Page 13

The walk to the tavern is fortunately uneventful.

In the woods, just beyond the boundaries of Aurelius, the spirits are screaming and moaning into the night.

Their nightly wails used to bother me, but I’ve grown quite accustomed to them over the years.

I hear their screams as a plea to be set free, but there is not a soul who can undo what the Drakhul has wrought on Malvoria.

No one really knows or understands how the Drakhul is at the command of King Tiernan, nor why it poisons everything that comes into contact with it.

On more rare occasions, one of the creatures will venture into the village and wreak havoc on the constituents of the tavern or late night shops, but the last incident was months ago… thank Siorai.

As we walk closer to the tavern, the dark streets are riddled with silhouetted soldiers in their black armor.

We keep our heads down so as not to draw their attention.

When we reach the entrance to the tavern, I am stunned by how different it looks in the evening.

It is a rather large, yet quaint, wooden building with a thatched roof and several large windows on the front.

Soft pale light floats through the glass, inviting us to come in from the caliginous night.

Soft folk music floats through the air from within the establishment.

The beautiful melody is performed on a fiddle, flute, and cello.

The tavern also adorns an outdoor sitting area with chairs and long benches as twinkling lights shimmer from above.

It reminds me of the stars in the night sky that I love to gaze upon so often.

At one of the long outdoor benches, a group of four is seated, laughing and talking over tankards of ale.

From what I can make out through the thinning mist, there are at least two females and two males.

Once we are within viewing distance, one of the women looks up and waves enthusiastically in our direction.

“Hey Cara! We are over here,” she shouts.

In unison, the other three turn at our arrival and wave.

Now that we’re closer to the group, I can make out more of their features under the soft glow of the lights.

The man sitting on the far side of the bench appears to be tall with soft features and blonde hair that falls to his shoulders.

The woman to his left—the one that waved us over—has short-cropped black hair, olive skin, and piercing onyx eyes.

The woman across from her has medium-length, pale blonde hair, and icy blue eyes.

The last of the companions, the other man, has deep chestnut hair that’s styled well, olive skin, and onyx eyes, similar to the first woman.

“Everyone, this is my sister and best friend, Maeva,” Cara says, introducing me.

The group smiles, sharing their hellos. The first woman rounds the table, wrapping me in one of the tightest embraces I’ve ever experienced. “It is SO good to finally meet you! Cara has told us so much about you. I feel like we are friends already,” she says excitedly.

“It is very lovely to meet you too, “ I say quietly.

I’m not sure what else to say to this peppy woman. She’s looking at me, expecting me to know who she is, but honestly, I’ve only known that Cara had friends—not their names. I give Cara a sideways glance, and she immediately understands what I am asking her to do.

“Oh, where are my manners? Maeva, these are my friends. Aria (the one with the black hair), Cormac (the blonde-headed man), Enid (the blonde woman), and this is Gawain,” she says, sitting by the chestnut-brown-haired man.

He nods his head with a slightly tilted smile. He’s quite handsome. His appearance is constructed of sharp lines and strong muscles, with a lone dimple on his chin. As I continue to gawk at him, his smile widens into a dazzling grin, as if he finds my befuddlement amusing.

Holy Siorai, he is handsome.

I’ve never courted a boy, nor have I been interested in anyone. Yet, as I stare at this man, a slight fluttering sensation occurs in my stomach. That is until Cara intertwines her hand in his and lightly pecks him on the cheek.

“Maeva appears to be awestruck by you, Gawain,” Aria teases.

It’s only then that I realize I’m still staring at the splendid man in front of me. Blushing, I quickly round the table to sit by Aria. They’ve already ordered a round of ale for the both of us, as well as appetizers. I take a gulp of ale before speaking.

“I must apologize for being so rude. I am sure Cara has told you all that I am not much for socializing,” I say softly.

“She’s mentioned you are a bit of a recluse,” Enid teases. “Don’t worry, after a night out with us, you won’t feel that way anymore.”

“Here, here,” Gawain toasts—in the most surprisingly high-pitched voice I’ve ever heard.

Well, that is unexpected.

I bite my lip to keep a laugh from bubbling out.

I quickly take another large gulp of ale.

This beautiful man should have a voice that reverberates through a cave, making the creatures within fearful; the kind that angels write minstrels about.

Instead, it sounds more like a creaking door or a squeaky mouse.

There is nothing wrong with his voice, but it was not what I was expecting from a man of his… caliber .

“Gawain suffered a throat injury in his adolescence, which damaged his vocal chords. That’s the reason his voice is quite… peculiar,” Aria whispers in my ear.

My cheeks heat.

It’s as if she read my thoughts.

“I apologize,” I whisper. “ I don’t mean to be ill-mannered. It’s just not?—”

“What were you expecting from him?” she asks, cutting me off.

I nod.

“Don’t feel bad,” Aria says with a shrug. “He’s used to it by now, and it doesn’t bother him when others mention it. He came to terms with it a long time ago.”

“You two must be very close if you know him so well,” I retort.

I wince as soon as the words leave my mouth. I made it sound more like an accusation than a statement. Try as I might, my tone of voice sounds abrasive to those who do not know me or my intentions well. It’s caused me to get into quite a few tussles as a teenager.

Aria smiles, like she didn’t notice the brazenness in my tone.

“Yes, we are quite close, since he is my older brother,” she says with fondness.

“We grew up in poverty, and our parents left much to be desired. So, we often relied on one another to keep our family afloat.” She nods her head to the left.

“Cormac was our neighbor growing up and my brother’s closest friend.

Well, at least until your sister came along last year and melted his heart. ”

Gawain and Cara’s heads are bent close together as she laughs at something he said.

Gawain angles his face to admire her more fully and presses a soft kiss to her forehead.

She looks so happy at this moment. This is all I could’ve hoped for my sister—to find a good man to love and eventually make a home with him.

It seems she is pretty close to that, and seeing her joyful is better than any ability I could ever hope to gain today.

Cara notices me and smiles brightly in my direction before lifting her tankard and clearing her throat.

“Let’s toast,” she says proudly. “To Maeva. She conquered her fears by coming here this evening, and trusting me to plan this little gathering on her behalf. Maeva, may Siorai bless you with a long life and more days to celebrate. Happy Birthday, my dear sister.”

“Happy Birthday,” the group choruses, clinking their tankards together.