AllFreeNovel
Share Us
olony as well.”
Willow dropped her spoon, clattering it on her bread plate. She turned to Malik. “You’re bringing that up now?”
He met her gaze, then looked away, his eyes growing pained. He shook his head several times. “I don’t see why not.” He glanced from Gervassay to Illiandra. “Maybe you’ve lived a safe, cloistered existence, but since The Society took over, I’ve had over three hundred murders to contend with. And I won’t have one more.” He lifted both hands, as though the matter was settled.
Both Illiandra and Gervassay appeared somber, but hadn’t reacted as Willow had expected. Something else seemed to be on their minds.
Gervassay folded his hands in his lap. “There’s just one problem.”
“And what’s that?” Malik’s deep voice, full of tension, sounded loud in the small dining area.
“Our people won’t leave. Haven’t you guessed it, yet Malik? Felt it? I believe you must have when my wife blessed the two of you in the town square.”
Malik, his jaw bearing a stubborn line, once more shook his head. “The blessing was absolutely beautiful, no question. But beyond that—”
Illiandra spoke quickly. “Malik, what my husband is not saying is that there’s something else you need to understand and perhaps experience. Let me ask you this, can you feel a vibration beneath you, coming from the earth?”
“I can,” Willow offered. “I feel it all the time when I’m here in the colony or anywhere on my land.”
Malik glanced at her, his brow pinched. “Yes, of course I feel it. It’s like a humming. Is this where the light comes from as well?”
Illiandra nodded. “Absolutely. What you’re feeling is the heartbeat of the Nine Realms. This is where it all began, the birthplace of our world, and where the Goddess, our Creator, set everything in motion.”
Willow had never heard Illiandra speak of the Ashleaf Colony in that way before, but she felt her words as truth. She also wanted to give expression to something she’d been considering for a long time. “We’re all wraiths, aren’t we? All of us in the Nine Realms?”
Malik looked at her as though she’d just gone insane, but Illiandra nodded. “We are. The wraith genome is the base from which all other species evolved. It’s why we’re compatible and can intermarry.”
Malik stared at Illiandra for a long moment. His lips parted. “And you’re sure of this?”
“One-hundred percent certain.”
Malik narrowed his gaze. “It would explain so much that we come from a common root.” He smiled, shook his head, then began to laugh.
“What is it?” Willow asked, overlaying his arm with her hand. “What’s so funny?”
“I’m thinking about The Society and their mission to destroy all half-breeds, when essentially every realm-person is part wraith.”
“That’s exactly right.” Illiandra stroked the feathers at her chest.
Malik’s gaze fell to her fingers. “Huh. I thought that was a necklace, but it’s … part of you, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is.” Illiandra’s turn to smile. “And now, I have a suggestion, because I think you’ve both been through a lot tonight.” She rose as she spoke.
Willow glanced up at her, waiting expectantly.
Illiandra’s smile broadened, “Why don’t you take Malik to get some ice cream. We have some of the best here in the Nine Realms.”
~ ~ ~
“Ice cream?” Malik was incredulous. He’d been talking about relocating an entire colony of wraiths to an island off the coast of Swanicott Realm, then learned that he was part wraith. And now, he and Willow should go get some ice cream?
He met Willow’s gaze and saw the laughter dancing in her hazel eyes. “It sounds so normal, doesn’t it? Something neither of us are used to?”
He considered her words and the light in her eyes, then felt something inside his chest finally relax. Maybe Illiandra had a point. “No, that we’re not.” He gained his feet and offered his hand. “But I’d love one piece of normal right now.”
A few minutes later, he held Willow’s hand as he walked her down the cobbled street. The town was very attractive with large baskets of flowers hanging from the lampposts. Many of the townsfolk waved from doorsteps and windows, but for the most part left them in peace.
He asked Willow about her nightly existence and how she spent her time. She was a fan of reading, especially essays on avocations like gardening and forest exploration. She enjoyed listening to classical music while crocheting or sometimes drawing.
