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Feeling anxious and hungry, Nayome tried to shake off her paranoia. After a quick shower, she put on some clean clothes and decided to head down to the little pub attached to the hotel for some food.
* * *
The pub was buzzing with activity. Nayome felt a wave of anxiety lifting off her the moment she stepped foot into the warm atmosphere—being surrounded by people, normal non-forest cult people, was what she had needed. Nothing would be able to happen to her here, with so many witnesses. She could finally relax, even just for a moment. Most of the dark, polished wood tables were filled with other tourists. Nayome could hear the different accents—some fellow Americans who had a few too many beers, declaring that they weren’t Americans, but ratherTexans.There was a French couple tucked away in a dim corner just off the front door, Nayome caught a small glimpse of their fast paced conversation, spoken in hushed tones, their hands tightly clasped in the middle of the table. Nayome grinned as she caught sight of some locals, their heavy Scottish accents slurred as they poked some good-natured fun at theTexans, laughter bouncing off the walls of the establishment as they all shared acheers, beer sloshing out of the tops of their heavy mugs.
Nayome felt temporarily at ease as she sat at a small, bistro sized table in a corner. Picking the seat with her back to the wall, she had a good vantage point across the length of the pub for people watching while she ate.
“Can I start you off with a drink, ma’am?” A cheerful looking young man asked. He looked formal in a full Scottish kilt, which must be the uniform, Nayome thought, spotting another server across the other end of the room dressed the same.
“Yes, some water, please.” Nayome hesitated. What the hell, she needed to relax. “I’ll also grab a beer…erm, what do you recommend?”
Her waiter rewarded her with a sparkling smile, pushing his ginger red hair back from his face. He must kill it with the ladies, Nayome thought, charmed despite herself. He looked to be fresh out of Uni, so far too young for her taste, but he was a cutie.
“I cannae speak to your taste, but if you like a lager Tennents would be my choice.”
“Perfect, I’ll take a pint of Tennents.”
“Coming right up ma’am.”
A few minutes later, Nayome was sighing in pleasure over her first sip of a crisp Scottish lager. Deciding to go all out, she ordered an app sampler platter as well.
As Nayome sat at the warm, dimly lit table, there was nothing left from keeping her mind from wandering and reflecting on the events that had led her to this moment.
Nayome frowned as the image of Balfor flashed in her memory, his arms straining as he leaned over her, with his hair shining silver where she had run her fingers through it and left the firefly dust trailing behind. Soft lips pressing against hers urgently, seeming to warm her from the inside out. Nayome felt a flush work its way up her neck, her body warming at the memory.How could I have let that happen? Encouraged it?
Nayome shivered, pulling her sweater closer around herself. She had been wild in that moment, completely unlike herself. She hadn’t cared that she was in danger, that the man leaning over her had been part of that danger. She had wanted him, and if they hadn’t been interrupted…
Shaking her head, Nayome felt a bit disgusted with herself. Was she so desperate for excitement that she was fantasizing about someone who had literally kidnapped her?
Though…had he? It may have been someone else that found her in the clearing. And Balforhadkept his word, helping her get out safely in the end.
His voice rang in her head. The last words before they had parted ways this morning ‘You can lie to yourself for a while, but you cannae deny the magic you experienced here. I can help you figure out what’s happening to you.’
He had given her a number to call, though Nayome had already resolved not to use it.No way. Not a chance.She was going to go home and forget this ever happened.
She was even considering whether she should call the police, despite Wynn’s threat. But what would she say?Some forest people put me up in a fancy treehouse after I injured myself in the woods, bandaged me up, then sent me home?
They would laugh her out of the police station, and her sanity would probably come into question. In fact, she would probably become one of those scoffed at anecdotes that had led her here in the first place. She could see the clickbait tagline—bumbling tourist gets lost in the woods. Blames secret society, instead of her own lack of compass reading skills.
Her professional reputation could handle some shade, but she couldn’t afford to look unstable. Quirky was one thing, but if they viewed her as having lost it…it would ruin her credibility, which would threaten everything she had built at work.
The young waiter stopped by with a tray heaping with food, and lit a small tea light in the center of her table. Nayome smiled as he told her to ‘Enjoy’ and backed away to service his other tables. Stomach rumbling, Nayome dug into the mountain of food before her. Crispy french fries dipped in rich, dark gravy, soft bread coated in melted cheese, spicy chicken wings. She ate like she had been starving for days, which was probably not too far off the truth.
The candle light caught her eye as she started to slow down, her belly nearing full to bursting. The flickering light brought her back to that first moment that she had caught sight of the firefly, in broad daylight. She had been so naïve, chasing after it like she was about to discover a hybrid or new subspecies.Why couldn’t I have just left well enough alone?
Now Nayome felt changed. She hadn’t even thought to check on the samples she had collected yet, still wrapped up safely in her bag. This type of exploration would have usually lit her up, and she felt empty. Confused. Restless. Scared.
Polishing off some sweet potato skins, and taking another swig of beer, Nayome continued to stare into the candlelight, letting her thoughts drift.
Something had happened to her in the forest. Something she couldn’t explain.
First, the eclectic force that blasted her from that yew tree. Then, the thousands of fireflies, orteine, she supposed the forest dwellers called them. They had energized her, somehow. Then all that energy had left her, leaving her…content. Then that kiss. That hot, desperate kiss.
I can help you figure out what’s happening.Balfor’s offer rang in her head again.
Maybe he could. She had seen a similar glow in him to what the fireflies emitted, when she woke up in his arms; it had appeared to come from Balfor himself, and had enveloped her with warmth and peace, chasing away the throbbing headache and exhaustion she had been feeling and filling her with light.
If she ended up stuck here for a few more days, maybe she could get some answers while she waited, Nayome thought, tapping her fingers on the table.Have I gone completely insane?
