In the event you like music whilst you’re studying, strive “Into the Sea (It is Gonna Be Okay)” by Tasha Layton. It is the PERFECT soundtrack to the remainder of the chapters right here! (Thanks, reader Raichyl / PBMamaRae for the suggestion!)

*****

RETH

Reth opened his eyes to search out the gorgeous, clear blue sky arching excessive overhead, fluffy clouds chasing one another in a lightweight breeze that additionally rustled leaves in close by timber.

He blinked.

One deep breath revealed that he was not in WildWood. This place was stunning and the air crisply clear, however the scents have been improper. Although he acknowledged sure timber and flowers, there was… extra. One thing that made him smile.

Sitting up rapidly, he appeared round. The solar was low within the sky, slowly dropping in the direction of distant, unfamiliar mountains that have been turned purple by the late afternoon solar. He’d been laying on a mattress of lush grass. Behind him the shadows of unfamiliar timber stretched in the direction of him, their branches thick and inexperienced with the type of development that informed him spring was turning into summer season.

Crickets have been starting to sing—and joined by trilling birds whose pleasant songs have been so various, he could not decide them out.

He inhaled deeply once more and smiled, lastly understanding the place he was.

This place smelled wonderful.

“You made it.” The deep voice, wealthy and powerful, so heat it made Reth’s chest broaden, was simply heard over the push of the breeze, and the wildlife tune.

Reth jumped to his ft and whirled.

A male—he appeared human—stood a couple of ft away, his eyes vibrant and welcoming, smile traces framing his mouth. His beard and hair have been thick and shining like Reth’s had been when he was younger, and but the person carried with him the load and knowledge of age. He wore lengthy robes of probably the most luxurious silk—but they have been mild, fluttering within the slightest breeze. He had a sash over his shoulder that appeared spun from pure gold. And there was hearth in his eyes. The type of hearth that made Reth totally sure that he by no means, ever needed to be the enemy of this man.

The person’s face was unlined, but heavy with maturity. He defied any age. He moved nimbly as he stepped ahead, his smile rising.

Reth’s complete being responded to His presence, and with a cry of pleasure, he dropped to his knee, clasping one arm to his chest and dropping his head low—the humblest type of submission save crawling on his stomach…

Reth blew out a breath and started to drop, however the man rushed ahead, laughing.

“No! No! Rise up! Rise up! You made it. And I am so glad you are lastly right here.” He threw his arms round Reth’s shoulders, pulling him into the tightest embrace, one hand clutching the again of Reth’s neck, trembling with emotion. “You have been so good. So trustworthy. Effectively accomplished, my Son. Very, very nicely accomplished.”

Reth clung to the person, his chest swelling with gratitude and pleasure, his physique shivering with pure satisfaction. As if the phrases fed his soul.

Once they pulled aside, simply far sufficient to satisfy eyes, Reth’s mouth dropped open and he clung to the person’s arms. He ought to have been crying—the fun that fizzed in his chest was so full, he ought to have been weeping in a ball. But all he felt was sheer pleasure.

“You are right here,” Reth breathed. “Creator, you are right here?!”

The person put a hand to his jaw and leaned down, beaming, to carry his gaze. “No, Reth… You are right here. Lastly. Now we by no means should be parted once more.”

*****

Because the solar slowly dipped in the direction of the horizon, turning the sky each blazing shade of the rainbow, Reth walked alongside the Creator on a dust path that wound by the grasses and in the direction of a distant forest that squatted on the foothills of the mountains.

In every single place he turned he noticed magnificence. The whole lot he touched was vibrant and… wholesome.

They handed a small grove of orange timber, and Reth reached as much as decide one, Tearing it open he discovered the fruit inside thick and juicy, and so splendidly candy.

“Good selection,” the Creator chuckled, holding out a hand to obtain a bit, then popping it into his mouth. “They’ve at all times been one in all my favorites.”

Reth strode alongside him, unaccustomed to feeling small subsequent to anybody, but he was reminded of the times of his childhood, earlier than the conflict, when he and his father had time to hunt and journey. When there have been no royal duties urgent, however his father was the largest, strongest male alive.

Reth had by no means felt safer, or happier. By no means extra content material.

He appeared down at his arms and his physique and shook his head. He nonetheless appeared like himself however… more healthy. His pores and skin the burnished bronze of time spent within the solar. His hair darkish and shining.

And nothing ached, he thought with a chuckle.

“Attempt it out, I feel you may prefer it,” the Creator mentioned with a smug smile.

“Attempt… my physique?”

“Take a look at it. See what you suppose.”

Reth checked out him a second, then shrugged and began to run.

The next minutes have been probably the most enjoyable he’d had in years—leaping boulders, working up tree trunks to know the tall branches and swing from them with just one hand. His chest by no means ached, his coronary heart by no means jumped. Irrespective of how he pressed, he by no means grew drained. His muscular tissues by no means started that warning sting that the sting of his energy was approaching.

He let go of the tree he was hanging from to land on the grass subsequent to the Creator, then sprinted ahead, working as quick as his legs may carry him. “I can not anticipate Behryn to reach!” he known as over his shoulder. “I will lastly have the ability to beat him!”

“I would not wager on it,” the Creator laughed. “My noble son is presented. When he finds his approach right here he’ll nonetheless be himself, solely higher—and he was made to be sufficient to maintain you humble.”

“Behryn’s coming!?” Reth slid to a halt, turning to search out the Creator, nonetheless strolling calmly, but straight behind him.

The Creator got here to a cease subsequent to him, his eyes calm and heat, and he smiled.

“Not simply Behryn,” he mentioned, his voice low and conspiratorial as in the event that they shared a secret.

Reth’s new, sturdy coronary heart leaped in his chest.