32. Chapter 32 #2
“It’s probably just a big bad teddy beast kind of thing. I’m sure it’s not scary at all.” Sury’s eyes grew wide as he left out a hefty chuckle, refusing to make eye contact with Peiro.
Ora dropped her voice and moved her hands in an eerie fashion in our direction, mimicking our father as she recited, “Some say it was stolen decades ago; others say it was released into the wild to eat your children.” I smiled at the memory of him reading stories to us.
Uriah leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.
“That’s the craziest thing. They think the beast is a blessing, like a giant itself being Thuvina’s creation or something—just like whoever this Sun Killer, dark priestess, spooky woman is.
The hope is that together they will finish what Graevick started and allow the followers to have the abilities to control life and death freely, since they claim they are devout believers awaiting some mystical blessing meant for them. ”
Peiro shifted in his seat and grunted. He sat there rigidly, his knuckles whitening as they gripped the chair’s armrest. I wanted to reach out and provide any sort of comfort for what we were hearing. Had he known others were looking for him? Had he known what these Graevicks believed?
Paige huffed. “They continue to hold on to that twisted tale that our forefather was tricked when Mother Giantess gifted Wielding to humans, but refuse to believe he was greedy in his end days. And now look—we have broken magic that has been losing its strength over time.”
Ora chuckled. “I’ve heard of Graevicks, but never paid them any mind.
They can’t be serious. If this were real and they got their hands on such a thing, how would they even control the beast?
” Her eyes flitted to mine, seemingly recalling the same memory I had of the first time she invoked the entity, and our naivety in thinking that anyone who spoke the ancient words could control the thing they belonged to.
We found how very wrong we were.
“I’m not sure.” Uriah popped the last bit of eggs into his mouth. “All I can gather is that they want to find it for Thuvina.”
“Foolish,” Peiro growled from his seat.
“I would say the same, but it’s just a story.” Uriah leaned back with a shrug. “Graevick’s Followers have always been known to be mental. Following that archaic form of magic practically turns you into a barbarian.”
“Enough,” Fyom grumbled, still looking into the beyond. Uriah arched a single eyebrow while Paige narrowed her eyes in her brother’s direction.
“Did they say who this dark priestess of Thuvina’s was?” I asked.
Uriah shook his head. “I don’t know. I stopped listening.”
“Typical,” Fyom mumbled. Uriah shot him a look before flicking invisible lint in his father’s direction.
Ora laughed again, the sound fluttering in the air. “And what are these keys? Do they unlock a door to treasures they seek? This group does sound like they would be fun to drink with at a gathering, with all of these fantastical tales.”
“Who can be certain?” Uriah shrugged his shoulders before he leaned in and smiled handsomely in her direction. “If they were keys worth finding, you could find them to unlock my heart.”
Fyom and Paige groaned, the latter swatting at him with her napkin as Sury scooted his chair closer and wrapped his arm around Ora. Uriah held his hands up in jest, laughing that it had been worth the attempt.
Their laughter dulled into quiet mumbling as my thoughts took over.
I was convinced more than ever that this was no coincidence, and that we were indeed after the same things.
If this group were looking for keys to control the Ancient One, was there another Wielder like me out there they could find?
Could they then control Peiro? What would they do with him?
If it came down to it, would I have the strength to actually control the thing inside of him?
I continued to war with the questions. What’s one soul compared to a kingdom? His words echoed through me, but so did mine. I will let the kingdoms burn before I use you like others have.
Ariadne’s smug face came to mind, sparking anger in me again.
Outrage licked each muscle fiber and nerve ending as it traveled through my body.
For years she boasted about being blessed with death magic.
Was this her plan the entire time? Did she seek the Ancient One, like these Graevicks?
If she was working with Dokvalon, was this all connected?
Tremors burned through my body. I needed to move. To act. I needed to protect Peiro and the others at all costs.
“Hey, are you okay?” A soft hand reached for mine and steady my bouncing leg that I hadn’t realized had begun to shake on its own. I turned to find Ora looking at me quizzically.
My attention was brought back to Uriah. “…and they will do anything in their power to find them…”
Something flickered across Ora’s face and her eyes grew wide as she seemingly lost herself to her thoughts.
In a moment, the distant look of fear was gone and her face returned to something neutral.
Ora rubbed her eyes before standing up and lifting her chin, just like our mother used to do before a decision had to be made.
“Sounds like a bit of nonsense, if I do say so myself.” Ora dashed a smile before turning her attention to me. “Sister? Care to have a bit of fun with some training? Show the boys how it’s done?” Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and walked toward the sword rack.