17. A Child’s Song and Lights That Touch the Earth #3
The children, and many adults, too, make their way up the hill, and they sit, looking up at the sky. It reminds her of the night when Isabel showed her the falling stars. Sapphira knew then that Isabel would be someone special to her.
Isabel must think the same because she slips her hand into Sapphira’s as the three of them sit side by side, waiting for whatever they’re meant to see.
She wants to stay with Isabel. She even told the woman that.
But it’s selfish, right? she thinks. Sapphira wants to stay, but she knows she can’t.
Not yet. She has to go home and save her people before she can truly be with Isabel.
She looks over at Isabel. A smile plays over the chimera’s lips as she listens to a little girl ramble on about her favorite sweets, as if it’s the most fascinating story.
Sapphira sighs. I can’t run from my responsibilities forever.
Not long after they sit down, a gasp ripples through the crowd, and Sapphira follows their gaze up to the sky. Her breath leaves her in a rush as she looks up. Trails of lights streak across the sky, and the stars begin to fall. Kaelen whispers, “I thought the stars only fell in Cielo .”
Isabel shrugs, just as lost for words.
The crystal bridge twinkles under the colorful lights, which dance as the green, pink, red, yellow, blue, and purple arcs lead a path across it. The stars glow to reflect the shifting colors.
The children jump up and dance, chanting,
Up, up, on the hill, the moon falls down, HURRA!
Light in the sky touches the ground, HURRA, HURRA, HURRA!
A ray of colors falls like rain, a party of rainbows. Greens, reds, blues, and yellow—the kids all shout HURRA!
Take hands to the holy place, a path to jotnar. Marching down, down, down the hill, the chant resounds, HURRA, HURRA!
It’s the same song the brother and sister sang when they left Eldljus. Atop the children’s heads sit crowns with short, burning candles set around a circular headdress. The candles waver as the children dance, twisting their arms and kicking their feet in synchronicity.
Turning to a woman beside her, Sapphira whispers, “Excuse me, but what does the song mean? What is the path to jotnar?”
“It’s a fable about returning to C?rn?s.
So the legend goes, the land of giants is the birthplace of the Sand Isles, and all Sulees came from the mɑsf?n? God, Alltúr.
But after the defeat of his mischievous son, Svikari, who was bound to the earth by the elven-fae hero, Askerh?lla, and defeated with his frost sword, the bridge led many away from C?rn?s, where they made new homes all across Sule?hare?n. ”
Sapphira’s head is spinning with the deluge of information.
“The birthplace of Sule?hare?n,” she whispers.
The woman nods. “Some say that C?rn?s rules below, the human realm—Athos—rules above, and the Sand Isles are an in-between place created by Askerh?lla himself.”
“For what reason?”
The woman shakes her head. “Who knows.”
Sapphira tugs her hair nervously, winding it around itself and throwing it over her shoulder.
Askerh?lla . She’s heard that name too many times now.
The man is well-known. She looks toward the lit-up bridge, the children holding hands and spinning in circles before it.
There must be some truth to the stories, no matter how little.
And for the first time, she finds herself itching to know the truth.
“So that bridge leads to the land of giants?” she whispers. Louder, to the woman, she says, “Why doesn’t anyone cross it?”
The woman turns back to her and shrugs, standing as the lights in the sky begin to fade. Sapphira’s eyes follow her, neck straining as she looks up. “We’re told that anyone who tried has died. No one has attempted it in more than a century.”
The woman says goodbye and gathers her daughter from the crowd of children to shoo her off to bed.
The night ends too soon for Sapphira’s liking, and soon, she’s joining the others back in town.
They are led into the Ice Mistress’ home, a long, squat building in the center of town that houses her, her children, grandchildren, and immediate family.
Sekile shows her, Isabel, and Kaelen to an empty bedroom.
Kaelen shifts, curling up beneath the window, and Sapphira climbs into the bed beside Isabel.
The room is surprisingly insulated, and the blankets are thick and warm. Sapphira pulls them up to her chin.
She can hear Isabel shuffling beside her. She feels the weight of her gaze, but she stays quiet. Her head is still swimming from the heavy drink, and her thoughts are swirling like the rainbow lights.
After a while, Isabel turns away and drifts off to sleep, but Sapphira is still awake, staring at the glossy ceiling.
She looks around the dark, empty room and over to the door.
Quietly, she eases herself out of the bed, hoping not to wake Isabel or Kaelen, and tiptoes out of the room.
It’s hard to find her way in the dark. The home is closed up tight to keep the chill out, and thick fur lines the hall beneath her feet.
Finding the kitchen, Sapphira sits at a low table, props her head up on her hands, and lets out a deep sigh.
“Can’t sleep?”
Sapphira startles, banging her knee against the wooden table as her limbs jerk wildly. The figure chuckles, raising a lantern so she can see his face. It’s Teln?i, the Ice Clan guard.
“Great. It’s my least favorite of the pair,” Sapphira says.
Teln?i hisses. “Harsh,” he says, moving around the kitchen. Saphira watches him closely, following him with her eyes as he pulls an insulated pot and two cups down from a shelf. He quickly pours water and tea leaves, then drops a few hot stones into each steel cup.
Setting the lantern on the table, Teln?i sets one of the drinks in front of her. She quickly grasps the tankard, warming her freezing fingers. He watches her as he takes the seat opposite her and brings his own drink to his lips. “You’re quite judgmental, you know?” he says.
His words sting a bit. Sapphira swallows and lowers her cup. Her fingers drum against the thick sides, her eyes watching the green liquid swirl around and around.
“I’m . . . sorry,” she says. “I don’t mean to be.
I just . . . well . . .” she struggles for the words.
“It was how I was raised, I guess. To judge people. To not give them second chances after they’ve hurt you.
” He raises a brow. “Not that it’s an excuse!
” she rushes to add. “I . . . want to be good.” Her eyes chase the steam up to the ceiling.
I want to be worthy of Isabel , she thinks but doesn’t say aloud.
“It’s fine,” the man says. “I was mostly joking. I don’t mind it, trust me. We Ice Clan have thick skin.”
They sit in silence, drinking their hot tea, and when it’s empty, the man gets up and refills their cups.
“Can I ask you a question?” Sapphira says.
“You already are.” He laughs when she gives him a flat look. “Okay, okay. Sorry. Yes, you can, Heir of Ymir.”
That title still makes her flinch. “If I’m one of you, then how come I didn’t grow up here?”
“What do you mean?” He takes a large swig of his drink, not even wincing at the heat.
She leans forward, her voice lower, as if she’s afraid she’ll wake the others. “I wasn’t born here. Like, here, here. In Sule?hare?n.”
The man raises a thick, bushy brow and crosses his arms over his wide chest. “You were born outside the Sand Isles?” he says slowly. She nods. “In the great beyond?”
She nods again and then catches herself, waving her arms. “No, no . Or . . . I don’t know? What is the great beyond?”
He shrugs. “I don’t exactly know. It’s great, and it’s beyond. Out across the sea, wherever that goes.”
“You don’t know?” she asks, leaning forward to catch every word.
Teln?i rests his head on his propped hand. “People don’t really leave the isles. No one except pirates.”
“Pirates?” She shouts this, halfway over the table now.
Teln?i gives her a surprised look, and she quickly sits back down, her cheeks heating.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers, eyes roving over the shadows like she might see figures pop out of the halls.
She takes a moment to gather herself. “The pirates. Tell me about them.”
“What is there to know? They scour the seas, searching for treasure and new lands. Most of them don’t come back.”
“They just disappear?”
“Rumor is, the sea swallows them.” Sapphira raises a brow. “Sea monsters,” he says.
She shivers. That can’t be the way back to Dansui , she thinks.
“You look disappointed by that answer,” Teln?i says. “The pirates not exciting enough for you?”
“No.” She sighs. “It’s not that.” She drums her fingers across the table, tracing the wood grain with her thumb. “I was hoping to find answers about why my father left Sule?hare?n and how I can return home.”
The man grabs both of their cups and stands. “Well, I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help.” He moves back to the counter and sets to rinsing the steel in a bucket of yellowish liquid.
Sapphira stands, moving to his side. He gives her a sidelong glance when he notices she isn’t leaving. She hesitates there.
“You know, the ice-mistress is going to ask you to stay.” Sapphira’s eyes widen. “If you want to know more about your family, maybe you could learn it in time. There are many elders here and lots of great stories passed down. You could even learn to control that gift of yours.”
Gift. Sapphira looks up at Teln?i. He’s a handsome man. Large and capable. She saw the way he manhandled Kaelen. He’s a tank and a warrior.
“Have you ever been in love?” she asks, startling him.
He dries his hands and turns to her, leaning back against the counter. “I have, yes. Why?”
She looks past him for a moment. “If you loved someone, would you do what was right by them, even if it dooms others? Or could you hurt them for the sake of a greater purpose?”
Teln?i thinks for a moment. “I’d doom others.”