The Seelie Curse

Chapter 32

Rowan frowns as she pushes herself to her feet. Astrila is hiding something, she can see it in the other girl's expression. What did she see when she left? Rowan isn't entirely sure of the direction the other girl left in, but she knows which way Astrila came back and she knows that Astrila had gone outside the clearing. Once Rowan is standing, she hands the pelt to Astrila. The older girl takes it immediately, swinging it around her shoulders.

Midswing, it seems to ripple. By the time the pelt is settled, it looks like a coat once again. Rowan can feel her mouth hanging open slightly in surprise. She snaps it shut and turns, looking for Wave - Kyma. She remembers the other girl had been a bit bothered by the memories, but she doesn't remember everything. Is Kyma alright? She finally catches sight of the girl's silver hair.

Kyma is sitting against the dome, her gaze fixed on the sky. Rowan walks over to her, the sound of her footsteps soft on the ground, dry leaves crunching faintly. The sound is quickly smothered by the earth, damp after a recent rain. Even so, Kyma hears it as Rowan approaches. She looks up, her dark blue eyes quickly fixing on Rowan's face. Her eyes are shining, but it's not just from emotion. Her eyes are lined with unshed tears. Rowan crouches beside Kyma, her red hair falling to lie against Kyma's white hair, looking like liquid flame on snow.

"Hey. Are you okay?"

Kyma shakes her head. "I thought I could trust the merrows here. And now their own leader is working against us? She must have been a friend of my mother, and she betrayed her, she tricked me."

Rowan sighs. "You couldn't have known."

"But you told us warning after warning and I still messed up."

Rowan lightly hits the girl's arm. "Stop beating yourself up. What's done is done. It doesn't matter if you made a mistake or not. What does matter is that we know more than we did before. We know that the Merrow Queen my great-aunt, we know she's our enemy. And you know how to send water messages now."

Kyma frowns. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Rowan sighs, shaking her head. "You can warn your mother. Wouldn't that be helpful?"

Kyma's eyes brighten, her tears turning into resolve. She nods sharply. "Yes. I can do that. I need to get to the river though."

"Can I come with you?"

Kyma looks slightly startled, but she nods hesitantly. "Sure."

Rowan extends a hand, helping Kyma rise to her feet. The girl's grip is strong, she almost sends Rowan toppling into the dirt. Rowan has to dig her feet into the ground to anchor herself. Kyma seems to realize this and lets go almost the moment she's steady, her cheeks flushed.

She mumbles under her breath, "Sorry."

Rowan gives her a small smile. "It's alright. I am wondering though, how are you that strong? I understand with Star, she's been doing intensive work just to survive her entire life. But you . . ."

Kyma laughs. "Lots of swimming, training how to fight, and then running for my life."

"You too?"

Kyma nods. "And Star. We've all met bad people. She and I almost died."

Rowan sighs. "Will we even be able to function when this is all over, when we can just relax?"

Kyma shrugs. "I guess we'll find out. We need to get to the river now though, it'll be dark soon."

"Do you need to grab anything?"

Kyma laughs, grinning. "My hands, but I think I already have those."

Rowan stifles laughter. "Did you really have to say that?"

"No, but it was fun."

"Oh, come on. Do you need me to lead?"

"It'll certainly be faster."

Rowan laughs and turns towards the river, darting across the clearing to slip between the trees. Kyma follows a step behind, her footsteps just a tiny bit louder than Rowan's. As she runs, Rowan listens to the forest around her. She can hear the wind faintly whistling through the leaves, she can hear the crunch of the leaves underfoot.

She can hear the chatter of birds, the chiming voices of tiny sprites talking back and forth to each other. And up ahead, she can hear the burbles and roars of the river beyond. She slows at the bank, sliding down with a spray of pebbles. Kyma follows, her feet scraping on the dirt. She's panting when she stops at the edge of the water. She takes a breath, inhaling through her noise. Then she looks to Rowan.

"How were you that at ease with running through the forest?"

"I've been doing it since I was a child. I know every inch of these woods. Every tree, every shrub, every divet in the ground. It's part of me."

Kyma nods. "It's your home."

Rowan smiles at how easily Kyma understood what she meant. "Yes, it is. Is the water here good for your message?"

Kyma turns to look at the river.
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What will Kyma write in her message? What do you think is going to happen next? Tell me your thoughts!

Happy reading and I'll see you next chapter!

~Goddess of Fate, signing out.