distance before turning back to me. “The plains house so many different types of creatures that I couldn’t even begin to name them all. And if a new beast appears that the realm hasn’t seen before, the environment shifts.”
Before us, a small pond pooled to life. Bluish-green waters spread outward, and Leena sank to the ground. She dipped her boots in the pond, nudging a newly formed lily pad. Slowly, I sat beside her.
“What beast requires this?”
“All creatures require water. I don’t know when, how, or why the realm creates what it does. I just know my beasts are near, and they know I’ve come to say hello.”
Suddenly, the forest was alive with calls. Chirps hummed from the backs of throats as branches groaned from the added weight of the beasts. Deep grunts rolled in on the breeze from the plains, and the ground beneath us vibrated with the cadence of rushing hooves. The world was alive before, but now it was thriving. Reacting to the presence of a Charmer. And Leena flourished. Her skin glowed faintly, a beautiful glimmer that spoke to her power.
Beasts appeared one by one, flocking to her side to bask in her light. It was a procession of all colors, shapes, and sizes. She treated each creature with the devoted love and attention of a mother. E-Class to B-Class, they were the same to her. She stroked chins, ruffled feathers, cooed words of pure happiness, and placed gentle kisses with her flushed lips.
Why anyone wanted to kill this woman was beyond me.
Twin serpents appeared, encircling Leena before tilting their dragon heads in my direction. She stroked the length of their bodies. “You remember Kinana and Kapro? Go ahead. Touch them.”
Nostrils flaring wide, Kinana edged toward me. I extended my hand to her, and she rammed my palm and slithered against my body. The soothing feeling of running water flooded my veins.
Leena laughed. “She must like you.” I’d never seen her so happy.
Running my fingers down Kinana’s scales, I glanced at the dark shadows hidden in the trees. “So, is this a realm just for your beasts? Or can other Charmers come here?”
“All beasts come to the same realm, though it’s extremely rare to see beasts that aren’t mine.” She paused, eyes flickering out across the horizon. After our surprise bout with the Scorpex, neither of us seemed eager to deem anywhere safe. “Other Charmers can come here, too. The realm is endless. Running into one of them is next to impossible—unless they’re part of your family.”
There it was. Another opening into her past. I just hoped it wasn’t a fresh scab over a gaping wound. “Family?”
She nodded. Kinana left me to curl against Leena. Weighted silence, occasionally punctuated by the soft grunt of a beast, passed between us. In my peripheral vision, I watched her fidget. She picked at the hem of her tunic and pushed her hair off her neck, only to pull it around the front again.
Finally, she sighed. “My parents died when I was four.” Rotating the ring around her finger, she stared only at the pond in front of her. “They tried to tame a beast beyond their capabilities and failed. It happens. Anyway, my aunt took me in. But when she died…”
Her beasts nestled in closer, providing what comfort they could through simple contact. Something near undeniable inside me begged me to do the same. Instead, I braided my fingers together.
“Kost is right—most Charmers never leave Hireath. I never thought I would, either. But I was sixteen when my aunt died, alone in a house with too many rooms and not enough bodies. I had my beasts, of course, but…it’s not the same as a human touch.” She looked at me, the saddest smile gracing her lips. A glassy sheen obscured her irises, and my throat swelled shut. The branches sprawling across her face began to recede, disappearing down her neck.
I didn’t dare ask why, not when she was finally opening up about her past. “Is that when you left Hireath? When your aunt died?”
Tila, the monkey creature from the train, crawled into Leena’s lap. Leena stroked her belly, working soft tufts of fur between her fingers. “No. I fell in love with a man on the Council.”
“Ah.”
“Yeah.” She blew out a short breath. “I was eighteen; he was supposed to be the answer to my prayers. Kind and intelligent, and easily the most powerful Charmer I’d ever met. His beasts could last outside the realm for weeks, even months,