When The Heart Sings

Chapter 84

Schlach's POV:

I reclined on a large branch where the leaves mostly concealed me from any who may look in this direction. I was still not quite used to being out during the day yet. We had rarely moved in the day before in an effort to keep our presence a secret. My chest vibrated with a deep hum as I contacted the Queen.

She answered swiftly; I had no questions for her, but she had information for me. *It isn't clear, but pay attention to an upcoming discussion involving a big river that passes through the mountains.*

I sent my agreement back, and with no further questions on my part, she dropped her end of the spell. My own hum ceased now that it was no longer needed.

I considered the rather vague advice, but I was not about to dismiss it regardless of how much her foresight ability had weakened over the centuries. The King's singing ability was unparalleled, but the Queen was the only one with foresight in our colony. It would be decades before their daughter came into her own foresight abilities and learned to control them properly.

My eyes travelled over to a group relaxing in the garden that I could just see from my chosen perch. Serena was easy to pick out of the group of Tarulk and Dranek. A faint silver light shimmered softly across her skin, proclaiming the magical ability she could wield. I could see it because of my magic, which meant that any sviper would also notice it.

I had been dubious when the Queen had sent me to a remote section of forest weeks ago with instructions to listen for an unusual sound. I had gone, even though neither of us knew exactly what her foresight had glimpsed. Stumbling across a human at midnight in the middle of a forest on this planet had not been anywhere on my list of possible guesses.

Even the magical abilities and defenses that I had been born with had not been proof against her desperate magical cry for help. I had already been heading in her direction and would have intervened since I had spotted the shimmer of her magic and knew she was the one I was looking for, but the power of her odd magic still made me a bit uneasy. Her magic was not the same as sviper magic, even though both of us used our voice to weave our spells.

She had healed both our Princess and the Queen though.

As repayment, the King called everyone together and we had all joined voices in the strongest joint song we had sung in centuries as we gave the sleeping human the same lifespan as her mate. I had already intended to take her to the Tarulk camp, but after she healed the Queen, I was informed of a change of plans.

The Queen told me to drop her off near the Dranek camp instead. Many of our colony questioned her proclamation to send the healer to the very ones who were fighting the race of her mate. Serena had saved our Princess and given our Queen more time, it wasn't something we took lightly, so sending her into what should have been enemy territory made no sense to us.

Serena would not have had any way to know that her song had also strengthened the Queen's foresight ability - and that very ability made it quite clear that she had to go to the Dranek camp. There was no mistaking it, and the foresight ability had never failed throughout the generations of our people. We had trusted it once more.

I exhaled slowly as I examined the puzzle. I was still trying to figure out exactly what had transpired.

Three races had been facing problems that threatened their very way of life, and somehow all three had come together in the end to balance things out.

The Dranek loved their planet and had been desperate to save it. Serena's song had helped, but it was not the cure. They needed the svipers' help to prevent the problem from recurring.

The Tarulk's hidden corrupt government was exposed by their actions when Serena and Darien had shown up. A corruption that may not have been uncovered until it was too late if the Dranek had not shown up in their search for a singer. The corruption was now gone and they could once more prosper.

The sviper race had been restricted to the secrecy of the night and had been starting to put pressure on the animals we hunted. Our colony had been facing tragedy as both our Queen and Princess were dying. Serena had healed both of them, and later helped all svipers to come out of the shadows. The Dranek were pleased to share their planet with our kind and we no longer had to worry about overhunting as we fed our families.

Originally, Darien had been held hostage and Serena was defenseless. Now both were happy together with a mate bond that defied logic, altered by both singer magic and sviper song. Serena was soulbound to a Tarulk with a mate bond that could overcome any hatred he may have otherwise harbored. She had helped, and been helped by, both Dranek and svipers.

She had somehow brought three races together in a peaceful alliance. A human, a race known widely for their destructive capabilities. She was proof that one could never put a label on a race, and was evidence that every individual was unique. A living example that peace was possible, regardless of the circumstances.

I rested my head on my forearms as I watched the singer. Saphira passed Serena a large yellow flower, and she tucked it into Darien's hair with a mischievous grin. Lucas fell over in peals of laughter and his brother sent a mild glare at him. Serena started giggling and Darien scooped her up with a smile before kissing her gently on her forehead. He reclaimed the flower and tucked it into her hair instead.

They were an interesting and unique couple, and I quite looked forward to seeing how their relationship would develop over the coming years. I highly doubted that their soulbond would settle any more than it already had.

I looked down at the small gift balanced on the branch beside me. Now was as good of a time as any. I picked up the carry strap in my teeth before heading towards the small group.

I wondered what Serena would think of my gift...