When The Heart Sings

Chapter 55

Serena's POV:

I sighed as I finally gave up. "It just isn't working." I glanced up at Darien, "I was able to tell you where I was because the soulbond is like a compass that points towards you. I have no idea where Saphira is and I don't know where I am. I can't give directions in such a situation."

Darien looked at the forest around us, "Well, it was worth a try."

I nodded, at least we now knew that I was unable to call anyone else to me if I didn't know where I was. Darien sighed as he picked me up in his arms, "Can you let her know that we are calling it quits and heading back to the village?"

I hummed lightly as I focused on Saphira once more, conveying a sense that we were stopping and that we would meet her at the house. The song peaked and faded within seconds. I had gotten better at such hums since we had practiced all afternoon.

Darien started moving the second I was done. I didn't have to be told to close my eyes. If we hadn't been weaving through dense trees, I would have watched, but seeing branches whiz by as they barely missed us just made my stomach do flip flops.

Darien could hit some pretty impressive speeds when he chose, and considering how the air was whipping past me, he wasn't exactly taking his time. In a way, it was kind of exhilarating, especially if he ran in a more open area and I could watch without worrying about something hitting me. I knew Darien would never let a branch touch me, but it was still unnerving to have things pass so close at such speeds.

Darien slowed down and I opened my eyes to see we were already at the village. Saphira was already by the porch waiting for us. Darien wasn't in any rush to set me down, which didn't really surprise me. He always had preferred to carry me.

Saphira waited until Darien was closer before speaking, "I felt your calls, but I was unable to pick up any sense of where you were or even which direction you might be in."

"Yeah... I wasn't sure where you were and all my attempts to figure out your location didn't work either."

She shrugged, "At least you are able to call Darien. We can always follow him or he can tell us where you are." She was disappointed, but not overly surprised.

The fact that I was able to call them at all was surprising since they weren't exactly able to physically hear me at such distances. "It is a handy trick. Too bad it can't work both ways. I'm sorry if you were bored out of your mind while I tried."

Saphira smiled and shook her head, "It was no problem. I was happy to help and I went to our camp while waiting."

I sat up a bit straight in Darien's arms, "Is our trip tomorrow morning still a go?" I had spoken with Saphira during our first phase of testing while we waited for Darien. She had told me of massive trees and waterfalls that made up the sprawling forests. I was looking forward to seeing them.

"Yes, the area around the gate is completely secured and no predators are in the vicinity. There is a small village nearby that you may stay in as long as you like."

Darien put me down before addressing Saphira, "What kind of dangers should we be watching for?"

Darien had admitted earlier that he was also curious to see the Dranek's planet, and I suspected that he was looking forward to being the first Tarulk to set foot there.

Saphira responded, "There are not really that many predators there, nothing like this planet at any rate. A few dangerous types are around, but they are few and far in-between and they tend to be loners. There are some deep mud pits that are like quicksand and we must watch for those. The biggest danger is during the storm season, with its heavy rains, floods, and such, but that is quite some time away."

Darien nodded thoughtfully, he no longer seemed on edge about going into unknown territory with me. Saphira flicked her tail as she glanced at the sun, "But the evening is approaching, so I will take my leave. I will see you in the morning."

I inquired, "Is there anything we should pack besides the regular things like clothing and stuff?"

She shook her head, "If anything is forgotten, it is no worry. Everything we may need will be in the village."

I nodded, although I still planned to pack everything I needed in my backpack. It wasn't easy to find clothing in my size, and the hairbrush for my long hair wasn't something any Dranek needed since they all had short hair. I had asked Saphira if that was just their preferred hairstyle, but she told me that it was just how their hair grew and it never got longer than that.

Darien wrapped his arms around me and I leaned against him as we watched Saphira walk down the road and into the trees. It always amazed me at how easily they disappeared into the trees.

My stomach decided to remind me that supper was late. Darien murmured, "What do you want for supper?"

I shrugged lightly as I looked up at him, "Anything works for me."

He thought for a moment, "I think I know of something you will probably like."

"Sure, I will head to the washroom and come back."

I went to the washroom, and when I was washing my hands afterward, the bandage on my hand started to come off. I dug underneath the sink for the first aid kit and located another bandaid in the same size.

I peeled off the old bandaid and paused in surprise. The cut was smaller than it had been this morning. I gingerly touched the shallow gash, but it was even shallower now and it was not nearly as painful as a recent wound should be.

I hadn't sung any healing songs, and the calling hum would not have affected my hand since they were very different songs. What was going on? I didn't think it was the mate bond's doing, since other small nicks and scratches I obtained during various kidnappings had healed at their usual speed.

I exhaled slowly as another thought came to mind. I hadn't had any real injuries since I met Schlach. Had the Queen's song done more than I had realized? She said that it would match my lifespan to Darien's, but could it have also transferred over a tiny bit of his rapid healing abilities? I had no idea, but that was my best guess at the moment.

"Serena?"

Darien's call made me jump a bit as I was jarred out of my thoughts. "Coming, I am just replacing the bandage with a new one."

I quickly put the new bandage on and dismissed the matter from my mind as I went to go see how this new dish was made. I would still have to purify it before I could try it, but that was a minor detail.