Daughters of Creation

Chapter Six: Sabaism (Part Two)

 Crisp October air chilled her lungs with every breath. Wrapped in an oversized pale lavender cardigan, Dana checked over her shoulder before ducking behind the shrine beside their building. Her boot clad feet carried her silently across the forest floor, taking her by memory to the place she had met Dae. It was almost dusk, meaning she only had an hour or two left of daylight before the night was upon her, but the wellness of Vela came first. Feeling alone, she created thousands of twinkling lights around her, their spherical bodies flickering in and out.

The etherealness of her surroundings made Dana catch her breath. The dreamlike quality about her almost matched the beauty of the night sky. She continued walking, hands in her pockets, allowing the illusions to intensify as her magic found the peace in her heart. Brushing shoulder length, mostly straight red hair into a bun at the nape of her neck, she felt the cool tickle of the wind slid across the the bare skin of her exposed neck. The chilliness in the air reminded her it was almost Halloween, that the barrier between the Veil and the other worlds will be at its thinnest. Some of the peace in her fled at the thought.

Her darkening thoughts evaporated as a head of golden locks spun from the very rays of the sun appeared in front of her where the forest opened into a secluded clearing. Swept away by the sheer exhilaration crashing over her, Dana raced into the clearing, throwing herself at the man. Turning, just in time, the man caught her in a pair of strong arms, holding her tightly against a solid chest. She inhaled the musk of woods and clove. Dae.

Like music to her ears, Dae's chuckles seeped through her. "What kept you away? I was expecting you hours ago."

Dana pulled away only far enough to look into his midnight colored eyes, the silver flecks flickering like constellations. If she stared for too long she would lose herself in his eyes. The tension in her shoulders ebbed, his touch chasing away her fears and worries. Warmth sparked in his eyes as he studied her, tracing the plains of her features. His gaze sent heat rushing to her cheeks, shivers racing down her spine.

"I'm sorry, something came up at the coven. We had a werewolf confess to Vela." Dana admitted, feeling a different type of nerves knot her stomach as he finally let her go.

Amusement gleamed in Dae's eyes, his lips twitching. "You never seem to have a dull moment in your life, stella meus."

A rueful chuckle bubbled from her lips. "You have no idea. Last night there was a murder attempt at the party we were at and—"

She was cut off by Dae suddenly grabbing her above her elbows, eyes searching over her wildly, panic in the tightness of his mouth as he checked her over for wounds. "And you only tell me this now? You could have been seriously injured!" Despite the firmness in his tone, a smile pulled at her lips. "Why are you smiling? There's nothing about this that requires smiling."

Dana giggled. "I'm fine, Dae. I'm smiling because your concern means you care about my well being."

Dae scoffed indignantly, eyeing her in disbelief. "Of course I care about you, Dannie. You are the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars to Eytelis and I. And if you think I'm overreacting wait until you tell Eytelis about this."

Her smile faded. She did not want to think about Eytelis' reaction. A different kind of shivers ran down her spine. Eytelis' anger could make the cosmos tremble at her fury.

"Whispers are going through the dryads ... not many wander far from their trees. One of Eytelis' friends won't even greet her when she checks up on her."

"What is something happens to Eytelis? She should think about her safety as well."

Dae quirked an eyebrow. "Rich coming from you."