Page 77 of I Married A Syllen

I found myself instantly liking her. To think I had feared major rejection from Taelen’s family. It made me wonder if he’d spoken to her this morning before I woke up.

“Come, Sister. Let’s feed you,” Kaya said, luring me towards the table.

“I need to go to the collapse site! I way overslept!” I exclaimed, my previous panic and embarrassment returning with a vengeance.

“No, you need to eat,” Kaya said in a tone that brooked no argument. “You slept the amount of time your body required to complete the work of the resonance’s healing. You were bruised and battered from yesterday’s incident.”

“But—”

“No buts,” she interrupted with a mulish expression. “Athusa is there with Lily. Right now, they’re just removing debris and stabilizing the area. It will be at least another hour or two before they’re ready to start fixing things. Taelen is talking with Nym and Drannor through the Sentinel tree. He will take you to the site long before they’re done stabilizing it. So for now, you eat.”

She compounded her words by nudging me forward with her tail on the small of my back. That made me smile. My fertile imagination immediately pictured a parent doing the same thing with one of their younglings dragging their feet or getting distracted when they were trying to get somewhere. An insane sense of longing struck me hard at the thought of seeing a whole bunch of Syllen children running around the beach, playing in the water, and causing all kinds of mischief.

I hoped Taelen wanted children because I certainly did.

While enjoying Kaya’s presence, I quickly devoured that very hearty breakfast. This time, there wasn’t any seafood or anything that I recognized as meat. But the slices of sautéed vegetables totally could have fooled you into thinking it was a perfectly seasoned steak. I stuffed my face with those sesame-like grain crackers, with a variety of dips that seemed to have come straight out of a pikilia, as well as their version of hummus.

Taelen joined us halfway through the meal and quickly got a bite himself. We then headed out to the collapse site riding Semius. From a bird's-eye view, as we closed in on our destination, I couldn’t help being amazed by the swiftness of the cleanup work. Naturally, the fissure still lay open like a gaping wound, but most of the debris had been removed. They were actively working on straightening the trees that had toppled over and patching up the ones that could be saved.

We landed a short distance from the table where Lily had set up a mini command center. Taelen helped me down, kissed my forehead, then made a beeline to a fallen ancestral tree that the Syllens and UPO team were busy trying to get back on its feet. He’d been seriously distressed by the number of semi-sentient elder trees that had been affected. Each one that could be saved was a huge blessing.

I approached Lily just as she was concluding a conversation with Togar.

“Yes, they are done stabilizing that area,” Lily confirmed. “You can safely fill it up.”

“Perfect. Thank you, Anteopi,” Togar said with a smile.

I snorted at the pet name he’d given her. Guessing at the source of my amusement, Togar winked at me as he walked away.

“Cloud hair?” I said to Lily, with a chuckle.

I could totally see why they would perceive it that way. Her African heritage—passed down from her mother—shone through. She left it natural, the tight curls looking indeed unbelievably soft and cloudy.

“Yes,” she said with an overly dramatic air of resignation. “They also call me Toimaki.”

My smile broadened as I glanced at the beautiful greenish blue leaves that adorned her lower body in a way vaguely reminiscent of the bottom of a flamenco dancer’s dress.

“That’s a rather accurate pet name,” I said teasingly. “You do have a long skirt in comparison to theirs. It’s rather cute.”

She scrunched her face in a playfully pouty way.

“Yes, it is,” she conceded.

“I bet they constantly want to pet you,” I added with commiseration.

“Maker! Yes! Constantly!” Lily exclaimed, rolling her eyes with disbelief.

“They’re very touchy feely,” I said apologetically. “But they don’t mean to be rude. Syllens don’t share our perception of personal space and boundaries on that front.”

She smiled reassuringly.

“Yes, I know. Athusa told me as much and even offered to make them stop since they have been petting my hair, horns, and my skirt non-stop,” Lily said with self-derision.

“It’s funny that they didn’t do the same to me,” I said pensively. “They’ve been eyeing my own hair something fierce.”

“That’s because you’re not a member of the Ungaro Tribe,” Lily explained. “But I am, due to my bond with Athusa. So they act with me like they would with any other tribemate.”

“Ah! That makes sense!” I exclaimed with sudden understanding. “Are you fine with that?”