Chapter 66

Sylvi

The cold wind howled between the low buildings of Tangeriin as I sat with my friends around the warm stove inside our hut, yet I still shivered as it brought back memories of the snowy winter pass we had crossed a few days ago.

Cat put her arm around me, and her wet hair fell on my shoulder. It had grown long since we met for the first time, and I hoped she would let me braid it one day.

“It's okay, we are safe,” she said quietly.

I tried to smile. I still felt weak, and my light had almost gone out, but despite all the hardships we faced, it hadn’t fully vanished. I made a difference, I told myself. No matter how small it seemed to be, I felt I made a difference for those that I shared my light with.

I smiled and glanced at Aicha and Kim, standing next to the stove, preparing dinner for us. It was so nice to have warm food and a roof over our heads, and I was deeply grateful to the Daiqinds for their generous gifts. We had enough food to last us the rest of the winter and were welcomed to stay among them for as long as we wished.

I still remember meeting their elders, stern-looking men and women, sitting around an open fire in a long, tall building that stood at the centre of the town. They had looked so different from everything I knew, but somehow, despite it, I felt a strange kinship with them that I’d never felt anywhere else since I left the forest.

Was this our home now? Were we supposed to stay here? I didn't know. The visions from the forest had faded since I entered Xoid Nuutar, and I couldn't bring myself to sing even if I finally felt at peace.

We had stayed inside most of the time, resting and recovering after the hardships we had endured on our travels, and only Zamir and his family visited us from time to time, checking on us and sharing songs and tales from their land.

All of us except Sara, that is. After we had entered the town and received the Harads’ blessing, we were more than happy to rest, but she had stayed with them for a long time and only came back late at night. Since then, she had left early every day when the cold sun had barely risen above the horizon and come back late if she did come back at all.

I saw her speaking with Cat on a few occasions, but Cat never shared what they talked about. I felt Sara didn’t want to burden us with her plans, as she deeply regretted putting us in danger so many times before.

Her heart still bled inside of her, and I hadn’t had the strength back then to fully heal her, but her eyes had changed, and in place of the dancing fire was a soft glaze mixed with sadness. She had changed so much since we met, but I could say the same about the others, and I was happy to have them by my side when the cold wind howled through the night, bringing snow and ice from the tall mountains that sheltered us from the Queen’s reach.