The thudding of the monkey's claws on the window frame ceased as Seris rose, her hair cascading over her shoulders in a soft wave. She did not look at me at first, rather she nodded toward the girl beside her and said, "Lucifer, meet Caelyra Emberholt."
The name struck like a silent echo within my ribcage. My uncle and the ancient monster Cairos Emberholt had pushed the betrothal upon me just moments ago. But to hear it and to stand before her were two different things.
She was unlike anyone I had ever laid eyes on. The forest enshrined itself around her, as if it had pilfered its beauty just for this moment. She was a dull glow, not bright but the kind that individuals feel when they stand before an ancient tree or by a holy spring. Her hair was like new birch bark, pale, straight and long, falling like silk down her back. Her eyes were green stone polished; serene, unyielding, having a still strength that would heal or suffocate.
She lacked the warrior's appearance Torren or Alenya possessed, haggard from armor and scars. She was of another kind of strength though a womanly, unbreakable one, forged through being at ease with things outside of herself. On her side lay a bow, sleek, crafted from some dark wood of the forest. Silver runes skirted its limbs in flowing script. At first glance, I knew it wasn't ordinary.
Seris smiled faintly, clearly enjoying my moment of confusion. "As you know she's the saintess of the Vagrant Moon Tribe. A Sylvan Soul Archer," she said, speaking class name slowly as if measuring my reaction.
Caelyra gave the barest inclination of her head, posture ridiculously poised. "It is an honor to meet you this early, Lucifer Ashenford." Her voice was soft, but with no vulnerability. It was a voice that sliced through silence rather than through noise.
I didn't say a word for a moment. The reality constricted me: this was the second woman my family had arranged me with. No longer a stranger, but flesh, blood, and eyes that burdened my very soul.
Finally, I fought through the speech. "I already knew about it. I just… wasn't prepared to meet you so early."
Seris snickered to herself and returned to sitting, her monkey climbing up her shoulder. "He says that, but you should have seen his face when my father talked about your engagement. He nearly choked on the air."
I glared at her pointedly, but she grinned even wider. The ever standard Seris.
Caelyra's lips twitched into the smallest smile. "A surprise arrangement does not seem to be pleasing you."
"Neither should please you," I said quickly, not sure if that was a lie. My tone was a bit grimmer than I wanted it to be. "What I resent is people deciding things for me. But," My gaze stayed a fraction longer on her bow, then on her even eyes, "I suppose they didn't decide haphazardly."
That gave another flicker of pleasure in her stern face. "Honest words," she stated. "From a noble heir like you."
Seris slumped forward, cutting through the fragile air. "You two are so stiff. At least feign that you like each other's company. Or should I leave so you may sulk together in peace?"
We didn't answer. The silence that followed was unnatural, like the air before a storm.
I coughed. "You're a Sylvan Soul Archer. I've never heard of this class."
Caelyra nodded. "Outside the Ember Forest, it is not common. My bow and I are linked together. Through it, I can call up the voice of trees, hear the pulse of beasts, and flow arrows with the will of the forest."
"Sounds dangerous," I tried, although I wasn't interested but was interested.
"Risk, but not cruel," she replied. "That is the difference."
Seris snapped her fingers. "See? You two can talk. Not so hard, is it?" She stood, flapping an imaginary speck of dust off her robe. "Well, I'll leave you to it."
"Wait." I turned. "You're leaving?"
"Yes." Her smile was too intimate for ease. "I have preparations to make, and anyway… it's time the two of you learned to catch your breath in the same room without me holding your hands."
Before I could say anything, she whistled. The monkey scampered up onto her arm, the unicorn outside the cottage let out a plaintive cry, and Seris strode to the door. She glanced back once. "Don't kill each other with your looks. You'll have better uses for them."
The door slammed shut behind her.
And there were two.
Caelyra was completely still, hands wrapped over her bow, while I sat across from her, suddenly and intensely aware of every sound. The groan of my stool beneath me, the faraway shuffling of the jungle outside, the constant pulse of my heart.
I thought I'd been dealing with demons, with spirits, with troubles. But here, in this instant with my second fiancée sitting opposite me in silence, I did not know that I had ever been more awkward.