Chapter Twenty-One
Andi
The governor asks again, “You are Andrina, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” I whisper, staring at my hands. Fighting the urge to tap my knee in an annoying beat.
The governor strokes his daughter’s hair, wiping away their tears. “You look like her, you know. Your mother. I’m surprised I didn’t see it sooner.”
“What?” I lift my head, my voice barely audible. The mere thought that I look like my mother excites me in a way I never realised it would.
Releasing his daughter’s hands and motioning for them to sit in the chairs, he walks over to the window, gazing out into the overgrown garden.
“We grew up together, while my father was a King’s guard, many moons ago.
Your mother was a kind, curious girl, often up to no good.
When I became a young soldier, she teased me so much, she would take it upon herself to test the young guards.
Meaning we had to follow her when she would make for the city.
I was at the army base in Sarine, on the coast of Nalori, when I heard about the attack. I was… heartbroken, to say the least.”
He fell still, slipping into a daydream, looking out the window with drooped shoulders, lowering his head. He knew my family, my mother. I should have a million questions, but all the words jumble in my head, and I can’t put a thought together.
The governor turns to look at his girls.
“My, you’ve both grown so much, and I missed it.
” His eyes glisten. “You both are the double of your mother.” He lets out a soft chuckle, a one-sided smile growing on his face but doesn’t match the sadness of his eyes.
“I need to have a chat with Andi. Can you two run along and play for a while? I promise we will have time later.”
Megan and Eliza hug their dad and warily leave the room.
The governor sits across from me with his face emotionless. I watch for any sudden movements, any sign I should run. My stomach twists into knots, my foot involuntarily tapping on the floor. The governor fusses with his clothes and combs his hands through his hair.
“I do apologise. I’m not usually in such a state. The past couple of years have been… well, tough.”
“I heard about your wife. I’m sorry.” I shift in my chair, crossing my legs to stop my foot tapping. I hate disappointing Myles. He’s going to be so angry that we have to run again, just when he had settled in this little town and started to become himself again.
Could I go it alone? To where, though? I haven’t even opened Dad’s box since Vendyl, it has stayed forgotten at the bottom of my bag. My gaze falls to my tightly clasped hands, and the char marks on the table stand out against the light grain of the wood.
“I’m sorry about your table.”
The governor wrings his hands in front of him. His face softens into a smirk. “Your mother had a similar destructive power. Do you know how she…” He watches me, his eyebrows drawn together, an expectant look in his eyes.
“I don’t know much. Somehow, Edrina escaped the castle during the attack. My parents —the ones I grew up with—found her dying in the woods outside of Eilia. They buried her where she died and marked a tree. She was gravely injured, yet managed to get me to safety. That’s as much as I know.”
The governor’s face drops, a wave of sadness flushes over him.
“I’m sorry for your loss. We thought everyone died in the castle that night.
I mourned every one of you. But… seeing you here, alive, gave me a sliver of hope that maybe Edrina survived too.
” He wipes a hand down his face, ruffling his beard.
I can’t imagine how Governor Thran must be feeling, seeing a ghost rise from the dead, standing before him in his manor, exploding uncontrolled magic everywhere.
But there was a look in his eyes, a sense of sadness that I didn’t expect.
He knew my mum, my family. My coming into his life must unearth a lot of old emotions.
Thran composes himself as only a political official could do. “So, what brings you to Cyvail? Why does Adrian want you?”
Taking a deep breath, I spit out my whole story.
The governor sits quietly throughout it all, watching me with his resigned face.
The chair skids across the hardwood floor as he rises, pacing the room, eyeing me every so often.
His arms drop to his side, and he crosses the room, sliding into a chair beside me.
“This is a lot to take in. But Adrian has always been a superficial man, easily distracted by pretty objects and people. I can only guess he sees you as a trophy, though how he knew about you is a mystery. As far as we were told, all your family, including you, were murdered in the castle.” His chin lowers to his chest, intensity etched over his face.
“If his men are roaming the country looking for you, then you need to stay away from populated areas. These will most likely have extra patrols waiting.”
“Why don’t you have any officers here?” I think back to the guards of Vendyl, who never wore a uniform because they felt it made them stand out too much from the town, and they wanted to remain a part of the community
“We did, but when I became Governor, I refused their services. I saw how they treated the people here, and I hated it. Instead, I hired a few men of my own, who are loyal only to me, to keep the peace. Adrian never bothered pushing me on the matter, he was never a fan of the mountains. You can stay here as long as you like, or at least until I hear word of any patrols coming our way.”
Thanking him, I push up from my chair, but curiosity gets the better of me and I slump back down.
“You said you were a soldier for my family. How did you come to be Governor of this town?”
Governor Thran’s gaze drops from me to his hands resting on the table.
“After the attack, your grandfather’s advisor took the throne.
Zayn. He had a way about him, a superiority swagger.
I never trusted him. A feeling inside told me to run, so I did.
Packing my bag that night and abandoning my post, I ran as far as I could.
I started working for the old high lord of Zury, Eron.
Eventually became trusted with the position of Governor. ”
He places a hand on my arm, gripping ever so slightly.
“You need to be careful, Andi. Whatever killed your family is still out there. I know it. I would be wary of who you reveal your true identity to. Everyone who was openly loyal to the Tanith was murdered. I changed my name and remained hidden in this rural town, to protect my family. You will be safe here. I am and always will be loyal to your family.”
I feel a lightness, leaving the Governor’s manor. The late afternoon sun beams down on the town, wrapping me in a warm bubble. The laughter from within the manor is pure joy and infectious, bringing a smile to my face.
Although it’s bittersweet, reliving memories of Dad and his games, how he always made us smile, I’m glad the girls have their dad back. I assume all the mischief was for attention, in the hopes that one day he would wake from his walking slumber and be the dad they once knew.
The town looks cheerful, and folk mingle about getting ready for the festival tomorrow.
Hanging autumnal bunting around the doorways and windows.
Ribbons aloft in zig-zag patterns, decorated by the children from the schoolhouse.
Each portrays drawings relating to the harvest. My favourite is a picture of a large pumpkin with a smiling face drawn on the front.
The lamps emit an amber glow into the streets, bright orbs dotting the darkening ground, matching the decorations.
Cyvail looks beautiful. Folk continue to add discarded wood into the massive bonfire, ready for the gathering.
If I thought the bonfires back home were big, this pyre puts them all to shame, towering over all the buildings.
The sun has begun to set. The once clear blue sky, shines with pink hues, a cool breeze drifts through the streets, swaying my hair over my eyes as I walk distractedly back through the town.
I debate telling Myles about the Governor.
Ever since Vendyl, things have been different between us.
He spends his days watching me warily, waiting for me to explode and hurt him with my powers.
I can’t blame him; this isn’t what he signed up for when we first met, running, hiding, or fighting for our lives.
He dreamed of settling down beside the willow tree with a growing family to keep us busy. Now, this dream fades with each passing day.
The conversation with the governor plays on repeat in my mind. I’m now bursting with questions, I should have thought to ask. But at the time, I couldn’t string two words together. What were they like? Did he know my father? Does he know who—or what attacked them?
“What did they do this time?” Myles' voice shocks me out of my thoughts. I hadn’t realised how far I had walked in my dream; he stares at me from the smithy’s door, smirking as he dries his hands on a towel.
His eyebrows crease as he takes in my face. “What happened?” His voice low and demanding, with quick steps, he is beside me. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I allow his sweet musky scent to take over me.
“It’s nothing. Everything’s fine, promise.” He pulls back and stares at me questioningly. “Fine, I’ll tell you if you walk me back to the inn.”
Myles and I walk through the winding streets of Cyvail, manoeuvring out of the way as folk that continue to decorate, dodging children running around with their newly drawn pictures, excited to show their friends.
I tell Myles everything, leaving out my magical outburst, scared of what he might think of my lack of control.
“He was a soldier for your grandfather?” His expression tempers. “We can’t trust him. He could be sending carrier pigeons as we speak. I don’t know about this. We should leave.”