Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
Kiran and Finlay stood before Draven as a red sun slowly ascended in the background, casting the world in a flame-like shadow.
“When will you be back?” Finlay asked, a subtle pout in his lip Draven was sure he didn’t realize was there.
Draven glanced over his shoulder, back at his mother mounted upon her favorite horse, the few belongings she was bringing strapped across the animal. “I’m not sure,” he answered, returning his gaze forward. “Whenever my mother decides to come back, I suppose.”
“Do you know where you’re going yet?” Kiran asked.
Draven shook his head. “She hasn’t told me.”
Kiran folded his arms across his chest and smiled. “We will miss you. Right, Finlay?”
Finlay clicked his tongue and jerked his chin away. “I’ll miss sparring with an actual decent partner.”
Kiran snorted a laugh.
Finlay glanced at Draven and scrunched his nose. “And why must you ride horseback? At least take one of the carriages or…something.”
“Not an option,” he replied. “We don’t want my father to know where we’re going.”
“You think that’s actually possible?” Finlay asked dryly. Kiran thrusted his elbow into Finlay’s side, resulting in a hiss sneaking through Finlay’s teeth. “What?” he chided, flicking his eyes at Kiran. “I’m not wrong.”
Draven sighed. “We’re going to try.” His fingers wrapped around the sea glass pendant still clasped at his neck. With slow, reverent movements, he removed the necklace and extended it out for either Kiran or Finlay to take. “Will one of you hide this for me? Keep it safe? It…means a lot to me.”
To his surprise, it was Finlay who took the necklace in his palm, curling his fingers around it. “Why not take it with you?”
Draven glanced back at his mother, then back to his brothers. “My father saw it, and I think the necklace is too identifiable. I don’t know, I might just be paranoid, but I don’t want to risk being found because of it.”
“And where would you like me to hide it?”
Draven considered the question. “Wherever my father won’t find it,” he said with a shrug. “Wherever you put it, though, just make sure you can actually remember its hiding place.” A sharp, knowing look.
“You insult me with your lack of faith.”
“Or he’s spot on about your forgetfulness,” Kiran taunted.
He and Draven laughed. Finlay did not.
Draven couldn’t remember the last time he had ever felt so… free.
With his cloak covering his face, he galloped along beside his mother, their horses slowing to a trot as they reached the cobblestone streets.
The city his mother chose, Príth, was bustling with life.
Vendors took up space on every street corner, hollering out deals on fabrics, skewers, flowers and herbs, pots, and so much more.
The smell of savory meats and roasted vegetables wafted through the air in random bursts, making Draven’s mouth water.
Kids ran through the alleys chasing after each other, and Draven couldn’t remember the last time he heard such incessant giggling.
In fact, he couldn’t recall a single time he had ever seen anything like this.
His hometown of Talderine was such a rigid city, and though it was the capital city of Erandor Kingdom, filled with beautiful sights and lively colors, he had always thought the city a hollow shell of a place.
For there was life inside those city walls, but there was no heartbeat.
But there was certainly a heartbeat here, and Draven could already feel it beating in his chest, sucking him into its alluring rhythm.
As if sensing his thoughts, his mother turned to glance at him, her hooded cloak casting shadows over her face.
Still, he saw her smile, and unlike all of the smiles preceding this one, it wasn’t fake.
Through the flickers of the dimming sunlight, he glimpsed the warm crinkles framing her rich brown eyes.
Saw the light return to them, bringing her back to life like a sketch that had finally been colored in.
“What do you think?” she asked, her voice giddy. “One of my ladies-in-waiting was from Príth, and she could never stop talking about her home city. She always said it was like Príth was truly alive, residing in its own bubble of the world.”
Draven glanced around, and he realized suddenly that he had been smiling this whole time. His cheeks were starting to ache. “I think it’s magical,” he answered honestly. “How have I never heard of it before?”
His mother returned her gaze forward. “Because it’s just a small city in the countryside, too close to Illithious Lake for anyone to truly care about it.
I heard anyone passing through is either trying to catch a peek at House Sulien’s home or they are heading up to the capital city for one reason or another. It is entirely—”
“—perfect,” Draven said, before his mother could finish her sentence.
He heard the flourishing smile in her words. “My thoughts exactly.”