‘Hmm, that seems a bit far-fetched. How can we know for sure that this is true?’
She glanced over to their little daughter and shrugged, ‘It has to be true; it is very well known. It must be; my mother was never wrong. And if he does come back he will have to face three dangerous opponents. He did not defeat me nor will he ever overcome our little girl. I will start training her when we get back, so she will be strong and ready either way.’
Felix still looked worried.
‘It’s okay, honey. Comyentis don’t fight each other.’ But she remembered the previous night with a dull ache in her heart. ‘Well, at least that is not the comyenti way I like to teach our children.’
Felix smiled at that and hugged her close. ‘Agreed, and Fay could have sisters and brothers so she won’t be alone. She shouldn’t have to carry the burden alone if that guy fails. We could raise an army of children just to show him how it’s done!’
Sula started to laugh out loud; she hadn’t done since they started their holiday.
‘I have you back.’ Felix said with tear stung eyes.
She smiled at him and shook her head.
‘You never lost me.’
PART IV Autumn Leaves
If we should touch, hand to heart
You would feel my soul within you.
Knowing not, from where we end
The start of melting flesh and sinew.
J. Ferguson
Chapter 26 Home
The sun set over the village of Rosinhill and the sky was bathed in orange and pink. Glancing down at the lush green and golden meadows with little white dots here and there, the grazing sheep and goats, Sula felt a pang of longing in her heart.
This is where I belong.
‘Home,’ she whispered, breathing in the familiar scents. Felix had heard her. He came to a standstill next to Sula with Fay sitting on his shoulders pointing to the village below. He carried a rucksack too with another bedroll, their provisions and some clothes that didn’t fit in the big pack that Sula carried.
‘I can see our house!’ Fay shrieked.
Sula smiled at her daughter and also looked into the distance; the village was still too far away to be seen.
‘No, you can’t, silly!’
‘I can!’ she answered back stubbornly.
Maybe she can…
I do, look, mummy! her daughter answered her briskly back in her mind.
Sula hadn’t taught her to Mindmerge with an eagle yet so she was surprised.
She concentrated.
My mind, your mind, my heart, your heart. Your sight, mine.
Felix saw her eyes changing colour and rolled his own eyes at that, even though it was alluring, he could never get used to it.
Here we go again, he thought.
‘Come on girls!’ he said aloud and marched on impatiently.
The family’s rucksack suddenly went extremely heavy on Sula’s back as she lost contact with the elephant inside of her, now concentrating solely on the eagle. She dropped the bag onto the grass for a moment as she couldn’t go into more than one animal’s Mindmode at a time.
Now that would be something if we could combine the strengths of animals!
But sure enough now with the help of the eagle she could see their cosy little home on the hills from here. Fay’s eyes were younger than Sula’s eyes; or halfling eyes as Shazar would no doubt have said. So who would know whether Fay could see the house with or without the need of her abilities?
She shrugged her shoulders and knew she would have to talk to Fay to find out more later. Concentrating on the elephant again she picked up the heavy rucksack with most of their gear and followed her husband and daughter home at last.
~~~
Fay ran over to the family’s goats and hugged them one by one. Sula and Felix laughed and smiled at each other at the sight. They had been away for more than two weeks. Their cats, Wave and Tiger, padded over to welcome them back home too, meowing and nudging their legs.
Felix’s sister Feline had been looking after the animals while they were away and she had also kept the garden under control and tended to Sula’s wide range of flowers. A bunch of fresh wild flowers (not from Sula’s garden) awaited them on their kitchen table with a welcome back note.
‘How sweet of her!’ Sula exclaimed, smiling as she glanced around their cosy tidy home.
It was bigger than when she first came there; they had built an extension to house two extra rooms; one of which was Fay’s bedroom filled with her toys and little treasures and another larger one which served as their bedroom. These days it was more of a family home and no longer a bachelor’s pad. It had more storage and cupboards now and even had a big wooden table with chairs; all handmade by Felix of course. Nowadays it had little touches of Sula too with splashes of green and purple here and there, her favourite colours. However the garden was more her territory than the house would ever be for she was very much like her mother who had never lived in a house and who had been dubious about living in one.
Living in a house had been new to Sula for she, from the day she was born, had always been on the road with her mother. Until she had met Felix she had never experienced a roof over her head or owned anything, but a rucksack and a couple of books, in her life. She could now finally appreciate having a home she could return to and find safety and familiarity there. Maybe it was her age and she had simply not been ready before. Thirty-nine years of having led a nomadic life had left its mark on her soul, in both positive and negative ways and she still sometimes had a hard time coming to terms with it all. Especially when coming home after being away, she thought she would miss the open road again. But when she went away she soon missed her home…
The garden she had created was a place in between, her little bit of wilderness and it was hers and hers alone. Here she could spend hours at a time; planting, sowing, deadheading, tending to her roses, watching birds, butterflies and frogs. She had made a mini garden for Fay too, with a little village; little trees and flowers, a stream which was the river and even with a working waterfall. Fay played here with her small wooden puppets for hours at a time while Sula worked in the main garden. Behind the house they had their vegetable plot and more flowers for the bees. They kept ducks who ate the slugs and snails and they had made little hedgehog hide-outs to welcome the little creatures too.
Sula walked into her precious garden as soon as she had dropped the rucksack in the kitchen. Inside the house Felix unpacked it, Fay ran to her bedroom to play with her toys. A chilly gust of wind blew straight past Sula and even lifted some strands of hair, brushing along her face like a caress.
Mother…
She was here! Sula could feel her and wondered what it meant; she hadn’t felt her presence in a long time.
‘Bedtime, young lady,’ Felix spoke behind Sula and wrapped his arms around her waist, breathing in the scent of her hair. He startled her for she had not heard him approaching, very unlike her. In fact she nearly jumped out of her skin! It made Felix laugh.
‘I thought you meant Fay!’ she stated a little annoyed.
‘Well as she is already well on her way to Dreamland I have another young lady left to send to bed. One also very dear to my heart, but in an entirely different way.’ He smiled.
She looked over his shoulder. ‘I didn’t say goodnight to her or give her a kiss!’
‘She got two; one from me and one from you. Now come. I’ve missed our bed!’ And he pulled her arm softly. ‘And you.’ He looked at her with craving. ‘It’s never been that long before! Two weeks!’
‘I’m tired, Felix.’ She gave him a half smile and shook her head.
‘I know. I’ll give you a massage, come.’
She followed him in. He had made them both fresh redbush tea with honey, her favourite in the evenings. When they were both in bed and Felix had given her a massage she felt her eyelids getting heavy and she sighed contentedly. He kissed her gently on her left shoulder and again on her neck but she d
ozed off and mumbled to him, ‘Thank you. Night, night, my love.’
‘I’ve missed you,’ he whispered back.
She opened her eyes, realising the impact of the last few days on him and rolled over on to her back to face him. ‘Come here,’ she opened her arms to him and he fell on top of her, nearly knocking the air out of her. He sometimes forgot her human side when she was tired or relaxed she wasn’t using any of her abilities. It made her think about Shazar unwittingly…
Felix nestled his face, with golden stubble in Sula’s dark hair. She smelt his pungent sweat and she could feel his need hardening against her thigh.
‘There is plenty of time for that later, my love. It’s been an exhausting couple of days for both of us,’ she whispered with her soft voice in his ear which made him moan. She forgot how much he loved her speaking softly in his ear and what it did to him.
‘You tease!’ he grumbled and rolled off her.
‘Think about something else. Think about…ice and snow and cold showers.’
‘Not funny! You know that makes me think about you even more!’
‘Oh, thanks for that,’ she mumbled.
‘I mean; wintertime, when we first met, darling.’
She didn’t respond as she was already asleep.
Chapter 27 The Poet
‘I cannot bear it!’ Sula spoke with flare in her voice.
Felix’s sister Feline stared at Sula patiently, letting her rant. Sula had run long and hard and had flown for hours to clear her mind in order to let off some steam. Anyone else would be exhausted but not Sula. It had calmed her down a bit and taken the edge off her anger as always.
‘Felix has changed! He won’t leave me alone anymore! When he is not out in the fields or the barn; it seems that everywhere I go he is there! In the house and even in my garden. If he’s not hanging around me then he’s half dragging me into the bedroom. He is driving me insane!’
Sula paced to and fro in Feline’s kitchen. It was late at night and she had made her way up through the woods to her sister-in-law’s little cabin, as she had done for the past few evenings. She felt drawn to Feline and relished in her easy company. Feline lived alone with her pale ginger cat and was usually up until the early hours writing poetry or painting. She too was an artist, like her brother, and in fact resembled him very much in looks but in many other ways she was his opposite.
‘Perhaps,’ Feline said handing her a steaming cup of redbush tea and honey ‘it is you who has changed.’ Her voice was mellow and she sat down at her table rubbing her eyes, which were strikingly blue. Wearing nothing more than a short nightgown and long socks, she looked gorgeous.
‘What do you mean?’ Sula shook her head trying not to stare at her open neck and bosom of the other woman’s.
‘Well, if I remember correctly, you were besotted with Felix. You guys were always so cuddly and intimate. Nothing can have changed that much, surely. I know it’s been nearly five years but I remember my mum and dad when I was young and well they’re still like that!’ she tried to cheer Sula up. It hadn’t worked; Sula stared in thought at the fireplace.
‘That was when he still behaved normally.’ Sula sat herself down at Feline’s kitchen table, cupping the brew with both hands. She knew Feline had picked the redbush leaves herself from her own garden on her own island in the South. It was Feline who provided the family with the tea as well as the oranges and almonds.
She and Feline had much more in common than she had with Felix. Gardening, her love of travelling, but moreover the freedom and independency it brought. Felix nowadays only travelled with his family, never alone anymore. He hardly hung out with his buddies either and he didn’t want to. Sula on the other hand needed to be alone from time to time but Felix found it hard when she was gone and she felt guilty. She craved to be either alone or here with Feline. She needed to regain her strength and sanity. Sometimes she took Fay on her travels into the wilderness, but more often she left her with her father or Feline.
‘He loves you. I can’t blame him for that. I mean…you can’t blame him.’
Feline stared at Sula, pupils dilating until her eyes seemed like wells of shadow. She chewed her lip when their eyes locked. Then Feline shook herself and a little betraying colour stained her cheeks. She ran a hand through her hair. It looked adorable. Sula always felt Feline had a soft spot for her but only now did she realise the magnitude and depth of her feelings for her. In that moment it had been as clear as crystal.
‘Anyway, you two are so strong together, nothing can change that. Surely it’s just a phase.’ Feline tried to steer back to their conversation.
Sula shrugged. ‘I don’t know, Feline, maybe you’re right. Maybe I have changed.’
‘Perhaps you’ve both changed since you’ve met Shazar?’ Feline asked. Sula had told her about the meeting with the other comyenti and their struggles.
‘Maybe I’ve come to realise how very much like animals men are! Driven by hormones and lust.’
‘But don’t you love animals?’ Feline asked teasingly with a smile.
Sula narrowed her eyes at that and then with a smile, threw a scarf at her, which had been lying on the table. Feline caught it and laughed.
‘Felix is like a dog in heat! It’s as if he wants to…I don’t know, make his mark on me. Possess me.’
Feline had just taken a sip of her tea and nearly choked at that. Laughing she said, ‘Please spare me the details. As much as I love my brother that is a picture I’d rather refrain from seeing.’
Sula gave her a half smile, and couldn’t get over the fact how alike brother and sister looked: the same bright eyes, perky nose, high cheekbones, a dimple in just one of their cheeks when they smiled. Only Feline’s hair was longer, it was a fair bit wavier than Felix’s and she wore it in a high messy ponytail with locks dangling in front of her face and her mouth was slightly fuller. Her physique was slimmer and round and all female, her bosom nice and soft.
Sula of course had never had a sister or even girlfriends before. Her mother had been her best and only female friend. Lately she had missed having same age female companions and she couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to touch her. Feline stared at Sula as if in thought, chewing her lip again.
Sula had told Feline she was different, a comyenti, soon after Fay had been born. She didn’t want to have secrets from her best friend. Like Felix she had been impressed but was not fazed by it and they soon became friends. Their parents and the villagers still didn’t know and Sula’s wish was to keep it that way.
The bond between the two women had always been strong and Feline had been there for Sula many times when she had found living on the edge of the village hard, or with a partner, and even having a child. Fay could be very determined and stubborn at times, though their bond was strong; especially because mother and daughter could communicate easily with their minds. All that had improved over the years but Sula had no other mothers to talk to. She loved Feasgar, Felix’s mother, but she still preferred to stay away from people all together and always wore her green hat to keep her ears covered.
Sula, who had been a nomad, free and wild, needed her solitude and nature. Feline could relate to that, since she travelled southbound twice a year on her horse. The travelling alone could take up about a month for that is how long it took on horseback and to cross the sea between Northland and Southland. During the autumn and winter months she would reside in the eastern part by the sea mainly, on her small island that she had named Irinia. Like the swallows she would only come back in the spring when she would help out on their parents’ and her brother’s farms and do her artwork. Feline resided in the woods during those summer months. The family always looked forward to her visits. She seemed very much at ease with herself and the world and appeared to have no problems at all. Perhaps that was what intrigued and draw Sula so much as she herself was sometimes tired of her complicated and domestic existence! She craved a simple life and a simple love…
~~
~
‘I don’t like to be possessed nor to be owned. I need to be free!’ Sula continued her angry outburst.
‘Sure, I know you do, but well… that is hard, now that you have a family. I mean being totally free. It’s not just you anymore. With family life come certain responsibilities. That’s the choice you have made, Sula. That’s why I’ve chosen a different life.’ Feline had told her she never wanted a romantic relationship with anybody because she wanted to remain truly free. Although she had made it clear she had lovers during her travels, she had made no lasting bonds.
She would have made a better comyenti than me! Sula thought grimly.
‘I’m sure Felix will change back to his old self soon,’ Feline continued. ‘I can imagine he is sometimes too eager, you’re beautiful. But he loves and respects you and knows you are…what does he call you, oh yes: a unique bird that cannot be caged.’
‘Hmm. He has been like this for the last two weeks now, ever since we got back. If he ever called me that, I’m sure he’s forgotten, for he treats me like some pet animal to use and abuse whenever it pleases him.’
‘Does he know you’re coming by almost every day? Or did you have to use a sleeping spell on him tonight to knock him out?’ Feline winked.
Sula raised an eyebrow, Feline always called it ‘magic’ and referred to her abilities as ‘spells’.
She shook her head. ‘No, after our argument earlier on he started drinking and you know what that does to him. He’ll be out for hours. That’s another thing that worries me. Since we’ve been back he’s taken up drinking and is even developing a bit of a paunch.’ And she pulled a face.
‘Well, if you’re not giving him what he wants, he needs to find his satisfaction in something. Better the bottle than other women for sure?’
Sula sighed, ‘Well, I don’t like it! It makes him more aggressive and that’s not like him at all.’
The Comyenti Series Book Bundle, Volume 1 and 2 (Epic Romantic Supernatural Fantasy) Page 22