Page 17 of Secrets of the Lore Keepers
He smiled; his eyes warm. “I think you’re on to something. Where will you look first?”
I glanced over at the windows, still dark with the hush of the midnight hour. “I’d like to start in the orchard. The trees are old, perhaps old as time. It makes sense that something would be hidden beneath the roots. Once daylight comes we can search.”
“A wise assumption,” Kian agreed.
His fingers brushed mine. I studied him, taking in the curve of his mouth, his hard body beneath the loose shirt he’d hastily thrown on.
“What are you thinking?” he asked, his voice dropping lower.
The kettle went off, steam pouring out of it. I rose, breaking the moment to pour us each a cup of tea. When I returned to the table, the fragrance of lavender and peppermint wafting over us, I realized it all felt natural. Normal. Kian at my table and myself, in my nightgown, enjoying a cup of tea.
It was inappropriate and yet I did not feel concerned, only a slight trust, and a yearning for something deeper. When all this was over, he’d return to the wildwood. Maraini and I would continue as we always did, working the land, going to market, and crafting up new creations. Market day. I’d forgotten all about it in the chaos. We’d miss it.
“I was thinking how everything has changed, and yet it hasn’t,” I told Kian. “After we find the ancient goddess, we’ll go on, as we always have.”
“Is that a bad thing?” He took a sip and hastily set the scalding hot brew down.
I stuck my tongue against my cheek to keep from laughing before blowing over my tea. “Not bad, it’s just, I want more.” I shrugged.
“More?”
“Yes. Now I know the truth, questions I’ve had about my life come up again and again. It’s not that I’m not happy here. In fact, quite the opposite. I love this land, the comfort of it, the routine. But. I’ve never left, never gone to see what’s beyond. I understand why and wonder, didn’t any of the Lore Keepers want to leave? Or were they blessed with contentment and satisfaction?”
“Your parents left, did they not?”
“Yes, but they didn’t get far before. . .” I trailed off, unable to speak of death.
“Have you considered that once we kill the ancient goddess, once and for all, you’ll be free?”
Free? I stared at him, hackles rising. I was no prisoner. This land did not bind us! How could he speak of freedom? Before the angry words left my mouth, the scent of tea calmed my senses. I took a breath and considered his words again. “No, I must admit, I never thought of it that way. I suppose this could be a blessing, the turning point.”
I wondered what it meant then, for the bloodline of Lore Keepers. Would we fade into legend if there was no longer a goddess to keep buried?
Chapter Eleven
The tea didits work in calming my mind, but only for a few hours. Before dawn I was up and tapped on Maraini’s door, bursting to tell her what I’d discovered. We chatted briefly while she dressed and braided her hair, calm, sensible, and neat. As always. I’d taken care to dress in clean clothes that smelled like a blend of herbs, but my curls hung wild and free.
“Well?” I bounced up on and down on the pads of my feet, waiting for Maraini’s response. “Should we go to the orchard now?”
She nodded. “We should. Were you up late last night? With Kian?”
Oh, my sister. She knew all. I opened the door. “Did you hear us?”
Maraini winked. “I thought of coming downstairs, then thought better.”
I closed the door again and filled Maraini in. She was such a wonderful sister. She listened without judgement and then added. “But he plans to return to wildwood?”
“He does, after this is over,” I said, explaining about the falcon.
“I’m sorry,” Maraini said. “He would fit in well here.”
Excitement faded away, left with a longing for what could be. “He’s the only man that’s caught my eye,” I agreed. “But what about you? What do you want? Kian said when we slay the goddess, we’ll be free. . .”
Maraini paused, her finger straying across her desk. “I am happy here. I don’t think there’s anything more I want. One day, yes, a husband and babies. I’ll go to market day for that.” She smiled a secret smile as she glanced at me. “I must admit, I’ve had a correspondence with the blacksmith’s apprentice. Young Henri. Nothing more than mere exchanges, but I think it might be something. When he’s done with his apprentice it could be good to have a blacksmith around here. the farm is too much for us to handle alone.”
“What?” I demanded. “How come you kept it a secret?”
“Oh, Rae, I never want you to feel as though this place isn’t your home. Our home. Because it is. But now that Kian is here, well, if I were you, I’d enjoy every moment, and perhaps he will return.”
