52. Raea #2
Finn explains that no matter where I am in the galaxy, I will be able to feel the power there and can use it to recharge my own magic, my smaller magics, he explains.
“The Elven are one with nature. With time, Raea, you will be able to sense water below ground. You can coax a flower to bloom. We can memory glimpse.” He walks to the sturdy tree trunk that looks to be thousands of years old.
Its base is as wide as I am tall, strong, and healthy, reaching for the heavens.
Finn places his hand upon it and closes his eyes.
“In natural objects, we can catch a glimpse of the past. Sometimes just an echo.” He opens his eyes.
“There are several more smaller magics, but these things will come with time. For now, all you need to understand is that the magic beneath your feet and the healing energies of the forest are what restore the Elven race.”
“What will recharge my starlight power?”
Finn chuckles, dropping down a few feet away as he leans his forearms against his propped-up legs.
“Your starfire power is endless, you, however…” He tilts his head.
“That is something we will have to learn. Powerful magic always has a cost. With smaller magics,” he explains, brushing his hair back, “you probably won’t feel the drain at all unless you’ve used up all your magic at once.
This happens a lot when Elenyae—Elven youngsters who are in the transition phase between children and mature Elven—first get their magic. ”
He stands. “Come, there’s much more to show you.” He leads me down a path further into the forest. When I ask why he brought me here, he only smiles before telling me Ryker had come to him.
I didn't have to tell Ryker how the silence of the forest still felt like a hollow ache, or how my new skin felt a size too small. He’d felt the tremors in my hands at dawn.
He’d sent Finn not because I asked, but because he knew I was drowning in a sea of 'new' and needed an anchor that looked like me.
This morning, before breakfast, Finn had been with Clara in the garden, coaxing flowers to grow, much to her delight.
I can’t help but feel thankful to the male for helping to care for her.
I feel bad for bringing her here, but what were our options?
I know neither Ryker nor I could have left her on the beach. Not even in the palace.
“Your mate asked me to help you.” Finn shrugs, holding out a hand on a steep slope. It’s then that I hear the giggles and chatter in the trees ahead. My head snaps up, searching. We continue toward the voices, and it isn’t long before a small village comes into view.
Elven children dressed in soft linens, their hair braided with feathers and charms, run through the forest playing a game of tag. The village isn’t simply in the trees—it is them.
Round homes of living wood and shimmering glass wrap around thick branches, grown into place by the forest itself. Braided vine bridges connect each level, glowing softly beneath hanging lanterns. It’s beautiful in a way stone could never be.
I’m too busy gaping at the homes above to see the child who plows into me. I’m nearly knocked to the ground when Finn catches me. A little girl with rich brown hair and big brown eyes looks horrified as she mumbles an apology.
I kneel before her, pointing to the basket of herbs in her arm. “What are these for?”
She grins, plucking a few twigs of lavender and holding them out for me. “We’re making tea today!” She looks up at Finn and offers him a toothy grin.
He pats her head. “Hi, Adalene.”
I inhale the lavender, letting the notes saturate my system, and I can feel my whole body relax.
When I open my eyes again, Adalene is watching me. She studies my hair, then my eyes, before shrugging. I place the lavender back in her basket as I thank her for sharing. She waves goodbye before running off again.
I watch as she steps on a board and pulls at a rope. A moment later, she’s quickly rising into the trees. As we begin walking again, Finn leads me to a ramp that begins at the base of the tree and winds up and around.
As we ascend, I take in the lush surroundings. The large fern leaves grow out above us like a canopy. I wonder if any of the Elven did it on purpose. It’s too perfect not to have been. They stretch out far and are layered enough that if it were to rain, we’d still be covered.
Around and around we go, passing a few suspension bridges until we come upon one that’s wider than all the rest. “This is Kal’vien Neheshta, or Nehesh for short.” He spins as I look across the small city of bridges and homes, now with a better view.
There are pools of water among the homes, which Finn explains are for washing clothes. Fresh water is pumped up through a network of pipes into each home. The market where they trade goods is nothing but a series of open-air stands along a few of the higher suspension bridges.
As we walk, everyone pauses to say hi to Finn, then a quick bow or curtsy to me.
“Do they know you?”
Finn grins, nodding to a female with an infant strapped to her back. She’s carrying a basket of folded linen clothes and rags. “How’s Oshta?”
The female pauses, turning to show off her baby before saying she’s well and growing quickly. She’s a rotation old now. If I remember correctly, a rotation is equal to a month.
When the mother wishes us a hasty goodbye, Finn says, “I am the…Lord?” He gives me a sheepish smile. “I’m responsible for eight villages, including this one.”
He pauses, gripping the rope railing as he leans against it, arms outstretched.
“The Elven way of life is simple, and yet…” He looks to me.
“Your ancestors did things differently. You will just need to find your place, Raea, but no matter where you are, the forest will always offer you a sanctuary.”
I can’t help but agree. The forest has always brought me peace.
On Kyrr, on Baedyn. I’ve always loved traveling, but I knew I could return home and find rest when I needed it.
I think back to Alleynora, the village I brought Ryker to.
Those were my ancestors. I look at Finn and can't help but smile.
“So,” I say, nudging his shoulder. “As the Lord of eight villages, does that mean you have to settle every dispute about whose goat ate whose laundry?”
Finn snorts, the warrior Lord-persona cracking as he grins. “Worse. I have to judge the annual berry-wine competition. It’s a life of great peril and purple-stained teeth.”
I laugh, the sound feeling light and right in the mountain air. “Tough life, Lord Finn. I hope you're up for the challenge.”