The scithera's first blooming was tonight, specifically at eleven o'clock. The fluorescence was to last until dawn, and flare up again for two more nights. Ridmata Cove had two designated areas to watch the fluorescence—the Ridmata peninsula and around the caves. We would visit the peninsula first, the caves tomorrow, and depart on Sunday.

Dusk would soon fall, and I was in my and Lucia's bedroom, picking out a garment for the night. Lucia was probably still outside, touring the compound.

I laid out a white dress with billowy sleeves and fuchsia patterns on the bed and turned, ready for a bath.

My heart stopped for a second upon the presence of a hefty pale blond man.

"For the love of fairies, Mr. Vlad!" I admonished, attempting to catch my breath. "A knock on the door would be much appreciated, man!"

The blond enigma was nothing short of nonchalant as he asked, "Where is the Lady?"

As my initial shock dissipated, it dawned on me that the vampire had returned to his usual self—still not lively, but not deathly ill either.

"Are you alright now?" I inquired. "Well, you must be since you teleported here, but why are you here?"

He dismissed my question and instead answered his own. "She's in a bedroom upstairs. I need you to bring her here."

"How did you—!" I stopped myself, remembering that the man had superior vision that made walls permeable. "Hold on. Do you plan to hypnotise Lea? Now?"

His silence gave me my answer. I suppose I should have seen it coming.

"We don't have time. Get her here before the greftyrs are within hearing range. I will fetch Tristan and his brother."
With those words, he disappeared before my very eyes.

Sighing, I rushed out of the bedroom to find Lea. Mr. Vlad's seventy-two hours of mortality were only just concluded, meaning the first thing he did was locate us. Had Tristan asked him to do so? He never mentioned it when we visited on Wednesday, so I assumed we would handle it after we returned from Soulga. Then this was of his own accord? Out of a sense of duty or friendship?

I did not understand their relationship. As far as I knew, Mr. Vlad gathered bounty-hunting jobs for Tristan. But did that warrant that he come to his beck and call? Perhaps they were more friendly than they let on.

"What exactly is it that you wish to show me?" Lea asked as I steered her towards my bedroom.

"Er...you will see when we get there." Without sufficient time, I had not prepared a lie.

"Is it a surprise?"

I laughed nervously. "Is it?"

Opening the door, I ushered her in and found the three gentlemen waiting.

"Oh," Lea said, her eyes wide as she looked over them. "This is certainly a surprise. And this gentleman is...?"

Mr. Vlad stepped towards her. "Vlad. Pleased to meet your acquaintance. Although, you will not remember meeting me."

"I beg your pardon? What do you...mean..." From the way her voice trailed off and her face slackened, it was evident she was caught in his trance.

Tristan, Adrian and I watched intently as Vlad spoke to her in that slow, alluring voice. "Tell me, Lady Azalea. Did you conspire with your handmaiden Ari to kill your husband?"

I had faith in her answer, but the beat of silence that followed drummed with thick tension.

Lea's lips moved, and we all followed their movements. "No, I did not."

I cocked my head to the brothers. "See?"

Mr. Vlad was not finished. He kept her gaze and asked another question. "So you have never attempted to kill your husband, nor have you any murderous intentions towards him?"

She replied, "No. I would never kill my husband, nor do I wish for his death."

Well in, Lea.

"Satisfied?" I remarked to the brothers. Tristan shot me a nasty glare while Adrian regarded his wife in a ponderous manner.

"Fine then," Mr. Vlad relented. "You shall forget everything that has happened since you stepped in this room within five seconds from now."

Three seconds sufficed for him to hold on to Adrian and Tristan, and disappear from sight with them.

I doubted whether I would grow accustomed to that.

Lea then snapped out of her five-second stupor and turned to me. "So? What is it you wish to show me?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the dress lying on my bed and squealed, "My evening wear!"

******

We all visited the coastal town afterwards. We were meant to rendezvous at half past ten at the pier, where we would then take a boat to the peninsula. Lucia, Rebecca, Lea and I spent that that time together.

We visited an art show, and took part in some of the activities where I was pleased to paint a water lily with my friends on a large canvas. Granted, parts of it were masterpieces courtesy of Rebecca and Lucia's skilled hands, but the other parts—mine and Lea's, were merely doodles and smudges.

We poked fun at our half-disaster half-masterpiece, but I found it the loveliest piece of art I had ever made. If only I could recreate a smaller version of it so I could take it home with me and store the precious memory.

We visited various shops and tried on different picture hats. I attempted to impersonate Madam Felicity, trying out her gait and over-the-top enthusiasm. Rather than chide me for my uncouthness, the ladies applauded me for my accurate portrayal, sharing a few giggles. I did rather enjoy myself since I got the chance to yell, "Trissy!" and "Addy!"

I bowed low to the applause as an actress would after a performance.

Rebecca purchased and wore the picture hat I used for my extravagant display, saying it was a memento.

We enjoyed ourselves so much that we lost track of time, and we had to run to the port when we could not find a coach.

We were out of breath by the time we arrived at the port and made our way to the pier. Thankfully, the Devereux and fan Fairburn family members were among the people boarding the only ship ready to set sail.

"Finally!" Madam Aurelia called. "We thought we would have to leave you ladies behind!"

We mumbled our apologies as we followed suit up the ramp.

"Had a pleasurable time?" Tristan's voice sounded from beside me. I turned to respond, but someone else did.

"Why yes!" Rebecca cheered from somewhere on his other side. She lifted her hands to her hat. "Can you not tell from my latest accessory?"

My footsteps slowed as Tristan walked ahead alongside Rebecca.

He chuckled. "Where did you get that? You match with my mother."

I left them to their conversation, ignoring that annoying tic in my chest. I would simply talk to someone else, then, thank you very much.

On the deck, I searched for company. Lea was speaking to Defender Felix and his wife. Madam Felicity was with her husband and two elves while Lucia, Captain Atticus and Julian had formed a trio.

Deciding to enjoy the ride by myself, I scurried over to the side of the boat, looking across the sea. The moon was full and high above the sky, shining its effulgence onto the waters. They glimmered in a mix of silver and dark blue. The ship was alight with lanterns, but there was a magnificence about the natural moonlight, and the way it nuzzled the sea and tops of trees up ahead.

As the boat moved, my hands gripped the railing , my eyes drawn to the rippling waves beneath the vessel. If only I could pass my hands through those waves.

"You are quite fascinated by the sea." Julian Fairburn joined me at the side of the ship.

"That is because I had never seen it," I replied, keeping my gaze on the waves. "I have never left Evindrear, so all this is a first experience for me."

"It's a good thing we didn't cross the isthmus then. What a boring journey it would have been for you."

I looked up at him, furrowing my eyebrows in confusion. "Cross the what?"

"Isthmus," he repeated, as though that would magically explain everything.

Noting my non-comprehension, he smiled and pointed ahead at the strip of land covered in vegetation. "It connects to the peninsula and serves as an alternative route. But I suppose the Duke of Soulga decided that riding a ship would be more adventurous since that route is blocked."

I grinned. " He was right. I'm rather enjoying this smooth sail, especially under the full moon."

"Glad to hear that. Only that the moon isn't full yet."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I thought greftyrs had incredible eyesight."

He laughed lightly at my remark. "And that is just as much of a fact as what I speak to you. Mine, however, only activates in the beast form." He pushed his round eye-glasses up the bridge of his nose. "To clarify my statement, the moon is only full for a few seconds since the earth never stops moving. It might seem full now, but it isn't. It will be within an hour and a quarter, and then it won't be full again until next month for a few seconds."

I eyed him suspiciously. "So you're telling me you can see the moon for what it really is, and that's how good your eyesight is."

He laughed again. "I heard that from a droulan, actually," he admitted. "I myself am fascinated by nature and all things beyond."

"Ah." I nodded. "See now that makes much more sense."

Droulans were said to be intrinsically connected to the earth and to a certain extent, the universe. It was this connection that permitted them to notice the slightest changes so they could predict weather and climate. Those with enhanced abilities were able to predict as far as five years into the future, and it was this intuition that enabled us to avoid and prepare for disasters such as earthquakes, drought, and hailstorms. The downside was that very few droulans lived in Adania, forcing the nation to depend on the one droulan on The Great Board.

While Julian and I continued our delightful conversation on the moon and stars, I made a double-glance when I saw Tristan looking at me. Was he? Or was he looking in my general direction? For certain, he was glaring while Rebecca talked to him. I looked around, trying to locate the object of his dagger-throwing eyes but could not find anything particularly vexing or worth his irritation.

Hence I shrugged it off and asked Julian how exactly the moon controlled the sea. It was at this point that I discovered two of the most fascinating things to ever drift into my ears. The first was that the earth was a spherical ball, and not a flat pancake as I had long believed, and the second was a phenomenon known as 'gravity.' I was completely blown away! Why did Jennifer not tell me about this?

*****

Our tour guide was a droulan accompanied by a male elf. Aside from the Devereux and Fairburn families, eight more people joined the tour. Gas lamps lit the pier at the peninsula as well as the path that led into the rainforest. Dressed in a simple dark and silver robe, the droulan's dark blue skin shimmered in the moonlight as she stood next to the elf to address us.

"My name is Chidma and this is Suvi, my assistant. We welcome all of you here, and I am pleased that you are all new faces."

Droulans also had the uncanny ability to never forget anything. Their brains worked at hyper-speed, which is why they easily found employment in accounts and finance.

"I must inform you that this peninsula is habitat not only to the scithera, but some wild animals as well. Do not be frightened. All will be well as long as you follow my and Suvi's words to the letter."

I grasped the need for Suvi's presence, since elves were essentially animal whisperers. Their understanding of animals was the core reason why they were herbivores.

We followed the guides onto the path into the rainforest, and light streamed in from lanterns secured in trees all around us. Chidman listed some facts about the peninsula and its inhabitants as we ascended a slope. The further we went, the darker it grew, with fewer lanterns around us. Aside from our voices was the loud chirping of crickets and other insects—thankfully, not mosquitoes.

Soon, we arrived at a bridge suspended between trees. The only source of light now was from four lanterns at each of the four posts of the bridge. Chidma and Suvi led the way onto the bridge while everyone followed, though with reluctance.

My reluctance was so high, I dared not press my foot against that death trap. It was dark, for heaven's sake! The trees obscured the moonlight, preventing it from reaching the depths below the bridge. From my view, it looked like the dark ominous depths of the abyss. Fate knows if I were to fall, gravity would let me. And I would die.

Blast, why did I agree to this in the first place!

Tristan turned from his less than secure position on the bridge of doom and looked at me questioningly. I did not wish to fall into cowardice in front of him lest he haunt me with mockery. I flinched when something brushed against the small of my back, but relaxed as Julian appeared beside me.

"It's alright, Mavis," he reassured me.

I stammered, "B-but gravity—"

He pursed his lips, holding back a smile. "You will not fall as long as I am here with you. I am extraordinarily fast, and extraordinarily strong, remember?"

I was comforted, choosing to trust him. Julian kept his hand on my back as I walked onto the bridge, trying not to dwell on its creaking and slight swaying—not to mention the unseen forces that would try to yank me down to the abyss.

In my focus of what was ahead of me, Tristan was glaring again. Was he upset that I had made it onto the bridge like the courageous warrior I definitely was?

I lifted my chin in pride, pretending that Julian's hand was not the only thing keeping my legs firm.

"As if a simple suspended bridge would trump me," I gloated to Tristan. "I will conquer gravity."

He arched eyebrow. "What?"

"It's time. Quiet and listen." Chidma's soft voice carried through the air. "Particularly up above and down below."

Something moved in the trees, directing our attention above. Awe struck me as the tree branches and tops of trees moved and bent, clearing a path for the moon to shine its effulgence upon us. There was no wind or breeze. The trees had moved of their own accord, commanded by unseen forces that from my understanding of Julian's explanations, were not gravity.

"And now, watch below," Chidma spoke again.

We all looked over the bridge, where small speckles of light appeared in different colours, and different areas. They seemed much closer to us than what I presumed could be the distance between the ground and the bridge.

The speckles grew larger, forming shapes—of leaves, of branches, of vines. My breath caught in my throat as the forest around me changed colour. The moonlight marked upon the leaves a silvery shine, before transforming each one into a bright fluorescent shade other than silver.

The buds on trees bloomed, blossoming into bright glowing flowers. It was like watching light from a thousand fireflies, or a thousand glowworms, only in different colours. They enlarged and stretched into a new shape of nature; one that was fluorescent.

The awe did not cease, as a plant grew before my very eyes. It sprouted from the ground in glowing colours of green, blue and orange sprinkled across its stem, leaves and branches. Buds blossomed into a glowing purple. This was nothing as I had seen when I was twelve years old. What I had seen back then was a single plant turned fluorescent by the moonlight. This...this was the growth of a scithera!

Murmurs and bewildered gasps echoed from the group as they took in the colourful sight, with more plants growing from the earth.

"The scithera only grow in spring," Chidma explained as I reached my hand out to touch a bright orange leaf with brown spots in front of me. "They do not grow as regular plants do, and must grow in their true form."

She led us across the bridge and down to the ground where the sithera flourished.

"Wow." I admired a glowing red flower. Its petals were large and hung low, reminding me of a banana peeling. A really big banana peeling, for this flower was the size of a watermelon.

"It's the size of a watermelon," Julian said from beside me.

I gasped, grinning at him. "That's what I said!"

The fluorescence of the flower was reflected on his face, bathing him in a dull red hue. He seemed amused. "I did not hear you."

"I thought greftyrs had incredible hearing?"

He smiled. "Not if your words remain within your mind."

I shrugged. "You got me there."

Julian regarded the gigantic red flower and said, "Did you know that if you plucked a scithera flower, it will still glow for the three nights with exposure to moonlight?"

"Really? I would love to take this melon-sized flower back home then!" I said and frowned. "I should probably ask Chidma first, though."

"I already did." From behind his back, he brought out a smaller flower the size of a daylily. The petals were shades of pale pink and lavender, fading into white. It was much more beautiful than the red one.

"It's so pretty," I cooed, taking it from him and admiring the unique colours, made even more captivating by the luminescence.

There was a small silence before he said, "Quite."

I looked up and found him staring right at me. I didn't know whether it was because of the contrasting colours against the darkness around us, but his pupils had dilated to such a large extent, they were just like a cat's in the night.

Author's note:

Wow. The big five-o. Big ups to me and you for getting this far in the story.

Thank you for reading😊 and don't forget to vote⭐️!