“Am I not your leader?” I interrupt, taking a step toward them.
Both vólkins straighten, their eyes wide. “Of course... of course you are,” the second stammers.
“Then why amIhearing orders?” I cross my arms, meeting their startled gazes. “Isn’t my word enough? Or is Theron’s word stronger than mine?” My challenge hangs heavy in the air, and I watch as panic draws across their faces.
Their silence already feels like a victory, but I go on. “Then stay here and guard the house.”
They both stiffen, straightening even more, as though I just issued a royal decree.
“As you wish,” one of them murmurs, bowing once more.
Without another word, I turn and stride into the village, my heart pounding in my chest.
Well, that was easy.
The soft thuds of my bare feet on the earth fill the silence as I walk away, leaving the two vólkins behind.
I can’t help the small satisfaction curling in my chest. But it’s fleeting. Their wide-eyed stares and the unspoken tension between us stay. I got what I wanted, but was it too much?
Ávera is quiet as I slip through the shadows of the impossibly large trees. Their massive trunks stretch high into the night, their grand branches giving me cover, though I know it’s hardly enough. The fur wrap clings close to my body, shielding me from the cool air as I walk.
They’ll sense me anyway, the vólkins, if not by scent then by sound. I can’t escape that, but I won’t make it easy. Not when I’m this close.
Why do I feel as if I’m doing something wrong?
Theron wanted the guards to be with me all the time. What for? Would other vólkins want to hurt me? That’s unlikely. The two guards listened to me even though they’ve known me for a whole five minutes.
The faint bubbling of water trickles through the air. Vines draped in dew shimmer under the light of the glowing orbs that hover between the trees. It’s a breathtaking sight, one that should be calming, but instead, it tightens something inside me. The village seems to sleep, it’s peaceful. It’s the perfect moment. If anyone is awake, they’re hidden away.
I glance upward, catching glimpses of the homes nestled high above, their outlines blending into the branches and leaves. Water spills from their edges in thin streams and flows down to the earth like veins feeding life into this place.
So each home has its own water stream.
Alright. Focus. Where was th??—
The sacred glade. I feel its pull before I see it—a hum in the air, a whisper threading through the trees. Kaël’s words echo in my mind. “This is where we speak to the goddesses.”
I quicken my steps, running between the ancient trunks, my breath shallow but controlled.Quiet, Noël, stay quiet.
If Theron placed guards near the glade, they’ll sense me soon enough. For now, the silence is on my side.
If I don’t do this now, I don’t know when I’ll be able to.
Waiting for permission, for the perfect moment, it’s not an option. There’s too much I need to know, too many unanswered questions. The prophecy. My mother. Why she left me with nothing but riddles and a hollow strength that barely holds me together.
The glow ahead grows brighter, the trees thinning as they give way to a clearing bathed in silvery light. The sacred glade.
I swallow hard, my grip tightening on the fur wrapped around me.
This is why I came. To demand answers. To face whatever power dwells here. To stand before the goddesses, if they’ll listen.
I force my feet forward, stepping into the light.
A massive, ancient stone, its surface etched with carvings. The spirals and symbols feel alive, pulsing with radiance, and yet, there’s no one here. Just me.
My shoulders slump, and I force myself to move closer, then stop in front of the stone. It is so massive I have to lift my chin to see the top. I take a shaky breath, clutching the fur tighter around me. I should say something. I should... try.
For my mother.
