used to be able to do this without trying, Cern’s voice said on a gentle breeze.

“My instincts are gone. I was in the mortal world too long.”

Listen to the trees. That boy is right, you know.

Hadeom dropped his hands and sighed. “About what?”

You.

“What about me?”

He’s right for you.

Hadeom turned this time and spoke to the fading night sky as early morning began to bleed over the eastern horizon. “Listen, old man...”

The wind whipped around him, sending the leaves into a snicker around him. Fate always did have a sense of humour.

Hadeom sighed this time. “Where are you, anyway? If you want to antagonise me, you can at least do it in person.”