{-Rhenei-}
She’d already been piecing it together, but to have it all laid out meant something else completely. Kalleira had died after an attempt to run away from home. Then, around the time Rhenei was born, she was assigned as her spirit by the Strings. It made sense yet, at the same time, it was a hard truth to accept. After thinking about it all the way back to Calum’s place, she decided she didn’t want to consider it any longer.
When they got back, Calum brought them both to the church in town. They answered odd questions until the nun in charge and he had a hushed conversation away from them. When he returned, he announced that their plan was almost guaranteed to work; the church had sent questions to Rhenei’s parents and it was only a matter of time before they decided she was better left in someone else’s care.
Then came the next morning and it was time for Farrar to leave.
“Make sure to be careful on your way back,” Calum remarked, handing him some food that had been prepared earlier. “You’ll be traveling on your own the whole way, right?”
Farrar shrugged. “Trust me, I can handle a couple of thieves who think they’ve found an easy target. I know what I’m doing.” He glanced at Rhenei. “You make sure to stay safe too, alright? Learn about the world and how it works while you’re with Calum. You’ll be grateful for those hard truths later, if you decide to travel.”
She nodded. “I’ll make sure I know everything I can!”
“You’ll have me with you anyway,” Kalleira mumbled. “Between the two of us, we should be able to handle ourselves.”
He smirked. “And, hey, if you’re ever around Hyasari, you know where to find me. I doubt you’ll need to worry about your parents.”
“Speaking of parents, are you sure you’re ready to head back?” Calum asked. “I didn’t get a very good impression of your dad from that letter. As the adult in this situation, I wouldn’t mind keeping you with me, too.”
“Eh, it’ll be fine. He’ll yell at me a little, pretend to really care, realize I’m not listening, and give up. Maybe this will be the thing that gets him to leave, since he knows that I’m not going anywhere.” Farrar chuckled at the thought of it. He took a step out the door. “Well, I’ve got a lot of traveling ahead of me. Better get started before it gets too late.”
“Thank you,” Rhenei blurted, afraid he might get too far before she could say it. “For everything you did for the two of us. You didn’t need to do any of that, yet you still did…”
“Hey, don’t worry about it. It’s not a problem—I liked the time away from home. Just remember to tell me what you decide to do when the time comes, okay? I might even be able to help you out a little.”
She managed a smile too, waving as he walked away. Then she wasn’t quite sure what to do after watching him disappear, until she felt a hand on her shoulder.
“Are you interested in learning some magic?” Calum asked with a grin, somehow already having some paper, ink, and brushes on his lap. “My parents are supposed to come over later today so they can meet you, but I’ve got plenty of free time until then.”
“You can do that?” The offer made her remember that these next few years weren’t going to be spent guideless, or that she’d be lonely. Maybe with the skills she learned here, she’d be able to figure out what she wanted to do when it came time to leave.
“I might not be the best of teachers, but I’ll definitely try. Come and sit over there. I know it’s technically jumping around a little, but I’d like to show you how to spell a bird first.”
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Will I… even be able to do it? I’ve never done anything with magic before…”
“If you’re a child of Fleyw Bresh, which I’d be surprised if you weren’t, you’ve got some kind of potential in you. We’ve just got to figure out where that potential lies. And you don’t have to worry—spelling a bird is practically one of the easiest things you can do with magic. I hear even the Seothians are doing it nowadays.”
…
The chill breeze seemed to announce the coming autumn, more so than the changing leaves or the families busy preparing for the harvest. Rhenei waved to her neighbor before fumbling with the lock on her house. It was a lot harder than it seemed to keep the heavy bag from slipping off her shoulder.
Kalleira was sitting at the nearby table inside, waiting to greet her the moment she opened the door. “Rhenei! Was your day good? You forgot to bring your lunch with you, did one of the other ladies share?”
Rhenei chuckled, closing the door behind her and carefully setting the bag on another chair. “Yeah, they were all nice enough to give me something. Almost more than I could eat. You’ve got to remind me to bring the extra fruit tomorrow, alright? It’s too much for just me anyway and I owe them something.” She wandered around the small home, putting everything back where it was supposed to be. “You said you were going to try to visit your family while I was gone, right? I guess it must’ve worked if you didn’t follow behind me, so how did it go?”
“Vriuh was able to help me find them. They’re actually surprisingly nice! Vriuh, not my parents. My parents were… not exactly nice, but they weren’t mean, either. I think we’ll be able to get along eventually, though, once we spend some more time together.”
“Do you think there’s a reason you’re only just now able to visit the underworld? You couldn’t do it when you first realized that you were a spirit…”
“I asked Vriuh about it and they said something about me coming to terms with it? I accepted that that’s what I was and I showed an interest in seeing it. They mentioned that dead kids usually weren’t supposed to remember how they died. That probably has something to do with it, too…”
“Well, it’s good that you were able to see them, no matter how you could.”
“What about you? Was work okay, aside from forgetting your lunch?”
“Hold that thought. There’s something else I want to do before I forget.” As she said it, Rhenei pulled out paper and a quill and sat it on the table. It took her a little longer to find the ink, but with it all together, she sat back down.
Kalleira got up, though, to see what she’d soon be writing. “Oh, you’re ready to write to Calum? Are you sure?”
Rhenei grew a small smile. “I’m ready. I finally feel like I know where I want to be.”
Then she started writing down all the words she’d spent the entire day thinking of; she imagined his expression as he read it. She wondered if he’d be as happy as she was, or maybe even proud.
‘Dear Calum,
I have done a lot since the last time I wrote to you. Before I had told you I found the town I thought I wanted to stay at, but I decided I was not going to send you a letter again until I was sure of it. And now I know that this is where I want to stay.
They were welcoming from the start and I met those friends you talked to me about. I just had to talk with the church here and they were able to let me stay at an empty house. It needs a lot of work—I think that is why no one was living in it before—but I am willing to make it better. They are all still doing a lot for me. To be honest, I am a little afraid I will not be able to repay all of their kindness.
Oh, that is not even the best part! Guess what I was able to do! On my first week here, I helped some of the ladies at the church when one of them did not come in. I just figured I would be watching over some kids, but it was better! I helped teach them magic. Next thing I know, the priest is coming up to me asking if I would like to work there! All of the ladies are super nice. I cannot help a lot, since I only know what you taught me, but the priest also said he could get someone to teach me more. I do not know how far I could go in a small town like this, but I am excited anyway!
Kalleira’s been doing good, too, of course! She’s been able to visit the underworld and talk with her parents. She says they might have a chance of getting along. But at least she won’t be bored while I am at work.
How about you? Are your parents doing okay? Sorry it took me so long. I guess I was just afraid that I had not really found the happily ever after that I was hoping for.
Thank you for everything you have done to help me. I never would have gotten this far without you.
-Rhenei’