Page 15 of Kiss of the Dark Elf's Blade

Yet there are no signs of who could have done this, save for one.

In the middle of the shattered flowers, where I had previously plucked the fylvek grass, is a small metal device. I pick it up, and as soon as my hand caresses its smooth surface, it emits a white light that dances around me.

Curiously, I remove my hand from the device then touch it again, and the light recedes back into the device.

It’s him!

I pocket the device without a thought. It was meant for me, after all. Then I inspect the contents of my satchel. The grass is all still intact. It should still work medicinally.

I heave a sigh of relief. I want to call out to him, to thank him and ask him his name, but I’m not so emboldened. My heart is still thumping aggressively.

Instead, I meander forward, taking the metallic device back out and touching it. The light spirals out, and I touch it again, the light returning to the device.

I realize with a smile that I could use this to light my home. The light follows me as I walk, seemingly even moving wherever I think it should go. My heart fills with immense gratitude.

I wish he’d come out and reveal himself so that I could thank him properly.

I tug on the rope ladder and start to climb before noticing something shimmering on the ground that wasn’t there before. Looking down, I see seven corked vials, filled with pink, shimmering liquid.

Shrugging and adding them to my satchel, I begin to climb up the ladder. It holds my weight about as well as it did before.

The walk back to Lowtown is uneventful, and I thankfully make it before sundown. On the way, I check the usual location in the forest, expecting to find something there, but there is nothing.

He’s really spoiling me.

Of course, today I don’t have Skye to accompany me, and she was the only reason I found the first gift.

I hand the grass to Declan without saying anything. The hive has been taken care of, anyway. Any danger the distant threat might have posed to us has been eliminated.

Walking over to Riya’s dormitory, I knock on the door.

Her eyes widen when she sees me. Before I can react, she’s hugging me tightly in her arms.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she says.

She must have legitimately been worried for some reason. Did she know those creatures were there?

“Good to see you, too,” I say, smiling. “It was barely an inconvenience.”

I thank her for taking care of Skye. We sit down in her dormitory, which is in much better shape than mine, as Skye caws appreciatively outside.

I recount everything that happened. Her response is stoic and unmotivated.

“Did you know?” I ask.

“I had a feeling,” she says. “That’s why I told you not to do it. The last few women who went searching for fylvek grass never came back.”

I gulp. That’s why she was insistent that at the very least, I leave Skye behind.

“You’re really scaring me lately with how reckless you’re becoming,” she says.

I produce the metal device from my pocket, but my gut tells me not to show her the vials.

“Well, what was I supposed to do?” I ask her. “Bunch of guys in the village get brutally burnt –”

“Not that,” she interrupts.

I tap the metal device, and the light comes out, dancing around the room and swirling around her head.