Page 31 of Blood of Dragons
“It was nice. I took a bath.”
He gave a slight nod. “Have you left your tree house?”
“No. Not quite ready for that.”
“The elves have been informed of your arrival. Some will greet you with open arms. Others will remain suspicious until you immerse yourself in society, so I suggest you make the effort.”
“I will…just not ready.”
“Have you considered my offer?”
“To join the army?” I asked. “No, I haven’t considered anything, really.”
“I can escort you through the market if you’d like. Give you a tour of the forest. Make introductions.”
“That’s very sweet of you, but I know you’re off work right now, so you should enjoy your time.”
“As the commander of Riviana Star, I’m never off. My purpose is to serve this forest and Riviana, and I’m happy to do so.”
“Who’s Riviana?”
“The Great Tree. The source of all power and music in this forest.”
“So, she’s a spirit?”
“She’s a god.”
“A god…?”
“Yes. God of Caelum. Gatekeeper of the afterlife. The tree is her connection to our world—and we guard it with our lives.”
I believed in the afterlife, believed there was something beyond this, but I didn’t know such a god existed. “So, has she spoken to you?”
“Not me, specifically. But she’s spoken to Queen Eldinar. And I’ve seen her in our forest.”
“Riviana?”
“Yes.”
“How’d you know it was her?”
He stared at me as he considered his response. “She glows with her own light. Music follows her through the trees. The world around her changes. Flowers bloom even when they aren’t in season. Dead roots come back to life. Her effect on the world is mighty and powerful.”
I pictured a beautiful woman in a white dress moving through the trees, flowers in her hair, the command of life in her palm.
“She makes an appearance rarely. Last time I saw her must have been three hundred years ago.”
“Three hundred years?”
“Yes.”
“You don’t look three hundred.”
“It’ll be a long time before I begin to age. Elves have remarkable life-spans, so long that death becomes a blessing.”
“I don’t understand your meaning,” I said. “Why would anyone want to die?”
“Because if you live too long, you start to go mad. To live forever is unnatural, and even if Riviana offered that gift to us, we would reject it. It’s not the way of things, not the way things should be. My longevity is a gift—but so is my demise.”