“And the sack was empty?” Raelene rubbed her temples in small circles, as if her head was giving much pain.
“I didn’t want to tell anyone, not while so many things were uncertain.”
“Might the scroll be on the ground somewhere?”
“No. For you see, when I returned through the portal, Vindrake’s body was already missing. I searched everywhere, but the scroll was lost. It must have been inside his cloak.”
“Perhaps the scroll is no longer of import. We don’t know for certain that Vindrake remains alive, do we? He could be truly dead, as you originally thought.”
Meravelle’s tongue felt thick and heavy, as if it didn’t want to say the words she knew were true.
“If Vindrake was dead, his bloodbond would no longer have any power. It seems highly unlikely his guards, acting of their own accord, would carry his body away out of some sense of duty or loyalty.”
“You expect too much of yourself, Meravelle. You are gifted in wisdom, but that doesn’t mean you can control the circumstances of life.”
Raelene’s motherly tone tugged at Mera’s heart. Her own mother had died of the plague when Mera was still an infant. Her father had done his best to care for her while working long hours in the fields. But when she came into her wisdom and language gifts, he’d traveled back to Glaenshire, leaving her in the care of her grandparents. By the time her grandmother passed, a few years later, Meravelle was responsible for all the daily responsibilities at her grandfather’s home, in addition to her studies at the archives. She saw her father on occasion, but he’d remarried and started a new family, of which she’d never felt a part. Now, with her grandfather gone, she was truly alone.
Studious and determined, Mera had never complained about her circumstances. Still, something deep inside longed for the love of a mother. And sharing with Raelene, revealing her failings and sampling a taste of unconditional maternal love, her tears flowed again, weeping for all she’d missed in her childhood.
“Remember, Meravelle, you’re only expected to use your gifting in an honorable way, for the betterment of others, to the best of your ability. Beyond that, you bear no responsibility. Recovering the scroll was more than we’d hoped for. We accomplished our most important goals—recovering the gun, protecting Glaenshire and the Craedenza, and rescuing Alora. You mustn’t demand the impossible from yourself... or from others.”
Running footsteps pounded down the smooth gray stone hallway floor, and Beth appeared, her wavy auburn hair bouncing as she danced in place.
“Alora’s awake!”
**************
The first thing Alora saw when her eyes opened was Kaevin’s smiling face, surrounded by a cloud of white.
“Are we dead?” she asked.
His jade green eyes crinkled in the corners, and a dimple flashed. “No, we’re not.”
“Oh, good... because I hurt all over. And I was thinking, since there isn’t supposed to be pain in Heaven, that might be a bad sign.”
When he laughed, she could feel the vibration through her fingers where they rested on his chest. As her blurry eyes f
ocused, she realized the white cloud around Kaevin’s head was actually a fluffy pillow. His face moved closer, and he placed a tender kiss on her mouth, so soft it only hurt a little bit when he touched her swollen lips.
“I bet I look pretty awful.” She tried to remember how many times her father had hit her face.
“You look beautiful to me. Just having you here with me is...” His face crumpled, and she felt his sadness and despair. It was then that she remembered the gun. Vindrake had fired four times at her friends.
In a panic, she craned her head, looking around the small room. The one person who should have been there was absent. His best friend, defender-bonded for life... Jireo.
Her entire insides turned to stone. She couldn’t swallow. Her hand tightened to a fist, wadding up his t-shirt.
“Where’s Jireo?” Her lower jaw trembled. “Is he...? I saw Vindrake shoot him...”
Kaevin wrapped his arms around her, pulling her head against his chest. “Jireo’s alive. I was insane last night. My head pounded almost as badly as when you and I were first separated for days. I had to reach him. I crawled out of bed, fell and tore something open. Doc found me on the floor and used his magick to make me sleep. But I still dreamed about Jireo.”
She opened her empathy, sharing his pain, and felt his tense muscles relax somewhat.
“I know the bullet hit him. I saw him on the ground. Where did he get hit?”
“No one has shared the details with me. But when I awoke, I knew he was alive, and my defender bond no longer gave me pain.”
“And Alleraen?”