Chapter 9 #5
I hated leaving the village, but at least I had given them a modicum of protection—places they could go to wait out the searching darkness. I had no idea how long it would hold, though. I made the chieftain promise that if he felt any weakening, he would get a message to Griff.
At least I wasn’t as drained as I had become accustomed to after using my powers. Deirdre’s trick of replenishing with power drawn from the earth was life-changing. I would have to try it with the other elements too.
“How often does this happen? In how many places?” I asked softly as we left.
He knew what I was asking. “Too many,” he replied.
My heart fell. I knew from Finn’s geography lessons that there were too many towns along the border for me to ward a building in each location.
And what of all the people in between the towns?
There was no way to create a sanctuary for them.
How would they even get there in time? There had been no warning when it happened.
Just further evidence that I needed to figure out how to repair the Veil and end this danger.
As soon as we returned, we ran into an irate Zachariah. Steam might as well have been coming out of his ears.
This was not going to be good.
Although none of the interactions I’d had with my grandfather in the past month had been what you’d call good.
“Leave us,” he barked at Griff.
“No.” Griff crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, a picture of immovable patience.
I could see the thoughts warring within Zachariah. The need to get whatever he had to say off his chest was at odds with doing so in front of an audience.
The need to say something won out.
“Where were you?”
“Terraleth.”
“And who gave you permission to go gallivanting off in the countryside? You have work to do here. You must be training. You must be studying.”
“I was,” I bit out. “I was working with my earth channel and—”
“Earth channel,” Zachariah scoffed. “I highly doubt the answer to fixing the Veil is within the earth channel.”
“Doesn’t the prophecy start with ‘when power and earth at once combine’?” I quoted. “Seems like the earth channel may be important.”
“That simply has to do with the bloodline. We already know you’re of the right bloodline.”
Griff was watching the whole confrontation, maintaining that relaxed position, although I could see tension creeping through his shoulders. I had a feeling that the second I stopped fighting back, he would step in and end this. I wasn’t about to have my Champion fight my battles. Not now. Not ever.
“And I was able to ward sections of Terraleth as protection against the dorchas. Tell me, Grandfather, have you encountered the dorchas? Have you done anything to protect our people from it?”
He tried to tower over me, but he wasn’t that much taller than me. “Do not accuse me, Granddaughter, of abandoning our people. I was here. I was the one who stayed. No thanks to you.”
I stared at him in disbelief. “I was a baby when I left. You’re honestly blaming a baby for this mess?”
“You will stay within these gates and learn everything you can to fix this problem!” he demanded.
“I will do everything I can to fix the problem,” I agreed, “but I determine how to do that. Or doesn’t your precious prophecy say ‘hold on, hold true, hold in faith,’ blah blah blah—meaning you need to trust the Orlaith. Me. And I am doing everything I can! No thanks to you, Grandfather.”
I couldn’t stand this one more minute. I spun on my heel and stalked off.
Griff quickly caught up with me, but after taking one look at my face, he wisely stayed silent.
I eventually bit out, “Was that normal?”
“That was… aggressive. Even for him.”
“Great. Maybe it’s just family he treats this way. Not that I would know, with them all being dead.” I continued on with my ground-eating strides, Griff’s long legs keeping pace with me. “I’m starting to feel like I’m not wanted here. Like it would be better if I had never left Fairhaven.”
He lightly gripped my upper arm, not in a hold—I could break it at any time—but more to get my attention as we came to a stop. He stepped closer, close enough that I had to tilt my head up to meet his eyes. I could see the green specks, swirling in the hazel.
“You’re wrong.” His voice was low, intense. “You are wanted here. You’re needed here. And I’m not just saying that because I’m the one who brought you back.”
I stared into those captivating eyes, my heart beating too fast. “I’m going to need allies here. People I can trust.”
He stared unblinking back at me as his hand slipped down my arm to encircle my wrist. “You have them. You have me.” The words were a promise, one that settled deep into my bones.
Once again, I was hit with the unshakable feeling that I knew him. That I could trust him. I had literally nothing else here to go on, other than the warmth in my chest and this inexplicable pull toward him, and so I decided to dive into that feeling. If it damned me, so be it.
“I’m going to hold you to that, Griffin Narvene.” I tilted my chin up, holding his gaze.
“I would be disappointed if you didn’t.”