Under the vampire Lord's protection-Chapter 94: Beautiful is green

Dubbed "Golden chords", Zimmerlarks were arguably one of the most daylight loving beings one could encounter. Deeper into the thickest nooks of the woods was where their melodious chants rose the loudest.

Those darling looking birds sang all the way as the carriage threaded the lively greens. A tune that could, without a doubt, tame any soul in under seconds.

Had they been predators, they’d have been the fiercest for disarming the most cautious of creatures would have been a child’s play for their kind.

So nearly hypnotic, they’d successfully lulled Arabella into a blissful daze. One so calming, it’d led her to shut her eyes and rest her head against the car.

A squeak here, a quack there... Every other sound blended seamlessly with the unrelenting chirp, birthing a symphony like no other.

Silas quietly admired her leaning figure, his diamonds rising up from the brooch pinned to her dress, then to the pendant resting precisely at the center of her chest, lingering on the golden spots racing across her delicate skin, courtesy of the balmy sunlight that had somehow managed to brave through the dense trees towering over them.

Only to then focus on the plum lips perfectly contrasting in color with the rest of her face.

For a reason he refused to consult with himself, the rhythmic humming of her heart brought him a much greater solace than the carol of nature surrounding them.

Silas wretched his eyes away when the green of her eyes became visible.

"Such beauty!" straightening her stance, she practically whispered.

"More of it goes around than the eye can capture," he followed her gaze through the window.

"I was only ever able to read about zimmerlarks and stare at drawings of them that were older than myself," her tone still oozed with serenity, stable across the entire sentence, "And now, I am finally able to hear their crooning," she chuckled, "Truly a blessing,"

"Are they that uncommon in Lustris?" Silas matched her timbre in character.

"According to the history books, they were hunted to the brink of extinction in the Lustrisian forests. Frankly, hearing them sing this way... I understand why, even though I completely disavow it,"

Looking at the way she coyly flicked her nails together, he followed with a question, "And why might the reason be?"

"As wonderful as they sound, their voice is eerily reminiscent of a woman’s and that can be frightening to the mind of a puny human," a timid giggle escaped her, "Back then, people deemed it sacrilegious. Many still hold the belief that no creature that isn’t human should ever sound like a... Human,"

"Do they frighten you?"

At those words, her eyes snapped up to connect with his, "Of those people? Yes," she nodded furiously.

"I meant the zimmerlarks, but I suppose that too was a valid answer,"

For a twinkle in time, Arabella thought she’d perceived the ghost of a smile on him, right before his wooden outlook took over his features.

It had drifted across so fast; the young woman suspected her own eyes of betrayal.

"Oh... No... The zimmerlarks are marvelous," she cleared her throat, "All day long, I could listen to them,"

"You wouldn’t want that. Trust me," although not cold, Silas did sound a tad firmer. As though he was strongly advising her on the idea instead of merely suggesting it.

In response, she stared back at him, waiting for an explanation despite expecting the vampire to brush it off and move onto a different topic.

"If you linger around their nests for too long, those very same fine tunes may just be the last thing you’ll ever hear,"

"This part never made it into the books I’ve read," she chuckled.

"That might be due to the fact that they either run away upon hearing them or kill the thing on the spot," he kept on staring at her until the shift in color around her face told him to look elsewhere. Well, that and the quickening of her heartbeats did it.

"Yes, that... Might be it, indeed," Arabella stuttered a little, twiddling her thumbs together.

The view wasn’t as clear as the naked eye would have it, but even through the moderately thick glass shielding the window, one could tell just how dark those tree trunks lining their path were.

The deep shade clashed with the rich and viridescent crowns topping them. It wasn’t but a touch in the backdrop, on the contrary, those were one if not the sole key ingredient holding the entire picture together.

Arabella continued to study the environment around her until Silas’ voice rumbled through her chest, "I never cared much for creatures I could not hold a proper conversation with either. I imagine they all have their roles to play in maintaining the frail balance of nature, but that is all it means to me,"

"I am no expert when it comes to the animal kingdom. I am afraid, I couldn’t contribute with anything of value to a discussion concerning them,"

"Then that makes two of us,"

Silas had spoken right as the carriage came to a complete halt.

To him, the look on the young woman’s face upon exiting the carriage was priceless.

The curiosity in her twinkling eyes mingling with the confusion and perhaps even a smidge of apprehension in her furrowed eyebrows, spoke without any words.

Similarly to their previous escapade through the forest, he offered his arm for some much needed support on her part.

"We are almost out into the clearing that leads down the valley, but alas from here on, we may not count on the carriage. It’ll have to wait for our return here," he said as she curled her own arm around his.

There was, indeed, no way for the car to go though as the carved road simply faded, blending into a cluster of trees barring the route from reach.

It seemed, even the sun shied away from shining through upon the soil footing those trunks.