Chapter 40 #2
The Vatte all jumped and clapped excitedly, their peach-like cheeks glowing pink with delight, their previous tasks now long forgotten. Music began playing around them, coming from small stringed instruments carried by several Vatte. The sound was so new to Seda, so unique and so beautiful.
“Get more mead!” someone shouted, and Seda looked around, trying to find the source of the yelling. She had never tried mead before. She heard about it in Joro, but only the critical members of society living in Cascade had access to it.
An excited bubble grew in her belly.
Orion ran up to her and grabbed her hands. “What’s your name, beautiful, magical, purple lady?” he asked her as he hopped around her in circles. “My powers haven’t come in yet. I have another hundred or so years. It’s hard being so young and so unfair!”
“I’m Seda. It is nice to meet you, Orion,” she said to him.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the center of the area where others were starting to dance to the music.
He jumped around and danced as the space filled with more Vatte.
Seda looked around, a little embarrassed to be dancing.
She didn’t know how to dance, and her body felt awkward as she moved, trying to mimic the movements of the other Vatte.
Her ankle still hurt, but she ignored the pain.
She caught sight of Kalon watching her, and she nervously waved at him. He had his hand over his mouth, trying to stifle a smile as he watched her with eyes full of delight.
A small man approached her and handed her one of the small wooden cups. She peered into it and saw the thick, golden liquid within. She took a hesitant sip, and the sweetest taste she had ever experienced exploded in her mouth.
As the sweet honey and caramel flavors laced her palate, she let out a moan. She took another deep sip, enjoying the fiery sensation as it moved down her throat.
The Corvids shifted into their raven forms and flew around the area, their wings flapping with the beat of the music, creating a gentle wind around the area that blew everyone’s hair around.
The Vatte cheered and clapped at them, spilling mead from their cups.
More and more people and group members began to drink and dance, including Seda.
The air was thick with a substance the Vatte were smoking, and it smelled strong, with an earthy aroma.
She felt so free, so alive, no longer caring if she looked silly as she moved her body.
The Vatte brought out food and handed Seda a small bowl filled to the brim with vegetable soup and some flatbread. She found a place to sit down and sip the broth. Warmth spread through her body, and the spices burst in her mouth. She had never tasted soup as delicious as this before.
She glanced over at Elco and saw children playing around him, placing flowers into his silky mane. He pretended to paw at them like a large cat with mice, with his long, spiked tail flicking around.
Dizziness swirled in her mind from the mead as she sat on the log watching the others.
Kalon came up from behind and sat beside her, his arm brushing against hers.
She looked down and saw that he had rolled up his sleeves, and the hair on his strong, muscular arms was standing where it touched hers.
He took a sip from the soup he was holding, and Seda watched his Adam’s apple as it moved on his throat.
Blurry images of him and the Vatte surrounded her as the laughter and smells of the environment lifted her spirits.
She felt happy and carefree. She smiled at him and giggled when he looked at her with a questioning expression, causing her to drop her bowl of soup onto the ground accidentally.
Kalon quickly picked it up.
“Would you like more?” he asked her, offering his own bowl.
“I donnnn’t think so,” she slurred and hiccuped.
“The mead is strong here. Do you feel okay?”
She looked in his direction, and his fuzzy image came into view. “I feeeelll great.” Her words grew more muddled and slurred the longer she sat. She reached out and gently took the ends of his braid in her hand, twirling it around her fingers.
Kalon sat back, chuckled, and looked at her as she played with the ends of his hair.
“You are sooo handsome,” she said, foregoing her usual filter, her honesty spewing out like a broken hose.
Seda sighed. Her filter no longer mattered, not at the moment. She felt free from her usual chains of reservation.
She should find more mead. That sounded nice.
She looked around at the glowing balls of light and the cheerful people nearby. “So beautifulll…” she said, feeling at peace for the first time on their journey.
Kalon remained silent, and Seda glanced back at him.
“Yes. It is,” Kalon whispered, his eyes flickering between hers.
Heat blossomed in her chest and pooled into the depths of her stomach. She felt transfixed, her eyes locked onto his, gazing into a sea of obscurity.
“May I?” he asked as he held out his arm in invitation.
“Yess,” she said sheepishly. She let go of his hair and dipped her chin down, trying to hide her pink cheeks. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. His warmth and size made her nestle in closer.
She immediately thought about how Cahir would hold onto her the same way and recalled his dimpled smile. She would never get to experience that with him again. The safety and sense of home she felt with him now felt lost forever.
She let out a small sob. She felt Kalon pull her closer, and she buried her face in his chest, inhaling his sandalwood scent as she wiped away her tears. “He lied to me, Kalon. What if he is in danger?”
Kalon tensed and then said, “That man is not in danger. He is a king, Seda. He likely has multiple women in his bed right now.”
Seda felt a strange, ugly feeling grow inside her.
She hadn’t considered that. She thought about Cahir with another woman pressed into him, his arms wrapping around her, making her feel safe just as he did with her.
She felt the burning fire of anger race out through her chest, and the hints of purple lit up her fingertips.
“Whoa, whoa…” Kalon began as he gently placed his warm hands over hers. “None of that. He’s fine, Seda. We’ll find the Wisps and figure out what to do next. Have you seen Benny?”
She didn’t know why she had that reaction. She pulled her powers back in and looked around for her brother, but things were blurry. She shook her head.
“Let’ssss go find him. Walking around might help,” she said as she fumbled to get up.
She was wobbly, and Kalon held out his arm for her to take.
He guided her around the area, looking for her brother.
She absentmindedly ran her fingers up and down his strong, veiny arm, playing with the goosebumps that appeared along his skin.
They stumbled and laughed as they tripped over people lying on the ground and dancing haphazardly. When they couldn’t find Benny, they walked along the edge of the village. They heard rustling in the nearby bushes and moved closer, curious to see what was making the noise.
Benny popped his head out, facing away from them with his hair a disheveled mess. A thin hand with sharp, blue nails popped up from the bush and pulled Benny back down. They heard the sounds of moaning and kissing coming from the bushes.
“Oh! Oh wow…” Seda whispered in shock. She did not want to see her brother engage in those activities. Such behavior was not allowed in Joro in public places, and watching Benny interact with Roya made her question why anyone would want that. Her only experience was deeply traumatizing.
She turned away quickly, facing the dancing Vatte in the distance.
Kalon laughed. “I see he is doing just fine.” He looked at Seda, and she made sure not to meet his eyes. The sounds they were making rang through her ears, and she grimaced.
They walked back toward the Vatte, and nausea washed over her from both the mead and the sounds from her brother. “I think I need to lie down. I don’t feel so good.”
They found Lucja, and she led them to a small house. She opened the door, and Seda looked into the room. Small furniture lined the walls, and a short sink was in the corner. She looked at the single bed and at Kalon.
“Will you stay with me?” she asked him quickly, before she thought better of it. She really did not want to be alone.
He nodded, and Lucja left the room. As they stood in silence, Seda’s nerves flared.
This wasn’t like being alone with Cahir.
She played with her hands and ran her fingers through her hair.
Maybe asking him was a mistake. She sat on the side of the small bed, and Kalon sat beside her, making the bed creak loudly, his body pressing into hers as they sat in silence.
He looked down at her with a gentle smile. Seda’s heart was pounding as he gazed into her eyes, as if he was looking into her soul and seeing something she couldn’t quite understand.
He softly traced his finger along her hand, and she looked down at it and back up at him, noticing his eyes had darkened. She held her breath as he gently reached out and cupped the back of her neck with his large hand, making her feel small.
Leaning in close, he whispered into her ear, “My little lunita.”
His breath sent a shiver down her spine, and she gasped as he pulled back, his fingers grazing her necklace and leaving a trail of tingling sensations on her skin.
His eyes found hers again.
Ever so slowly, he leaned down to kiss her, his full lips brushing against hers. A spark of her magic sizzled between their lips, connecting them both.
His kiss was soft, tender, and almost as if he were asking for approval. She felt desire pool within her, and she kissed him back, unsure of what to do, but let him lead the way with his gentle, passionate touch.
Time seemed to slow, their lips exploring each other with tender promise.
Images of Cahir flashed through her mind, and her body stiffened. She quickly placed her hands on Kalon’s chest to stop him.
He pulled back gently, a flicker of pain crossing his eyes before it disappeared. Seda noticed it.
“Your heart truly does belong to him,” he breathlessly whispered, letting her go.
She didn’t feel prepared to move forward; she needed to talk to Cahir first. Not that she and Cahir were a couple, but they had been something. Right?
She believed Kalon recognized her potential, almost as if he knew exactly what to say, like he understood her better than she did herself. Plus, she felt undeniably attracted to him, but she couldn’t help picturing Cahir sitting there, his gaze and lips fixed on her, not Kalon’s.
He got up, then lay down beside the bed. Seda remained seated, unsure of what to do next, and even hesitant to breathe too loudly. A long moment of silence followed as he settled onto the floor next to her, gazing up at the ceiling.
Thoughts of Michael and Alexi’s angry faces flashed through her mind as they hurt her. She curled her hands into fists, trying to forget the day, telling herself this was not the same. Not all men took what they wanted without permission.
Kalon seemed different. He genuinely appeared hurt by her rejection. He stayed respectful and paused when she asked him to stop.
“I’m sorry,” she finally whispered, consumed by shame that left her feeling like she couldn’t breathe.
“I am patient.” He closed his eyes.
She recalled the warmth of his lips on hers, and a spark of heat spread through her again. She had never been kissed before, and the experience was electrifying. Part of her yearned for more, and she struggled with the desire to reach out to him, but confusion overwhelmed her mind.
She shouldn’t feel that way. What would Cahir think if he knew they kissed?
Kalon was right; her muddled heart tangled with another.
She pulled the covers back, crawled under them, and closed her eyes as she thought about Cahir. That morning, as they woke up together and he pressed into her, she flinched, and he pulled back.
It was he who apologized, not her.
She missed him. One warm tear slipped free and ran down her temple, leaving a damp spot in her hair as memories of him flooded her mind. She missed and loved her friend, and she wanted to talk to him to try to understand his side of the story. He had to have a reason.
Her eyelids grew heavy as she thought about his smile and the way he would push those disgusting eggs at her and make her laugh, how the rice was probably still stuck to their apartment walls, and how they always laughed after every argument.
Her final thought before drifting off to sleep was that she wished Cahir were in the room with her, not Kalon.
The same black snakes and a sense of comfort intertwined through her dreams, caressing her body and soothing her broken heart.