Chapter 2 #2
“How many evil creatures are there in the forest, do you suppose?” a small girl toward the front asked, hand waving wildly in the air.
Professor Bjorn turned toward the girl and tilted his head while he leaned against the desk. “I don’t recall saying anything about ‘evil’ creatures, Miss Hawthorne.”
Lydia Hawthorne dropped her arm quickly while she furrowed her brow.
“But what about the Cu Sidhe?” a boy toward the back asked, as he crossed his arms over his chest.
Professor Bjorn let out a soft laugh as he shook his head. “While very dangerous, they aren’t what I would classify as an evil creature.”
“But they eat people,” Lydia gasped, as she flipped through the pages of the textbook, landing on the chapter dedicated to the Cu Sidhe, and grimaced.
“Does anyone know what the job of the Cu Sidhe is?” Professor Bjorn directed at the class, as he began to pace up and down the aisles.
“They’re guardians of the gate,” Fen replied.
Ember glanced back at him and gave him a soft smile as he straightened his back.
No doubt the trio were all reliving the same memory of their own encounter with the Cu Sidhe.
Ember grimaced as she remembered how close they had come to losing Killian.
She shuddered as memories of his battered body flashed through her mind and turned to give him a small smile.
His eyes caught hers, and he gave her a soft nod, sending her a wink that made heat creep up her neck.
“Correct,” Professor Bjorn nodded, “it guards the gate to Fae territory. That is it’s one purpose, and it takes it very seriously.”
“But it’s still a killer,” Lydia said from the front. “It’s still evil. It kills anyone who gets near the gate.”
Professor Bjorn made his way back to the front of the room, leaning on his desk and crossing his arms over his burly chest. He furrowed his brow as his eyes met each of the students, then turned his head back to Lydia.
“What would you propose they do then, Miss Hawthorne?” He raised a brow as he waited for her to answer.
“Um…” She hesitated as she fidgeted in her seat. “What would I propose who does?”
“The Fae, of course.” He nodded. “How would you propose they protect their land?”
“I… I don’t know, Professor.”
He turned his attention back to the rest of the class, and his eyes landed on Fen. “Mr. Kitt,” he started, “if someone tried to break into your home and threatened your family, what do you think you would do?”
Ember turned around as Fen straightened his back as his eyes met hers. “I would protect them,” he replied. “I would do whatever I had to do to protect them if I could.”
Professor Bjorn nodded. “Even if that meant using deadly force?”
Ember heard Fen choke on his own breath.
“Yes sir,” he replied with an unsteady voice.
Ember’s mind briefly drifted back to just a few months before, when he had defended her against Rowan.
She shuddered as she remembered his battered body lying lifeless on the floor and her desperate pleas to the gods to take her instead.
She fought the lump building in her throat as she bit down on her lip.
“The Cu Sidhe is a guardian,” Professor Bjorn directed at the class.
“He is a protector. He is only dangerous when he needs to be, when he feels like his people are being threatened. We can’t fault a creature for doing what it must do, even if it makes us uncomfortable.
Dangerous does not always equate to evil. ”
Veda Ellingboe scoffed from the back of the class, and Ember rolled her eyes as she turned to look in her direction.
“They’re Fae,” Veda sneered. “Of course they’re evil.”
Ember felt Odette stiffen next to her for a moment before she relaxed again.
“That is quite the jump, Miss Ellingboe,” Professor Bjorn said, as he furrowed his brow.
“Is it?” Oryn quipped beside her. “They’re a lower class at best, and now they’re taking the children on the island. I heard my father say so himself. They’re evil incarnate, and now they’ll finally be dealt with.”
Ember stiffened as she turned toward the twins and narrowed her eyes.
The Fae on the island were protective over their home and their history, and after learning what they did about the Merrow, she understood why.
She had no way of knowing what was true and what wasn’t, and she wasn’t about to trust someone like Veda or Oryn Ellingboe to be honest about it.
“They would know about ‘evil incarnate,’” Killian whispered under his breath, as he let out a huff. “Truly following in my uncle’s footsteps.” Fen patted his friend on the shoulder reassuringly.
“There’s no proof of anything,” Ember spat, as she spun around to look the raven-haired twins in the eyes.
“You can’t just go throwing around accusations like that with no proof.
” Her eyes narrowed on the twins as they smirked.
Ember was ready to bolt out of her seat and wrap her hands around their petite little necks when she felt a gentle hand on top of hers.
She turned to see Odette smiling, calmly shaking her head.
Ember felt the heat in her belly simmer to a dull roar as she turned back around.
“If they think it’s the Fae,” another student said toward the front, “why don’t they kick them all out of town? They shouldn’t be allowed to run businesses if they’re a danger to us.”
Murmurs of agreement broke out in a low hush around the room, and Ember felt herself bristle once again as she thought about Asteria.
“Chief Thornsten has had a team of expert ward breakers place reinforced wards around the forest, as well as more around the school,” Professor Bjorn said pointedly.
“Whether it’s the Fae or something else entirely, I can assure you that you are perfectly safe.
” He smiled gently at the students, but Ember could see the worry clouding his eyes.
He didn’t believe his words any more than they did.
The hours bled on, and before Ember knew it, it was midafternoon, and she was making the trek to Professor Moran’s office.
She climbed the spiraling staircase that hugged the rounded walls of the school in the tree and held her breath as she stepped off into the fourth floor corridor.
The walls were lined with a few offices, but the corridor itself seemed to be completely empty.
Ember walked down the empty hall, listening to the sounds of her footsteps and her heavily beating heart echo in her ears.
She reached the door at the end of the hall, took a shaky breath, and knocked three times.
“Come in,” Professor Moran’s voice said from the inside.
Ember reached to open the door, but before she could touch the knob, it swung open on its own.
She stepped into the large office, and her eyes went wide.
The walls to her left and right were lined with tall bookshelves and directly in front of her was a floor to ceiling window that rounded to meet with the other walls.
It looked out over the grounds of Heksheim that were currently bathed in a gorgeous midafternoon glow.
Professor Moran was sitting at her desk making notes on a piece of parchment when she looked up with a smile.
“Have a seat, Miss Lothbrok,” she said sweetly, as she motioned to the oversized chair in front of her. “How is your first day back going?” She seemed far more relaxed than she did in front of the school that morning. She radiated peacefulness, making Ember’s breath slow and heart steady.
“It’s going very well,” Ember replied, as she sat down. “Thank you, Professor. You needed to see me?”
“Ah, yes, I did.” Professor Moran nodded, as she shuffled paper across her desk.
“I heard the Kitts had filed paperwork to finalize your adoption, and I wanted to check in with you.” A smile lit up her face, and she folded her hands on top of her desk.
“You must be feeling a thousand different emotions, which I assure you is completely normal,” she continued.
“I’m always here if you need to talk or work things out. ”
Ember shook her head as she tried to smile. “I don’t want to bother you with it all.”
“It’s no bother at all.” Professor Moran leaned back in her chair. “It’s something I wish I had when I was adopted.”
Ember raised her brow. “You were adopted?”
Professor Moran nodded. “I know what you’re going through, and I know what emotions must be waging war inside of you,” she said, as she shuffled some papers around her desk. “Think of me as a counselor of sorts.” Her grin broadened as she winked.
Ember bit the inside of her cheek as she gave her a nod. “I’m doing fine, thank you.”
The dean cocked her head as she looked across the desk, and her emerald eyes seemed to stare inside of her. “It would be understandable if you weren’t.”
“Weren’t, Professor?” Ember asked, palms beginning to sweat.
“If you weren’t okay,” she whispered. “If you were more scared than excited.”
Ember’s breath hitched in her chest as she reached to her collar, tracing the runes on the pendant that hung at her neck.
“I’m fine, really,” she replied, but even she was struggling to believe the lie. “I’m very excited.”
“Adoption is a very happy process,” the dean nodded, “but it is also riddled with grief. You lost your family. You don’t have to put on a show for the benefit of others.” Her eyes darkened, as if memories were flitting through her mind.
“It was such a long time ago.” Ember shook her head. “I hardly even remember them.”
Lies.
“Time passed does not equate to healing,” Professor Moran replied, folding her hands on top of her desk.
Ember forced down the lump building in her throat as she plastered on a fake smile. “I appreciate the concern, Professor,” she took a breath, “but I’ll be fine. I’m very excited.” The lie tasted foul on her tongue.
“Very well then,” Professor Moran replied with a small smile. “You know where to find me if that changes. Now one last thing before I let you go.”
Ember held her breath as the Professor skimmed the papers littering her desk.
“I wanted to check and see if you needed the form to submit a name change?”
Ember stiffened, sucking in her breath. “Name change?” she repeated. “I’m sorry?”
Professor Moran nodded. “Yes, will you be going by ‘Ember Kitt’ after the adoption is finalized?”
Ember felt like cotton was lodged in her throat.
Changing her name wasn’t something she had even considered when the Kitts brought up the adoption.
Of course she would love to be a part of their family, but change her name?
Dread filled her chest as she struggled to take in a breath.
Her name was the last thing she had left of them.
It was the last thing that tethered her to her family—to who she was.
Who would she be if she wasn’t a Lothbrok?
But if she kept her name, what would that say to the Kitts? They had sacrificed so much, given her so much, what would they think if she didn’t take their name? Would they think she was ungrateful? Or that she didn’t love them? Dread rolled through her stomach.
Would they change their minds?
“I haven’t thought about that yet,” she replied quietly, trying to plaster on a fake smile. “I’m not really sure.”
Professor Moran gave her a warm smile. “It’s not a decision you have to make right now, but I’ll give you the form just in case you decide you need it.
” She waved her hand and a cabinet to her left flew open, and a single piece of paper floated out to land in her outstretched palm.
She handed it across the desk to Ember, who quickly stuffed it in her bag.
Professor Moran stood from her seat and waved her hand, allowing the door to open again, “I’m here if you need to talk about anything, Miss Lothbrok,” she said sweetly.
Ember nodded stiffly. “Thank you ma’am,” was all she could say, and she headed out the door.
The hallway was silent, everyone either in class or using their study period to get a head start on homework.
Ember’s mind ran a mile a minute as she took breath after shaky breath and made her way toward the stairs.