Page 28 of Gyft

“Ahh, I remember that family. Right outside of the forest, correct?”

“That’s the one.” There’s a pause. “The twin souls are a bit of a handful. The family has a bush offichielsand the seedlings ate a few blossoms.” The bushes are native to the deadlands but long ago began to grow outside the borders. We hack them down as fast as we can. They’re useful for repelling certain creatures that exist on the outer edges of the forest, but warned against for families with seedlings. If eaten, the person can go into a drugged trance and heed a call from shapeshifting beasts that reside within the inner deadlands. It’s a sort of folklore charm to keep the bushes as repellant, though we’ve explained the dangers of eating the berries.

“Before dark?”

“During sunset.”

“What happened?”

“They went into a trance and were drawn to the deadlands by a Shirdist shifter.”

“Damn countryfolk believing their urban myths and thinking those berries will protect them! Were they rescued in time?” he barks.

“Yes. By the bride.”

“What?”

“She’s okay so far. She hasn’t changed, well, except for her human hair.”

I can almost hear his flinch. “Earth will notice that during a vidcam. No fangs?”

“No. I imagine we don’t know how the change will affect her species.” I clear my throat. “She wants her best friend to visit. This... Ivitt.”

“Earth was firm in only one human female coming here. That she be your bride.”

“This is what she wants. I want it to happen.”

“I’ll open negotiations once I notify them that she has been found and is relatively safe.”

Relief washes over my limbs, rolling through the muscles, tingling my fingers and unwinding my tail. Then it’s chased by a new emotion.

Complete, utter happiness.

I’ll be the one to bring Olivia what she wants most in the world. Her best friend. Her Ivitt.

“Well, keep focusing on the shuttle. I’m sure the key is there somewhere. There’s something we’re missing and it’ll be an easy fix once we find it. We’ll probably laugh about how easy it was.”

“I hope.”

“Waiting on you, handsome!” calls a sweet voice from outside the balcony.

I clear my throat again, hoping he didn’t hear the voice that reduces me to a lovesick fool. “Minniel, I have to run. We’re heading to H’liyio today. We’re going to come back to the castle before the next cold hits. Hopefully you can have her Ivitt by then?”

“I’ll work on it.” He sounds irritated. “I imagine I’ll have to keep the creature occupied until you return.”

“Thank you.” Unwilling to push my luck further, I disconnect before Olivia can call out again. As soon as I step out onto the porch, she and the twin souls start clapping as if I entered a theater.

I take a bow, watching my bride’s face break into a huge grin as she approaches.

“Way to make an entrance, Commander.”

“Let’s get loaded,” I say, tweaking her nose. My hands span her waist as I carefully lift Olivia—my delicate, human bride—into the carriage.

“We have horses on Earth, you know. They look nothing like your beasts—”

“Wildebeasts,” Brisa says from where she hops into the carriage behind Olivia. Kyno sits directly behind me. “Kind of hard to sayshorses.”

“Hoshes,” Kyno repeats, and they erupt into a fit of laughter.

---