Chapter 14 #3
She blinked. Surprised by his offer. The choice granted to her should she decide to take it.
Go back. Back to where it all started. Where countless deaths filled the air in the forest that had once been flourishing with life, crowning the forest its namesake.
Where the Vedrans used to live before they were all slaughtered by the king.
The Forest of the Dead.
“You would do that. Take me, I mean?”
A ghost of a smile touched his lips. “I would hardly call this a favor. The last time I went in there I was a boy, and I still have nightmares about what I saw. Once you see what lies beyond the trees, you can’t unsee it. Take the time to think it over.”
“Boss, are you two done yet?” Idris called from below, earning their attention from a rounded table below where he was seated. And sitting in one of the other chairs, sending an unimpressed look their way, was Adan, unsurprisingly, who took a long drink from the tankard before him.
“Dinner! Come down before I eat your portion.”
Aeric waved a hand before he faced her. “Shall we then?”
“You go ahead, I’m not hungry.”
Before she could turn and retreat to her room, she heard him say, “Zara said you were training all day with Adan. If you’re going to build any sort of stamina for your power, you’ll need to eat. Regain your energy.”
Adan’s lesson—no matter how questionable his methods had been—had remained with her for she recalled what he’d said about a nevit’s energy.
It made her hesitate long enough for a hand to land on the small of her back, guiding her toward the stairs. She tensed and glowered up at him. “I’m perfectly capable of making a decision for myself.”
“Yes, I’m aware.” He leaned forward, close enough that she could smell the scent of soap and embers, as if he’d used his power earlier. The warmth emanating from his body seeping into her back as she felt his chest graze her shoulders. “It doesn’t hurt to receive a slight…push.”
When he did just that, she caught herself on the post before they could reach the stairs and sent him a glare as he walked past her. Tucking the hands in the pockets of his pants, his walk was slow as he made his descent—moving like a lazy, mischievous cat.
“You are the most exasperating man I think I have ever met,” she remarked as she followed.
“That’s funny, I would have sworn it was Adan who brought forth your ire.”
“He’s a close second, believe me.”
His answer came as a chuckle as they made their way downstairs. The last thing she wanted was to be seated anywhere near Adan, and while she knew there was no avoiding his scalding gaze, she took to seating herself between Aeric and Idris.
The latter smiled at her as he passed down a tankard from the center of the table, the froth of the ale spilling over the rim. “Anya, good of you to join our sorry lot. I heard your training went spectacularly.”
It would seem everyone at this table had a sense of humor. Wonderful.
“She’ll get there,” Aeric said, taking her by surprise. “If I recall, you once used the air to conjure ice and ended up giving yourself and Adan frostbite.”
“We were seven,” Adan griped. “Not well into our twenties without the slightest idea on how to make a simple cut.”
“I don’t understand how any of the children can stand being taught by you. I’m surprised they don’t all run away screaming at the mere mention of your name,” Anelize shot back, giving as much as she could take evidently.
Adan’s grin was wolfish as he rested his arm over the back of his chair. “I make you want to run away from me. Good. That will be implemented into our next lesson.”
“Now, now. Settle down, you two. We’re to have supper. Not verbally spar with one another,” Henry said as he brought over what looked to be a plate full of grilled meat.
Anelize could hardly remember the last time she’d had meat on the table, properly cooked and smelling so delicious it made her mouth water.
When her stomach growled, Aeric looked at her with mirth. A look that clearly said you’re not hungry, huh? She stepped on his foot beneath the table in answer, to which he bit his bottom lip to stifle a laugh.
Utterly infuriating, this man.
She ate in silence while the others talked amongst themselves.
Discussing Watchmen and rebels, the mention of raids commencing that took place unexpectedly whenever the king ordered them to do so, and the Moroi that had been seen lurking in the shadows.
Eventually the conversation shifted to her, much to her displeasure, as Henry asked, “Anelize, how was conjuring?”
She and Adan both released heavy sighs.
Henry chuckled. “You know, you always kept to yourself when it came to your practice. I remember your father refused to bring you to us when I suggested having you and Enid learn to conjure. And when I asked you, you refused. As if you were afraid to do so. I always wondered if it was because he insisted you not attempt to call upon your power, or if it was you who did not wish to.”
This was certainly not a topic of conversation she wished to touch upon now of all times.
Still, she forced herself to say, aware that everyone’s eyes had shifted to her. “I was warned not to use my…power upon anyone. My father didn’t particularly like what it could do. It was easier on all of us if I didn’t.”
“Your father was always very careful when it came to you girls. I cannot say I would not have done the same if Wellyn had the same power as you. Regardless, it is a boon to possess during these times. You would do well to remember that now.”
“What sort of power does Enid have, Anya?” Idris asked her, his curiosity palpable though not intrusive.
“Alter,” Anelize answered.
The twins raised their brows in surprise. Aeric appearing to contemplate her words, the significance.
“Two rare abilities, gone to waste.” Adan muttered with the shake of his head. “One who can easily take lives, and the other who could hide in plain sight.”
“My sister would never be a fighter. I doubt she would harm a single soul even if presented with the chance,” she said, narrowing her eyes on Adan. As if he knew the topic of her sister was a sensitive subject, the twin merely took another drink from his tankard.
Henry nodded with fondness. “A gentle soul, she was. Quiet and kind, yet utterly devoted. It is why my Wellyn loved her so.”
“Enid is still very much alive, Henry. No need to refer to her in the past tense. Either of them,” Aeric said suddenly as he tore a piece of bread and dropped it onto his plate.
Henry blinked, realizing what he’d done before sending Anelize an apologetic glance.
Anelize looked at Aeric as he ate, chuckling at something Adan said to his brother that she hadn’t heard. As if he hadn’t sensed the way she had tensed beside him at Henry’s words. As if his own words hadn’t eased a bit of her worries in return.
“What I am curious to know is how a nevit drawn to taking life became an apothecary.” Idris mused, clearly his curiosity about her wasn’t diminishing in any way.
“I was taught everything I know by my father. I suppose it came naturally to me. It had nothing to do with being a Vedran.”
“And what of your mother?”
She shrugged. “I do not remember much of her. She died when I was a child after she gave birth to Enid. It’s been just us ever since.”
“And your father?” Adan asked, both in challenge and curiosity of his own. His scrutinizing gaze appearing to convey that he wanted to know more about her, despite having been forced to teach her to conjure properly.
But the question…
Anelize stared down at her ale, watching her reflection in the golden liquid.
Henry cleared his throat, and she caught him shaking his head at the twins.
It was an effort to speak but eventually she forced the words out. “He died on the pyre.”
The table fell silent, and she could feel Aeric watching her closely.
Henry reached across the table and gave her arm a squeeze. “You do not need to tell us anything you do not wish to share, Anya.”
While she never particularly liked reliving that horrible day, these people had allowed her to come into their lives. Help them with their cause which was—should be—just as important to her. They’d saved her life when she’d considered herself all but dead. Now they were helping her.
She could offer this much at the very least.
“Someone reported him when he went out to pay one of his patients a visit. It had been a trap. Watchmen captured him and beat him until I could hardly recognize his face. Then they dragged him and others to the pyre on the field.”
She remembered what it had felt like when Henry had come to tell her the news.
The way she’d ran through the streets, ignoring his pleas not to go.
The way Henry had held her in his arms to keep her from running over and stopping the horrific sights unfolding beyond the clamoring crowd.
The Watchmen and council who had gathered to sentence Vedrans to death.
Henry had saved her by keeping her from exposing herself and Enid that day, from forsaking both of their lives as their father burned, yet the pain had remained with her.
She remembered the bite of her nails sinking into her palm.
The last of his screams carrying into the air filled with smoke and embers. Then nothingness.
“I think that’s enough questions.” Aeric suddenly said, pulling her away from her thoughts of the past. When she glanced up, she watched as he took a drink from his tankard. His expression unreadable as he regarded the twins.
“I’m sorry, we should not have pried,” Idris said from across the table, nudging Adan, who also muttered an apology.
Anelize shook her head. “It’s all right. We’ve all lost someone we care about. It is…inevitable, given the world we live in.”