by Mary Coffin
The mood was light inside the caves and fairies flitted around the tunnels as the festivities were about to start. A celebration was planned and all Overseers had gone to the Grand Cave participate.
To show their gratitude for protecting them and their home, the fairies were preparing a flying dance and musical performance. The Grand Cave had been rearranged with the tables toward the outer edges, to make room for the fairies’ performance in the center. The cave was decorated with banners, woven from gold threads, colored ribbons and flowers. The smell of fresh bread, stew, meats and sauces wafted through the halls as the banquet was prepared.
Morten had ordered the celebration. It was time to relax and have some fun, since it would be awhile before the forces of darkness and light regained their strength. He suggested that everyone take advantage of the lull.
Loki walked with Waysu to the dining area. When they arrived, she stopped at the entrance and looked inside at all the people laughing and carrying on. Others brushed past her on their way in.
Waysu turned to her. “Are you all right?”
It took a moment before Loki nodded. Then she looked at Waysu. “I just need a few minutes.”
“Okay. I’ll save you a seat.”
Loki spun in the opposite direction and started walking away.
Waysu called out to her. “Loki.” Loki met her eyes and she added, “It gets easier.”
Loki nodded her understanding and walked away. She took the tunnel that led to the upper level and the pine grove on the north flank of the mountain. She knew it was nighttime but fresh air would feel good. She approached the opening and then took a couple more steps outside. The quarter moon in the sky allowed more stars to be visible but it didn’t offer much light on the ground so she went no further. She closed her eyes, breathed in the crisp evening air and let her mind go blank.
She heard the approaching footsteps but didn’t acknowledge him until he stood next to her and spoke.
“How are you doing?” asked Morten.
Loki glanced at him and was glad that it was too dark to see his piercing sapphire eyes.
“Fine.”
He put his arm around her shoulders, in a fatherly embrace. “I’m proud of you, Loki. It’s not every day that someone has to vaporize their sister.”
“It didn’t feel like I was vaporizing Elwyn. It seemed like she was already gone and some other force had taken over.”
“That’s true. The moment you vaporized Draevil, the dark force went for its next willing host.”
Loki remembered the darkness in Elwyn’s eyes and how her voice had changed. “But I nearly blew it. I almost missed the opportunity.”
“But you didn’t blow it. It’s all in your perspective. You can say that you nearly blew it or you can say that you stepped up and did what was necessary. I’d prefer you have the latter viewpoint. Otherwise, I might have to have the same conversation I had with your mother many, many years ago.” He released her shoulder and looked down at the ground around his feet. “In fact, I do believe it was in this very spot that we spoke.”
“About what?” she asked.
“She questioned her abilities as an Overseer. First, she thought she made a mistake by not taking the journal from her brother. I disagreed because she didn’t even know what it was at the time, so how could it be a mistake? Then things got intense between the darkness and the light. Gwynn and Silas became romantically involved. The Guardians and the Brethren came for the crystal. Overseers intervened. Gwynn got in over her head and Silas nearly died defending her…yadda…yadda…yadda…and she blamed herself.”
“Wow.”
“I wanted her to see it from my viewpoint. With or without the journal, the Guardians and the Brethren would still have pursued the crystal. They lust after power and removing the journal would not have removed the knowledge that had already been passed along verbally over the generations. Second, both Gwynn and Silas were exceptionally talented in their skills and neither of them died. The fact that they fell in love was just icing on the cake, for them, of course, but it didn’t prevent them from being assets to the Overseers.”
“So, what happened then?”
“Well, the bottom line was that Gwynn got scared. She feared that her feelings for Silas were going to get one of them killed. She wanted to leave and somehow come to terms with those feelings. I told her that she didn’t need to leave to do that but, of course, I cannot interfere with someone’s free will. So, she left. Time passed, she met your father and followed a different direction. I kept an eye on her, hoping that some day she would return. She shared one thing with me, though.”
“What was that?”
“She regretted letting fear guide her way. She said that once she made that choice to leave because of fear, it only made things worse. And along with that went her self confidence.”
Loki listened intently. This story explained a lot about her mother.
Morten turned to face her and, through the darkness, Loki felt the energy from his gaze upon her.
“If I may be so bold as to glean the moral of her story and pass it along to you, Loki, I would say this.” He placed his hand on her head. “Relax and flow with things. Don’t fight your experiences and don’t fight your feelings. Just be yourself. I’m happy to have you with us.”
Loki felt the warmth of his hand on her head. She smiled. “Thanks.”
“And now, we have a party to attend.” Morten tucked his arm inside hers and they headed for the Grand Cave. “Besides, I think a certain someone might want to dance with you.”
In the light of the tunnel, she glanced at those mischievous blue eyes and wondered if there was anything that Morten didn’t know.
Note to the reader
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It is the author’s hope that you enjoyed this story. If so, it would be greatly appreciated if you let the author know by returning to the site where you purchased or obtained this book and rate it and/or provide a review.
About the author
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Mary Coffin lives in Colorado with her husband and their cat. When not writing or being active outdoors (or rock hunting), she works with her husband creating jewelry for craft fairs and for their online jewelry shop: Rock2Gems. Of course, quiet time and curling up with the cat, a good book and a cup of coffee is just as fun.
Connect with Mary Coffin at:
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