Page 23 of A Balm of Healing
Wanting to hold onto the hope for his future, he slipped the ring into his pocket and returned to the front room where the breakfast sat on the table. He started to reach for the muffin when his hand froze, and ice jolted through his blood.
The pantry was full, as Gweneth had gone to the market two days ago. And unless she was spending the wage he gave her despite her insistence that she didn’t want it…
He shot upright fast enough for him to wince as the sudden movement tugged on the muscles in his legs. Today was the day Calle was to leave for Heulwen, the last day for Gweneth to change her mind about accepting the job as a High Healer.
Gweneth wasn’t going to the market.
She was going to turn down her dream job.
For him.
“No!” he hissed as he stumbled toward the door and threw it open. He didn’t stop to grab a coat or shoes, but rather rushed outside with only a pair of socks to protect him from the frozen ground. His legs trembled with the effort of keeping himself upright, even with a walking stick in each hand. But panic drove him forward, a desperation to keep her from making the biggest mistake of her life.
After a rickety journey down the stone steps and a wobbly trek on the frozen dirt road, he realized he couldn’t get to his daughter’s house without either falling flat on his face partway there or not making it in time before the deed was done.
His gaze traveled up the tree near his home, to the tall boughs bereft of leaves.
At one time in his life, he’d flown from tree to tree with the strength of his legs and the use of his magic. But the trees in Attleglade were larger with thicker branches, and his magic hadn’t felt quite so new.
Determination slammed into him as he threw his walking sticks to the ground, and they clattered against the road. Whereas his muscles needed time to gain strength, his magic was like an innate part of him to create and mold as he desired. When he asked, it eagerly obeyed.
He reached inside his well of magic to find it full rather than dwindling into the quiet unknown. And with the faith of his youth, he commanded it.
A tree branch shot toward him in a limber movement and wrapped around his waist. His head nearly snapped back with whiplash as the branch pulled him into its boughs as if hugging him like a long-lost friend.
When it stilled, his feet struggled to find purchase against slippery bark, and he grasped wildly for branches around him to steady himself.
He blew out a long, frosty breath. It had been a very long time since he’d connected with his element. He needed to let go and let his instinctual magic do the work. Because if he allowed fear to take over, he would not succeed.
He forced himself to glance down at the ground far below and assess the distance of the potential fall. He assessed. And then he accepted. If he made a mistake, he could fall and injure or kill himself. But he was a Forest Fae. Sprinting through the treetops and even falling safely was pounded into them nearly since birth.
Clenching his teeth, his brows furrowed as he commanded the tree to lift him higher. And after only a moment’s pause, he ordered it to throw him.
Cool wind whipped against his face, grabbing his hair and clothing as he soared through the air. Branches parted for him to avoid scratching him before the next tree caught him smoothly around the waist.
If only his legs were strong, this wouldn’t be as difficult.
Not giving himself time to back out, he launched himself again and again until he soared fluidly through the air as if he were born with wings. One after the other, trees caught him and launched him across Ebriel.
When one of the trees proved to be too far, he cried out in alarm and squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for a rough impact. But it never came when a tree branch snatched him from the air and cradled him within its boughs as if he were a baby.
A trembling breath left his lips as he commanded the tree to lift him higher, and it tossed him into Joel’s and Nyana’s apple orchard.
The trees were much closer together this time, allowing him to use his arms instead of relying purely on the willingness and strength of the boughs. He swung from tree to tree with help here and there. And when he spotted a familiar figure walking down the road, his breath hitched as he moved faster, with more purpose.
Branches groaned as he neared, which must have alerted Gweneth to his presence. She glanced up right as he dropped down from the tree nearest her, a branch wrapped around his waist to help keep him steady.
The shock in her eyes slowly melted into guilt hunched into her shoulders. She was on her waytowardthe house and notawayfrom it. He wasn’t too late.
“Don’t. You. Dare!” he thundered with heaving breaths. “I will not allow you to throw away this opportunity.”
She held her hands to her heart, devastation hiding behind the spectacles over her eyes. “I love you, Emeric Dalena,” she said in a raspy, fervent tone. “More than my career. I will gladly give this up to stay with you.”
Shock coursed through him as he stared back at her. They had known each other for weeks now, lived under the same roof, shared laughter, meals, and kisses. She was in every essence one of the most incredible women he’d ever met, and his heart sang a duet with her soul. But hearing the words from her mouth took him aback. Because for so long, he’d resigned himself to a lonely existence. To live as the shell of a man he used to be, only to disappear into the cold finality of death alone.
But love?
He’d felt so worthless for so long, and he never thought he’d hear the words from someone other than his family again.
