Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
I am woefully unprepared for how vast Lunithia is.
Nearly every street in Khalessor is teeming with life.
Everywhere I look, I see Elvarrans drinking, chatting, and dancing in the streets, all of them exuding merriment.
Small children run past me, carrying small sticks that sparkle on the ends.
The smell—gods, it is divine, the air carrying the scent of rich spices and wine.
Rowena walks beside me, arm looped through mine as we enter the festival.
Her black hair is styled in a half-updo, a golden crystal pin sticking from the back, catching the light like dewdrops on leaves.
The rest of her long hair cascades down with loose, small strands framing her face.
She wears a forest green gown adorned with simple pearls, the patterns weaving up the sleeves like intricate vines.
At Rowena’s request, I wear a sapphire-blue gown with silver stars embroidered into the fabric.
The silky fabric is smooth against my skin, the bodice hugging my curves snugly.
With each step I take, the skirt sways like tree branches in the breeze.
The lower neckline is different from what I’m used to wearing, but it feels modish.
“It’s so enchanting,” I tell her, unable to focus on one thing for very long.
“We must make an offering at the Eldertree,” Rowena starts. “It’s an Elvarran tradition to honor the earth that gives us our magic,” she adds. “We will get many glasses of wine and drink until we're fuddled. After that, we will cast our gazes among the fine men of Khalessor.”
“Are you married, Ro?” I ask, recalling that she’s never mentioned a husband.
“I am not.” She sighs in relief. “My mother is a tyrant, demanding that I give her grandchildren, as it is my duty as their only child.
Wrath has been hiding me here in Khalessor for four years now, helping me avoid my mother's fury. Being away from my parents has allowed me to pursue my passion for sewing.”
“I understand completely.” I frown, knowing what it feels like. To face your parents’ scorn for not obeying they’re every command. A pit forms in my stomach every time I think about what my life in Avelisar would have been like, a fate I am happy to have escaped.
“If you see any vendor selling crystal candies, we must stop to try some,” she insists. “We can play a game of Mystic Runes.”
“A game of what?”
“It’s a card game,” Rowena says, her tone exasperated. “Honestly, Raelys, do the humans do anything fun in Cathros?”
“Plenty.” I smile. “I grew up playing a game with a mallet and ball… but I don’t remember the name.”
“We have that as well!” She pulls me down a road. “This way!”
Rowena points to a large tree in the distance.
Its branches are so tall they touch the clouds, casting a large canopy over the town.
The leaves are bright green and pointed, branches rustling softly in the breeze.
The closer we get to the tree, the more I can feel it radiating magic from the twisted roots that burrow deep into the earth.
“That’s the Eldertree?” I ask, tilting my head back to take in its majesty.
“Yes.” She stops at the base of the tree.
“Where did it come from?”
“They say that Krateus Izydor planted this tree to represent his life,” Rowena explains.
“And when it speaks to you, it’s Krateus who speaks.
” She pulls a strip of ribbon from her sleeve, her fingers trailing over the small handwriting on the fabric.
Then, she reaches up and ties it to one of the branches.
Rowena kneels, pressing one hand on a tree root and the other over her heart. She bows her head and closes her eyes. Her lips move in a silent prayer, but I can’t hear what she’s saying. With a deep breath, she opens her eyes and stands, returning to my side.
“Oh no!” She gasps. “I completely forgot to tell you to bring an offering!” Rowena frantically scans the space around her. “Does anyone have a spare piece of parchment?” she calls out to the crowd.
“I do,” someone says in return.
She rushes off, speaking in hushed tones to an Elvarran before returning with a bottle of ink and a small parchment. “Many people write their offerings and place them inside one of the hollows.”
“Thank you.” I bend down, using my knee to write as Rowena holds the ink bottle for me.
Dear Eldertree,
Please reconnect me with enough of my mother's magic so I may open her journal. I miss her more with every passing year, her absence a wound that refuses to heal. Guide me. What path am I supposed to take?
- R
Once I finish writing, Rowena dashes off to return the ink to the man who lent it to us.
Folding the paper a few times, I close my fingertips around it and press the parchment into my palm.
I try to commit the words into my skin before reaching up on my toes and dropping them into one of the tree hollows.
I press my palm against the tree trunk, feeling the cool bark under my skin as I close my eyes. Instead of praying to Itheon, I try to speak to the tree, feeling the magic flowing beneath the surface.
“Receive my humble petition and bestow upon me the Eldertree’s blessings and share in her bounty if I am worthy,” I whisper.
Not even a heartbeat later, the tree whispers back to me. “Long live the queen…”
I gasp, my eyes flying open as silver wraps around my right hand and surges into me.
I feel the Eldertree’s magic flow into my fingertips and up my arm.
A light erupts from my palm as I pull away in shock.
The tree branches quiver, as if they’ve caught a chill.
Every Elvarran falls silent around me, the weight of their stares pressing against my skin, heavy with disdain.
A hand wraps around my wrist and pulls me away from the tree.
“Time to go!” Rowena’s cheerful voice cuts through the silence as she guides me back to the busy streets.
“Ro, what happened?” I say in a hushed tone as we disappear into the crowd.
“The Eldertree spoke to you.” Rowena smiles. “It used to speak to all of us before the curse. So you’ll have to forgive everyone for being a little surprised.”
“Is that a bad thing?” Worry fills me. “Did I take it away from someone who needed it?”
“Don’t be silly! The tree thought you needed it.” Rowena stops at a booth and hands two bronze coins over to a merchant. “Elvarrans love connecting with nature, protecting it, and finding solace in it. Before the curse, we could communicate directly with trees, rivers, and mountains.”
“You can talk to a mountain?” I blink in confusion. “What does it say?”
Rowena laughs. “It doesn’t say words, silly. You would connect your magic to nature and feel it flow back to you. Since we draw our magic from the earth to wield, we sometimes give it back in thanks.”
The vendor passes us two wooden sticks coated in brightly colored candy. I have never seen a sweet like this back home. It is slightly jagged and hard to the touch.
“Try it!” Rowena urges me, already chewing.
Taking a bite, I chew the hard candy as it slowly dissolves into a sweet liquid. It assaults my senses, causing my left eye to twitch and water up. I cough, trying to clear the sensation, but the sweetness persists.
“See!” Rowena exclaims, taking another bite. “It’s the one I was telling you about! It makes your eyes water,” she says with her mouth full.
“It’s quite sweet.” I swallow the candy, shaking my head. “Gods, I need something to wash that down.”
“Come on! We’ll get some wine,” she loops her arm through mine, pulling me along.
I watch in awe as Rowena wolfs down her entire candy by the time we make it back to the main road. We circle the corner and cross under the lanterns, stopping at a booth that sells wine. Before Rowena can pay, I pass the merchant two bronze coins.
“No fair!” she calls out.
“You can get the next round,” I tease.
Rowena picks up her glass and holds it aloft. “Hear! Hear!”
“May the wine flow.” I clink my glass against hers, taking a long sip. It’s delicious, with a sweet berry and clove flavor.
“Tell me, what do the beaches look like in the South?” Rowena urges me, taking another drink.
“Do you not have beaches or shores in the North?”
Rowena shakes her head. “I am only familiar with the mountains and forests of the North.” She sighs. “We have some tall cliffsides, but that hardly counts when the water is frigid.”
I know the feeling. Up until recently, I have never left my kingdom, either. The North is far more beautiful and lush than the South, but each has its unique beauty. Khalessor is a marvel. There is no doubt in my mind about that, but even its splendor can’t quiet the ache for home.
“I wasn’t allowed to leave the castle walls, but many people told me that the sand was soft to the touch, and the water was excellent to swim in during the summer months.
From my balcony, I had the best view of the sea that stretched across the horizon, and during sunrise, the water would glimmer,” I explain.
“Does it snow there?”
“Yes, but only a few weeks out of the year. The rest of the time, it's quite hot,” I reply, wondering if I will ever see my home again.
She gives the man two more coins, and he refills our glasses to the top.
Rowena and I drink and talk and wander until the world grows a little hazy.
My skin flushes with warmth, and my body relaxes.
The sound of a lively melody carries through the street as an Elvarran plays a lute somewhere in the crowd.
“That one is handsome.” She points at a man with curly, brunette hair and thick brows as he passes by.
“I like that one.” I point to the black-haired man lost in his music—the source of the lively melody.
She giggles. “He looks like Wrath.”
“Rowena!” I gasp. “Don’t you dare!”
My outburst only makes her mischievous smile grow. “I’m kidding! Though you’re turning quite red, Rae.”
I hide my flush behind my glass. “It’s the wine.”
“That one can do whatever he wants to me.” She points at the tall Elvarran with dark hair and a scar across his cheek.
“You mean Gilead?” I look at him across the street. “From the King's army?”
She sighs longingly. “We see one another around the castle all the time. He’s the captain of the royal guard. But he usually keeps his distance.”
I inhale a playful breath. “I’m going to tell him.”
“Raelys!” Rowena hisses under her breath, making me burst with laughter. “I will never speak to you again if you do that.”
“I’m kidding,” I tease.
“If you’re not going to eat your candy, can I have it?” Rowena plucks the treat from my grasp.
“Of course.” I smile, enjoying the sight of her devouring the sweet in one go.
A searing gaze cuts through the lively festival from afar, and a familiar prickling sensation creeps up the back of my neck.
Turning away from Rowena, I glance up the street and lock eyes with Wrath.
He wears a finely tailored black coat, a high-collared vest of deep plum, and polished boots.
In typical Wrath fashion, he is faultless.
Perhaps it is the wine, but tonight he looks…
otherworldly. Divine power coils beneath the surface as he stands, and it steals the breath from my lungs.
His eyes hold such intense desire and yearning that it makes me question if he is gazing at someone other than me.
People surround the King, all vying for his attention, but he ignores them to watch me.
Unable to hold the weight of his gaze much longer, I turn back to Rowena.
She is busy drinking another glass of wine, her attention on the crowd of people dancing.
“Is the King always so…” I consider my words. “Fickle?”
Rowena stifles a laugh with her hand. “Whatever do you mean, Rae?”
“Sometimes, I am unsure if he loathes me or is enraptured by me,” I tell her truthfully.
“My cousin is such a curmudgeon.” She shrugs. “Don’t take it personally.”
“I won't—" I see the glint of a dagger as a figure rushes toward me. I recognize the man as Aurelia and Violet’s father—we are in danger. “Rowena, look out!” I push her out of the way, covering her body with mine as we fall.