The Gable Forest

Jovari descended towards the wall of trees looming before him. A strange feeling overtook him, because he'd been in this situation before. "We are here, my queen." He said the words, even though she wouldn't hear him. He'd been doing it a lot, lately. Talking to Claire while they flew, keeping her mind company even if she couldn't hear him. A part of him hoped that eventually, she'd respond.

"It isn't too late to head east, to the outpost," Jovari said to Talon as the ground rushed up to meet them. "We could follow the tree line."

"That would be another day or two. We don't need guides."

"Very well."

They landed. He waited for Claire to dismount and untie her things before transforming. His gaze darted towards Leah—a habit he couldn't seem to break. She took hold of Irelia's elbow, helping the older woman find her feet. Irelia moved with stiff steps, her muscles tight from disuse. Leah's eyes met his and held before she led the old woman away. He watched them for several moments before turning.

Only to find Talon watching him. Damn it. He lifted a shoulder before walking towards Claire. "Okay, my queen?"

"Yes. Fine. I..." She stood, staring at the forest.

"You had much the same reaction the last time you beheld it for the first time."

She blew out a breath. "Yes. I can feel it calling to me."

"Then we ought not to linger."

"But..." She bit the skin on her bottom lip.

Talon strode over, brushing a lock of hair from her face. "All right, mih cralla?"

"What if we get lost? Or, I mean, if I get us lost?"

"We won't get lost," Jovari assured her. "You had no problem finding Esterpine the first time."

"Yes, but, that was before the sorcerer cursed me."

"You are not cursed, Claire." Talon's voice held a hint of frustration. This wasn't the first time he'd said these words. "You are simply bound. We will free you, I swear it. We will find a way."

She exhaled.

"Perhaps the way lies ahead," Jovari suggested, sweeping his arm forward, "in there."

"I hope so..." Claire's throat bobbed. He hated seeing his queen so uncertain. So worried.

They took some time to rest before setting out, Claire in the lead. He and Talon took up the rear of the procession. "Remember how unsettling this place used to be for us?"

Talon snorted. "It still is."

"Oh, come now, you have to admit, it isn't as bad as the first couple of times." Still, he rested his hand on the pommel of his sverak.

"This is only your second time, Jovari."

"Okay, well, I was talking about you."

Talon huffed, shaking his head. "Fine. You're right. It's not as bad, especially having her with us. You know, I've never been here with her."

"Do you think the sprites can do it? Heal her?"

"I will beg them on my knees, if I must."

"Taylynn, perhaps?"

"If she is here. Yes."

The trees were large, towering over them. They grew tighter the further they walked. Eventually, daylight disappeared, to be replaced by the efervescent glow of blueish green. He gaze, ever in motion, constantly searching for threats, continued to fall upon Leah. He liked witnessing her wonder. Her eyes were wide, taking in the world around her. "Look at those little light-things," she whispered, pointing to the undergrowth. "They're like fireflies."

"They're beautiful," Claire breathed.

They walked arm in arm together, Irelia trailing behind them.

Claire kept her staff in hand. He still couldn't believe it had appeared out of thin air. A good sign as any that this was where they were meant to go.

Every so often, they stopped to rest.

A path seemed to open for them, and he could only hope it was a direct shot to Esterpine. Their positions fluctuated. Eventually, Talon walked up front with Claire, and he found himself in back with Leah. Irelia took the middle position. He was impressed that the old woman could keep up. Though, he was certain that Talon's frequent insistence on resting was so that she could catch her breath.

"You seem tense, dragon man." Leah's voice had him focusing on her.

"Because I am."

"Why?"

He exhaled. "You should probably help Irelia in case she needs extra support."

"I'm fine, dragon man," Irelia called over her shoulder, taking up Leah's nickname for him.

"Do you not want my company?" Leah's expression fell. "I can go—"

"No, no." His hand darted out to wrap around her elbow, keeping her beside him. "I apologize. You're right. I'm tense. It's the forest."

He didn't tell her the real reason. That Talon had warned him away from the pink-haired human. Talon's warning didn't mean they couldn't walk or chat together. The problem was, she was already becoming a distraction. Getting to know her more would only make it worse.

He slowed his pace slightly to match hers, which put a little more distance between them and Irelia. Talon was still chatting with Claire. At least he wouldn't notice.

"Why does the forest make you uneasy?" Leah asked, keeping pace beside him.

"It's a drengr thing," he found himself explaining. "The sprites have always been at odds with those of dragon kind. Things have improved over the last year or so, naturally." He gestured towards Claire. "But...the forest has never been friendly towards outsiders. I guess you could say that it will take time to adjust to this new world we live in."

She hummed. "Well, I'll just have to do my best to keep your mind off it."

Her grin made his heart skip. Yes. No. No, that was the worst idea. He cleared his throat—

"Let's play a game."

"A...a game?" He glanced sidelong at her, blinking in surprise.

"Yeah, to pass the time. Two truths and a lie. You ever played it?"

"Uhm..." He frowned. She wanted to play a game?!

"I'll go first. I will tell you three things about myself. Two of them will be true, but one of them will be a lie. You will have to guess which one is the lie. If you do, you win."

He opened his mouth to decline, then swiftly closed it. "What do I get if I win?"

"Well..." She appeared to think it over. "The winner gets a favor of their choosing, to ask at any time."

He snorted. "No. I don't trust that you won't ask me to do something outlandish."

"Afraid you won't win?"

"I didn't say that." He frowned.

"Fine, then let's have a go. Three rounds. The one with the most points wins. I'll even go first, show you how it's done."

He exhaled, rubbing a hand over his face. Around them, the trees grew denser. He kept his ears pricked for sounds that might be out of place. "Fine. Let's play."

She grinned. He had a sudden feeling he was going to regret this.

"Okay. Here we go." She appeared to think for several moments, then, "My favorite color is pink. I once had a horse named Neigh Neigh. When I was young, I wanted to be a nurse when I grew up."

"And I have to guess which of those is false?"

"Yup." She offered him a mischievous grin.

He frowned, mulling over her words. "The horse. You did not have a horse named Neigh Neigh."

She laughed. "I did! I really did. Great name, right?"

"It's a ridiculous name," he muttered, but found himself grinning. "But, wait. So then, you didn't want to be a nurse?"

"No, I did. My favorite color isn't pink."

"But, your hair." He frowned, looking at her. He was sure it had been a true statement.

"They were out of lavender hair die. My favorite color is purple. So, I win that round."

He huffed. "Tell me about this horse of yours. Whatever possessed you to name it that."

"Ah-ah-ah. That's not how this game works. Your turn."

He lifted his brows. "Fine. I was fourteen when I fledged. I am not a fan of sweets. I enjoy reading."

"Well, I saw you eating ice cream at the diner so...must be the second one."

"Nope. I really am not a fan of sweets. I merely tolerated it because I've never had something like that before."

"So...you hate reading?"

"I do. I really do. You couldn't pay me to sit down and read a book."

"You're joking." Her jaw dropped. "What's wrong with reading? Have you always been like that?"

"Ah-ah-ah," he chided, repeating her words. "That's not how this game works."

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Fine. We both lost. Next round." She seemed to grow more serious. She was quiet longer this time. "I have trouble sleeping every night. I've only been in love once. And, it's my fault my mom died."

His steps faltered. He stared at her, completely forgetting about the forest. It had to be the last one. Her mom had died in a car accident. She'd already admitted that. Which meant, she'd been in love. Something hot exploded in his chest. She was so...young. He didn't like the idea.

"The last one," he blurted.

"Nope. That one is true. It's the second one. I've never been in love."

He stopped walking. "That's...you can't cheat."

She stopped, too. "I'm not cheating. My mom died because of me."

His lips parted. "Leah..." His voice was low. "You cannot possibly believe that. You said your mom died in a head-on collision—from a car accident." She lifted a shoulder. "So why would you think it's your fault."

She started walking again. "It's your turn, Jovari."

He watched her back for several heartbeats, then started walking again. "I don't want to play anymore," he decided.

"That's not how this works. We had an agreement. It's your turn."

"Fine." He ground his teeth together. If she was going to drop that kind of thing on him, he'd do the same. "My parents are still alive and I care for them deeply. I've never been in love. And...I have trust issues." He wasn't sure why he'd blurted the last part, except that it was the truth.

She appeared to think it over for a bit, then, "You have been in love, haven't you. It's the second one."

He was quiet for several moments. "Once."

"What happened to her?"

"You win this round. Point to you. Your turn. Final round."

She sighed. When she next spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper. "After my father died, I tried to kill myself. I collect teaspoons and have over one hundred. I don't celebrate my birthday."

His blood ran cold. He gripped her arm, stopping her. This wasn't a game anymore and he wasn't having fun. "You shouldn't joke about such things," he said, his voice low and serious.

"You think I'm joking?"

The thought of her trying to kill herself—his stomach roiled. Bile rose in his throat and he swallowed it down. Surely it wasn't true—couldn't be. She seemed so sure of herself. He never would have—no, it couldn't be true. Moreover, why should he care if it was? "I don't believe it," he said at last. "It's the first one that's a lie."

"Wong," she said, her gaze a challenge. "I don't collect teaspoons, but my mom did. Loved them. And she did have over one hundred."

His mouth opened and closed. She pulled her arm free and marched away, shouting over her shoulder that it was his turn. Damn her.

He caught up. "Fine. You want to get serious. Let's get serious. I was a fool for thinking love lasted forever. I once ate someone's pet grazer. And...I'm so glad I met you."

Her steps faltered. He studied her, watching as her cheeks flushed. Suddenly, he knew he had to backtrack, to lie. "Well, anyone would be glad to have met me, so it must be the second one. You really ate someone's pet grazer?"

"Yes," he lied. "Point to you. Looks like you won two to nothing. Guess I'll owe you a favor." Part of him kind of liked the idea. He was curious to see what she'd ask for. But most of him just felt emotionally drained. This was not a fun game.

"Yay! Go me!" She grinned and skipped away—as if she'd never dropped serious information on him—to link arms with Irelia, ahead of them.

He exhaled. He'd intended to alienate her with that last one. He'd never eaten anyone's pet grazer. The truth was, he really did wish he'd never met her. Especially now after what she'd just revealed. He tightened his hand into a fist and continued at a slower pace.

The hours slipped by. He found it harder than ever to keep his eyes off her. She'd given him so many questions and had refused to elaborate. It's like she'd done it on purpose. Now he was forced to wonder about everything.

Eventually, the foliage changed, and their path opened up. He caught sight of a statue, disguised with ivy. He'd seen it before, hadn't he? Esterpine must be close.

"Did you see that?" Leah asked, pointing to another, drawing Irelia's gaze in that direction.

Several figures materialized in the gloom. At first, he thought they might be sprites. Talon froze, forcing Claire to stop beside him. The rest of them piled up behind them. A moment later, there was a feminine cry. One of the figures detached and rushed forward, straight for Claire. It wasn't until she was close that he realized who it was. Saffra threw herself at Claire, wrapping her up in her arms. Claire stiffened, but didn't push her away.

"Oh, gods. You're here. You're actually here! I had a vision this morning, that we would met here, so I brought the others." Saffra was weeping. Smiling. Holding Claire at arm's length to study her.

He looked up to find Koldis and Bedelth. They wore serious expressions. Not joy, as he'd expected, at their return. Instead, he sensed dread. That could only mean one thing. Something was very, very wrong. 

💕❤️💕Don't forget to heart this chapter!❤️💕❤️

Happy Friday, Bookdragons!

When I wrote this chapter, I wanted an opportunity for Leah and Jovari to get to know each other. I discovered that I was able to learn a little more about them in the process, digging deeper into their characters. 

Okay, but how excited are we that some of our favorite characters are about to reunite?! Can you believe we are finally reaching this point? Feels like forever!

Next week's chapter is from Talon's POV.

Hope you have a great weekend! See you next time.

--Mel