The Seelie Curse

Chapter 60

Cáel laughs again and taps on Wave's arm. Her eyes flicker up before she looks down again, mortified. He nudges her again.

"Hey, I was just messing around."

She doesn't say anything, staring resolutely down at the ground. It doesn't take long for her cousin to notice and step over. Star lightly touches her shoulder.

"What's up with you? He wasn't trying to be mean?"

Wave looks up at her cousin with shining eyes, her face still glowing in humiliation. "I know, but I can't help it. I feel so awkward."

Star raises an eyebrow. "Really?" Wave nods, the flush in her cheeks fading slightly. Star grins at her, eyes sparkling. "Well, too bad. You two," She points at Wave and Cáel. "You're going to go for a walk."

Wave's eyes widen in shock and what looks to be a bit of apprehension. Cáel can't help but feel a pang of hurt at that, he doesn't know why. Trying to distance himself from the girl before him, his cridhe who can't stand to be anywhere near him, he looks over at his brothers. Camden is smirking. He waves at Cáel in a shooing potion. Cáel scowls at his twin and turns to look at his other brother.

He looks away almost at once. Not that Andrian is doing anything bad, but the way he is looking at Ro, this appears to be a private matter. He feels something grab his arm and his eyes snap forward to see Star wrapping her hand around his wrist just before she pulls, dragging him towards the trees. He pulls back in protest and on the other side of Star, Wave squeaks in protest as well. Cáel grimaces at Star.

"What are you doing?!"

"You two are going for a walk. No complaining!"

"But-"

Star shoots a glare at Cáel and drags him the rest of the way into the trees before she drops his hand. He starts to turn back towards the house but finds that he can't move forward. It's like the air has formed a wall in front of him, one he can't cross. He sighs.

"Fine. How long?"

Star gives him a sickly sweet smile. "Lovely. Off you go."

She flaps her hand at them and Cáel feels a gust of air push against his back, forcing him further into the forest. He doesn't need to look to know that Wave is feeling the same thing. She gives her cousin a mock glare, but Cáel gets the impression that she's just a tad bit more amused than irritated.

But Cáel himself is bloody well annoyed. Star steps away from them, heading back to the house. Cáel grumbles to himself, wanting to follow her. But he can't, because of that bloody barrier. He waits until Star is well out of earshot before he speaks. He's a bit cautious about this, he doesn't quite know how to interact with the girl before him.

"Well, your cousin is a bit terrifying, isn't she?"

Wave doesn't speak for a moment and Cáel is worried that he has just insulted her. But before he can voice his fears, Wave breaks out into giggles. She folds over herself, wrapping her arms around her belly. She looks up at Cáel, grimacing slightly. Not in anger or irritation, more like her laughter is hurting her just a bit. She takes a few shaky breaths, her finger raised to keep him quiet.

"I suppose she is, yes. Bit intense, Star is. But she's nice."

"I'll take your word for it."

Cáel gives Wave a small smile, and she grins back. He motions for her to lead the way into the trees and she bobs her head in acquiescence. She skims her fingers against the bark of the trees, feeling the rough texture. She looks up at the sky through the trees and smiles softly, if a bit sadly. Cáel frowns.

"What's wrong?"

Wave glances over at him. "This reminds me of home."

"And that makes you sad?"

Wave shrugs. "I suppose. I miss it, at least."

"What's your home like?"

"Nothing like this, not really. It's a lot warmer and the fish are far more colourful than they are in the seas here."

"And you're from the other merrow kingdom, correct? The one across the ocean?"

Wave nods. "Yes, I wish I could be back there, to be honest. But I can't go home, not yet."

"Why not?"

Wave shrugs. "The prophecy, the curse, helping Ro. Pick any or all of those."

Cáel snorts. "What's your role back home?" Wave shifts on her feet, twisting her hands together. "You don't have to tell me if you're not comfortable."

Wave shakes her head. "It's not because of you. I'm just still getting used to this, that's all."

Cáel doesn't speak, letting Wave decide if she wants to continue. She gives him a grateful smile. After a moment, she reaches into the bag hanging off of her shoulder and pulls out a band of metal. Cáel frowns at it.

"What is that?"
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I adore Astrila. She's just like "stop beating around the bush and go talk to each other!" What do you think they will talk about? 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