Chapter 489: Human Contact
The pale autumn light had faded away by the time Ashlynn, Heila and Ollie exited the longhouse. Smoke poured from the chimneys of every loghouse, filling the air with the faint scent of burning pine and the distant sound of large families gathering around the central hearth to begin their own evening meals.
High above, the brightest stars were just barely beginning to pierce their way through the soft, midnight blue sky, sending a momentary pang of loneliness through Ashlynn’s heart. After spending the entire summer apart, and most of fall as well, it felt like she’d only just returned to her lover’s side before they were forced to separate yet again.
This time it would be brief, only a few more days before she could gaze once again into Nyrielle’s glittering, midnight eyes, but every day they were apart felt longer than it should, and the nights they shared together felt far too brief.
"Heila," Ashlynn said, shaking off the feelings of loneliness that flowed from her separation from Nyrielle and focusing instead on the small and growing family around her. "Please light the way for us. Ollie," she said, holding out an arm to the would-be knight. "I’ll be relying on your support."
"Of course, my lady," Ollie said, taking Ashlynn’s arm while Hiela drew her wand and filled the area around them with dozens of softly glowing motes of silvery-green light, like lightning bugs at night, dancing slowly around them and illuminating their path toward the woods.
"How do you do that without even speaking?" Ollie asked while they walked. "I’ve learned a little bit of sorcery from Sir Thane and Sir Marcel, but if I don’t use words to focus, I can’t make anything come together."
"We use words, too, Ollie," Ashlynn said, giving his arm a gentle pat. "But what Heila just did isn’t very difficult. Not for a witch anyway," she added with a smile.
For the next several minutes, no one spoke as everyone sank into their own thoughts. The autumn air of the quiet mountain village was crisp and cool, but for Ashlynn, it resembled the warm, balmy summer nights of the Briar after spending so many days making the passage through the High Pass.
The cool, moist air soothed her battered and abused flesh and she could feel her body drinking in the energy of life as they slipped beneath the cover of gently swaying pine branches. More than the strength of life flowing through the air, however, she drank in the simple comfort of human touch as she walked alongside Ollie into the woods.