‘You’re right!’ he responded. ‘What if it wasn’t the dwarfs who did this to you? What if it was… the royalty?’
~~~
Felix and Sula agreed that to be able to find out properly what had happened, Sula had to follow the same pattern and trace her footsteps from the night before. Felix would go after her and stay behind a short distance, making sure he wouldn’t be heard or seen. After a good night’s sleep, and having asked Felix’ parents if the kids could stay another night with them, the couple set off.
Both dressed in black with their faces covered in charcoal, they walked hand in hand in direction of the mine.
Carefully hiding behind some high ferns, and staying close to the trees, they had a good view of the hillside where the mine was. In fact, it was a bit further away from where Sula had first sat to observe them, if she would have remembered. She felt this was a good enough spot, as both she and Felix and she would be able to notice the opening or closing of the mine entrance in the moonlight.
The first night was a little chilly and they huddled close together in silence, but nothing occurred. They heard owls hooting, a fox barking, and saw deer passing, but there was no sign of the dwarfs. Felix drifted off to sleep, but Sula made sure she kept her eyes peeled on the hillside. In the morning they returned home.
The second night they talked a little, whispering in the near dark. The moon shone blue on Sula’s hair, making it shine. Felix wore one of her black hats to cover his blond mop.
The third night Felix began to doubt and thought to himself, So what if you lost a day’s memory? Why is it so important that you need to find out what happened to you?
Of course Sula picked up on his thoughts as it came floating towards her. He had not dared to voice out his thoughts out loud, as he knew how proud and stubborn she was, but as always he struggled to block his feelings.
‘If I had been a mere human, perhaps it wouldn’t be so important,’ she answered him stolidly. ‘But as a comyenti I can’t afford to not find out, for the sake of our children and the comyenti future. Whoever has done this might have found out by now I’m comyenti. What if I wasn’t able to hide my powers? If that were the case we might all be in grave danger. What truly happened that day? The battles between man and comyenti may have died down, but that’s mostly because we’ve gone into hiding and lived the life of a nomad. If word gets out there are one, or two, left…’
Felix grabbed one of her hands suddenly to stroke it. The kind gesture comforted her.
‘You’re right of course. If that’s your reason for hiding out here, I’m with you. If it’s your pride, or worse, your curiosity, as that’s what started all this, then-’
‘Then what?’ She pulled away from him. I wish he could read minds too then he would know my true intentions! Felix gave her a blank look. She sighed, but when she picked up his concerned thoughts; it was genuine fear for her safety, she realised he had honestly not thought of what might happen next or what the consequences could be. She succumbed and added, ‘Honey, don’t worry. Nothing is going to happen to me. With you to watch over my back once I follow the little men, I’ll be fine! Now shush.’ She laid a finger on his opened lips and he smiled at her, relenting.
Nothing occurred that night either, no dwarfs, or disturbance of any kind, once again they had to return home without learning anything new.
‘Well, if they left the mine the same night I did, they might not return for a couple of nights.’ Sula mused as they walked home at dusk. Dew clung to the grass and the trees.
‘It could take weeks, Felix. I can’t ask this from you night after night, nor from your mum and dad having the children sleeping at theirs!’
He smiled at that and glanced at her, stroking her hand with his thumb.
‘Oh, they love it!’ He grinned. ‘Besides, I’m used to it by now, the lack of sleep and all. It’s not much different to your usual demanding self at night time!’ He winked at her, teasing. She squeezed his hand hard.
‘Ow! You little weasel!’ But Sula threw her head back at that and they both laughed.
When they approached their home Felix said, serious again, ‘We’re in this together, darling; I said I was. I do realise the importance of this. I’m not backing out now. I’m with you all the way. You once helped me and the village, now it’s time for me to repay you.’
What do you mean? You gave me a child… Sula swallowed hard. She wasn’t going to say that thought. He might take it the wrong way. For him having said that, even so, meant a lot to her, more than she liked to admit. Still she felt she had done him wrong by bringing him into this. This should be her battle, her quest really, not his. She bit her lip, realising that by being her partner, joining with her in marriage, he had let himself in for this and he was as much part of it as he was part of her now. He would not want it any other way and would follow her anywhere, just as he had done the first time, all those years ago.
‘I could always come and get you, you know. I would be here in the blink of an eye,’ Sula started.
‘No, that’s even more risky! When the dwarfs leave that mine to bring their gold to the Moany Mountains to the royalty, we want to be prepared and ready to follow them. For all we know is that they might have super senses too! Oro mentioned something about sensing my goodness by looking into my heart. Who knows, dwarfs might have some super senses too? You don’t want to waste precious time by notifying me and losing sight of them. I know you’ve got your ways of tracking them-’
‘Exactly, it wouldn’t be too difficult and I’m sure we can keep up with them!’ Sula objected.
‘No, now you’re the one who is not thinking clearly, darling. We’re sticking together. Besides I’ve started to look forward to our nights together in the woods!’
‘You have slept through most of them!’ Sula laughed and pinched him teasingly.
They chuckled and walked home. They repeated the same ritual for three more nights.
~~~
It was a sultry evening when Felix and Sula sat down preparing for what they thought was going to be another long night. With hardly any wind, they could smell the sweet resin of the pine trees and the sharp scent of the ferns around them. The sun’s warmth still clung to all of the woodland which still contained it, even in the light of the moon. It was those summer nights that Sula most loved. They had, as usual, brought some blueberries, cinnamon bread and apple cider to last through the night ahead. Sula could also smell Felix’ endearing musky scent.
‘You look kind of dashing in your tight outfit tonight, honey,’ she said languorously with a seductive sparkle in her eyes.
‘I know… you said so before, but,’ Felix looked down at himself in the near dark and patted his broad chest and grabbed his groin. ‘It’s a bit too tight you know,’ he grunted, ‘I feel like my manhood is being strangled!’
Sula chuckled and responded alluringly, ‘Perhaps I can do something about that…’
Felix wiped his hot brow and raised an eyebrow whilst tilting his head. He felt a bit sweaty and sticky, and tried to guess Sula’s thoughts in the near darkness. He could tell that she had meant what she said by the tone of her voice, she always did. He knew her like no one else did. She was honest and thoughtful as she always took his feelings into account the way she did with everyone. But only he received her complete and open honesty. He liked it that way, with other people you were never sure, not so with Sula.
‘You don’t look too bad yourself.’ He nestled himself a bit closer, smiling handsomely. She could see his white teeth glistering in the waning moon and inhaled his attractive scent. He wouldn’t be able to see much, but she could. Not losing sight of the hill, she pressed her lips against his with desire, for a long kiss. Her entire body seemed to burst into life when she felt his tongue. His hand ran through her hair, and cupped her head. He caressed the side of her face along her high cheekbones, and drew her ever closer to him, returning her deep loving kiss. First she touched his toned arm and black clad shoulde
r, then his muscled chest and made her way down, slowly. He started to groan. She instantly stopped. He looked at her and saw her eyes glittering like two emerald stars. She was looking over his shoulder, and whispered, ‘Oh, boy. We can’t afford to do this now!’
He smelt her scent, like jasmine and heavy roses, and was overcome with desire. He kissed her neck in response. She moaned at that, heat sweeping through her body.
‘You started it,’ Felix panted. ‘Do you trust me?’ he whispered whilst he laid a finger on her opened mouth. She could feel the warmth radiating from his face, his hands, his hard body and she swallowed hard.
‘Always.’
Felix kissed her again and this time she didn’t stop him. His hands deftly manoeuvred the buttons of her tunic and found her silky hot skin. Her body was reacting to his touch in a myriad of ways. He kissed her deeper, sucking on her lips gently and found her tongue.
They spread themselves out on the soft dry moss and Sula soon forgot about the dwarfs when her husband’s body found hers, and with the moonlight on their exposed skin they soon moved as one.
~~~
The mine entrance was lit from the inside and the dwarfs were all wearing red hats, green jackets and black belts. Their tiny lanterns shone a light upon what they were doing. Little lights were moving and tiny figures were shuffling about. Barrels were lifted on a cart and tied onto it. The dwarfs worked swiftly and efficiently as if they were as single entity, all the time holding their tongues. Then they were on their way. Three dwarfs were leading, shining their lanterns on the path along the river. It was too early for most animals and the sun would not rise for a little longer. Another three were pulling a heavy cart and a couple more behind them pushing it, accompanied with grunts. There were more men at the side, staying a little behind but all the time they looked around with their tiny eyes, dark like onyx. There was nothing to be seen or heard, other than some wild animals in the bushes. Probably foxes mating, one dwarf thought, amused, as he turned around to join the others. To the Moany Mountains and the Summer Palace…
~~~
A blackbird started to sing first, and then a goldfinch, in the trees above and around them. Soon an orchestra of birds fell in whilst the two lovers drowsily but happily listened. Sula, still in Felix’ arms, sighed.
‘Thank you for believing in me,’ Felix said and kissed her hair that was covered in pine needles and moss.
‘Well, that remains to be seen,’ Sula joked, sitting up and looking over at the path along the river. The sun was rising and the dwarfs had not appeared. She sniffed, like a dog, with her pert nose up in the air. Then she stood rapidly.
‘They’ll surely appear tomorrow night or the night after,’ he said sounding very confident. Sula stared back in anger at him.
‘They already have! We’ve missed them! I can smell them.’
Felix glanced from her to the mine entrance and scrambled up. He knew she would be right. She always was.
They both realised what this meant: many more nights away from home…
‘Then why don’t we follow their trail?’ Felix asked.
Sula bit her lip and doubted visibly.
‘Something tells me I have to stay here.’
‘What? Why? What would you accomplish by doing that?’
‘I don’t know, but I have a feeling that if we follow them now, we’ll endanger ourselves. I will try a different method. I’m going to try and approach them, I think.’ She ran a hand through her tousled hair.
‘Why didn’t you tell me this before?’
‘I didn’t have that strong sense of fear yet. Look, I can’t explain it, and I understand if you want to go home, but I won’t give away the fact I know about the secret so-’
Felix grabbed her hands and held them tenderly. ‘I trust you and we’re in this together, remember? I’m not leaving without you and without getting to the bottom of this.’
Sula swallowed and smiled.
‘Now, let’s find something to eat. I think those are hazelnut trees over there,’ Felix pointed. ‘You stay here and keep your eyes peeled. If you see anything amiss, call out to me.’ Felix grabbed his bag.
~~~
‘Do you kn-’ Felix started to say later that day, but instead he was pulled to the forest floor by Sula. They had spent a whole day on their look-out spot and it was nearly sun down.
‘Ssh, they’re back!’ Sula whispered, half atop of him. His eyes were dark with lust, she noticed and his hands reached out to encircle her waist. She tried to ignore it and looked at the path. I’m not missing them again!
She spotted the procession of dwarfs, obviously returning from the mountains. Felix grinned widely at Sula when he followed her gaze. She narrowed her eyes at him, but he poked her in the side, which made her smile.
They stayed hidden behind the bushes. Sula found his hand and squeezed it.
‘They have returned, Felix. We don’t know where they’ve been, but not all hope is lost, I feel it!’
‘Shhh!’ he shushed her and squeezed her hand back.
They both observed the men. Their faces were long and they looked tired. Somehow she expected them to sing? But they were quiet as a mouse. The barrels must have been empty as they easily pushed and pulled those without much effort.
One thing stood out though. One of the dwarfs looked confused and kept wandering off. Then his friends stepped in and pulled him with them. He rebelled. Sula pricked up her ears and heard what he said, ‘-No, leave me alone. Who are you people?’
Sula raised her eyebrows at that.
When they were near the mine the hillside opened and all but four of them, including the confused dwarf, stayed behind. He struggled even more now. The mine closed up again and he stared at it in terror as if he had never seen it before.
‘What is this place? Where am I?’ the confused dwarf asked.
‘Calm down now, Rowan, you have to trust us. We’re your friends.’
‘Can you hear what they’re saying?’ Felix interrupted Sula’s Mindmode.
‘It sounds like he has lost a bit more than just one day of memory!’ Sula whispered to Felix. His eyes widened at that. They both felt excited now.
‘We’ll sort you out. Come on,’ one of his friends said, and the three of them urged Rowan to follow them.
‘If you say you’re my friends, why can’t I remember you? Why can’t I remember anything, beside my name?’
‘Because you drank from their water, you stupid idiot,’ one of the dwarfs answered, ‘just as you’ve been warned many times not to do! Why do you think we all carry our own water with us up that bloody mountain and back?’ He showed his now near empty water pouch to Rowan. Rowan scratched his head at that.
‘I’m exhausted and thirsty, so let’s go to the pool of memory!’ The harsh one suggested.
‘Don’t worry. It has happened to most of us,’ a kinder dwarf soothed him. ‘You’re not the first one, nor will you be the last no doubt, so follow us. We’ve got the cure. You see, you drank from their Well Of Forgetfulness up in the mountains; that’s what The Sons Of The Day leave behind when their feet touch the ground. The Pool Of Memory is what The Daughters Of The Night create when their feet touch the ground. That very rarely happens, though.’
The dwarf Rowan looked even more confused now and the kind dwarf comforted him.
‘It will all become clear when we reach the pool. It’s not far, come.’
Rowan finally accepted this and when the four of them left, Sula and Felix stood and crept silently out of the bushes to follow them from a safe distance. Sula went into wolf-mode, and they walked in utter silence close to the edge of the path, in case the dwarfs came back unexpectedly. The couple couldn’t be spotted. It was bright by now, and warm, and they were both thirsty. Luckily it wasn’t far. They followed the track through a dense wood with thorny bushes, as if they protected something…
When she heard voices, Sula halted Felix, who hadn’t heard it yet. With her hand raised, she motioned for
Felix to be quiet as she listened, and she soon sensed they were coming in their direction!
‘Shoot,’ she said. ‘They’re coming back. Quick!’
They hid themselves behind a tree. There was plenty of time to hide as Sula had heard them well in advance. Sometimes it was hard to know how close someone really was because of the enhanced hearing she had when she was in wolf-mode. To Sula, the sounds appeared almost as if right in front of her, so she panicked easily.
Sula felt hopeful when she saw the dwarf Rowan being chirpy and following the other dwarfs quite happily. All their water pouches were filled.
When the men were one again out of sight and hearing range, Sula led the way, and they soon found a dark pool. When she peeked closer she noticed that it was deeper than she had first thought, and she glanced unsure, at Felix.
‘Well, this is it. This water must have brought his memory back, but will it work for me? What if I waited too long?’
‘Try it, there is no harm in it, I think.’
‘Is that what your instinct tells you?’ She smiled at him and he nodded and perched down beside her. He scooped his hands in the water and before Sula could protest he drank a big gulp.
‘Aah, tasty!’ He wiped his mouth on his sleeve.
Sula stared at him with big eyes.
‘Fe…feel any different?’ she stammered overcome with emotions.
‘Nope, but I haven’t lost my memory. Then again it might improve it!’
‘Great Bhan, I hope not. You will start holding everything against me!’
‘Well, drink and we’re even.’ He joked and smiled, full of love at her.
She scooped a hand full of the fresh clear water and drank…
~~~
At first nothing seemed to happen, but Felix suggested she give it some time. She stood and suddenly it all rushed back to her in waves, all of it. She remembered the dwarfs when they first left with her following them, the Moany Mountains, the chilly wind, the long climb up, the tolling of bells, the Summer Palace, the eagles, the fight and…the unicos; the Sons and Daughters of Day and Night.
The Comyenti Series Book Bundle, Volume 1 and 2 (Epic Romantic Supernatural Fantasy) Page 33