Page 56 of Enchanted Crown
“What?”
“I saw three birds in the forest. Just now.”
My mind was working in overdrive, trying to piece together what she was getting at. “And there haven’t been before our arrival?”
“No,” she gasped. “I have been trying and trying to heal that forest. I have worked myself exhausted so many days.” She took a shaky breath. “But all I ever got the forest to do was heal and have bugs. No critters. No creatures other than the wolves themselves.”
“And you think it has to do with Esta and my bonding?”
She nodded, smiling and wiping at her tears. “Don’t you get it?The forest won’t return to what it once was until we undo everything your father did.”
I considered her words. “But we haven’t healed all of Dra Skor yet.”
“No,” Malachi said gently. “But you brought our queen here. Safely. And bonded to her here. Dra Skor is well on its way to being healed, even if the job isn’t finished yet.”
I ran a hand across my forehead. The rules of that forest just didn’t make sense. And yet at the same time, they kind of did. Every time I sat and thought about all the happenings in that forest, the forest somehow beingsentient, it gave me chills.
“Thank you, Keir,” Jorah said just before rushing to me for a hug. “Thank you for bringing the birds back. For working so hard to heal Dra Skor.”
“Thankyou. For caring about the forest when no one else did. For working to heal Wylan. It’s been a team effort all along.”
She turned and checked on Esta. “Still nothing?”
I dipped my head toward a shoulder. “Actually, she woke once and was able to use our Enchantment one time before passing back out.”
Jorah’s eyes went wide. “What? That’s truly amazing. What form does her magic take? What color?”
“It went too fast to note, but a blueish purple,” I told her.
Jorah smiled. “Just like her scales.”
“She’s going to need your help when she wakes up next.”
Jorah put up a hand. “I have cleared my schedule. Just in case.”
“The schedule of a queen is not easy to clear,” I laughed.
Jorah shrugged. “What is the use in being queen if I cannot clear my own damn schedule when there are soul bondings and birds to celebrate?” She beamed over at Malachi. “I would wish the two of you a good afternoon, but neither of you will have as great a day as I am having. There. Are. Birds.”
Malachi chuckled and offered, “If you would like for me to goflying later, to see what I can find, or scare them into making themselves known, just let me know.” He paused. “I could take you for a ride as well.”
She sucked in a breath. “I couldn’t ask that of you, Malachi. This is not your concern.”
“I need to shift soon anyway. Stretch my wings. And I am beginning to see that we are all far more connected than we ever thought to consider.”
Her head cocked and her face went inquisitive for a moment, deep in thought.
“What?” I asked.
She directed the question at Malachi. “If I chuck Keir off this balcony right now, would it somehow trigger him into shifting?”
Malachi looked to me, eyes full of mischief. “Is she strong enough to do so?”
“I—” I stopped to laugh. “Well, yes. She haschuckedme before. So yes, she is.”
Malachi gave a deep, hearty laugh as he looked back to Jorah. “It might if he were not already Enchanted to begin with. As it stands, I think we just have to wait it out. There is the possibility he doesn’t have any of Dra Skor’s Enchantment and only transferred some of his to Esta.”
“But you don’t really believe that?” Jorah asked. She’d always been far too good at reading people. Did the perceptiveness go hand-in-hand with her Iron Will?
