True North [True North series book 1/3]

I looked at Aeloria, turning over the words of the prophecy she had recited in my head.

“Blood like the sky,” I repeated pensively, “does that mean blue blood? Royalty?”

Aeloria didn’t reply, but rolled her shoulders again.

“Are you in pain?” I asked, taking note of her stiff movements. Aeloria smiled joylessly.

“My joints were once supple and young, like yours,” she said, “many, many moons ago. I’m afraid the weight of the world has taken its toll on them.”

I looked at her, the epitome of floral beauty. She seemed to be nature, her arms like the branches of the trees at home, and her feet like the roots. But she didn’t sway in the wind, nimbly like the seedlings — she seemed worn and dry.

My eyes found the flowers in her crown of hair. I squinted as I recognized one of them — Waythorn. I had used it often to make ointments for the village kids, as it helped curb rashes and relieved itchiness. It was interesting how a plant that I considered to be a parasite —as it leeched nutrients from its host— had such strong healing powers.

Suddenly, an idea popped into my head. I walked closer to Aeloria, inspecting the Waythorn stems. They disappeared into the tight coils of her hair.

I reached out my hand. “May I—”

“Please,” Aeloria cut me off, bowing her head to me encouragingly.

I wrapped my fingers around the Waythorn stem and gently tugged it. “Does that hurt?” I asked quietly.

Aeloria shrugged. “Not more than usually,” she said.

“I’d like to try something,” I mumbled, and tugged a little harder. “Please let me know if I’m hurting you.”

Then, with a small snapping sound, the stem broke loose from Aeloria’s head. When I pulled my hand back, an entire vine that had apparently ran along the length of her entire body followed. Aeloria let out a loud sigh of relief.

“How does that feel?” I asked carefully. “Like an immense relief,” Aeloria sighed, rolling her shoulders, “I feel stripped of a burden I didn’t know I was carrying. Thank you, child.”

I relaxed my tense shoulders. “So, the prophecy,” I tried again, “I’m supposed to find a female royal, correct?”

Aeloria strode across the room, and halted beneath the open roof. She tilted her head toward the sky, and closed her eyes contently.

“Are there any?” I pressed, “female royals?”

Aeloria didn’t open her eyes before she spoke. “There are,” she said softly, and even her voice sounded more lively than before.

“Where would I find them?” I asked, growing slightly impatience with her lack of elaboration.

“Looks like you already have,” Aeloria said, gesturing to my wet garments. “Those are royal leathers.”

I furrowed my brows. “I was dressed by two females in a tent,” I said, “I hardly think they were royals.”

Aeloria turned around to face me. “Why?” she asked.

I shifted uncomfortably. “They lived in a tent,” I began, realizing I had nothing to back my assumption.

“So did Thoridor, did he not?” Aeloria said, a smile forming on her lips.

“They never introduced themselves as royalty,” I sputtered, feeling my cheeks grow warm with shame.

“Did the king?” Aeloria asked, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

“No,” I admitted, feeling more and more ignorant by the second.

“So there’s your female royal,” Aeloria said.

I sighed. “So that’s who the prophecy is about?” I asked, “one of the females from the tent?”

Aeloria rose her hands slightly, as if cupping a bowl in her hands. “If she fits the description, perhaps,” she said cryptically, “now, you must leave me alone, child, as I’m due to summon some sunlight.”

A small glimmer of golden light began to grow in the palms of her hands. My eyes grew wide at the sight.

“Leave,” Aeloria pressed, leaving no room for discussion. I reluctantly turned around and walked to the door.

“Thank you,” I said as I stepped over the threshold.

“Thank you,” Aeloria returned, and I had to shut the door to keep myself from getting blinded by the growing light in her hands.

I made my way down the dusty, winding stairs, and busted through the door and back into the corridor. I looked around confusedly, trying to figure out my next move. I dwelled the empty hallways for a while, until I happened upon some males, dressed in scalloped armor — like a fish’s scales. They lined either side of a closed door. I approached them carefully.

“Excuse me,” I stammered, “do you happen to know where I might find… Thoridor Kalendir?”

Only one of the males responded. “What is your business with the Prince?” he asked.

“I… he brought me here,” I tried, “and now I need to go back to the surface.”

The male’s eyes traveled up and down my body. I averted my eyes and crossed my arms in front of me, shifting uncomfortably. The male stepped out of the line, and took off his helmet.

His face took me off guard slightly. He had strong, straight, manly features, and as far as I could see, all of them looked human. His hair was a warm, golden tone, and framed his handsome face beautifully. He smiled cheekily at me, revealing deep smile lines down his cheeks. I swallowed and quickly tried to collect myself.

“Okay,” he said, “follow me.”

I looked at the other guards, but none of them had even moved a finger during the entire interaction so far.

“Come on then, human,” the male pressed, before knocking on the door he had been guarding.

“Thor!” he called through the still-closed door, “you have a visitor.”

I furrowed my brows. That seemed like an awfully casual way to address a Crown Prince.

“If it’s the human, she may enter,” Thoridor boomed back.

The blond guard smirked at me as he opened the door. I don’t know entirely what I had expected to find beyond the door, but this wasn’t it. The room was smaller than Thoridor’s echoing voice had made it seem like, and less formal too.

I had halfway expected him to be on a throne, holding a scepter of some sort. But Thoridor was in a plush, velvet-lined chair, with his feet up on an ornate ottoman, by a fire.

“You made it back out,” Thoridor stated, trailing his eyes up and down my body.

I raised an eyebrow. “Was I not supposed to?” I asked.

“It’s been a long time since someone went to see Aeloria and came back to tell anyone about it,” Thoridor said casually.