Chapter 50 #2
Kienna would trust Danek with her life and then more. More than anyone else, it was Danek who stood by her. Unbonded, and yet he gave her everything. He never asked for her trust and still offered his to her every day.
She reached forward and took his hand.
When her fingers brushed his, a shaft of moonlight broke through the leaves, warming the moss beneath them. The forest exhaled.
With the help of the wind, they reached the top of the canopy in a matter of minutes, pulling their bodies from the branches in tactical motions.
Kienna stood above the tree line, and her breath caught.
From the top of the world, she could see Alistile in front of her.
Mountains. Rivers. The Lysiria. It looked small from where she stood, but that didn’t take away from the majesty.
Ahead of them, the bridge that Danek had mentioned guided upward into a large island above. Similar to those connected below the trees, the island drummed with magic. The rush of waterfalls roared into the forest.
They stepped from bark to bridge. The tree, impossibly vast beneath them, bowed in reverence as Kienna and Danek crossed the thin stretch of woven vine and starlight that arched into the sky. The bridge pulsed. Every step hummed beneath her. The island hovered weightlessly above Trinity.
Like a sleeping goddess’s hand cradling a dream.
The darkness of the night cloaked itself in indigo silk, the island glowing softly as if it remembered the sun even in shadows.
The grass beneath Kienna’s boots was greener than anything growing below.
It shimmered with silver threads laced between blades that bent like velvet under her step.
Flowers bloomed in quiet spirals, petals shifting hues with every heartbeat.
They ranged from lavender to gold to moonlit blue.
Streams flowed in perfect silence. Ribbons of liquid light poured down, stars melting into water. When Kienna’s finger brushed the surface, the stream sang with a low thrumming vibration that settled in her bones, whispering, “Welcome, Ashborn.”
From the edge of the island, waterfalls poured over the sides. They were wide and endless sheets of shimmering water that vanished into mist below. They fed the earth. Fed the forest. Every lake and river across the realm. She could see it all from here. Alistile spread out like a tapestry.
Magic pulsed in the ground, dancing like fireflies in the air. Threads of silver wind coiled between trees that shouldn’t have been able to grow so high. Their bark was etched with ancient sigils that moved when Kienna blinked.
Her vision caught at the edge of the island.
A small blemish stood beyond the rise of a glowing knoll.
A place where the grass turned gray at the edges, where a tree’s leaves wilted despite the starlight.
The island felt like her at that moment.
Tainted by Vaerin’s magic. His darkness in the world.
Vaerin wounded the Eternal Mother just as he wounded her.
Danek and Kienna shared this moment, feeling the pain of their lives in River Storm.
“This is her, isn’t it?” Kienna asked.
“I think so.”
“How did you find this place?” Kienna faced Danek, the gold shimmering brightly in his eyes as the blue sigil on his temple filled with fireflies.
“I like to climb.” Danek rubbed the back of his head. “Trinity was pretty boring once you left, so I climbed every tree.”
Kienna couldn’t believe the discovery. She felt honored that he would share it with her.
For once, peace took hold. Her soul healed.
Whatever magical debt she owed for Dove Port wiped itself clean.
She inhaled the purest form of air. It didn’t flood her like a crashing wave.
Her lungs expanded and wrapped her blood with a soft blanket.
She curled into the warmth, spreading her arms out like wings.
The wind danced through her hair, tickling her nose.
She laughed out loud. “This island is alive!” Kienna moved against the wind and looked to Danek. Her body was so light, she couldn’t help letting another giggle escape. “You saved my life.”
“I’ll always save your life,” Danek said, eyes boring into her. The sun rose beneath his lashes.
This was what it felt like to be seen. Not for what she’d done or who they wanted her to be, but who she was now. Danek’s presence consumed her, the earthy musk of cedar oakmoss reminding her of how simple life could feel.
Kienna gravitated to the warmth of his body. His breath, steady and pure, was close enough to send shivers through her. Without thinking, she palmed his face, energy pulsing through her hands. Pushing any doubts away that could have talked her out of it, she pressed her lips tightly to Danek’s.
The kiss was strange at first, like a fish out of water navigating its way back to fluidity. She pulled away quickly, cheeks flushed and lips still tingling. Kienna’s fingers brushed across them to hold onto the charged warmth. The memory of his lips on hers remained.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. She looked away, anywhere but at him. “I shouldn’t have—”
“Don’t you dare pull away this time, Kienna.” Her name was bliss on the wind as Danek spoke. His hand drifted to her forehead, pushing the hair in front of her eyes behind her ears. He caressed them with a look of infatuation, as if admiring their changing form.
Shivers crept through Kienna’s bones, her heart ready to leap out to him.
His fingers found the edge of her jaw, gentle and certain. Where he touched, fear dissolved. It was light touching frost. “I’m all in.”
Kienna relaxed, placing her hands at the base of his arm, grazing his skin as his hand moved to her cheek. Her body trembled in his touch. She focused on his heartbeat pulsing through his veins. His other hand drifted to the small of her back, pulling her closer.
The waterfalls slowed.
The fireflies stilled.
The island paused to listen.
Danek pressed his lips to hers, this time softly, the heat of his body colliding with hers in the fury of the night. Kienna pushed her hands to his hair to keep herself steady. Her heart drummed loudly through her chest. His mouth guided hers open and closed, teeth brushing against hers.
Kienna missed Danek her whole life, refusing to acknowledge he existed in River Storm. Any of them, really. Now, she couldn’t imagine what life would be like without this kiss. Without him. Without the feeling of his hands on her.
Despite what waited for her below the trees, it was Danek she wanted most. He was all she could think of as they allowed themselves to collide under the beauty of the moon.