Page 70 of The Silent Mountain
*ALANA*
Aspromised,Azaandour other guests have stayed until Erin, the witch, arrived. If I had doubts about this, they are chased away the moment I see the woman approaching with some of our warriors. They made sure she could ride on horseback while they accompanied her on foot. She has her luggage with her, and genuinely looks like she wants to be here, and there is something so gentle about her.
What’s even more telling is the way she and Azadeh hug each other. “My dear child,” Erin says. “I am so pleased to see you so well and flourishing.”
“Thank you for coming, Erin,” Aza says.
“I just had to,” she explains. “My work in my previous town was done anyway, and I was just waiting for a new task to present itself.” She turns to look at Favian, our ranked members and me. Her eyes sparkle, despite the others looking either tentative, at best, or hostile at worst.
“Pull it together,” I whisper towards Ludwig, who looks less than pleased.
Favian has put up his stoic front as expected, but Erin doesn’t seem to be scared. Together with Azadeh, she walks towards us and greets us in a friendly manner.
“I imagined you older,” Elio says, curiosity in his voice. “They emphasized that you are very old.”
He isn’t wrong. I thought Erin would look like a grandma, but in fact, she looks more like a middle-aged woman.
“My,” Erin chuckles. “Who said that?”
“I did,” Aza says. “But then, you did look slightly different when we met.”
“Well, most of us witches like to maintain a certain look once we are old,” Erin explains. “I had enough of looking like an old woman, so I changed my appearance slightly. I still look old enough, don’t I?”
“I certainly recognized you,” Aza reassures her.
“You don’t look a year older than fifty,” Stefan says. I am not sure if that was supposed to be a compliment or a teasing remark. Sometimes, it shows that these men haven’t interacted much with anyone over the last couple of years. It reflects in the way Favian is highly suspicious of everyone, in how Stefan misses the right tone occasionally, and also in how protective Theo is of Elio. It even shows, in the way Elio throws tantrums sometimes, and is overwhelmed by his emotions. And now in the way they ought to talk to Erin. Erin, however, just looks amused.
“Well, thank you,” she says. “What a charming middle-aged man you are yourself.”
Aza looks like she is holding back her laughter while Tynan just grins shamelessly. Stefan doesn’t seem to mind, fortunately. We get interrupted, much to my relief, finally getting the tension out of the situation. Theodor, who went to fetch Cassie, returns with her in tow.
The young woman literally squeals when she sees Erin. “She is a real witch, isn’t she? And she isn’t scared of me? She won’t kick me out!”
“Such a sweetheart,” Erin says with a smile. “You must be Cassie, darling.”
Cassie immediately seems to take a liking to her like a lost pup. It’s endearing and a bit sad. She starts babbling immediately, telling Erin her whole life story. “I see we have a lot to talk about,” Erin says gently.
“Why don’t you settle in first?” Favian says. “Theodor here is one of my best warriors. He and my brother, Elio, will assist you in your tasks and show you around.”
“Oh!” Cassie claps her hands. “You will like Elio, Erin. He is so cute.”
I could swear Favian’s vein starts to pulsate, but he keeps his cool. He really has a brother complex. I wonder how it would be if we had children one day. Will he be as overprotective of them as he is of his little brother? I can see it with my inner eye for a moment: a little princess and a little prince in Favian’s arms. My ovaries!
I shake my head to get that silly picture out of my head. We haven’t even marked each other yet, and I am not ready for children right now!
Once Erin has left with Cassie and Elio, our guests bid their goodbyes as well. “Well, we did as promised,” Aza says before giving Favian and me a hug. “We will research in our kingdom as well. Don’t forget to contact Flinn, who is currently in the human realm.”
“I will,” I say. “And the moment we know something, we will reach out to you.”
“Remember,” Cù Sìth’s voice can be heard next to us all of a sudden. “The mare is not from this realm. Be careful. Keep an eye on the birds.”
“We are contemplating following them,” Favian tells him.
“Yes,” Cù Sìth says thoughtfully. “Not a bad idea, but dangerous.”
“We cannot wait for danger to come to us,” Favian says, and for once, I think all of us agree. “Do you know where they are coming from?”
Cù Sìth gazes in the direction of the ocean. “I am a creature wandering the lands, not the sea,” he says. “But there is a strong presence I can feel from the ocean, many miles from land, where the sun meets the water and it sparkles like crystals.”
