Chapter seven

Today was the day: the Starborn were on their way.

Phoebe sat atop the sturdy stone cairn that had been used as a wayfinder for longer than she'd been alive and scanned the trees for signs of movement. It was already midday and she'd been posted at the cairn since sun-up, assigned by her father to greet the visitors whenever they arrived. Her stomach grumbled noisily. Usually, Phoebe wasn't the type to skip a meal, but today she felt bound by duty to keep her post. Besides, she was too excited to eat.

She heard them before she saw them. The sound of hundreds of hooves plodding along the forest floor gave the impression of a low rumble of thunder, warning of a gathering storm. Phoebe, who had been passing the time by mindlessly weaving her long hair into a series of tiny braids, sat up straight and listened carefully. Every so often a horse's snort or a joyful laugh would punctuate the air as the travelers grew closer, leaving Phoebe wiggling with anticipation. Then, when she finally saw the druids emerge between the trees, her face split into a wide grin and she carefully picked her way down the stone mound to meet them.

"Hello!" she called, waving a hand overhead.

"How are ya' now?" replied a broad woman atop a bright-eyed dunskin mare at the head of the group. Like everyone else of age in her clan, the woman's round, brown cheeks were marked with a series of intricate dotwork tattoos that acted as a perfect frame for her golden eyes. Her name was Samsi, and she was Rue's mother.

She dismounted her horse with ease and gave the massive animal a couple solid pats before turning to Phoebe. Delighted, Phoebe rushed forward and let Samsi pull her into one of her crushing hugs. Relentlessly tight as Samsi's embrace was, Phoebe loved them. Samsi hugged like she meant it, and Phoebe loved that too.

"Good, and you?" Phoebe pulled back from the embrace, taking a breath of Samsi's earthy musk with her. The horse snuffled at her ear, making her laugh. "How was the trip?" She looked up at Samsi, expecting to see the creases of her crows feet deepen as she smiled, but instead found tired eyes gazing back at her.

"Long," Samsi sighed. "Grandad's health hasn't been the best lately, so we've been moving a bit slower than we're used to." She hitched a thumb over her shoulder. "Castid and Rue are at the rear with him, making sure he doesn't fall off his horse."

"I'm sorry, Samsi," Phoebe said. To her, the druid elder had always seemed particularly frail. She didn't know exactly how old he was, but she was certain that he was the oldest person she'd ever laid eyes on. That he could possibly be in worse shape than what she was used to was baffling to her. "Does he need help?"

Samsi shook her head. "No, child — he's just old, and there's not much you can do about that. I'm sure he'll be glad to have a bit of rest now that we're here though."

"Well, the path is clear and everything's ready for you. I'll help you set up his tent when we get there."

"You're a good girl, Phoebe. Thank you."

By now the rest of the group had joined muster. Phoebe glanced around, hoping to spot Rue. Samsi chuckled.

"Like I said, she's at the back." Samsi pulled herself back onto her horse. "Hurry up — she's excited to see you."

With a nod of thanks, Phoebe scurried out of the way to let the other horses through. She skirted around the edge of the group and pushed to the back of the herd where she spotted three horses picking their way slowly forward. Phoebe was alarmed when she realized that only two of the horses had riders. On one sat Rue, her voluminous hair bouncing with every step her steed took. She held the reins of the riderless horse in her hands, leading it like a small and easily distracted child. Her father, Castid, rode bareback beside her. It took Phoebe a moment to realize that Rue's grandfather, frail-faced and bundled up despite the warmth of the afternoon, was also seated on the horse with Castid. He sat slumped against his son's back and wrapped in place with a sash. It made Phoebe think of the way parents wore their babies in slings, and she was embarrassed for the old man.

"Is he okay?" she asked as she jogged up to them. Rue's face lit up at the sight of her, which made Phoebe feel like she had been born again as a brighter and better version of herself.

"Just tired," Rue replied. She nodded toward her father and grandfather, "and it's hard to sleep on horseback."

Castid nodded politely. "Good to see you again, Phoebe." He jutted his chin at the riderless horse. "Feather's in need of a companion if you'd like to ride."

Phoebe let out an excited squeak and took the reins. She hooked her foot in the stirrup and heaved herself into Feather's saddle, just like Rue had taught her when they were younger. "Hello, Feather! Aren't you handsome! I've got a nice juicy apple back home with your name on it." While she busied herself with stroking the long wiry hair of Feather's mane, Castid addressed his daughter.

"You girls go ahead," he said. "I've got Grandad from here."

"Are you sure?" Rue didn't sound convinced.

"Don't worry, he's not going anywhere. We'll meet you at camp."

"Okay, we'll get the tent started then. C'mon, Pheebs — let's ride."

It took a bit of prodding to get Feather moving again, but with a sharp whistle from Rue the horse broke into a trot and they were off.

"I'm so glad you're here!" Phoebe said once it was just the two of them. As much as she reveled in any opportunity to ride, it still made her nervous. She kept her eyes locked ahead and her grip tight on the reins. "How've you been?"

"I've been pretty good, actually!" Rue answered. Phoebe could hear a smile in her friend's voice, so she forced herself to look away from the path ahead of them long enough to cast a glance sideways. She found Rue beaming back at her, golden eyes shining proudly. It was only then—up close and undistracted—that Phoebe noticed the tattoos on Rue's face that most certainly hadn't been there the last time they'd seen each other.

Phoebe shrieked, earning a reproachful whinny from Feather.

"Oh my Stars!" Phoebe cried, elated. "Are you serious?"

"Yup!" Rue replied.

"When?"

"About a month ago!"

For Rue to have earned her tattoos was a huge deal: they meant that she had finally established a connection with the Stars.

She was officially a druid.

When they were children, Rue had explained to Phoebe that the tattoos her people wore were more than just pretty designs — the markings actually detailed the exact moment each druid spoke to the Stars for the first time, in a language only the Starborn understood. Rue had been dreaming about earning her tattoos for as long as Phoebe could remember.

"That's amazing, Rue!" Phoebe said. "Congrats! I'm so proud of you — and I know Connor will be too."

At the mention of Connor's name, Rue's face flushed scarlet. Phoebe thought it was adorable that they still had that effect on each other after all this time. "I didn't mention it in my last letter because I wanted to surprise him," Rue admitted sheepishly, tucking some of her curls behind her ear. "Speaking of which, how do I look? We've been riding all day and I feel like a mess. I hope I have a chance to freshen up before I see him."

Phoebe laughed. "First of all, you always look great. And second, don't worry — you'll have time."

"Oh?" Rue tipped her pretty head to one side. "Why? Is your dad making him work in the kitchen or something?"

"Not exactly." Phoebe glanced around to see if anyone was listening. The rest of the druids were still ahead of them, but she lowered her voice just to be safe. "But whatever my dad tells you, just play along. I'll explain later."

"Cryptic," Rue said.

"It's fine," Phoebe assured her. "The point is, Connor is going to be super happy to see you and even happier when he finds out that you connected." She raised her eyebrows at her friend. "We were both pretty surprised to hear that you were coming. We didn't expect another visit until the end of the season at the earliest."

"Yeah, it was a bit of a surprise to us too."

That answer made Phoebe's insides clench. "Is everything alright?" she asked. "Does it have something to do with your grandad?"

"No, nothing like that." Rue paused and seemed to reconsider. "Well, actually, it kind of does. But it has nothing to do with his health."

Phoebe waited for her to elaborate, prodding when the silence dragged on longer than it should have. "Well? Are you going to tell me what happened?"

Rue pursed her lips. It was her turn to look around to check if anyone was eavesdropping. "I'll explain later?"

"Ooh, the plot thickens," Phoebe said, her mind already racing with the possibilities. "In that case, let's hurry back and get your camp set up before curiosity eats me alive."

"Okay," Rue agreed as she gathered her horse's reins, "but I'm only telling you if you let me wash up first. Connor's not going to want to get near me if I smell like a horse."

Phoebe rolled her eyes. "You could smell like old meat that was left in the sun and I don't think that boy would care."

"Gross, Pheebs," Rue said with a laugh. She gave her horse a nudge with her heel and the animal broke into a canter, leaving Phoebe and Feather to hurry after her.

Before she caught up with the others, Phoebe glanced back at Castid. He was still making his way leisurely along the path, navigating his horse carefully over the uneven ground. She thought about the old man clinging to his back, and a chill ran down her spine.

Whatever the elder's reasons for dragging his people back to Ardent were, she hoped they were good.

***

✨ Thanks for reading! If you like my work and would like to support me, you can...✨

⭐ Subscribe at Ko-Fi.com/Maggie

⭐ Comment and vote on this chapter

⭐ Share this story with your friends on social media