Chapter 28

These fuckers really needed to rethink this whole reborn god thing. I was exhausted and my head hurt. Belisarus didn't really teach me about gods, but they explained the concept. Pretty sure they didn't need to be carried off by a beautiful Farkhi after sending a fire message. Snuggling into Sono's chest was probably the only thing making me feel semi alive right now. Why couldn't Esylle and Leodos bring that awful message after he kissed me again?

I just wanted to sleep, but I knew we couldn't stay in the clearing we were in. Our fire message could have been seen for miles away. Transforming into anything I wanted was easy and seemed like second nature, but trying to hold that much fire while concentrating on the hearth in my home took more effort than I was used to.

Sono was carrying me as we moved away from that clearing and Leodos was holding Esylle. I kept trying to peek if they were finally going to admit they loved each other because I could honestly use something happy after reading exactly how much Belisarus had lied to me. I gave up because I was pretty sure she felt as badly as I did and it really wasn't the time.

"Do you need me to walk? You have those giant muscles, but I must be getting heavy."

Sono chuckled.

"You can barely stand up and you weigh hardly anything. I'm carrying you. Tell me more about how much you like my muscles."

"I still really like that dip in your hip and wouldn't mind licking it again."

"You're going to get me in so much trouble," he groaned.

"It seems like I'm always in trouble. You can't take it personally."

"No one is mad at you, Sorcha. Most of the rules you are breaking are stupid, anyway. Follow your gut and keep breaking them."

"I'm going to tell them all the prince of the Farkhi told me that the next time they start yelling."

"We should stop here," Leodos said. "We've got the cover of trees to hide us. Esylle and Sorcha need a break."

I mean, yeah, I felt like shit and I was sure Esylle did, too, but Sono and Leodos probably needed a break, too, since they just carried our arses pretty far. Sono just had this way of relaxing and making me forget everything, but as soon as we were settled, everyone started bombarding me with questions asking what Belisarus had to say to me.

His message was brief, and I knew I wouldn't see him again. I didn't even know how to process that. Yeah, he was my grandfather, but he didn't feel the need to tell me that until now. He didn't even tell me. He told Esylle and wanted her to tell me. He could have done this a long time ago.

I gained control a few years back, and I knew how to hide my hair and eyes when I still thought fairy tales were real. Yeah, I didn't want to go to Nestran and fought him, but that was only for a few weeks. Belisarus could have sent me when he was healthier.

Yeah, I wasn't really ready to talk about my grandfather.

"We couldn't talk much because I couldn't hold the fire that long. Basically, he sent me here hoping everyone else would tell me what he kept from me, sent a raven to Esylle instead of me to tell me he lied about being my grandfather, and he's probably going to die without giving me closure. He said the whole reborn god thing is true, but he didn't really know how that was supposed to work. Belisarus apologized, but I didn't exactly get a chance to tell him how all this made me feel."

I didn't think I had the strength to make another fire message to ask him what he meant and just looking at him through the fire, I didn't know if he would be able to hold on to tell me once I was able to send another one. The only thing he did say that was helpful was that he was pretty sure I could do this without murdering a ton of people.

Everyone left to find food. The men came back with their hunt and Frog and Sono arrived shortly after. I didn't think Sono would be very good at gathering food for me, but he brought back some plants I hadn't even known were edible. I didn't think I would be able to sit up any longer and curled on my side while Sono and Frog argued over who would cook. Sono won out when he said he would make us Farkhi food I never had before and promised Frog we would both like it.

I tried to keep my eyes open long enough to eat because I was starving. Esylle was having issues keeping her eyes open as well, and I was surprised when she slid over to where I was lying on the ground. Esylle put her hands in my hair again and I didn't shake her hands away this time. I was too tired.

I actually liked this. Esylle didn't ask me about the message or why I was crying when I got it. She just sat next to me and played with my hair. I still didn't know how I was supposed to act around Esylle, but I liked this. It was also nice that I knew how bad Esylle felt right now because I felt it, too, and Esylle was worried about making me feel better instead of resting. Was this what it was supposed to be like?

When Sono brought me a bowl of food, I dragged myself into a sitting position. He told me it was a Farkhi stew his mom made when he was sick and he hoped I enjoyed it. I was very hungry, but very tired. I ate slowly and was surprised how good the stew was. There were some wild herbs in there with the mushrooms and roots that gave it this deep flavor that I hadn't known I could use.

"Oh, wow. This is really good," I moaned.

"Since she likes it, you're allowed to cook for her again," Frog said.

Sono just tipped his head and smiled at Frog.

"If she didn't like this, there are plenty of Farkhi recipes she might like. This one is better with barley, but we can't get it this far out. I want to make her happy, too."

I really liked that Sono acknowledged Frog was important to me and wasn't mean to him for not talking to him like a prince.

"Are both of you going to feel better in the morning so that we can move again?" Leodos asked.

"I don't know. He taught me the theory behind sending these messages, but I've never done it before. I didn't know it would make me feel this bad."

"Did he tell you what is supposed to happen next?"

"I don't know. It's going to be awhile before Esylle and I can do that again and Belisarus might not be there when we try to reach him. When I finish eating, I need to play my flute and bring all the tribes here. We need to find a safe place to stay, and they need to teach me what they know. I don't know how long we have until the humans find us and I have to figure out what it is I'm supposed to do."

I expected them all to ask a lot more questions I didn't know the answers to because that seemed to happen a lot, but the air before me vibrated and another Farkhi appeared. I expected him to tell Volaris whatever it was he was here to tell him, but as soon as he saw me, he fell to his knees and kissed my hands. He told me he watched me for days and had trouble not exposing himself and touching me.

Yeah, I wasn't going to be mean, but that was weird.

"Tropos, whatever news you have is more important than touching her. She's not going anywhere," Volaris warned. "What is going on back at the camps?"

"Oris brought the message back to his father, and he announced it to his tribe. He was able to get a message to the Tarks. Everyone has fled the camps, but we're unsure where to go to be safe. Aere has been watching the Barons and they want to use this as an opportunity to completely wipe out the tribes. They are rallying their armies and have begun drafting farmers. They started out with their army two days ago and intend to hit the Farkhi camp first since it's the closest."

I'd finished eating and put my bowl down. As much as I just wanted to lie down and sleep, I pulled my flute out and played the song that Volaris told me all the Farkhi heard. No one stopped me this time, and I played it the entire way through. Not knowing which song was which, I played every single song Belisarus ever taught me.