Druidess Found (Druidess Trilogy Book 1) Machelle Hanleigh (best ebook reader under 100 .TXT) 📖

Kaily didn't feel hungry, but she ate what she could. "It's tasty." The food tasted far better than what she ate during her time with the Agenors. Still, she possessed no appetite. Stressful situations affected her that way. While her circumstances settled down, if she could say that after only one day, not enough for her to feel comfortable or to gain an appetite. A small consolation, she felt safer than at the Agenors, just not comfortable, not like she did at her home.

Shimani put his empty plate aside and took her hands in his. "Give yourself time to adjust. It will get better. I promise." He let her hands go. "Would you like a tour of the village and surrounding areas?"

Kaily smiled at him. "That would be nice, thank you, Shimani."

"If you're finished, I'll clean up and then we can get started." Shimani said indicating her plate.

Kaily took a look at it and then handed it to Shimani. "I'm finished." She watched as he carefully wrapped the remaining food and put it into a cooling cupboard as he called it. He said that would give her something to snack on later when she might be hungry. When he finished cleaning up, she followed him outside. She wondered if she would spot her dark warrior during the tour.

Shimani took her into the forest, and she would swore they traveled in the same direction as the clearing, but instead of coming to the clearing she found herself in the midst of the forest with villagers clearing away debris, trimming trees, and gathering fruit. She thought the food looked like fruit, but it resembled what she and Shimani just ate. That tasted more like vegetables. Their food didn't look like anything she ate back on Earth. "What are they doing?"

"Cultivating what we use." Shimani said. He pointed to various areas and explained to Kaily what the villagers did. Some gathered leaves that appeared to sprout from the ground in single large leaves. Shimani explained that those the Kahoali used to make their shoes and boots. Kaily would swear the low-cut boots she wore felt like suede leather. "May I touch one of the leaves?" She asked Shimani.

Shimani smiled at her. "Of course." He guided her to a stand of leaves that none of the villagers cultivated.

She smiled at him, thankful that he considered her discomfort around the villagers. She touched a leaf and pulled her hand away. It pricked her finger. "Ouch." She looked at Shimani with a frown.

"There is a process that softens the flesh of the leaf." Shimani said. He took her hand in his and gently touched the finger that she pricked.

Her finger felt instantly better. "How did you do that?" She asked.

"Majik." He said with a twinkle in his eyes.

Kaily shook her head at him. She took off a boot and examined it. It felt very soft to the touch and durable.

Shimani took the boot out of her hand and held it out for her to step back into it. "There is more to see." He said.

In other areas, villagers gathered other types of items from the trees and nearby bushes. Shimani explained how some of the plant’s fibers provided the material for their clothing they wore. Kaily fingered the dress she wore. She marveled at the softness and texture of it. She wouldn't think so much could come from the forest around her. She adopted the Kahoali word for forest in referring to the surrounding area. She didn't think it translated the same in her mind. For that understanding, she would need to understand the Kahoali people as one of them, a difficulty as an outsider.

Kaily turned her attention back to Shimani. "Tell me about the Kahoali people."

He led her to an area void of others. He helped her sit on the soft moss-covered ground. "It's,"

"Don't say complicated." Kaily interrupted him.

Shimani smirked and shook his head. "There are a great many complications in life, Kaily. You can't escape that fact. How do you feel about difficult?"

"About the same as complicated."

Shimani laughed. "I see. It's difficult to describe the Kahoali people in a way that you would understand."

Kaily narrowed her eyes at him. "Try."

Shimani smiled. "Don't say I didn't warn you. You have seen, at least in a small part, the closeness of the villagers. As you can see, everyone works together, even the children in our day to day tasks to fulfill our day to day needs. At the same time, we each have specific interests that are not easy to discern from a far. And we each have our duties. I would imagine it's similar on your world."

Kaily looked at the villagers working together and saw laughter and comradery. Finally, she looked at Shimani, "not like this," she shook her head. "Granted it's only been a day, but at first glance it seems a simple enough life, and yet it's,"

"Complicated," Shimani offered.

Kaily shook her head at him as if in annoyance but smiled. "Not what I was going to say." Kaily focused her attention on her surroundings and watched the villagers. They didn't pay attention to her or Shimani, but she was okay with being invisible. It was better to be ignored than to be unwelcome. "I feel so out of place here." She sighed.

"Why?"

Kaily shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe it's just the fact that I'm no longer on Earth, although, I'm still having trouble wrapping my mind around that fact."

"Did you honestly believe that life only existed on your world and none on other worlds in the whole of the Universe?" Shimani said. Kaily heard amusement in his tone.

"No," she lied.

Shimani laughed, and she knew he didn't believe her. He stood and helped her to her feet. "Follow me." He led her deeper into the forest.

"Should I be concerned," Kaily said half-jokingly.

"No, Kaily," Shimani laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You are safe among the Kahoali and with me. I think it would help to give you some answers to