The Art of Courts and Lies (Book 1 in The Gifted Trilogy)

2- Little Bird

By the time we passed the outskirts of our village, I allowed my shoulders to relax and my breathing to ease slightly. We had taken a route along the edges of the farmland for a better chance of not being seen. It was the longer way but the extra effort was worth the stealth it provided.

Now, enveloped by the trees closing in on us to create a cover of forest, I finally allowed myself to speak.

"Is it weird that I feel more safe right now than I have in months?" I asked Porter, keeping a close eye on Tessa who walked a few meters in front of us, ever the explorer. This was probably just some big adventure to her. Not survival. Not life or death. My chest squeezed at the idea of the day coming where she realized that things were not just exciting little journeys. Hopefully, with where Porter was leading us, that day would never come.

"It's not weird" Porter reassured me, cracking a smile. "It's just your heart warming up to the fact that someone other than you had a good idea for a change"

"And of all people, you" I retorted, shaking my head. "The world never ceases to amaze me."

Porter's grin somehow grew wider and in the moonlight streaming down towards us, his usually tan skin appeared translucent. It glew with a vibrancy I had only ever seen one other time when a traveler from the Sun Court visited our village. I immediately shook away the thought. Any comparison of Porter to a single one of those wicked sorcerers was the worst kind of insult.

"So" he huffed out, grabbing one of the bags off of my shoulder and throwing it over his back before I could protest. "What are we going to do when we begin our new life?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Let's take this impossible plan one step at a time. We haven't even gotten there yet and you're already planning our whole new life."

Porter simply shrugged his shoulders, continuing on with his vision. "I picture a secluded house. Not in the middle of nowhere but far enough away that we don't have to bother with people if we don't want to. We'll build the house together and once that's done we'll spend our days doing whatever we want. We'll start a small little garden for Tessa, I'll hunt and explore the wilderness and you'll read as many books as you can get your hands on. You'll eventually write your own book that you'll someday find the courage to share it with us and I'll show you all of my favorite places that I discovered. We'll be happy and free and we'll never have to deal with any of the Gifted again."

I let out a low whistle. "Stars Porter, that's some big dreaming even for you."

His gaze moved to Tessa as his brows furrowed together. "All my life I've lived in the dark. Is it such a crime to want to finally see the light? Does that make me such a naive and foolish person?"

"No Porter, it doesn't" I answered truthfully, letting out a loud sigh. "The fact that you're still able to dream that big reveals nothing but strength. I admire that you're still able to believe that something better is waiting out there for you. I just don't know what that feels like anymore."

When Porter took my hand I decided not to pull away. "I'll teach you" he promised. "You don't always have to always over-analyze everything. You don't always have to put everybody else's safety before your own. You can allow yourself to want things from life other than the bare minimum."

I pulled my hand out of his grasp, ignoring the hurt that crossed his face at the action. "It's not a light switch Porter" I snapped, walking faster than before. "I can't just turn off those things. A new place isn't going to make me a new person."

"I don't want you to become a new person" Porter replied softly but I ignored him and hastened my speed until I caught up with Tessa. I ruffled her hair before swinging an arm around her shoulders, nestling her small body into mine.