Page 35 of Hunting for her Heart
If seized with strength and not destroyed,
It will save your land and heal the void.
Go beyond the world you know,
Way up high, where love does grow.
Found in a forest near the highest peak,
Will be the saving grace you seek.
Break it not, nor cast aside,
For all your names are bound inside.
Taken whole and carried through,
Its purpose wakes when claimed by you.
From theft or harm, you must guard it true,
And all will be whole, your land and you.
“It’s beautiful,”I tell him as I continue eating and try to dissect the parts I remember. The good news is, it doesn’t sound anything like the ones my father had spouted. There is nothing about worshipping fake gods, handing over all their possessions, or sacrificing virgins.
“You came here to find something to save your land,” I say as I finally clue in to what the prophecyis talking about. I remember they said they weren’t here for the Mating Hunt, but I got distracted and forgot all about that until now.
“That’s right,” Ronan says, as Hawk silently offers me another piece of meat.
“But what is it?” I frown as I try to recall any part of it that spoke of what it was. Something that they aren’t supposed to break… that could be anything.
“We call it a charm, but we don’t know what it is,” Bo explains.
“And you think this… charm, if taken back to your island, will somehow fix your land?”
“Yes,” Ronan says solemnly. “It’s been dying for over twenty years now. If we don’t find this object to save it, I’m afraid our people will have to move to the mainland.”
“Is that so bad?” I ask, unsure of the differences.
“Yes,” they all say at once.
“It’s much more dangerous here,” Ronan explains.
“And the people aren’t as nice,” Bo adds. “Plus, we have the most beautiful forests and beaches. Our people have been there for hundreds of years. Nobody wants to leave and be forced to change our ways.”
I chew on another piece of meat before I ask, “You said your land is dying? How big is Redmere? How many people live there?”
Hawk moves aside as Ronan steps up, taking his place to feed me. Standing here, my arms crossed over my chest, barely clothed and covered in poultice while they feed me, is extremely strange, but I don’t exactly hate it, either.
“We are down to about a hundred people now,” Ronan tells me. “Our island is large, we can all live peacefully without crowding into a village, as they do in many places on the mainland.”
“Do you three live together?” I ask, curious about their home.
He nods. “Yes. Once we heard the prophecy, we did everything we could together, knowing our fates are intertwined.” A small grin graces his lips. “Although we didn’t realize just how deeply they intertwined until now.” My cheeks heat when I realize he’s talking about them sharingme.
How would that even work? Would I rotate between them?
“Now we have the best home in all of Redmere,” Bo says proudly, bringing me out of my train of thoughts.
