Chapter 8

" O omph." The blow to my stomach beats the air from my lungs, knocking me to the ground in one swift move. Groaning, I lie on the hard ground and take a few seconds to catch my breath. The hit didn't hurt, but the blow to my pride smarts, especially seeing as this isn't the first time Eldrin's knocked me onto my ass this morning.

A shadow falls over me, and I soon see him looking down at me, his expression a cross between amusement and frustration, like he can't quite decide whether to enjoy throwing me around a bit or be annoyed at my lack of concentration.

"You're distracted today," he remarks, holding out his hand in a peace offering to help me to my feet. Staring at his hand with suspicion for a few moments, I blow out a breath of frustration and interlace my fingers with his, pushing up to my feet with his assistance.

Things have been a bit odd between us over the last couple of days, ever since I accidently made the plants attack him and then had the heart-to-heart with the speaker around the fire. He's still Eldrin, but when it's just the two of us, he's been much…nicer? I'm not sure if that's even how to describe it, but at least he's not openly hostile towards me anymore. I find him looking at me when he thinks I'm not watching, and I'm not quite sure what to make of it.

"It's an important day," I reply with a slight shrug of my shoulders, letting go of his hand as I take a step back, brushing down my training clothes.

We're back in the valley, training down in the long grasses by the icy river that races past us. It's been several days, but I've still not wanted to train in the grove, just in case I accidently call on nature again. Images of Eldrin's face as the thorns pierced his skin still haunt my dreams. The early morning sun has just fully risen above the top of the mountains, shining down into the valley and warming my skin. Closing my eyes, I bask in this temporary moment of calm, knowing it's all going to disappear soon.

Today, we are moving to the foothills of the mountains. We will be making camp in the forest there, someplace where both the tribes and the wood elves can function. Most of the wood elves had stayed behind in the forest, unable to make the journey into the mountains to come find me.

The discussions amongst the tribespeople had been long and arduous. Many didn't want to leave the mountains, and in the end, I had to point out that we will probably have to leave for the final battle anyway, so we may as well do this on our terms. Some were staying behind to care for the sacred stones and those who were too sick or young to travel, but otherwise, everyone who could fight would be coming.

"Prepare yourself," Eldrin warns, pulling me out of my thoughts. I roll my eyes at him, but I drop into a defensive stance anyway, knowing he'll tackle me whether I'm ready or not. "You don't think it's the right decision?" he asks carefully, slowly starting to circle me, looking every inch the predator with his golden eyes flicking over me, searching for an opening.

"No, it's the right thing to do," I reply, and my wrist tingles in agreement, reassuring me we're making the right decision. "There's a lot that could go wrong." Not to mention rising tensions between the elves and some of the tribespeople, and the long, difficult journey ahead of us moving twelve tribes and all of their equipment across the mountains.

I don't hear his response because he's moving towards me, almost too fast for me to track, and even with my fae speed, I act too late. His arms come around my stomach, and I try to step to the side and use his momentum to throw him off me, but his grip is too strong, and we just end up rolling. Bouncing through the grass, we come to a jarring stop with him pinning me to the ground, and I look up at him with wide eyes, only to see that I took him by surprise too. I don't know if the stress of the last couple of days has finally caught up with me, but laughter bubbles up and I can't hold it back, and it bursts forth until I'm in fits of giggles beneath him. I just start to control them when I look at his face, at his stunned surprise, and it sets me off again.

"I-I'm…I—" I try to apologise between bouts of laughter, my stomach aching. "I'm s-sor—"

I'm abruptly cut off as his lips crash onto mine. All thought leaves my mind as I focus on the feel of his lips against mine, my whole world narrowing down to his kiss. For a few painful seconds, I'm frozen in shock, until he realises I'm not returning his kiss and he starts to pull away.

"Don't you dare," I growl into his mouth, wrapping my arms around him as I pull him closer to me, returning his kiss with a passion I hadn't known I possessed. All of the fighting, heated looks, and biting comments over the last couple of weeks comes out in our fervour, but we don't take it any further than kissing, like there's an invisible barrier neither of us are prepared to cross, at least not yet.

I'm not sure how long we stay like that, kissing in the tall grasses, but after a while, he rolls us onto our sides and presses our foreheads together. His large hand comes up to stroke my cheek, his face somber likes he's carrying a heavy burden.

I don't want to ask, but I can feel that happiness draining from him the longer we stay like this, and I can't ignore it any longer. "What's wrong?" I whisper, my lips brushing against his, my hands gripping onto the fabric of his shirt tightly, as if it will help keep him here with me.

He sighs and presses another kiss to my lips, but this one is different. It's deep and slow and feels like he's saying goodbye. Pulling back a few inches, he scans my face, his expression heavy. "We shouldn't be doing this." Gently, he untangles himself from me and sits up, wincing at my hurt expression. "You have mates," he justifies, but it feels more like he's trying to convince himself rather than me.

My thoughts are a mess, but my heart is breaking and telling me one thing. How can us being apart be the right thing when it hurts so much? Yes, I've been destined to love my three mates the goddess has designed for me, but I can't deny that I have feelings for Eldrin too. Does that make it wrong? Does that mean I should put aside all of my other feelings just because I have predestined mates? I already know it's possible to love more than one person, is it really so wrong that Eldrin could be one of those people? These thoughts are all so new and fresh to me that I'm not quite sure how to put them into words, but I can see him pulling away from me, prepared to put his happiness last once again. I need to make him understand.

"Stop." Sitting up, I move onto my knees and straddle him, reaching out and catching his chin between my hands. He avoids my gaze, staring over my shoulder instead. "Are you telling me you don't feel this connection between us?" His eyes widen slightly as I speak, flicking up to meet mine as if checking to see if I'm telling the truth. I can't hide my smile, my suspicion confirmed. He does feel a connection to me, even if he won't admit it out loud. His expression changes as he watches me, hunger appearing as his fae instincts kick in. He wraps his arms around my lower back, holding me close. "If I didn't have mates, would you ignore this?"

He growls low in his throat, pulling me tighter against his chest. "If you didn't have mates, I would court you," he replies, leaning in close, his lips brushing against my neck and pressing against my pulse point. He takes a deep breath and lets out a deep, satisfied rumble that makes my core clench with desire. He has barely touched me, and I'm already wet for him. I had no idea that just a sound could make me so aroused. His teeth press gently against my neck, and for a second, I think he's going to bite me like the fae do when they mate. My breathing picks up and my hands tighten on his shoulders, but he pulls back slightly, chuckling low in his throat. "And if by some miracle you wanted me, I would ask Menishea to bless us and ask you to be mine." His words make my stomach flip as his tongue flicks out and he licks the tiny imprints where his teeth pressed against my skin.

Is he saying that in different circumstances, he would ask me to marry him? Do elves do that? My arousal fogged brain tries to pick apart what he just said as he blows on the now damp skin.

Eldrin pulls back to look at me, using one of his hands to brush my hair back behind my ear. "But you do have mates." His voice is sad but resigned, quickly snapping me from my hazy state. He's already come to terms with the fact that he will never be able to be with me, but he's not even giving it a chance.

Frowning, I pull my hands from his shoulders and gesture from him to me and back again. "This…connection between us. It may not be goddess blessed, but that doesn't mean it's any less special or important than my others." A vulnerable look appears on his features as I speak. It's difficult to be mad at someone when you can see their insecurities. Sighing, I lower my voice and take his large hand in mine, letting him see that if he denies himself this relationship, it's not just him that he's hurting. "Are you giving up on me before you've even given us a chance?"

Silence follows as he looks down at our joined hands, his thumb rubbing over the back of mine. Following his lead, I glance down. They look so different together, his large, scarred, and tanned, mine small and pale, yet locked together, they're perfect.

"Do you truly feel that way?" There's an urgency to his voice that makes me look up, and I find he's closer than I expected, his eyes alight.

I don't need to think about my answer, the word immediately on my tongue. "Yes."

A low, possessive growl leaves his throat again, his eyes heating. "Then I will never give up on you." My heart soars at his declaration as he pulls me closer, our lips meeting in a passionate kiss. I bite down lightly on his lower lip, and he growls into my mouth, making a thrill go through me. I know nothing more can happen today, and he knows it too from the way his hands tighten on my shoulders and he sighs into my mouth, pulling away slightly. "Although, I'm not sure the others will agree."

I wince and nod. He's right, I'm not sure how the others will take it. Tor has been the most open to ‘sharing' me with the others, but that was with those I shared a goddess bond with. Grayson, well, he hates elves, so adding another elf to the mix is going to test his limits. He only accepts Vaeril because the Great Mother wills it, so this may be too much for him. Nausea fills me at the prospect. However, it's actually Vaeril I'm the most worried about telling. Eldrin is one of his closest friends, and while he may already suspect I'm getting close with the scarred elf, I'm not sure how he would take it if I was to make him mine.

Inhaling a deep breath, I try to calm my nerves. "I'll speak with them, but not today, after the move," I tell him, and he nods in agreement. Everything is suddenly so different between us. As we both push to our feet, we watch each other with slight smiles like teenagers. I've never seen Eldrin smile so much. It's not the bright, carefree smiles of Tor, but I can see the happiness in his eyes, and it makes his whole face light up. I'm watching him again when a thought abruptly comes to me, and I groan loudly, throwing my head back dramatically. "Naril is going to kill me when we tell him." I think Eldrin's twin has suspected that there's been something going on between us for a while now, given the pointed looks he's been throwing us.

Snorting, Eldrin pushes back his wild locks of golden hair from his face. "I'll handle him." His face settles into a more somber mask, and I know what he's going to say before he even opens his mouth. "We should get back."

He's right, even though I wish he weren't. Sighing, I give the peaceful valley one last look, committing the view to memory. I have a sinking feeling I won't be coming back here for a very long time.

The move was just as long and arduous as I expected. It's going to take several more days to get everyone and everything through the mountains, but we've got the base camp set up now, which is the most important part. We're in the shadow of the mountain, and the sun is just beginning to set, casting us all in darkness, so campfires are being lit. A huge bonfire is roaring in the center of the camp, the large tents surrounding it where the chiefs meet, and right now, I can see Revna having a lively discussion with the painted chief, Ragnar. Concern lines my stomach. Of all the chiefs, he's been my least active supporter. In fact, he's stood against me on several occasions. He hadn't wanted to move to the forest, claiming we didn't need the elves in this war, that we didn't need them to help fight our battles.

"Beloved?" a light, feminine voice calls, bringing me from my troubled thoughts. Schooling my expression, I turn, only to find it's Speaker Fawne.

Smiling slightly, I dip my head in a show of respect. "How can I help you, Speaker?" The wood elf is beautiful and ethereal, and if I didn't know otherwise, I would suspect she wasn't in fact an elf, but one of the beautiful tree spirits I used to see dancing through the forest.

The speaker dips her head gracefully, a smile making her face seem all the more radiant as she gestures towards the treeline behind her. "The others are about to join us, we thought you might like to be there for their arrival."

I smile and nod. "Yes, you were right. Thank you for letting me know." I start to walk in the direction she indicated, pulling my cloak around me as the sun sets. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the wood elves. I hadn't had the chance to meet many of them during my short time there, but I made a few friends. Friends. My heart clenches painfully in my chest at that thought, my mood dropping. I wish I knew if my other friends were safe. So many of my other friends had been left behind. Master Ardeth and Vaeril's friends, Taelir and Saril, were still in Galandell when we left, and I can't help but worry for them. How did they fare in the attack on the city? I didn't see their bodies amongst the forsaken, and I made sure to check every single corpse, even though I knew I'd be seeing the faces of those forsaken in my dreams for a long time to come.

I feel the most guilt about my human friends in Arhaven, since I never got to say goodbye or explain myself. But I regularly think of Jayne, Aileen, and Wilson, although as a mage, I'm hoping the latter is able to keep them safe. Jacob plagues my thoughts often, although I'm not quite sure how I'm supposed to feel about him anymore since I learned my mother was the Queen of Arhaven before she was murdered by the king. I know at some point, I'll have to confront him and find out if he knew, to find out if we are related, but for now, I push those uncomfortable thoughts to the back of my mind.

"Your people are eager to see you, beloved." As if she knows I need a distraction, Fawne breaks the silence, a serene expression on her face.

I shake my head as she walks by my side, her hooves almost silent against the mossy ground compared to my clumsy footing. "You make it sound like I'm their leader." I snort, imagining Chief Ragnar's face if he was to hear this conversation. "You were at the meeting with the chiefs the other day. I am an adviser, nothing more."

It's the speaker's turn to snort, except hers sounds more like that of a deer and is much daintier than mine, making me smile. I can't imagine her making such a crude sound often. "I don't believe that, and neither do your people." She glances at me, wearing a sure smile on her face. "The tribes will see eventually, but until then, the wood elves and fellow fae will follow your lead."

I wish I was as confident about that as she was, but she hasn't spent much time around the tribes. They're stubborn and set in their ways. They don't believe I am a goddess reincarnate like Speaker Fawne does. For her, it's simple. Something about what she just said plays over in my mind.

"Wait, wood elves and fellow fae?" I ask, confused, but her smile just widens as she gestures forward.

Following her pointed arm, I see Vaeril, Eldrin, and Naril standing with Speaker Hawthorn. Tor isn't in view, but I can feel him nearby, probably with the chiefs. Something taps on my consciousness, something powerful, and with a frown, I tentatively spread my awareness. I gasp and fall to my knees as I'm overwhelmed with feeling. My elves surround me, and I know they're trying to ask me questions. I can see their mouths moving, but I just can't register anything they're saying. My mind is completely overloaded with sensation as I'm welcomed back by the forest. Pushing away the prying hands around me, I dig my fingers into the mossy ground, and with gritted teeth, extend my awareness farther.

Beloved.

Welcome home.

We missed you.

The ‘voices' greet me loudly and enthusiastically, and I let my head roll back as joyous laughter escapes me. I'm aware I'm being watched, but I just close my eyes and focus on the forest around me, gasping again as I realise it's absolutely teeming with life. The elves have not come alone, they've brought the rest of the fae with them, and the forest is joyous at their return. I realise now how different this forest is compared to the small grove of trees I'd been communicating with in the mountains. Here, every root, leaf, and petal is filled with magic and bursting with life. It's mesmerising.

I'm not quite sure how long I stay this way for, but I'm brought back to full consciousness when my body shivers and I realise how cold I am. Slowly and reluctantly, I pull my awareness back into my body, rolling my shoulders and groaning slightly at the stiffness in my muscles. Opening my eyes, I see Vaeril, Tor, and Eldrin all sitting on the ground, surrounding me like sentries, and beyond them is a large group of creatures.

"Mother above," I whisper, drawing Vaeril's attention. Seeing me rubbing my hands together to warm myself, he automatically removes his cloak, ignoring my protests, and drapes it over my shoulders.

"Come warm up by the fire. You've been in a…trance for almost an hour." He stands and offers me a hand, the others following suit, but instead of helping me, they turn and cast a wary eye over observing elves.

"Who are all these elves? They aren't all wood elves… Are those sea elves?" I exclaim as he walks me over to a smaller fire away from everyone else, Eldrin and Tor acting like bodyguards as they follow behind us. I'm confused by what's happening, but at the moment, I'm so cold, my brain is taking a few moments to catch up with everything that's going on. When we reach the bonfire, I see there are four high elves already sitting around it, and as I get closer, I instantly forget about the sea elves.

"How?" I look up at Vaeril, my eyes stinging with unshed tears before I look back at the elves who are now staring in my direction. "How is this possible?" My voice is a whisper, but I'm sure they still hear me anyway with their superior hearing.

"Come on, chosen one, haven't you kept us waiting long enough?" Naril teases, confirming he heard me, only to yelp as he gets smacked in the shoulder by a delicate pale arm. Snorting at the scene before me, I start to walk again, Vaeril's hand on my lower back gently guiding me forward. Tor and Eldrin stand behind me, still in guard mode, which I don't quite understand. What happened?

"Be nice to the poor girl, she's had a shock." Saril glares at Naril, then looks at me across the fire as I settle onto one of the logs that's being used as a bench. "It's good to see you again." Her smile is soft and genuine as her gaze flicks between Vaeril and me, and I wonder what he's told her about our relationship. From the gleam in her eyes and how she keeps looking at where his hand is still touching me, he's either told her about the bond or she's worked it out for herself.

"Life has been such an adventure since you came into our world, Clarissa," Taelir, her mate, comments brightly from her side. Elves live for such a long time that seeing an elderly elf is unusual, but if these two were humans, I would guess them to be in their forties, so I can't even imagine how old they are. The two of them are old friends of Vaeril's I met in Galandell, and sitting next to them, watching me with a wide smile, is Master Ardeth.

"Hello, Clarissa."

My eyes sting as the realisation that I might have never seen him again finally hits me. Ignoring Vaeril's protests, I push up from the bench and approach the master, sitting at his side and taking one of his hands in mine. "I'm so happy to see you again." My voice catches in my throat, and his expression softens. Taking a few moments to compose myself, I look between the three of them, questions making my mind spin. "How did you escape Galandell?"

The master's face turns more serious, his sigh heavy at the prospect of having to relive what happened, but he nods his head in agreement, knowing he needs to explain. "After you left to visit the wood elves, Saril had a vision." Glancing over at the older couple, I see Saril nodding, wearing an unusually somber expression.

When I first met Saril, I learned she gets visions, and sometimes when she touches someone, she might get a vision of that person. However, I didn't learn this until I had already shaken her hand, and she didn't know my goddess gift can sometimes amplify the powers of others. This had been quite the revelation for both of us.

"I don't get many anymore," she tells me, leaning closer, keeping her voice low. "However, since I met you, I've been getting more of them. Just small snippets that don't usually make much sense," she reassures me when I frown. Has being around me somehow set off her abilities? I'm not quite sure how I feel about that. "This vision was different and very clear—we needed to leave." There's a note in her tone that makes the hair on my arm stand on end, the taste of magic on the air. "I didn't know what was going to happen, only that we needed to leave."

I don't remember Saril's powers being this strong before, but I've not had the chance to spend much time with her. Glancing over at Vaeril, I see he's watching with a slight frown, but he doesn't seem to be too concerned.

"Taelir and I are old friends," Master Ardeth says, picking up the story. "He told me what Saril had seen, and we left together. We headed for a house I have near the White Cliffs, my sanctuary."

"By all accounts, they left just in time," Eldrin interjects from the edge of the bonfire, still standing like he's expecting to be attacked at any moment, his eyes scanning the area. "The attack happened hours after they fled Galandell."

I'm suddenly really grateful Taelir was such a good friend to Master Ardeth, unable to even think about what could have happened if he'd been left behind. Blowing out a long breath, I nod as I try to piece everything together. "So how did you come to be here?"

"The land started to change." Master Ardeth's face turns grave, and the mood around the bonfire changes. Glancing over, I see that Saril seems to have shrunk in on herself and is leaning against her mate, Taelir wrapping his arm around her tightly. I've only ever seen the older elf either looking bored or jolly, but right now, with his mate shaking at his side, he looks fierce.

"I'm friendly with some of the local sea elves," Ardeth continues. "And they showed me a darkness that was infecting their land, destroying their homes, and turning the cliffs black." As he speaks, the sorrow in his voice easy to hear, he paints a picture in my mind, and I can almost see the devastation. "I knew we needed to find you, so we visited the wood elves. Only, when we arrived, we found you had already left, and the forest was suffering from the same infliction."

I stare into the fire as he speaks, watching the flames, something I find myself doing a lot of lately. The darkness, that's what is killing the land and the forest. In a way, I'm glad things happened the way they did and I never had to see the forest get destroyed by the darkness. I know it's only a matter of time, that eventually, I'll have to face it, but it will break a little part of me to see it.

Humming to myself, I pull my gaze from the flames and look around our little group. Vaeril is watching me from across the fire, as are Tor and Eldrin, who are still standing, their arms crossed. Master Ardeth sits quietly next to me, waiting patiently for my questions, his soft gaze on my face.

"You spent time with the sea elves. Is that why they are here? You convinced them?" I'm still not a hundred percent sure about the presence of the sea elves. Are they just making sure Master Ardeth arrived here safely? The wood elves I understand, they were given an ultimatum by the queen and they decided to rebel against her. Their home is dying, they had to leave. What is the motivation for the sea elves? Are they here to fight? I hate that I'm instantly so suspicious of them, but if life has taught me anything, it's that trust is hard earned.

A hand on my lap pulls me from my spinning mind. Looking from the hand to the face it belongs to, I see a sympathetic expression on Master Ardeth's face. "They didn't need convincing, Clarissa." His voice is earnest as he tries to get me to understand. "They had already heard of the beloved who stepped in and saved one of their own from the tax collector and paid off their debt. They know you work for the goddess. They've seen the darkness spreading across the land. They will follow you, Clarissa."

They don't even know me , I want to scream. How can they put all their trust in someone they've never even met? Whispers and rumours, that's all they know, and they are risking their lives and the lives of their families.

But they know me, beloved , the Mother whispers into my mind. And that is enough. A great calm sweeps through my body, and I realise she's right. It's not me they're putting their trust in, it's the goddess. They have travelled at the mention of their goddess to find me. Didn't I do something similar?

Looking up, I spot Speaker Hawthorn chatting with a group of dark-skinned sea elves. I wonder how they're going to cope so far away from the water, remembering how uncomfortable the wood elves who travelled up to the mountains were. Can sea elves survive with only fresh water? I know so little about them.

I return my gaze to the elvish couple and the master sitting next to me, and a shaky smile appears on my face as I try to keep my emotions in check. "I'm just so glad you're here and you're safe." The reality of how close they were to being in the city when the attack happened hits me hard. I feel a pair of eyes on me and look over to see Naril watching me from Saril's side with an odd expression, like he's seeing me for the first time.

"The goddess was looking over us," Saril agrees with a smile, making Taelir relax slightly, grinning down at his mate with obvious affection.

Movement catches my eye at the edge of the treeline, and as I glance up, a wide smile spreads across my face. I open my awareness slightly and laugh with delight. "The other fae came too." The others hush as they turn their attention to me with bemused expressions on their faces. Pushing up from the bench, I walk towards the treeline, still amazed by how many creatures there are out in the forest. Pulling back my awareness, I reach the edge and kneel on the ground, aware I'm being watched, but I don't care, I'm too excited to meet the fae.

Why are they acting so surprised? It's like they've never seen another fae creature before , I think to myself as I sit with my hands palm up, waiting patiently. The fae are cautious, but also curious. I could feel their desire and excitement to meet me, so I know it won't be long. I just need to be patient.

There are a few hushed whispers behind me, but otherwise, it's mostly silent, and I can sense my mates nearby. Vaeril's amusement hums down the bond, and Tor is confused but thinks I look ethereal, his arousal evident through our connection. From Grayson I feel…a wall. For some reason, Grayson doesn't want me to know about whatever he's doing. As if realising I'm reaching out to him, that wall disappears and he sends me a wave of affection, soothing my worries before withdrawing and that wall reappears.

That was strange , I think with a frown, but before I can overthink it too much, there's a rustle in the foliage at the bottom of one of the trees. Two glowing orange eyes appear as a creature watches me through a bramble bush, which crackles as the creature moves. My smile widens as the creature stands and walks towards me, and I realise the creature is the brambles.

"Stix!" I call out, recognising the creature as the fae who helped me in the forest outside of Arhaven. When Vaeril had been poisoned and I didn't know how to help him, Stix had been leaving me gifts of food and water. He then told me how to find the nos weed, which ultimately saved Vaeril's life.

"Friend!" His voice is breathy as he ambles towards me, his pale stick-like limbs and bramble covered body hurrying across the open space. He's got a sweet face with a button nose and wide, glowing amber eyes with large, bat-like ears. As soon as he reaches me, he climbs into my lap, and I can't hold back my laughter. The clearing behind us is silent, and Stix suddenly stiffens as he realises we're not alone. He makes himself small, and his already wide eyes seem to get impossibly wider as they dart over my shoulder. Turning my head, I see that everyone seems to have moved closer, watching with disbelief.

I can understand this behaviour from the tribes, because up in the mountains, they wouldn't have seen other fae creatures. My aunt explained many of the deeper clans had never met an elf before until she had called them together for the ceremony. What doesn't make sense is the reaction of the other elves. They are watching with reverence in their eyes like they've never seen another fae creature before.

Stix shifts in my lap, and I return my attention to him, smiling. "It's okay. They're my friends," I reassure him. Stix appears dubious, but when no one attacks him, he relaxes in my lap, playing with strands of my hair. I laugh, not quite believing what's happening. "How did you get here?" I ask, although I really want to ask why he's here.

"The trees told me," he says simply, turning those big, glowing eyes up to mine. "They're dying, you can help us." He says it like a statement, his faith in me absolute, but he seems to be waiting for confirmation from me.

Trust in the Mother , I tell myself. Taking a steadying breath, I nod. "I'll do my best." This seems to be enough for Stix, who makes an odd whooping noise before leaning back in my lap and continuing to play with my hair. Movement catches my eye once more, and I see several other sets of glowing eyes. Smiling, I extend my hand to them, welcoming them. The fae were never this shy around me the first time I met them, but then I didn't have a whole army of tribesmen and elves watching their every move last time either. When they don't come any closer and continue to watch me warily, I sigh and look over my shoulder with a frown. "You're scaring them. What is wrong with you? You're acting like you've never seen the other fae before," I grouse at Naril and the group of elves standing a few paces behind me.

"Forgive us, Clarissa, but the other fae have been gone for decades," Master Ardeth comments, taking a few steps closer, his eyes alight with scholarly interest. "Many of us have never seen imps, pixies, or other such fae beyond elves."

I remember Vaeril saying something similar, that they hid deep in the forest as they didn't like the elves, but I hadn't realised that some of them had never even seen another type of fae. Even the wood elves have very little contact with the other fae of the forest. When I was with the wood elves, a forest spirit showed itself to Speaker Hawthorn and me. He explained it was incredibly rare and he'd not seen one in decades, that it was a sign of magic returning to the forest, that the goddess had returned.

Looking at the other elves, I see Vaeril, Naril, and Eldrin seem much more relaxed around the imp. In their past roles as warriors and ambassadors, they had to travel, so it makes sense that they would have seen many creatures on their journeys. Tor seems curious but cautious, and I remember his last encounter with the fae in the forest—the forest witch. She drew me in with her song, a strong type of magic that lures unsuspecting fae to their deaths. We all nearly died, but I managed to break away from her spell, so I don't blame Tor for being suspicious.

"Stix, can my friends come meet you?" I request, wanting to break some of the tension between the two groups.

The imp seems to think about it for a second before kneeling in my lap and peeping over my shoulder, narrowing his eyes. Flopping down into my lap, he settles back, playing with a lock of my hair once more. "Bear man."

"Bear man?" Twisting, I look around in confusion, wondering who he means by ‘bear man,' when my eyes land on Tor. Snorting, I point at my tattooed, tribal mate. "Do you mean him?"

Flicking his eyes up briefly, like this whole conversation is taking too much effort, he nods his head once. "Bear man," he confirms.

Someone starts howling with laughter behind me, and I'm almost certain it's Naril, but I try to ignore it as Tor walks towards us. As he lowers himself next to me, I can see under his beard he's trying not to smile.

The next hour is one of the happiest of my life, and it's filled with laughter. I managed to coax the other fae from the trees and introduce them to my other ‘bear friends,' and I even managed to convince them, with the help of Speakers Hawthorn and Fawne, that the other elves were ‘the nice ones.' The tribespeople seem to be surprisingly taken with the smaller fae, although most of them stay away from the wraiths that hover by the treeline. Not that I blame them, even I find the wraiths uncomfortable to be around.

I'm standing with some of the chiefs and describing how Stix and I first met, the imp sitting on my shoulder. "Stix saved the elf," he exclaims proudly after I've just shared the story of how he told me where to find the nos weed.

Chuckling, I nod my head, and the chiefs smile. "Yes, you—" A strange wave of magic rolls over me, cutting off my words. My head snaps around to face the direction it came from, but I can't see anything as it's somewhere deep in the forest. The hair on my arms stands on end. Whoever is using it is very powerful. Vaeril and Tor are instantly by my side, and Eldrin and Naril join us seconds later when they realise something's wrong.

"What's happening?" Vaeril's voice is low, trying not to cause a scene, but it's too late, people have already worked out that something's going on. The fae scurry into the trees, adding to the strange atmosphere.

Revna strides over, takes one look at me, and whispers to the chiefs, who start clearing the area, already taking action. Once they've moved on, she steps in closer. "Are we under attack?"

Another wave of magic hits me. It's searching, probing, and it makes my back arch. I know this magic, and it recognises me. I'm overwhelmed by the feeling, my voice taken away temporarily. My mates step closer, and Eldrin growls as he looks around for the invisible threat.

"Care to tell us what's going on, chosen one?" Naril bites out, his back to me as he mimics Eldrin's protective stance.

The clearing is mostly empty now, save for us and High Chief Revna. Everyone returned to their tents and the fae to the forest. All except Stix, who is still merrily sitting on my shoulder. "Magic man has returned," he says in a singsong voice, his legs swinging happily.

Hearing him say it out loud breaks me out of my trance, my heart thundering with joy in my chest. "Grayson."