Chapter 12

"You came." Her voice is like wind rustling through leaves, and when she moves, I finally see her properly. She's beautiful, but looks nothing like her children. She's like a living tree, a shape of woman carved out of the ancient hardwood that protected their house. Her hair falls like leaves down to her waist, and she's wearing a simple, brown dress that only seems to highlight her beauty. When she steps closer, into the light, I see her eyes are the only thing she shares with her children – the colour of amber.

"Yes, I'm Vala, also known as the Storyteller. And this is Jonah." Jonah offers a nod when I motion his way.

"It is good to meet you, Vala. My name is Nathar."

"Mistar said you wanted to talk about something with me?"

"That's right", she glances at Mistar. "Mistar, take your sister to play outside."

"But mom –"

"Please."

"Yes." He sighs, disappointed. I wonder what it is Nathar doesn't want her children to know. Mistar and Sola step outside, and Nathar inclines her head, waiting, until she's satisfied with something. Maybe the kids had gotten far enough.

"Tea?" She asks, motioning us to sit down.

"I'd love to", I say, sitting on a stool. Jonah keeps close to the door, cautious.

"My husband was very old", Nathar says with her back to us, preparing the tea. "That's why no one was surprised when he died. His heart just gave out, it was his time to go back to Mother." She falls quiet, but I don't interrupt. Her loss is still heavy in the air.

"But I know better", she turns around, bringing the tea. "The forest was restless that night, little folk kept to their hiding places, birds stayed silent, huddling together. He didn't die peacefully, but in fear. A nightmare", she whispers the last word.

"Bryaxis."

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell anyone sooner? You must have known that the High Lady of the Night Court was looking for it."

"The distrust towards Night Court doesn't go easily", her answer sounds automatic, a truth that had been, but maybe not so much anymore. I waited for her to elaborate. "And I… We were mated, did you know?" Her eyes look straight through me, and a shiver goes down my spine. "The grief… If it weren't for my children, I would have set roots then."

"Set roots?" The term was unknown to me.

"Our kind – the dryads – when it is our time to leave this world before, we set roots. Our body becomes a tree, and our soul returns to Mother."

I don't know what to say. What could I even say? That I was sorry? That I was happy she had decided otherwise? But thankfully, Nathar didn't seem to expect me to say anything, so I stayed quiet when she continued. Sometimes it was enough to listen.

"It was heading south I believe. The trees… they were whispering of terror, of nights when young ones cried. But that was some time ago now. The whispers have quieted down. Bryaxis has left."

"Left where?"

"Out. To the sea." I rubbed my temples. Nahtar had a rather peculiar way of speaking, and it felt like she only said half of the things she was thinking of. And expected the other party to read her mind for the rest.

"Do you have any idea where it might have gone after that?"

"South. It is a creature from an ocean on land, is it not?"

"It is", I admitted, surprised that she knew it. That was ancient knowledge, granted to me thanks to the Storyteller powers. But apparently someone else remembered it too. Still, the answer seemed ridiculously simple. "It's going back home?"

"Isn't that where all living creatures are heading, eventually?"

"I suppose." But my mind was already racing. We should inform Rhys and Feyre about this – maybe they already knew? Or had guessed? They'd need to cross the sea, and search for Bryaxis in the desert. But… As High Lady and Lord, could they abandon their duties for the time that would take? Sure, if only one of them went, but both of them…

"We should go", I say out loud.

"Yes", Nathar nods.

"Go where?" Jonah demands. His angry expression tells me that he's guessed it already.

"South, across the ocean." My eyes start sparkling from the thought alone. So many things I've never seen! So many places, people, stories.

"Absolutely not", Jonah says. "Your expression says that you want to go right away. Do you have any idea how long that trip is, in one way alone? We'd need to make more preparations, bring more people –"

"Why?"

"To keep you safe!"

"Ah, always such a worrywart."

"And for a good reason! This is not a book, Vala. You can actually get hurt or killed here." He's almost shaking with some emotion, but I'm almost certain it's not rage. What is it then?

"I know that", I say quietly. "I almost died on my first day, remember?" That shuts him up, even thought he's the one who started on the topic. "But I've already died once, and living in fear of what comes next doesn't really suit me. So I'm going, and if you feel like it's too much of a responsibility, you can stay. Go back to your duties at the camps or Velaris or whatever."

"Why", he groans, "are all the females at our court like this?"

"Like what?"

"Headstrong and thirsting for adventure."

"I like the sound of that", I grin, sensing that he's giving up. Again. Why is it that he never wins an argument against me?

"But", he gets serious. "Were going back to Serinel, to get proper gear and funds for the travel. And to contact Night Court through Mor. I think they'd like to know if the Storyteller's leaving country."

"That is such a pain", I complain. "And what if they don't let us go?"

"Do they really come across to you as people who'd want to stop you from going?"

"No", I admit. If anything, most of them would probably want to tag along.

"And", Jonah adds. "We get to travel faster if we go back first. Because Mor could winnow us easily to the port in mortal lands, where the ships leave from."

His argument is solid, and I'm inclined to agree. But a voice in my head whispers to go now, with just the two of us. Maybe it's my thirst for adventure, as he'd said, or the Storyteller inside me wanting to experience this land first-hand. Regardless of reason, I wanted to listen. Besides, we both had wings. Bryaxis had a lead so big the traces had almost vanished. A couple days of delay would mean nothing. And maybe we would gain more traces of it along the way.

"You're planning to go now", Jonah says, matter-of-factly.

"Yes. It feels right, somehow."

He sighs, running a hand through his already messy hair. Then he turns to Nathar. "Can we spend the night here, and leave tomorrow?"

"Our doors are always open for friends", Nathar says, and that's that. We spent the rest of the day with her and Mistar and Sola. Mistar showing me some of his bigger paintings, Sola recommending her favourite books. The wariness she showed at the beginning had disappeared. Maybe due Mistar telling her something, or thanks to the fact that regardless of the world, bookworms always seemed to get along with each other.

After dinner, I finally saw rest of the villagers, as they gathered around a bonfire to listen my stories. Half of them were dryads, and rest had a colouring fitting the forest. As I spoke, I could spot glowing eyes up in the trees. Little folk eager to listen, but not wanting to show themselves. I talked long into the night, not having heart to refuse any requests for more stories, as this was the only night I could stay here.

After I'd finished a tale of a river spirit who lured careless travellers with a voice of an angel, I was yawning so badly Jonah finally announced it was time to call it a night. We'd have to leave early tomorrow, and had many miles ahead of us. There were a few protesting, but then they all thanked me and said I was welcome back after I'd return from my travels. Hopefully with more stories in my arsenal.

I slept with Jonah in the downstairs of Nathar's house, the kids sleeping in a half level upstairs. Nathar, it seemed, hadn't returned home yet. I was too tired to wonder where she'd gone, and was asleep the moment my head hit the leafy pillow.

I was woken up by the smell of breakfast, and Mistar and Sola managed to squeeze two more stories out of me while I drank two cups of tea and downed grilled vegetables. No meat in their house, but I guess it would be weird for trees to eat it. Nathar had returned, so quietly even Jonah hadn't woken up.

"Come see us after your adventure", Mistar said, when we were standing outside, packs packed and ready to leave. It was once again a cloudless, perfect summer day.

"I will", I promised. Maybe not right away, but I was eager to return. "I'll need to get more of your paintings when I return."

"Aye, ma'am. I'll keep painting", he promised, blushing a little, his cheeks turning a darker shade of green.

"Safe travels", Sola said, offering me a pressed flower.

"What's this?"

"It's a windflower, for safe travels and favourable winds."

"Thank you." I gave her a hug after tucking the flower safely in my side pocket. Jonah seemed eager to go, but didn't rush me. He didn't have to, for the wind was already singing in my ears, telling me to go, to travel south. To seek an adventure.

A few others had ventured outside, and were waiving in goodbye. The wishes of 'safe travels' and 'Mother guide you' in the air. It was time to go, and I waved my hand before taking to the skies, squeezing through a gap in foliage. Jonah took a spot beside me, and we headed south, the wind guiding our way.