The elves stepped into the water and rested the raft carefully on the surface. As instructed, I stepped toward Danst then placed my hands at the foot of the raft. Before pushing him off, I said, “Whatever waits for you at the other end of this river, know that until we meet again, you have always been my closest friend. You were the only real family I’d ever had. Until the end, I love you.”
A hot tear fell down my cheek. I gently pushed the raft into the current that pulled it along the river’s length and waited until the fading light made it too difficult to make out his shape before walking out of the water.
Chapter 23
Distraction
We decided to wait until morning before heading back to our own home. The night was spent with roars and grumbles of angry voices demanding to know Jiren’s next move. Apparently, Tobias had been right. Between him, me, and Marren, Jiren sustained enough damage that he retreated to regain his strength. You can’t kill energy, but you certainly can damage it. Marren maintained that he would find a way to destroy him, but at that moment, Jiren was probably deep into hiding, licking his wounds. We’d only won the first battle.
I couldn’t handle the conversation anymore. If I didn’t leave, I would loose my mind completely and seek Jiren out myself. Despite how incredibly flawed my reasoning was, I left the elves home to stand in the field, cleaned of the bodies but still stained with the evidence of battle. Some of the trees from the cluster that hid me had been cut down to serve as kindling for the mound of dead ready to be burned. A chill crept up from the small of my back to the nape of my neck, forcing a violent shudder from me. The moon, high in the sky, did nothing for the image in the field except enhance the malevolence and deepen the shadows and reminded me of the forest of the dead. Only the life of the trees here still glowed.
Don’t run off too far without someone with you, Marren’s voice filled my mind and made me grateful that night was only a memory—due to fade soon enough.
I’m right outside. The talk of another battle leaves a bitter flavor in my mouth, I said.
I’ll be out to join you soon.
No, stay. They need you.
But I need you, he said.
We have forever, Marren. We’ll be home tomorrow. Just one more day.
I took my time walking through the grass, careful to not get too far from the trees. I needed some distance. Some quiet. Some alone time to gather my thoughts. So much happened in the past few weeks. So much in the past few days. Who would’ve thought the weight of the world was such a heavy burden to bear?
Flutters and flips filled my lower abdomen, much stronger and quicker than before. I gazed down and found myself surprised by the bulge that wasn’t previously noticeable.
Emotions overwhelmed me.
Uwoduhi, are you alright?
I jumped at Marren’s words in my head. I’m fine, Marren. Just delighting in the way our child moves.
I sensed something, more than I had from him before. Pride? Awe? Immense joy? Maybe all of them.
I stood in the middle of the field, stomach bared in the moonlight and my hands over the small, yet visible bump. I sucked in a breath as the movements were not only inside me but on my hands as well—barely noticeable.
The sound of crunching grass behind me drew my attention to Marren. I peered at him quizzically, finding expectant eyes returning my gaze. I smiled at him and reached my hand out. He gave me his, allowing me to pull him to me, placing it over the bump. The movement happened again.
“Amazing!” Marren’s voice was full of fascination.
“That’s what I thought.” I smiled.
“So strong!”
I nodded.
He swept me into his arms so fast I could barely breathe. His lips found mine, creating a hunger in me that I understood wouldn’t be fulfilled, but that didn’t matter. I would deal with the hunger as long as I could still kiss him. He pulled away from me, before my desire for him completely took control over me, and placed both hands on my belly. He dropped to his knees and placed a soft kiss over the spot where the most movement was.
At least the night ended better than it started.
***
The trip home was exhaustingly long. I was tired, worn, and coming down from all of the events that happened as of late and dealing with Marren’s nightmares. I tried to get him to talk about them, but he refused, even though I sensed how it affected him. Whatever it was, if it scared Marren, it scared me, too.
The moisture in the air clung to my skin, chilling me each time the wind picked up. The sky grew darker from the deepening clouds in the distance. We would be blessed if we arrived before the storm hit. Everyone was in a somber mood; the last thing we needed was to be damp and cold along with miserable. Not a good combination for traveling.