Light Chasers (The World of Lasniniar Book 0)
Page 71
— Chapter Thirty-Eight —
The Age of Rebirth
Valanandir paced in the garden, waiting to be summoned. He hadn’t felt this way since… Well, since the day Andirlynia had been born. He had hoped after experiencing the agonizing wait once, he would be more graceful about it. But here he was, flattening a strip of the grass with his restless nerves.
He would like to think after everything he and Iadrawyn had gone through, it was not her fate to die in childbirth, but since the exodus from Ralvaniar, he took nothing for granted. How he wished Daroandir and Lodariel were there to keep him company!
Every time a child was born among the elves, he and Iadrawyn visited to see whether it was either of their beloved friends, only to be disappointed. He knew they needed to be patient. It was hard. He and Iadrawyn had done what was necessary to save their people from the dark creatures. It just didn’t seem fair that they got to continue with their lives while so many others had theirs cut short. He could only hope they would never have the need to do anything so dire again.
Since the birth of the twins, something had changed among the elves. They were settling in on this new continent, enjoying the fact that there were no drakhalu, Fire Folk, or dark dragons to hunt them. Anyone could come and go from the forest at will. Night was no longer a time of fear and danger. People were moving on. Valanandir was already considering sending an emissary to the strange, short-statured race Malarin had spotted in the mountains. It would be nice if they could establish some allies…
A wailing cry cut his thoughts short, scattering them like leaves. A few moments later, Andirlynia appeared. Her smile flooded him with relief.
“Would you like to meet your son?” she asked.
“A son?” Valanandir found himself grinning like an idiot. “Is Iadrawyn all right?”
Andirlynia placed a hand on his shoulder to steady him and led him to the hut. “Mother is fine. She is already calling him Curuadil, but she seemed anxious for you to meet him.”
Valanandir stumbled through the doorway, rushing to kneel next to Iadrawyn. She was radiant, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks.
“Valanandir, look! Look who has joined our family.”
Valanandir looked down at the babe in her arms. His tiny fists flailed about in the air. He had Valanandir’s white hair and golden eyes. Valanandir looked into those eyes and his heart leaped to his throat in recognition.
How could it be? Valanandir was not as connected to the Quenya as Iadrawyn, but there could be no doubt. He wept shamelessly in wonder, shaking his head in disbelief.
The soul looking up at him from his son’s eyes was Numril’s.
He hadn’t dared dream that Numril would ever find his way back to them after what he had gone through at Vlaz’s hands. Yet here he was. Any doubts Valanandir harbored over his choices since the day he and Iadrawyn had discovered the Quenya vanished. All those events had led them to this moment.
He put an arm around Iadrawyn. They needed no words. They cradled their son between them, laughing and crying while Andirlynia looked on with an amused smile.
The Age of Rebirth had arrived.
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Legacy Hunter (Novelette Length)
Soul Seeker (Novel Length)