He froze and blinked a couple of times. “That is none of your business. But, for your information, I did have a dream about the omphalos stone.”
“You did? Where is it?”
“I can’t really describe it. I’ll have to show you.”
“Okay.” I hopped out of the bed and adjusted my dress.
Kishan watched me and commented, “You’re prettier now than you were last night.”
I laughed. “Yeah, right. I wonder why you dreamed of the omphalos stone, and I didn’t.”
“Perhaps you went to bed last night with different questions in your mind.”
My mouth fell open. He was right. I hadn’t thought about the stone at all before I slept. My thoughts were entirely focused on Ren.
He watched me curiously. “And what did you dream about last night, Kells?”
“That’s none of your business either.”
He narrowed his eyes and scowled. “Forget it. I think I can figure it out on my own.”
Kishan took the lead in walking back to the Silvanae village. A short distance away, he stopped and ran back to the Grove of Dreams. “Be right back. I forgot something,” he hollered over his shoulder.
When he returned, Kishan was grinning from ear to ear, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get him to tell me what had made him so happy.
19
Bad Things
We breakfasted with the Silvanae again and were gifted with new clothing. Both of us were given lightweight shirts, khaki pants with a subtle sheen, and plush-lined boots. I asked if they were leather, and the peaceful creatures didn’t know what I was talking about. When I explained, they seemed shocked and said that no animals were ever harmed in Silvanae. They said that the fairies wove all their cloth and that there was no material on Earth as fine or as soft and beautiful.
I agreed with them. They also added that, while journeying in Silvanae, if you hung fairy-made apparel on the limb of a tree at night, the fairies would clean and repair the clothes while you were sleeping. We thanked them for their gifts and enjoyed our repast. As we lounged at breakfast, Faunus appeared carrying a small infant and said, “Before you go, we would like to ask a favor. The family with the new baby wondered if you would name their child?”
I sputtered, “Are you sure? What if I name it something they don’t like?”
“They would be honored by any name you give him.”
Before I could mouth another word of protest, he laid the tiny infant in my arms. A small pair of green eyes looked up at me from the soft blanket. He was beautiful. I bounced him softly in my arms and cooed at him instinctively. I reached in a finger to lightly tap his nose and touch his downy, soft, silver hair. The little baby, much more active than a newborn human baby would be, reached a hand out to grab a lock of my hair and tugged.
Kishan gently removed my hair from the baby’s grasp. Then he brushed the rest of my hair over my shoulder. He touched the baby’s hand, which grabbed onto his finger.
Kishan laughed. “He’s got a strong grip.”
“He does.” I looked up at Kishan. “I’d like to name him after your grandfather, Tarak, if you don’t mind.”
Kishan’s golden eyes sparkled. “I think he’d like to have a namesake.”
When I told Faunus that I wanted to name the baby Tarak, the Silvanae cheered. Tarak yawned sleepily, unimpressed with his new moniker, and started sucking his thumb.
Kishan put his arm around my shoulders and whispered, “You’ll be a good mother, Kelsey.”
“Right now, I’m more of an auntie. Here. Your turn.”
Kishan settled the small creature in the crook of his arm and spoke quietly to it in his native language. I went off to change my clothes and braid my hair. When I came back, he was rocking the sleeping baby in his arms and staring thoughtfully at its little face.
“Ready to go?”
He looked up at me with a tender expression. “Sure. Just let me change too.”
He handed off the baby to his family. Before he left, he brushed a finger across my cheek and smiled at me. His touch was hesitant and sweet. When he came back, we said our good-byes and picked up our pack, which now held my gossamer dress, several honey cakes, and a flagon of flower nectar, and started walking east.
Kishan seemed to know where he was going, so he led the way. I often caught him watching me,