I nodded as I smiled back at her. “You’ve done a wonderful job taking up this task. I’m sure she’s proud of you.”
Valene looked out at the meadow. “I hope so. I’ve tried so hard to follow her notes she left me. I’ve managed some things, but there are others that I’m struggling with.” She looked at me. “I’m trying to make fragrances like her too. They’re not as good, but people like them, so I know I’m on the right track.”
I watched her for a moment. “Maka’shi said something about memory loss. I’m guessing it was when that Hunter attacked you. Is it the source of your struggle?”
She nodded slowly. “I had gaping holes in my memory. I couldn’t remember how to walk the spiritual plane, work with the elements, or even remember certain people’s names.” Her eyes welled up with tears. “I even forgot what my mother looked like. Over the years it’s come back in pieces, but I still can’t remember her face. I remembered you quicker than her.” She looked up at me, tears streaming down her cheeks. “How horrible of a daughter am I that I can’t even remember her face?”
I cupped her cheek with my hand and wiped a tear away with my thumb. “Don’t be like that. It’s not your fault.”
“I hate myself! She tried so hard to raise me and I can’t even remember her face.” Valene looked away from me. “I’m so ashamed I can’t even bear the thought of visiting her on the spiritual plane.”
I frowned and placed my hand on her shoulder. “Do you remember me telling you about my mother?”
She nodded. “I remember a little. You said you’re one of the few who got to know their mother and you lost her some time ago, right?”
“Yes. So long ago that the only things that remind me of her face are my memories, and a photograph I have of her. But memories are fragile, and I don’t have that photograph on me anymore. Her face has started to fade from my mind after all these years. Does it upset me? Of course. But I’m not going to beat myself up over it. My mother would understand that memories are fragile and they fade. She wouldn’t hold it against me for naturally forgetting, because she loved me.”
I pulled Valene closer and held her against me, stroking her hair. “Just as Valessa loved you. You meant more to her than Lumaraeon itself.”
Valene wrapped her arms around me and buried her face into my chest. “Thank you.”
The two of us remained in this position for a few moments longer until she pulled away, wiping away her tears and taking in a deep breath. “I missed having you around to confide in. Life has been a little lonely without you.”
I poked her in the side. “You sure? ‘Cause I’m sure you don’t miss how much of a pain in the ass I can be.”
She giggled. “Yeah, I’m sure.” She touched the necklace with the wrapped stone. “I couldn’t bear to take this off when I remembered you. It’s one of the few things you were able to give me that hasn’t gone missing over the years.”
I smiled. “I’m glad you still love it. I remember the smile you had that whole week after I gave it to you. I think you showed everyone in town your new gift, at least three times.”
Valene laughed. “Only three?”
I laughed as well and then looked around. “We should probably get to picking flowers.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. What do you think of a vase filled with flowers that will compliment honeysuckle? I know they’re your favorite.”
I nodded. “I don’t hate that idea.”
She smiled wide and ran off. I went my own way, looking for any flowers that caught my eyes. Valene knew the best ones for floral arrangements, but even if I picked some that wouldn’t work, she’d use them for something else.
I cut several stems of stargazer lilies and found a patch of freesia. I had a particular fondness for those two, along with honeysuckle and hyacinth. I plucked a few stems and inhaled the lovely scent. So beautiful…
I then stood up, planning to find Valene, only for my attention to be caught by a rose bush. Well, bush wasn’t the right word. Tree was really the right word for what this was, and not just any type of tree. The roses this tree produced were black with red tips. I had never seen such a color on a growing bush, or in this case, tree. Valessa had shown me a special species of rose that produced orange-yellow flowers with dark orange tips, and another that produced white with dark red tips. She even showed me how she prepared certain white flowers with colored water to make unnatural colored flowers to sell, but never had I seen a rose like these ones. I walked closer and reached up to touch the petals to find them velvet soft. Well, it’s real, so how is it done?
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” I looked back at Valene, who carried an armful of flowers. “Mother’s book talks about this tree. She searched high and low for the right place to start up a field with any flora she could possibly need. One day she came across this meadow. It had all sorts of beautiful wild flowers—and this rose tree. She had no idea why it was here, how it came to have such a unique coloring, but something told her she had finally found what she had been seeking.”
She touched the leaves.
“Her notes go on about how she had her ups and downs during her training—how she would struggle to keep certain flowers alive while making others grow too much. Yet through it all, this rose bush remained the same, as if to encourage her to keep trying. It definitely helped. Everyone says how great of an earth shaman she was, and so many earth shamans strive to be as good as her. Even though my memory is damaged, I do have a vague memory of her working.”
Valene smiled.
“I was supposed to be studying, but I didn’t want to because it was boring, and I wanted to be doing what she was doing. I knew she’d get upset if she found out, so I quietly peered around the doorframe of the root cellar watching her. She was so happy, humming away while she worked. That memory keeps me following the same path she walked.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “I don’t doubt you’ll be able to do even greater things than she ever could.”
“You mean it?”
“Of course I do.”
She smiled. “Thanks.” She then frowned. “I wish I could remember what happened after that memory. I don’t know if she ever caught me or not.”
“I did.” I tried not to react to the ghostly voice. I didn’t need to scare Valene. I was sure it was too soon for her to know her mother was around. “And I wasn’t mad in the least.”
Valene smiled at me. “You can take a rose or two off. I haven’t taken any in some time, so it’ll be good for it.”
I nodded my thanks and drew a dagger to cut off a flower with the stem attached and carefully went about removing the thorns. When it was safe to hold, I tucked it behind my ear. In the past I would have never dreamed of putting a flower in my hair. It’d tempt me to feel more beautiful than I knew I was, but today I allowed it. It felt good to believe, even for a moment, that I was.
I stood up and jerked my head as I walked away. “Let’s head back. Unless you think we need more flowers.”
Valene looked at the rose tree as she tucked her hair behind her ear, revealing an ear that was slightly different from that of an ordinary human ear. They were small, like those of an ordinary human, but they were shaped similarly to that of a nu-human.
“Does Valene know anything about her father?”
“No, and I would prefer to keep it that way. I may have come to terms with him leaving, but he chose not to be part of our lives. She doesn’t need him.”
“He wasn’t an ordinary human, was he?”
To someone with little to no racial knowledge, they may not notice, or think she was a half-elf. But I knew better.
Valene, satisfied with whatever she saw in the tree, nodded in acknowledgement and joined me by my side. “I have a question. Is it still okay for me to call you Laz?”
“Laz, Laz, Laz, Laz, Laz. Have fun training, Laz!”
She looked away from me. “I know only certain people get to call you that, and it’s been so long…”
&
nbsp; I ruffled her hair. “Of course you can.”
She smiled wide and the two of us headed back to the inn. When we arrived, there were quite a few more bodies inside the common area than before. Several men and boys of elven decent with a mix of umber and olive skin tones, eight in total, lounged about—some on the tables, while others were on actual furniture. Several of the men had looks similar to those of the shaman tribe to the south—tattoos, piercings, and partially shaven heads and all. All of them noticed us immediately, and we were accosted by excited shouts of “Eira!” and “Laz’shika!”.
Valene glanced my way, a smirk on her lips. “Someone is popular with the men these days.” I rolled my eyes and she looked at the men who were sitting on the tables. “Unfortunately, some of these men have no manners. Off the tables! I know your mother taught you better than that.”
The lot of them grumbled but complied with her order. A whimsical laugh came from the kitchen and moments later a lithe elven woman with umber skin and ash brown hair decorated with colorful feathers entered the common area, carrying a large tray of food. A young boy, no older than six, tagged along, his hand clutching her dress. “Yes, as a matter of fact I did.” The woman set down the tray and smiled at me. “Welcome back, Eira.”
I smiled. “Thanks, Alena. It’s good to see you.” I looked around at the others. “All of you. Though I see a few are missing, as is your father.”
“I’m afraid Del’karo is off on a job and won’t be back for some time,” Alena said. “He brought two of our sons with him to gain experience.”
I counted how many children they had, an absurd number if you asked me, especially for elves. “You’re still missing one.”
She nodded. “Ne’kall. He’s decided to stay in the South Tribe. We visit him every now and then; Del’karo more so as his jobs allow for that. He’s happy and his family is healthy and doing well.”
I approached her, placing the flowers I had down on the table. “That’s good. I know his mysterious disappearance only to reappear married all those years ago set a wedge between you two I thought would never mend.”
Her eyes twinkled, and her lips turned up. “Yes, well he’s now the first to make me a grandmother, so I have to forgive him.” I laughed and the two of us embraced in a friendly hug. She then squinted her eyes at some of her other older sons. “Now if only some of my other boys would follow his lead and find someone to settle down with so I can free up some space in my home.”
Several hung their heads with a sigh while others rolled their eyes. I laughed, understanding the complexity of elven families to some degree. “Well, they can’t take all the blame. You and Del’karo reproduce like rabbits.”
The room roared with laughter. Even Alena found my words funny. Though the young boy with her was another story. “Don’t say mean things about my mommy!”
Alena patted him on the head. “She’s not being mean, sweetie, don’t worry.”
I crouched down to get a good look at the boy. He looked a lot like his father, with the lighter olive skin tone and black and red hair, but had his mother’s eyes. The young boy tried to be brave and meet my stare, but the longer I watched him, the more his nerves took over, and in the end, he hid behind his mother. “You’ve gotten big, Sethal. You weren’t even old enough to walk when I last saw you.”
He peeked around his mother but still remained shy. I smiled and held a bent finger up to my lips to discretely pull an ember from my mouth. With a flick of the wrist I controlled the fire to take the shape of a butterfly. Sethal’s eyes went wide. “You make fire like Daddy and big brother Ne’kall.”
I smirked. “Your father taught me all sorts of tricks to control my fire. And I used to tussle with your brother from time to time before he left.”
He stared at me with eyes filled with awe and wonder. Before I could do much else to impress the child, one of his older brothers came up and pulled me to my feet in a headlock. “Yeah, now she gets to deal with the rest of us.”
I pulled against his grip, though not putting a whole lot into the effort. “Better let go, Tesne, or you’ll regret it.”
“You may be a nu-human, but I’ve been training as a Guard for some time. I can handle you.”
I chuckled. “Suit yourself.”
No longer holding back, I easily pulled myself out of his grip and tackled him, pinning him to the ground. He struggled, but was no match for my nu-human enhancements.
“Brother, I’ll save you!” Sethal declared before jumping on my back.
I cried out in fake pain as he wrapped his little arms around my neck and rolled off Tesne, careful not to crush the young boy latched onto me. “Too strong!”
Sethal held on tighter as I moved around. He giggled the longer he managed to stay locked in place, and I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. Eventually I managed to grab onto him and pulled him into my lap. He looked up at me with squinted eyes; a large toothy grin spread across his face.
My attention was pulled from him when someone exited the kitchen. Raikidan, a platter of food in his hands, watched us all. “Is that dinner?”
He looked at the food. “No. It’s a snack. Or so Daren says.”
A snack? I sighed and raised my voice so Daren could hear me. “Daren, you’d better not be going overboard!”
“I never go overboard, lass,” Daren called back.
I pinched my nose, my voice lowering. “Meaning you’re going overboard and we’re going to be waiting a while.” I moved Sethal from my lap and stood up. “I’m going to use this time to wash up, then. I could use a warm bath.”
The boy elf frowned. “Aww, but I want to keep playing.”
I rubbed his head. “We will. I just need to take the time to not smell like a three-week-old fish locker.”
The men around me roared with laughter. Valene, who had gone about making her floral arrangements, looked up from her work. “Oh please, Laz. You smell fine, especially for someone who has been on the run. You look like you haven’t brushed your hair or eaten a good meal in some time, but that’s to be expected. Trust me, if you smelled like a fish locker, I would have made you bathe hours ago.”
I scratched my head. “Yeah, well, I’d still like to enjoy a hot bath. It’s been too long.”
“I need to speak to you in private anyway, Eira,” Raikidan said.
What did he want to talk to me about?
Valene took great interest in the mini exchange. “Give me another three seconds and I’ll have a floral arrangement for you to bring upstairs.”
I nodded and she ran off into the kitchen.
“Oh, Eira, before you go,” Alena said. “I’d like your input. I told your friend here that he could benefit from a haircut, to blend in better to the city, if him being human won’t be an issue in itself. But he wasn’t sure on the idea. What do you think?”
I shrugged. “It’s up to him. You’ll find all kinds of people in the city, so he could wear it however he likes, and no one would bat an eye.”
“With his facial structure, though, wouldn’t you say shorter hair would be better?”
“I’ve seen men with his structure pull off long hair. I’m honestly indifferent to all this.”
She looked to Raikidan. “Well, if you change your mind, I have plenty of experience handling hair. I never thought having boys would require such skills, but here we are.”
I snickered when some of her sons—who were known for changing their hair styles often—rolled their eyes.
Valene returned with a small glass vase filled with water. Arranging some lilies with a few other flora, she handed the arrangement to Raikidan with a smile. He took them, but clearly wasn’t picking up on her cues, disappointing her. Raikidan walked over to me and handed the vase off, Valene’s mood souring even more. Yep, definitely have to talk to her.
Now holding the flower arrangement, I headed upstairs. Raikidan followed, glancing back behind us a few times. When we were sufficiently away from the others, he spoke, but with a lo
wered voice. “What’s up with that female you know? She’s acting weird around me.”
“So, you have noticed. I was starting to wonder.” I chuckled. “She has a small crush on you. Don’t worry about it, though. I’ll set her straight without revealing what you are.”
His brow wrinkled in confusion. “What is a ‘crush?’”
I shook my head slightly. “It’s when you’re attracted to someone in some way and wish to pursue it, but aren’t ready to find out if they would like to have a relationship of that level with you.”
“Oh, we don’t do that, so that doesn’t make sense to me.”
“Don’t you start asking questions,” the voice in my head warned. “You risk attachment.”
I pursed my lips, my curiosity getting the better of me. “So, how does it work for you? You find a dragon with good genetic qualities you wish to procreate with and then go your separate ways?”
His face twisted, and his upper lip curled as if he took offense to my words. “No. We’re strictly monogamous. We just know our perfect match when we meet them.”
“Uh huh…” I had a hard time believing any of that. Especially that monogamous crap.
Raikidan eyed me for a moment. “Humans aren’t monogamous?”
I shrugged. “Some are, some aren’t. It’s a matter of choice or tradition for us. And some are better at it than others.”
He looked at me, but didn’t say anything as we reached the top of the stairs. There was nothing special about the second floor—a long hallway with several doors leading to rooms. I opened the first one on the right and entered the room. It didn’t look any different from when I’d been here last.
The room was a moderate size, with tan walls, king size bed, and a bookshelf and vanity on a far wall, adorned with a red-curtained window looking out into the town. To my right was the door to the bathroom.
I placed the vase of flowers down on the vanity and sat down on the bed, already relishing the soft surface. “So, you wanted to talk to me before I disappeared for my much-needed bath.”
He leaned against a wall nearby. “For someone who says they are incapable of feeling happiness, you do a lot around these people. You have rarely stopped smiling, and I heard you laugh for the first time.”
Destiny (Experimental Heart Book 1) Page 6