Page 63 of Kingdom of Spirits

I’m getting good at this!“Huzzah!”

Fara jolted against Tahlia, nearly toppling from Lija’s back. Tahlia caught her and righted her in the saddle.

“Why are you screaming in my ear?” Fara demanded.

“I just spoke into Lija’s mind again.”

“No, you shouted. In my ear.”

“No, before that. I said something else and Lija told me.” Tahlia hugged Fara. “Isn’t this telepathy thing wonderful?”

“If it involves less destruction of my eardrums, yes.”

“Lady of the Skies!” Marius called out.

Tahlia waved.

“If we die here, at least you two had some time to flirt,” Fara said.

“Ah, Fara. Be nice. We’re about to meet a goddess. She could smite you down for that poor attitude.”

“Fantastic. Now, I’m worried about smiting. What is that again?”

Tahlia patted her on the shoulder. “Quiet now, squire, and remember that coming along was your grand idea.”

“Sometimes I loathe myself.”

Lija brought them through the circle, her wings held tightly against her shimmering body. They caught up to Ragewing, Marius, and Trevain under a bower of red flowers growing in the branches of intertwined conifers. Petals flitted down in the breeze and the forest’s scents lulled Tahlia into a relaxed state. Even Fara seemed to release some of the tension as she sat up in the saddle, straining to see past Ragewing. They walked slowly into a clearing that glowed with rainbow light.

In the center of the clearing, an old female sat on a stool.

Chapter 27

Tahlia

The old woman’s gnarled, glowing hands moved slow and sure as she knitted red woolen yarn. A few finished pieces lay folded at her hem on the mossy ground. Tahlia’s breath caught at the beauty of the goddess. The weight of the goddess’s presence was akin to the sensation of Marius’s attention. Like a warm cloak had been draped across her shoulders and she’d downed a cup of crystal wine.

Tahlia glanced at Marius. Was his skin glowing slightly as well? She blinked and the sparkling of his cheeks and forehead was gone.

The goddess lifted her knobby chin and regarded the group with a pair of dark, luminous doe eyes. They were larger than a Fae’s eyes and glossy like an animal’s. The effect should have been frightening, but instead, only wonder poured through Tahlia’s soul.

She slipped from the saddle, helped Fara down, then knelt beside Marius, who had also dismounted quickly. Red petals floated down to land on Marius’s shoulders. The petals caught in Tahlia’s hair and snuggled into her palms like small creatures longing for a warm spot to take shelter.

“Good hearts, I greet you,” the goddess said, her lips unmoving but her voice strong and clear. Her accent was not too different from Trevain’s, with strewn-together consonants and slightly rounded vowels. “Come closer and we will talk.”

Marius stood and turned, holding a hand out to Tahlia, less of a helpful task than a simple show of affection.

“Marius…” she started. He had forgotten the curse. She didn’t blame him. The goddess’s presence was enough to make one believe everything had been set to rights in all the realms.

He winced and nodded, withdrawing.

Trevain and Fara joined them, walking alongside Ragewing and Lija.

“Greetings, Mother Twilight,” Trevain said. He kissed his palm, then pressed his hand to the ground near her feet.

Tahlia mimicked the show of respect, then Marius and Fara did as well. The dragons bowed their large heads, eyes shuttering in a display of trust.

Listen closely, my rider,Lija whispered into Tahlia’s mind.