Page 76

Chapter 76

Rev

Saelyn was ten and her paternal parentage was clear. She looked so much like me, I often wondered if this was what my mother had looked like as a child. Black hair, skin that tanned easily in the summer sun, eyes so blue they mimicked the depth of the sea.

That summer, Saelyn argued her way to my side every second she wasn’t already off riding lumens with Thevin . Or receiving formal dance lessons from Mychael and Pompeii , who had apparently been hiding their talents all these years.

Saelyn , Thevin , and I were at the muddy lake where I was teaching them all I knew about mudfishing. They hadn’t caught anything yet, but had made a game of it, each of them challenging the other to see who could catch a fish first.

Saelyn won when she pulled a copper tail from the mucky bottom, cradling the scaly beast in her arms, though it was no bigger than Moira .

“ Ha !” she exclaimed, sticking her tongue out at Thevin who only smiled, his single dimple appearing on his cheek. “ I caught the first fish! Now you have to kiss it!”

My chest heaved in laughter and Thevin called, “ I’m not kissing that slimy thing! You kiss it!”

“ I caught it!” she returned, “ The hard part’s over, now someone’s gotta kiss it!” She made kissing noises, holding onto it tightly as she raced closer to Thevin .

“ Gross !” he shouted, splashing her with the muddy water.

The fish slipped out of her arms, disappearing under the surface in a ripple.

She splashed him back, laughing and calling, “ You owe me a fish, Thevin !”

He wiped his eyes, replying, “ I can catch you a bigger fish than that anyway!”

I mucked through the water back to the shore, sitting on the muddy bank, letting the children of Felgren be just that—children.

Saelyn giggled again as Thevin reached down as I had taught him, though the water spilled over his shoulders and would make the pull more difficult. Soon enough, he did what he’d promised, yanking a fish half his size up over the surface by its mouth.

Saelyn squealed in excitement before the mudcopper flounced its body into the air, smacking Thevin in the face and knocking him below the surface. I rushed into the lake, but Saelyn was already there, pulling him up, helping him wipe mud from his eyes and laughing so hard, she held her chest.

He just smiled at her and shrugged. “ Told you I’d catch the biggest fish.”