38. The Blessed Tree
thirty-eight
The Blessed Tree
*FLINN*
W e spent the night at the coast in one of the packs close by, before returning home at the very early morning hours. Endellion wanted to be back as soon as possible to know Azadeh is safe. And I have to agree with him–I want to know she is safe, too.
When we returned to the royal pack and the castle, it didn’t take long for everyone to figure out we have a new lovey-dovey couple amidst us. Endellion is smitten. He has starry eyes and little hearts in them whenever he looks at Azadeh. And she isn’t much better, constantly leaning against him and looking at him like he is a majestic deity in person.
I should find it gross, but it’s so adorable. The two cuties must be protected at all costs.
“You think we will be like that, too?” Caelan asks me when we dismount our horses, while our father basically is all over Ende and Aza, with his hugs and congratulations. He is truly happy, which is a relief to me. I think deep down he hoped one of us would choose the beautiful and intelligent Desert Princess as our mate.
“What? You mean grossly in love?” I ask.
“When we find our mate,” Caelan says. “Or choose one.”
“I want to say we won’t be like that, but… nah…” I grin. “I’ve seen how Tynan looks at the hot and manly general. He looks like he is in a beautiful dream, all mushy and cute, while he stares at General Shayan’s strong hands and tight ass. Bet secretly Ty wants to have his ass handed to him by those strong manly hands.” I laugh at my own words, only to notice that Caelan stares at me. “No way, Caelan! Don’t tell me…”
“They are a couple?”
“They are so clearly mates,” I say.
Caelan frowns. “Why do I have to be this way?”
“What? Oblivious?”
“Stupid,” Caelan groans, tossing the reins and riding crop aside. He looks furious. “I… just don’t get anything.”
“Cae, you are not stupid,” I say, not laughing anymore. His words have sobered me instantly.
“I am,” he huffs. “I don’t understand anything unless someone explains it to me. I’m just muscles without a brain.”
My blood runs cold in my veins. I know who said that to him. As if she knew I was thinking about her, Kilah peeks into the stables. “Hello, you are back. Can I help?”
I hate the fact that I resent my own sister. But the difference between me and my other siblings is that I have sharper ears and eyes. It’s why my parents push for me to learn more about the work of a sentinel. I’ve seen and heard so much more than the others. I know that some of these talks weren’t for my ears, and that we all talk shit sometimes, but she certainly talked a lot of shit in her teenage years.
“Caelan thinks he is just muscles and no brain,” I say.
I can see her getting pale, guilt flashing in her eyes. “He is far more than that,” she asserts. “I never meant to crush your confidence, Caelan.”
“I don’t hold it against you,” he says, still sounding angry. The fact he is angry with himself makes this even worse. “Because it’s true.”
“It’s not true,” I huff.
“I never liked school. I don’t like to read. And, I never put effort into learning more than I needed to,” he says. “Unlike you and Ende, but also Nevyn, Eibhlin and Kilah. I’m dumb because I never studied, and I don’t pay attention.”
“You. Are. NOT. Dumb!” I repeat, emphasizing every word. “So, you didn’t like to study? And? This doesn’t make you stupid. You can still educate yourself more, if that’s what you like to do. But you are also brave, kind and you can think incredibly fast in a battle. The warriors like for you to train them because you spot the most mistakes. You hate gossip, and sometimes live in your own world, and because you don’t give a shit about gossip, you don’t know what others talk about. That’s not a bad thing.” I pause. “You are socially intelligent.”
I can see Kilah paling further. I didn’t mean my last words as a dig against her, but if the shoe fits, then that’s on her. I feel another wave of guilt hitting me. I promised Aza I would give Kilah a real chance, and constantly lashing out against her certainly won’t help.
Aza told me it’s alright not to instantly forget and forgive, but that it’s not fair to constantly work against her.
“You are a great person,” she says to Caelan, sounding awkward as fuck. “And I am not. So at least... there’s that.”
“I don’t think you are a bad person,” Caelan says shortly.
“Let’s say there is room for improvement,” she says quietly.
Not even Caelan, one of the nicest persons out there, can say anything against that. He knows it’s true.
“We should go inside and celebrate with the others,” I say.
“Why, what happened?” Kilah asks.
If this would be Alana or Eibhlin, I would tease them for having missed the whole fuss, but I’m certainly not there yet with Kilah. Being civil is my goal for now. “Endellion and Azadeh got closer during our trip. Ende decided to take her as his chosen mate.”
“What!?” Kilah squeals, much to my surprise. “Is this true? This is fantastic news!”
“You are happy about the news?” Caelan asks, apparently equally as surprised as I am.
“Azadeh is such a good person,” she says with a smile. “She is my friend. And I’m glad she chose one of my brothers. I need to go and congratulate them.” With that she turns to leave, completely forgetting that she originally asked if we needed help. Looking back at it now, that was new, too.
“Is it mean to say that this is the first time that I saw her genuinely happy for someone else?” I ask, while I help Caelan close the doors to the stables.
“Not really. I was surprised too. But it makes me happy,” he says. “Do you dislike her, Flinn? I mean,
Kilah.”
“She is my sister,” I say. “And as that, I do love her, but I would be lying if I said I like her.”
“Just don’t let it eat you up,” he says quietly. “I mean your resentment.”
I smack his back. “See? And you were worried you weren’t smart enough? I told you, social intelligence is a thing!”
“Do you really mean that?” he asks, a hint of hope in his voice. “You are not making fun of me.”
“I would never.” I pause. “Yeah, no, I totally would,” I admit, making Caelan smile. “But never about something that could hurt you or Ende. Believe me when I say that you are very capable.”
“Let’s go and celebrate with him and Azadeh,” he suggests. “We got ourselves a sweet, new sister.”
“And a great friend,” I add.
“We’ll find it too,” Caelan says.
“You mean a mate?”
“Yes, someone who loves us like Azadeh loves Ende, and someone to love the way he loves her.”
“I hope so,” I say. Ever since we knew we had no mate bond, I said goodbye to the idea of ever falling in love with someone. But what Ende and Aza have is real, it’s beautiful and strong. And ever since she came into our lives, Caelan and I began to feel more and more like we have a bond growing to… someone. Maybe our mates.
The thought that someone is waiting for us, is such a comforting thought. But even if we never develop a mate bond, seeing Ende and Aza gives me hope that we will find this deep love too one day.
Caelan and I are stepping through the front door into the castle when we feel it, a searing pain shoots through us. I have felt it once before, shortly after I turned eighteen. It was when mom’s brother, our uncle, died. I clench my chest. “This was someone we share a bond with,” I pant.
“Family or one of the ranked members!” Caelan stares at me, and I instantly know we fear the same. We don’t exchange another word and instead run to the private living room where father has dragged Ende and Aza to. Most of my siblings are here. Minus one.
Oh Goddess, let Alana be safe!
Let her be safe.
My kind and strong sister.
We both barge into the room. “What happened?” Caelan yells. “We felt someone pass.”
“It’s not Alana,” Father calms us instantly, probably seeing the fear on our faces. “If it were Alana, you would feel it much stronger, and I would know for certain.” He pauses. “It has to be one of our ranked members.”
I pale at the thought. I love all of our ranked pack members. They have been chosen for their rank for a reason. Not only because they are strong, but also because they are loyal and trustworthy and kind.
Royan is a genuinely kind guy. He is fun and strong, but also caring and nice. Ita is one of the fiercest warriors we have, and also one of our closest friends. Ty, our sweet dunce. It can’t be any of them… My father closes his eyes, as he focuses on the bonds he has as the king to his pack members, subordinates and ranked members. He is silent for a while. “It’s Ita,” he says quietly. “She went ahead to the moon.”
I feel a wave of sadness washing over me. Our gamma passed. She was like a family member, a friend… and like a sister. I don’t even want to imagine how Alana is going to handle this.
*ENDELLION*
“I don’t even know what to say,” I say sadly. “I can’t imagine what happened. There must have been a terrible attack.”
“I agree,” Dad is pacing up and down nervously. “I tried to reach out to Alana through an extended mind link, but I can’t reach her. She is full of sorrow and seems to be wounded, too.”
“Should we ride ahead to catch up with them?” I offer.
“No, I sent some of our warriors.” He pauses. “One of the messengers they sent to us yesterday had some appalling news,” he says. Then, he fills my brothers, Aza and me in with what he knows. It seems like the werebears attacking were enchanted, and some children spotted a majestic bear or a similar creature.
While he talks, I remember our encounter a few weeks ago… when the blizzard chased us. “You won’t like hearing this, and up til now you always said I just have a vivid imagination, but-” I pause. “When Caelan, Flinn and I saved the villagers a few weeks ago, there was a creature hunting us. It was engulfed in the blizzard, but I could hear its roar.”
My father looks at me. “If I’ve learned one thing, it’s to not blame anything on my children’s imagination anymore,” he admits. “I failed to believe Alana when she saw a dragon, or you when you felt and heard sounds belonging to a mysterious creature.”
“It has to be connected,” Azadeh agrees. I take her hand into mine. Her warmth keeps me grounded, especially now that I have to deal with the loss of Ita. Our strong and kind gamma… gone. She wasn’t just a ranked member to us, she was a member of the family, a sister, a friend. And now, we have to bid her goodbye forever.
Azadeh brushes with her fingers over my hand. “Alana will need us now,” she says. “More than ever.”
Dad turns to look at my siblings and me.. “I already sent notice to my mate… to your mother,” he says to my surprise.
“You are calling her back from her travels?” I ask. He has never done that. Mom doesn’t go on these a lot, but every couple of years, she will head out for a few months to research. It’s important for our kingdom that she does that, to broaden her knowledge, her horizons and to find new allies within other species. That’s how she met Aylin, after all.
“Yes, she needs to know what happened or she will kill me once she returns,” he says.
“If you want, I will make sure that everything is prepared for Alana’s return. We don’t know how hurt she and Tynan are,” Azadeh says. “And, how many warriors we lost. I could talk to Aylin and have her prepare enough medicine.”
“Please, that would be a great help, Azadeh,” Father says with a genuine smile. Once she is gone, he turns to us. “She would make a fabulous luna and queen,” he announces.
I feel pride filling me for this rare compliment towards my chosen mate. The fact he could imagine her as a luna is a major compliment to her traits and personality. Soon, however, we are discussing the serious issues ahead of us again. It’s not only the loss of Ita we suffer but also that Quinn and Dad lost contact with Shayan and Royan.
“They went too far into no-man's land,” Quinn reports, nervously. “And, they probably are in the witch’s lair there. Royan mentioned a witch before our connection broke.”
“They are alive, though,” Flinn points out. “That’s what we need to think of now. They are alive! We will wait for Alana, Tynan and our warriors to return, and then hopefully we’ll have more information.”
“You believe it’s all connected?” Caelan wants to know.
“Yes. I mean, there is a mysterious creature popping up at the pack where Alana spotted a dragon years ago. Then, all of Azadeh’s dreams, the fact that the dragons seem to have returned, and the werebears getting more and more feral. All of this is connected.”
“I have to agree,” I say. “I don’t believe in coincidence anymore. Unfortunately, we still don’t know enough. So, all we can do for now is trust the men that went undercover, and have faith in the work Tynan, Alana and… and Ita did.”
I am about to say more when my father turns towards the door. “Come in,” he says, before turning to us. “A messenger, he mind linked me.”
A young man enters the room, and to my surprise, I recognize him as one of the warriors of the pack we resided in just a day ago. Caelan and Flinn seem to be equally surprised.
“My king,” he pants, his eyes wide as if he is still struggling with what he is about to tell us. “My princes.”
“What happened?” Dad asks, alarmed. “Are you bringing bad news?”
“No… not necessarily,” he hesitates, “just… unbelievable news. The wasteland close to the Crystal Forest,” the man hurries to explain, “the trees are carrying buds all of a sudden. And the farms are announcing that the harvest will be richer than usual.”
“Impossible,” my father calls out. “Nothing has been growing there since I was a child.”
“I’ve seen it with my own eyes,” the man tells him. “Some of the others did, too. It started right after the princes and the princess left to return home.”
The three of us can only stare at him in shock. We were there, Flinn links us.
I was about to say the same. We… we went to the wastelands, and Aza… I let my voice trail off.
Are we all thinking the same? Caelan wants to verify. I remember she touched the ground.
I furrow my brows, before hurrying towards the door. “I need to verify something,” I call to the others. They exchange a few curious glances before following me. I don’t pay them any attention though and instead walk right to the lake behind the castle. The one where Azadeh and I bonded for the first time. We met there with Flinn and Caelan later, and we showed her the park, the lake… and the Blessed Tree.
I hurry straight to the Blessed Tree, the one Flinn tends to make fun of. I can’t spot anything from afar, but once close up, I see it instantly.
“It’s… there are buds,” I confirm.
“No way,” my father calls out, pushing past me. His eyes widen in shock as he sees the small green buds. There are only a few of them, but they are here, clearly.
“What’s happening?” Flinn enquires into the silence.
“I have no idea,” I say. “But our world is changing.”