Chapter 6 #2
The perspective came from two completely different people—Olympus’s golden boy and a scrappy little Forest Dweller, but the universal truth between them was similar.
It was hard not to care what others thought, especially after I’d spent my life trying to please other people. My parents, my friends, my advisors. The hospital staff. High society. It was turning out to be more difficult than I’d ever imagined to unlearn those people-pleasing tendencies.
I reached out, gave the little girl a squeeze to my chest. “You are too smart for your own good. But thank you. This means a lot to me.”
“Of course. You’re my queen. I’d do anything for you, just like any other loyal member of your court.”
As I released Liza from my hug, my eyes smarted with tears. I didn’t care about the title or the castle. I didn’t care about status or fame.
I did care about the people on this island. I cared that this brilliant, lovely little girl had so wholeheartedly put her trust in me. It was such a relief to feel wanted here, like I’d finally been given water to drink after spending days in the desert.
Then Liza bowed and disappeared from sight. Before I could thank her again, or even call after her, she was gone. I glanced down, feeling a bubble of pride in my chest at the minuscule patch of greenery on the ground.
I could do it. However long it took, I’d learn to use my magic. I’d heal this island.
My next stop was Lily’s bungalow on the West side of The Isle. Both a home and the Mixologist’s storeroom, the bungalow was exactly what it sounded like: a beachfront paradise with pink shutters and a creaky front porch, a hammock out front drifting lazily in the breeze.
Sand the color of sugar lined the beach just steps in front of Lily’s home.
It led to aquamarine waters only a stone’s throw from her front door.
It was still fairly early in the morning, but I could already see Gus working in the small shop connected to the bungalow, slinging coffee drinks for a few guests.
I knocked on the front door, entering upon Lily’s call, “It’s open!”
Lily’s back was to me as I entered the storeroom.
She was obviously mid-organization of several vials, balancing a few delicately on one arm while she shifted others around on the precariously tall shelf in front of her.
I never ceased to marvel at how Lily could find anything in here, but it seemed like she had things sorted in a way that made sense to only her and Gus.
The bottles and vials glistened like a cave of precious gems. All shades of royal blue and blood red, emerald green and crystal clear.
Tall, short, wide, narrow. There were several locked cases with warning labels on the front not to touch.
I wasn’t sure I wanted to even imagine the terrors locked inside those containers.
“Oh, hey!” Lily craned a look over her shoulder, then lowered onto her feet as she blew dust off a pretty purple vial. “What brings you to this side of the island?”
A tap-tap-tap drew attention from Lily. The insistent sound was coming from the opposite end of the table where I hadn’t noticed Chuck was sitting, apparently waiting for service from the Mixologist.
“Hello,” Chuck drawled. “I’m waiting.”
“I’m working,” Lily said. “Be patient.”
“I don’t mean to interrupt.” I raised my hands. “I can come back.”
“It’s fine,” Lily said. “Chuck’s just here because it’s a full moon tonight.”
“Does the full moon affect… gnomes?” I cleared my throat. “I thought that was more of a werewolf thing.”
Chuck scoffed. Lily gave a happy laugh, winking at me as she lit a flame midair and set a small beaker hovering above it. She tipped some of the purple liquid into it as it started to bubble.
“The full moon doesn’t physically change us, not like you’re thinking. We just honor and celebrate the full moon,” Chuck said. “We have a party in the Grove of Gnomes. It’s a cultural thing.”
“It’s an excuse to stay up all night and eat and drink,” Lily said cheekily, with a grin at her friend. “Chuck loves a good party.”
“I get indigestion from all the eating and drinking,” Chuck admitted. “That’s why I’m here. Lily makes me this really nice elixir that calms the intestines.”
“Couldn’t you just not eat so much if it’s that big of a problem?”
“No.” Chuck frowned at me like I was a real idiot. “It’s a party. That’s sort of the point.”
“Sorry,” I said. “I didn’t know.”
The way Lily’s face contorted, I could tell she wanted to smile, but she suppressed it for Chuck’s sake.
“There.” Lily patted her potion vial lovingly. “Give it a few minutes to simmer, and I’ll top it off with the aloe. Do you prefer mint or lemon verbena essence this time?”
“Chocolate?” Chuck asked hopefully.
“I can try, but it might be bitter. You might have to take it with a spoonful of honey.”
“I can do that,” Chuck said. “I like honey.”
Lily came around the table and perched in front of me. “What can I help you with today, Alessia?”
“I wanted to follow up on our conversation yesterday and see if you’d gotten the chance to ask Gus about any manuscripts he might have that could be useful to me.”
“Oh, right! Yes. I told him about that yesterday. He usually gets right on that sort of thing. Go on out to the shop, and he’ll get you sorted.”
I was just turning to step out of the room when something dawned on me. I faced Chuck and asked, “What is it about the full moon that’s so special to the gnomes?”
“Huh?” Chuck looked like nobody had ever asked this question before.
“You said that the full moon is very important to gnomish culture. I’m just curious what makes it so special,” I said. “Obviously, I’m new here, so I don’t understand many of these things. I’m trying to learn about different types of magic and rituals.”
“Oh. Right. Well, we gnomes are very spiritual. We like to get in touch with the spirit realms.”
“There are spirit realms?” I glanced at Lily for confirmation.
“We don’t know for certain,” Chuck said.
“I’ve never been there, for starters. But it’s pretty common knowledge that there are other realms. Like the underworld, for example.
Nobody really goes to the underworld for a visit, so nobody can say where it is or how to get there, but it’s generally believed to exist.”
“I see.”
“We believe that on the night of a full moon, the barriers between worlds are at their natural thinnest. It’s easier to commune with the spirits. There are good spirit planes too, not just the bad ones. We offer sacrifices for good health and wealth during our full moon ceremonies.”
“What types of sacrifices?” I felt my mouth grow dry. “People sacrifices?”
“Of course not. This isn’t the dark ages,” Chuck said. “We offer things like food or precious possessions.”
“Of course.”
“You can come tonight if you want,” Chuck said. “We allow visitors.”
I glanced at Lily. She gave me a subtle shake of her head, a quiet warning.
Despite Lily’s suggestion to turn Chuck down, I found myself saying, “I’d love to come.”
“Really?” Chuck said, just as Lily echoed, “Really?”
“I’m trying to learn about different types of magic and culture that exist on The Isle. It sounds like this full moon ceremony is incredibly important in gnomish culture, so I’d like to experience it at least once.”
Lily’s eyebrows lifted, but she tilted her head in understanding.
“Well, that’s great,” Chuck said. “We’ll see you in the Grove of Gnomes tonight when the moon starts to rise. Come by any time—it lasts until dawn.”
Lily broke off a piece of her aloe plant and dipped it into the vial bubbling on the flame.
After a few seconds, she slipped on an oven mitt, took the vial off the flame, and added something that looked like cocoa powder.
Then she capped it and handed it to Chuck.
He accepted the vial with a wide grin and tucked it into his pocket.
“You watch out for her tonight,” Lily instructed Chuck, her tone sharp. “Do you hear me? Or no more of these potions for you.”
“I hear you,” Chuck grumbled. “But she’s coming voluntarily. She’s not really my responsibility.”
Lily didn’t reply. She just watched the gnome as he left.
“Should I be worried?” I asked Lily once we were alone.
“Is there ever a time not to be worried on this island?”
Lily tried to sound lighthearted, but she kind of had a point.
In my short time here, I’d been through one difficult experience after another.
I wasn’t sure going out after dark was the best idea, especially not with a group of gnomes I’d never met before.
And especially not when sacrifices were apparently happening.
“Are you going to tell Silas?” Lily asked. “He’ll want to know, and I can’t imagine he’ll be thrilled.”
“I’ll tell him. I don’t want to lie to him, and we’ve already had a talk about how I need him to trust me. Silas wants to protect me, which is so sweet and thoughtful, but at some point, I need to live my life too.”
“Trust me, I get it.” Lily moved to clean up the small mess she’d made while preparing Chuck’s potion. “When you’re married to the head of the Ranger program, it’s kind of a constant battle, feeling like you’re being protected and feeling like it’s too much.”
“How do you do it? It seems like Ranger X really respects you and lets you have a healthy amount of space, even though he must worry about you.”
“He does. He always has,” Lily said. “But we’ve had to work through our own hurdles. There’s a push and pull, and you’ll both make mistakes. Just be honest with each other, communicate as much as possible—and it helps if you have some intimacy to tie things together.”
My head snapped up.
Lily grinned at me. “Speaking of, how’s that going for you?”
“We haven’t... I mean, we’re not there yet. We’ve only known each other for a short time.”
“True. But you’re both adults, and apparently, you’re fated to be together.”
“Apparently. But it still feels like a new relationship, even though I care deeply for him. It’s complicated.”