“Come in,” a deep growl comes from within.
The door creaks open, and I’m tossed to the dusty, hard ground, in front of a throne-like chair. In it sits a huge, mountainous man. My abductors enter behind me, flanking his position. The chief, I take it.
Any man who commands this much respect, must be the leader. His broad shoulders hunch over as he lowers his head to look at me. A thick, greying-white beard fills out his face, but does nothing to hide the vast number of scars. He watches me carefully before lifting his intense gaze to the men behind me.
“Who the fuck is this?”
The air is suffocating. I try to judge my survival chances, but I have to admit, they don’t look good.
“We raided a Zury caravan outside of the Cethin forest. He was tied up in a flimsy wagon. We were going to kill him there and then, but he begged for his life.Someonefelt sorry for him.”
‘Someone’ scoffs behind me, and the chief grunts with an eye roll.
Taking in the information, the chief rubs his beard and twists a glinting ring on his hand. He studies me for a moment. “Okay. Tell me your story.” Waving his hand, indicating for me to plead my case.
I fumble around my head for words, “Um… What he said is true. Back in Vendyl, the guards were brutal, taking their anger out on anyone and everyone. One guard sucker-punched me, so I head butted him. They didn’t take that too well.”
The chief watched me intensely, his eyes narrowing and his foot tapping on the ground, continually twisting his ring. He leans forward to look me in the eye.
“Let’s try that again. This time I want the truth.”
Chapter Nineteen
Andi
An uneventful week passed in Cyvail. Finding rhythm in a town we thought we would be skipping any day, was surprising.
Every morning, Myles and I have breakfast at the inn, mostly joined by Kali, who tells us her life story: growing up in Vayross, telling us of its beauty. How the houses are carved out of the mountains; the higher the level, the higher the class, with the royals sitting on their perch at the peak. Waterfalls streaming down the cliffside, with paths tucked underneath. Flaxen leaves speckling the tips of trees that overhang from the ridge, creating a natural shade from the sun.
Mostly, she talks of her sister, Lura. A healer who lives further into Linorah, near the mountains. Sadness and melancholy spill from every syllable, every kind word she has to say about her sister. She tells of how Lura prefers a solitary life away from the crowds, which Kali thrives on.
Myles is full of a thousand questions about elf life, where she and her sister grew up, and their family. Every meeting, his mood lightens. The weight off his shoulders is a little less. Which is maybe why we’ve remained where we are, I’d hate to see him disgruntled at having to leave a place we’ve both found kinship.
Hearing the stories of Kali and Lura envelops me in sorrow and regret, missing my own family, my sister, Wyatt.
Of Dad. I’ve put on a brave face for Elana for so long, I think I forgot to grieve properly myself. I miss him more with each passing day. He would make me laugh when I was upsetover something stupid, showing me how to carve little stumps of wood. Not that I was any good at it. No matter how hard I tried, I could never get them to look the way they were supposed to, but he would always praise me either way.
I wish I had appreciated him more.
The strength it took, keeping me in the dark, to keep me safe all these years. Searching for information about the Taniths, so I had it when I needed it. His pursuit of the witch for my necklace that would protect me.
He died too young, a heart attack, Mum said, but he was so young and healthy it always seemed unreal.
Kali has taken it upon herself to become my magic coach, showing me the basics, like control.
She has a sense of ease about her, a calming nature that made trusting her with my secret easy. She wasn’t surprised when she found out my heritage with my link to the royals. Knowing my past hasn’t changed how she treats me: with respect and a directness that I’m not used to.Informing me that before I can learn to use the ‘cool’ magic, I had to learn to shield, otherwise the device they are using will always lead them to me. Kali explained that these devices are not a new invention, but they’re not easily attainable, so the chances of me hiding are higher. But until I could shield, I would always be found, ‘because my magic oozed out of me like a festering wound’—Kali had a way with words.
My first lesson was about the workings of magic. Kali spent a few hours explaining how magic, especially magic as strong as mine, puts off a signature, announcing my presence to anyone who might be searching. The more I use it, the stronger the signal I put out into the world.
Which is more than likely the reason as to why I was found in the first place, having used a great deal in the woods that day.
Every morning, I wake before dawn to meet Kali in an abandoned field behind the tavern, one that was damaged in a recent flood, making it unusable by farmers. Sticking near the edge beside the dried mud, Kali puts me through my paces. Every morning, she has another method for me to try. So far, all attempts have been useless, no matter what I do, I can’t shield.
This morning, Kali is chipper, skipping down towards me. “I have a good feeling about today.”
Tilting my head, my eyebrows creased. “Is that so?”
“Yes. I was thinking back to when I was younger, I had some problems with my temper.” Rolling my eyes, the information doesn’t surprise me. Kali points her finger at me. “You can wipe that smirk off your face right now.”