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If they didn’t know before, now Ales and Danny were fully caught up, along with most of the courtyard which stared at me. This was more than I had bargained for this evening. The people of Eir now watched my hands in wonder, seeming to wait for the sparks to return.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
It was a general blanket sorry to the entire group, mainly to Logan. He was the one I watched as the words came out. It was also to Ales and even the Valkyrie. I didn’t intend to screw up anything going on between them and their weird connection thing. It was also to the people of Eir for interrupting their evening of festivities.
I looked up at the three moons above me and turned away from the men toward a path leading away from the beach and the courtyard. Getting the hell away from Logan and Ales was the best idea I’d had all night.
The path ascended up the mountain. I skipped over small rocks and padded my bare feet slowly over the fallen leaves and soft dirt. The trail continued upwards, increasing in difficulty. I concentrated on where I placed my feet. In the shadows of the trees, only a small amount of moonlight penetrated to the ground. My footsteps were less than agile, causing me to sway a little bit when I tried to leap off a large tree branch.
Then I heard the faint sound of crashing waves.
I must be close to a clearing near another beach if the waves could be heard, even if they were muffled by the wind.
My foot slipped on a wet leaf, and I slid a few feet off the path before gripping a vine growing up a tree. I pushed off the tree, climbing the path a few more feet to a small area void of trees.
The clearing was in fact the ledge of a cliff overlooking the coastline. The moonlight reflected off the ocean, illumining the water like a sparkling sapphire.
Dreading accidentally plunging to my death, I stayed away from the edge and sat on a flat rock a few yards back from the drop-off to watch the waves crash onshore.
The rosy sand glowed cherry red under the moonlight. The island seemed to change its mood as the suns set and the moons rose high in the night sky. It was peaceful, but sultry. The gorgeous land seemed as if it was designed for these refugees—the people who had faced death and lived.
These people who had lost so much and decided to thrive instead of turn to dust. This lush land radiated with life, like a kindred spirit of the people. Eir beckoned the wild, the starved, the deprived to find solace here.
The people of Eir lived because of Ales. Ales… and Cri, and Leo. These people were their family. And I was putting them in danger for my own selfish reasons.
I exhaled slowly and took a deep breath of the ocean air. The salty breeze mixed with the scent of the forest behind me. Giant waves rolled onto the shore and broke with a loud crack that echoed up the cliff side. The harsh waves didn’t seem to match the tranquility of the night.
I raised my hands up as if I could cup the ocean in my palms. I reached for my light, asking for forgiveness in a way. To show my gratitude for it saving me from hurting Logan more than I already had. I summoned it forth. I turned my wrists and faced my palms toward the ocean, taking a few breaths of energy from each wave.
The Valkyrie loved doing this.
The waves quieted and then gently washed ashore.
That felt better. Tonight should be peaceful, for the island at least. I released a breath as my heartbeat matched the tides of the ocean.
Small, dainty footsteps had me glancing over my shoulder.
Lana padded to the side of the boulder and sank next to me.
She leaned her head on my shoulder while she watched the ocean. Her presence was comforting, even without words. I dipped my chin and put my cheek on her head.
I wasn’t sure how she found me. Maybe she’d followed me after all of the commotion I made in the courtyard. She seemed to genuinely show affection, and didn’t fear the sparks from my hands. Maybe it was just her culture which was more open to touch, or was it her compensating for our lack of speech?
“Confession time… I know I’m supposed to be the chosen Valkyrie, but I’m not really the warrior they think I am. In truth, I bargained for my mortal self to live before the Valkyrie controls me, and there is nothing left. I’m putting your home in danger every moment Charlie is alive. On top of all of that, I’m so selfish I can’t even stay away from Logan. I promised the Valkyrie I’d go to Ales. But I want Logan. How messed up is that?” The thoughts were spilling out of my mouth one after another. I had to tell somebody, and who was Lana going to tell—hopefully no one.
“I’m sorry, Charlie.”
The words caught me by surprise. Maybe it was her guess at what to say after hearing the same words from me earlier.
“Wait, did you understand any of that?”
Lana lifted her head from my shoulder and looked at me for a moment. I could’ve sworn she understood what I said. Then she laid her head back on my shoulder. “Yes. Some.”
I looked at her in shock. She just spoke English words. “Who taught you that?” I asked, astonished at the correct pronunciation.
“Danny.” She smiled.
“I bet he wants to teach you more than English,” I said under my breath.
