Page 26 of Must Love Moss and Moonshine
“Fairy flame,” Kellen said, gesturing for me to feel the warmth radiating from the stone.“There’s no danger with this kind of fire—it won’t harm the valley, and it’ll last all night.”
“Amazing,” I whispered, running my fingers near the flame.Its heat was comforting, and the colors were mesmerizing.
Kellen smiled, his face softening in the glow.“Now, let’s get to work.”
While I settled into the grotto, Kellen moved to the moonshine flowers, his hands deft as he carefully plucked the delicate berries.The small moon dragons swirled around him like curious children, occasionally landing on his shoulders or horns.There was a tenderness in the way he interacted with them, a kindness that warmed something deep inside me.
Marvelle, too, seemed to be enjoying the adventure.The squirrel bounded along the pool’s edge, occasionally stopping to drink or sniff at the glowing plants.The fairy moon dragons found him endlessly fascinating, and more than once, Kellen had to click his tongue in warning when they got too rowdy around his injured companion.
Drawn to the pool’s brilliance, I wandered closer.The water was so clear it seemed to amplify the light from the tree, creating a magical blue glow.I noticed shimmering stones lining the bottom as I knelt by the edge.Reaching in, I plucked a single green crystal and turned it in my hands.It was stunning piece of forest quartz that reflected every shade of green, brown, and gold imaginable.The hues reminded me of Kellen’s eyes, and the thought made my heart ache with a feeling I couldn’t quite name.
“Now, what are you going to do with that, lass?”a gruff voice echoed in my mind.
I froze, startled by the sudden memory.The face of a dwarf flickered in my mind’s eye, blurred and indistinct, but his voice was unmistakable.
“I haven’t decided yet,”I had replied in the memory, holding a red topaz.
The dwarf had laughed, a deep, hearty sound.“Well, one thing’s for sure, it’ll buy a lot of ale, so you’d best make up your mind!”
The memory faded, leaving me staring at the forest quartz in my hand.The familiarity of the stone, the ease with which I recognized its name and value, unsettled me.Was I a potion maker?A healer?Why did this knowledge feel so instinctive, so ingrained?
“Sylvie,” Kellen called, his voice breaking through my thoughts.“I have them.”
I returned to the camp to find Kellen holding a handful of moonshine flower berries, their pale silver skins glowing faintly in his palm.
“There are only twelve,” he said, his tone somber.“But it should be enough.I’ll prepare the potion now.”
He gently set Marvelle in a makeshift pouch near the fairy flame and handed the squirrel a leaf.Marvelle nibbled on it reluctantly, his tiny face scrunching at the taste.
Kellen worked with practiced ease, grinding the berries in a clay cup and mixing them with water from his flask.He warmed the mixture by the fairy flame, swirling it carefully before offering it to me.
“So,” I asked, taking the cup.“Will my memories come rushing back all at once, or will it take time?”
Kellen hesitated, his expression conflicted.“I wish I could tell you.The elders say the moonshine flower can cure almost any ailment, but memory loss… That’s something different.It may work.It may not.There’s no way to know.”He managed a faint smile.“At the very least, it’ll likely cure any other small ailments you might have.”
I laughed softly, lifting the cup to my lips.“To Gaia, to this sacred valley, and to you, Kellen.”
Our eyes met as I drank, his gaze filled with hope and fear.I knew we both wanted the same thing: a future together.I only hoped the potion would make that possible.
CHAPTER14
KELLEN
Despite my hope that Sylvie’s memory would return immediately, it didn’t.Instead, she showed me a treasure she’d found at the bottom of the pool—a glimmering green gemstone.
“It’s a forest quartz,” she said, her voice tinged with wonder.She laughed lightly and added, “I’m not sure exactly how I know that, but it is very rare.”
She held the quartz up, its colors shifting like a living thing in the moonlight.Then, she turned it toward me, her expression softening.“But it wasn’t its rarity that caught my attention,” she murmured, her voice dropping.“It’s the color.It’s the exact same shade as your eyes.”
I froze, startled by the unexpected sweetness of her words.She looked from the stone to me, her gaze lingering as if studying the similarities.“It moves,” she said, turning the quartz slowly.“The colors shift and change, just like your eyes.Do all dryads have such stunning eye colors?”
“Of course not,” I replied with a mock air of superiority.“I’m unique.”
Sylvie smiled, a mischievous glint in her eyes.“I can honestly say I’ve never met anyone like you.”
Her words and the way she held my gaze made my chest tighten.A warmth grew between us, a tether I couldn’t explain.I reached out and placed my hand over hers, closing it gently around the quartz.
“Whatever happens next,” I said softly, “you’ll always have this to remind you of your time in the forest.”
