Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 103333 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103333 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
Elara gasped.
Dea smiled and reached out to give Elara’s arm a comforting pat. “Worry not, I speak freely only to you—one who is beginning to understand the forbidden world.”
Elara sipped her tea wanting to ask questions but was a bit fearful.
“Do not be afraid to question, for to do so is to gain knowledge. It is, after all, what an herb-scribe does,” Dea encouraged.
Elara nodded, an unexpected memory bringing a smile to her face. “My mum and da told me I asked too many questions when I was young though they never discouraged me from doing so.”
“Wise parents.”
Elara’s brow creased. “Sorcery, however, was something avoided, not discussed. Do you know why? And why was it forbidden?”
“There are many tales about why magic was banished. Some claim it was corruption. Others say it was betrayal. Still others whisper that magic itself turned on the crown. But one story is consistent. It is said that King Halric, Dravic’s grandfather, believed sorcery responsible for his son and his daughter-in-law’s deaths. Edric and his wife, Ravina, died within a day of each other when Dravic was a mere lad of eight years. Whatever truly happened, Halric blamed sorcery and when a king grieves, he looks for something to strike.”
“Grief can cause great pain.”
“Aye,” Dea agreed. “And that pain, that overwhelming sorrow, can cause rulers to seek revenge and impose foolish laws.” She took a sip of tea before she continued, leaving a moment of silence, of reflection, between them. “The forest is home to magic, older than kings, older than laws. Magic existed here long before men claimed themselves kings and claimed the land.”
Elara shook her head. “If magic is as powerful, as evil as the king believed… how could it ever be banished?”
Dea smiled. “Precisely, my dear. How could it ever be banished?” She pushed the plate of oatcakes toward Elara. “Have some. They were freshly made this morning. Tell me what news you bring. Did you speak with Feena?”
Elara understood talk of the king and sorcery was done, even if it left her with more questions than answers. But she knew it was meant for her to find out.
She explained what happened upon meeting Feena, but she did not share the part about seeing the ethereal healer, keeping the promise that she and Dar had agreed upon about keeping it between them.
“That is a difficult task you have taken on, and brave of you to seek the release of the healers. All healers will be forever grateful to you. And I am pleased you are wed properly to your husband. Hunter or not, he is a good man and will be a good husband. Be patient with him. He has known nothing but the hunt.”
“Which is what actually brought us here, a man, a foreigner, who it’s believed entered Driochmor.”
“Of his own accord?” Dea asked, surprised.
“From what we’ve been told.”
“People pass through here often, but I do not recall hearing of such a man, though if he asked questions about Driochmor none would mention it.” Dea frowned. “If the Hunters search for him that means it matters to the king.”
Elara did not know how much she should say, for such news that Driochmor could join with Drogath against Scotara could send fear and panic across the land.
“Have you seen anything that concerns this matter?” Dea asked.
That she could answer truthfully. “Nay, nothing so far.”
“Embrace your innate knowledge, for it will serve you well.”
Dea hurried to stand, surprising Elara.
“Now, with such a heavy task and possible war, it is not a time to get with child. Let me give you something to prevent you from conceiving until the time is right.”
Elara shook her. “I should have given thought to that.”
“Then you might want to wait to take what I give you until you are sure you aren’t already with child,” Dea advised.
Elara’s hand went instinctively to her stomach.
Empty.
“You know, don’t you?” Dea said softly.
“Aye,” Elara said. “Nothing has taken root.”
“Then let me get you what you need to make sure it remains that way until you decide otherwise.”
The next hour passed with talk of herbs, their properties, and how they could help the ill. It was a pleasant time, a time of normalcy, a time where tea and knowledge were shared and no worries loomed large.
When Elara slipped on her cloak to leave, Dea took hold of her arm. “That shimmer I saw around the last time you were here has grown stronger. There is more to you than you know. Be careful. Be very careful, Elara.”
Dea hugged her tight, and Elara felt as if the woman did so because she feared she would never see her again.
The thought sent a shiver through her, and she pulled her cloak tight around her as she went to make her way along the path to the inn, when she stopped and turned. The forest sat not far from Dea’s cottage and for some reason she had the strangest urge to go there. Seek solace. Or seek what?