When The Heart Sings

Chapter 51

Serena's POV:

The blossoms perfumed the air, subtle, but impossible to ignore. Most of the ones I kept were the types that should bloom all year long in good conditions. I had never really had a chance to organize a flowerbed with plants of my own choosing, and I was delighted with the outcome.

I leaned my head against Darien's chest as his arm was draped over my shoulders. He hadn't let me do any of the digging or lifting, merely asking me where I wanted each plant. My heart swelled with his love and how much he humored me. "Thank you."

He kissed my forehead, "Anytime."

I failed to see what I did in life to be so lucky as to find someone like Darien. He was like a dream and I was almost scared to wake up from it. I didn't think it was a dream though, my mind would not have been able to come up with half of the things I had seen the last week, nor would I have been able to come up with the Dranek.

That reminded me of why they were even on this planet to begin with. A forest was a far cry from this tiny piece of dirt that held roughly thirty plants, but I still wanted to see what I could do to help. It was also the only real way I could try to repay the Dranek for their kindness or for finding Darien for me.

I spoke slowly as I tested the waters, "The Dranek once mentioned that some of their elders were going to come and talk to us about the forests on their planet. Do you know when they might be coming?"

"You want to help the forests recover." It was a statement, not a question. He didn't seem surprised by the topic...

I turned my head to look at him, to see that he was watching me with calm eyes. I was hopeful, "I want to see what I can do to help."

He exhaled slowly, "I have no idea what their planet is like or how dangerous it may be, but if nothing else, I know the Dranek will do their best to keep trouble at bay. How do you plan to assist an entire forest? A few glimpses I caught from Saphira's mind makes me think that these forests are massive and cover most of the planet."

That was a very good question, and I wasn't entirely sure myself, "I have never really tested how big of an area I can affect when it comes to plants. I know it will require at least one song, but even if I can only help a small area, it should show me what is wrong and how to fix it. I am sure the Dranek will be more than happy to work on it from there."

Darien was quiet for some time. "I would rather not chance a foreign planet, but I know you truly want to help. Just don't leave my side while we are there."

I smiled in relief that Darien was being so open when I knew that a strange place would put him on edge. I stood on my tiptoes to kiss his lips as a thank you. He dropped the shovel in favor of holding me closer for a longer kiss.

The kiss didn't go on too long and I lowered my head to nuzzle my face against his shirt. Darien rested his chin on my head, "After lunch, we can go to the beach again. Saphira tends to appear along the road."

I glanced back at the flowers. It was odd to realize that I didn't have to really hide my singing ability anymore. The discovery also made me think of other ways I could use my ability.

It was almost lunchtime, so I knew Saphira would be awake. "I would really like to see if my magic could let her know that I want to talk with her. I am just not sure how far away it will work. I never tried it before."

I had mulled over how I had called Schlach by accident, and I was pretty sure that I could let Saphira know that I wanted to talk without putting any sense of urgency into it. I had never tried it though, and I wasn't sure if it could work over distance. Some things like lock-picking would only work on things in my immediate vicinity.