15. Sullha #2
They followed her and her husband out of the pavilion and into the beautiful village that smelled of freshly cut grass and coffee.
The square opened up before them, with its glittering ponds, trees whose branches swayed in the gentle breeze, and a playground with bright climbing structures and swings.
The place that Syssi called the café was an outdoor dining area with tables set out under umbrellas, and next to it was a two-story building with large glass windows overlooking the village square.
Everything was too perfect to be real, and Sullha committed every detail to memory so she could tell Yaaf about it when she had the chance.
The ache that followed that thought caught her off guard. She wished Yaaf was there to share with her the first sight of the village, the warm welcome, and to hold her hand when the surprise was revealed in case it was something unpleasant.
"Mama, look!" Tomek tugged at her hand hard enough to pull her off balance. "A playground! Can I go play?"
"Not right now, sweetheart."
"But, Mama! Look! There are kids there!"
"I know, sweetie, but we just got here, and we are invited to have lunch in this beautiful dining area. The playground is not going anywhere, and it will still be right there after we get settled in."
Mentioning lunch was the right thing to do because Tomek's attention immediately switched to the café.
"I'm hungry."
"Well, we part here," Bowen said.
Sullha felt the panic surge. Bowen was her only thread leading to Yaaf. He knew how to reach him, he could answer her questions, and now he was leaving with the other Guardians who had accompanied them from Safe Harbor.
"You're leaving now?" she asked.
He must have seen the panic in her eyes because his expression softened and he put his large hand on her shoulder.
"I'm not going far. I live here, remember?
I'm just going home to my mate who is missing me terribly.
" He glanced at Tomek, then back to her.
"I'll come find you after I get some sleep and you've been assigned lodging.
I'll bring my mate, Margaret, to say hello. "
The panic loosened its grip, not completely, but it became manageable.
"Thank you," she said. "There is still so much I don't know. And Yaaf. I don't know how to reach him, or who to ask about visiting him. The others will want to visit their sons."
"Don't worry," he said. "Everything will be explained in time. You just need to be a little patient."
She smiled tightly. "I'm not good with patience. Especially when I'm scared."
"That's understandable." He patted her shoulder. "You'll be fine."
He adjusted the strap of his pack and followed his friends who were already disappearing from sight.
They were all anxious to get home, and she couldn't blame them. They were all still dirty and in dire need of a shower, just like she and her friends were.
Kian and Syssi led them to the café, where several tables had been pushed together and laid with platters and pitchers. As their group approached, the women already seated at the festive table rose to their feet.
They looked like goddesses, so beautiful they didn't seem real, and they wore dresses that made Sullha acutely aware of how she looked in her borrowed fatigues and ill-fitting flip-flops.
Who were they?
"Welcome to freedom," said the one with the rounded pregnant belly in the island tongue. "We've never met, but just like you, my friends and I were kept prisoners on the island until the clan liberated us. I'm Tula, and my sisters and I were kept in Navuh's harem."
Sullha's throat suddenly felt tight.
Yaaf had told her about Navuh's ladies, kept locked in a harem, an inaccessible part of the island where immortals were not permitted to set foot, just like they were not allowed in the breeders' enclosure.
He'd told her that Navuh was gone, along with his ladies, and that Losham, the acting lord of the island, believed that his father had killed them all in a fit of rage and then jumped from the cliff after them.
Yaaf had been certain that wasn't what had actually happened, and he'd been right.
The clan had freed them, so they likely also had Navuh.
Had Yaaf been told?
It hadn't escaped her notice that Tula hadn't used the honorific "Lord" before the former island ruler's name.
Tula continued by introducing her sisters. Tamira, soft-spoken with the most unique colored eyes; Sarah, a tall blond who kept adjusting glasses that she didn't need because immortals didn't need glasses; Raviki, who was a striking dark-skinned woman; Beulah, Liliat, and Rolenna.
The former breeders then introduced themselves.
"You have a baby in your tummy," Tomek said when it was his turn. "When is the baby coming out?"
"In about three months." Tula smiled and ruffled his hair. "I'm glad that he will have an older friend to look after him."
Tomek straightened to his full height and squared his shoulders. "I will. I'm good with babies."
Sullha rolled her eyes but didn't correct him. He'd never shown interest in babies, and the closest he'd ever come was playing with Bianca, who was a toddler.
After completing all the introductions, they sat down to enjoy sandwiches and pastries.
Sullha tried a cappuccino for the first time and decided this certainly was not going to be her last because it was delicious.
Tomek received a tall glass of chocolate milk, which made him gasp as if he had been given a treasure.
Her mother was still gaping at the harem ladies and pressing into her side the way Tomek did when confronted with strangers he didn't like or didn't trust.