A tingle of magic roused me during the night. Subtle pulses of flaring magic emitted against my skin, alerting me to the presence of something outside of my warded barrier.
Somehow, I managed to keep my breathing even as I groggily tried to assess my surroundings more.
A creature was waiting just outside of my ward.
My heart abruptly galloped. I moved my hand subtly beneath my blanket until I felt the blade sheathed at my thigh. Fingers curling tightly around it, I listened to my ward’s magic.
It only took a second to realize that whatever was watching me sleep wasn’t large. It was quite tiny in fact, and it definitely wasn’t a siltenite or feared predator of the Wood.
Relaxing, I released the blade and blinked my eyes open. My lips parted in surprise.
The wildling mother that Kole and I had saved only hoursago was watching me. The second we made eye contact, she ducked her head sheepishly.
“It’s all right,” I said sleepily, then peered around her.
Twelve babies waited just behind her, peering around her bushy tail.
All of them were outside of the magical ward I’d erected around myself to stop any would-be assassins in the night. Not that any existed at the moment, but I had a feeling in the coming weeks, if I managed to get close enough to actually find the Stone, assassins might be something I would have to worry about.
“Are you okay?” I whispered quietly.
She nodded despite the blood that had congealed around her torn ear. Several cuts also littered her body, but I was relieved to see that nothing those two bastards had done to her would result in permanent injury.
The wildling mother gestured to something outside of my barrier, near my hip, and it was then I saw the pile of fresh berries waiting on the Wood’s floor.
My eyes opened more. “Did you bring that for me?”
She nodded, and a small smile spread across her lips.
“That was very kind of you. Is that a thank-you gift?”
She nodded again.
I smiled sleepily. “How thoughtful of you, but it’s all right. There’s no need to thank me. I’m glad you’re all safe and that the warrior captured those two males. They won’t be bothering you again.”
Her nose twitched, her babies’ noses doing the same. Since they werezileewildlings, they weren’t capable of language, but they were more intelligent than most siltenites gave them credit for, and I knew she understood me.
“I have a salve for your injuries. I made it myself, usingerrgone root.” I sat up more. “It’ll help your cuts heal faster.” I was about to reach for my pack, but she turned her bushy tail and leaped back into the Wood, her babies quickly following.
I lay down, and sighed happily. In other words, no salve needed or wanted. She’d come simply to thank me for intervening.
I eyed the pile of berries again and then called quietly into the Wood, “You’re welcome, and you take care, my friend.” Content, I rolled back on my side and drifted off to sleep.
The next morning,I didn’t waste any time getting ready. The second I was dressed and packed, I pulled out the seekerill. The needle spun and eventually settled in a northeast direction.
“Northeast it is.” I snapped the seekerill closed and tucked it deep within my pocket.
I sailed back to the Wood’s road, and soon, I was speeding along. The early morning wind chilled my skin as the sun steadily rose.
Potent magic bathed our realm as the sun crested the horizon.I closed my eyes, savoring it, as the magic in our galaxy called to my own.
Cross-legged, I allowed myself a moment to enjoy this unique time of day, but just as fast, I wondered if the palace healers were currently at my aunt and uncle’s residence. They came by most mornings at sunrise, hoping the new day’s magic would aid them in curing my uncle. But of course, nothing they’d tried had worked yet.
I munched absentmindedly on cubed cheese and the juicy berries the wildling mother had left for me during the night. Determined not to ruminate on my uncle’s illness, I tried to concentrate on the simple luxury of a nice meal. The berries were fat and sweet. They were difficult berries to find too, since they only hung fromrathers, a vine known for growing high in the tree’s canopy. That meant the wildling mother, despite her injuries, had likely climbed to the top of numerous trees to find such a bounty. It touched me that she’d spent time picking the best berries the Wood had to offer, even while injured and probably hurting.
Her thoughtfulness had my soul settling. There was so much good in our realm. So much, and soon, I would find the Stone, and my uncle would be saved.
Smiling anew, I briefly wondered if the mother had also collected a pile of berries for Kole. But who knew if she’d been able to find him. In all likelihood, he’d had to drag those two males back to Fillow, the small village I’d passed yesterday evening. There was a small kingsfae post there, so unless Koleplanned to take them all the way to the courts himself, he would have had to leave them there.
