Chapter 50
KALLIE
"I was wondering when you would return, sister," Fynn called out, stirring Kallie awake.
Her eyes fluttered open, and the familiar bright blue sky stared down at her in its unnatural beauty. Pressing her palms into the dirt, she pushed herself up. And there Fynn was, sitting upon the same rock as always.
This time, however, one of his legs hung over the edge, sweeping lazily in the air. He wore a coy smirk, the dimple at the corner of his mouth prominent.
He observed her, his gaze quickly sweeping over her. "Congratulations are in order, I believe."
"For what?" Kallie asked, her forehead creasing in confusion.
"For finally being free."
Kallie scoffed and stood, brushing off the sand from her hands. "Am I though?" she asked, the question barely audible, yet somehow Fynn still heard her.
"Is there reason to believe that it didn't work?" he questioned.
Kallie shrugged and looked at Fynn. "Can't you tell me?"
Fynn stared at her, his brown eyes narrowing slightly. "Is this why you wished to speak to me? For reassurance?"
"Perhaps," Kallie mumbled.
Folding his arms over his chest, he clicked his tongue. "Only you can know the true workings of your mind, sister."
Kallie scoffed. "If that was true, wouldn't I have known Myra was manipulating my emotions to begin with?" she hedged.
"Maybe you just did not want to admit it then," Fynn replied with a slight shrug. "I think some part of you always knew something was wrong. If Myra had been truly successful to begin with, she would not have needed to mess with your mind constantly. However, from what I can tell, you fought her. Perhaps you did not know it then, but subconsciously, you were fighting her the entire time." He smiled.
Kallie pursed her lips. "So...what? I just wasn't strong enough on my own?"
"Needing the help of others does not mean you are not strong enough on your own." Fynn sighed and jumped off the rock, his feet landing with a soft thud . "Tell me what is truly bothering you."
Kallie bit the inside of her cheek, then released it. Brushing back her hair, she said, "It seems I might have only exchanged one cage for another."
"How so?" Fynn mused, folding his hands behind his back.
"Where to begin?" She tilted her head up to the sky and laughed, the sound cold. "Ever since we've arrived in Tetria, I've been followed by guards. When the guards are not around, someone else is. I'm always being watched and am rarely left alone besides when I sleep. And trust me, I understand why, but it still does not make the collar around my neck feel any looser." Kallie pressed her palms against her temples. "And now, when I finally feel like I'm becoming comfortable with this new normal, Esmeray sends a letter stating she has grounds to charge everyone with treason."
Fynn dug his hands into his pockets and shrugged. "Well, in her defense, they did not seek her approval before rescuing you."
Kallie dropped her hands from her head and looked at Fynn. "Does that matter when it is my fault to begin with?" she snapped.
Arching a brow, Fynn cocked his head to the side and asked, "How long are you going to take the blame for the wrongdoings of others, Kallie? You were manipulated. You didn't know any better."
Kallie groaned. This was the same conversation she had with so many others already. Yet their response never changed.
"Our mother is not an unreasonable woman. While she often follows the natural order of things, she will come around. Ultimately, all she wants is peace and for the kingdom to be safe."
"And naming Terin a traitor will keep him safe?"
"If it means he will return home, yes. It does," Fynn said, running a hand through his hair. "At least in her mind."
"Do you mean to suggest this is just a rouse to get everyone to return to Pontia?"
Rocking back on his heels, Fynn pursed his lips in thought, then shrugged. "I cannot be certain, but I would not put it past her."
Kallie hummed in acknowledgment. Then, sensing another question coming from him, she asked, "What?"
"Is that all you wish to ask me? What my mother's motivations are?"
She dropped her gaze and dug her toes into the sand. "Did you know?" Kallie asked lowly.
"Did I know what exactly?" Fynn asked with the faintest trace of an amused smile.
Kallie rolled her eyes. "You can read my mind, can't you?"
He half shrugged, the grin only growing. "Sure, but then I wouldn't get to hear you ask, and that ruins the fun."
"By the gods, you are even more tiresome than I recalled," Kallie grumbled.
Fynn simply stared at her, patiently waiting.
But this was one of the reasons she came here, wasn't it? To learn the truth?
She groaned and rubbed her hands across her face in frustration. "Did you know Graeson and I were soul bonds?"
Fynn laughed, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "Yes, sister. We all knew."
" Everyone ?" she balked.
He shrugged. "Pretty much."
"Then why didn't he tell me sooner?"
He quirked a brow. "You mean when you just had your mind ripped apart or before that when you were trying to kill him?"
Kallie's lips parted, but she had no answer to give. Fynn had a point. She supposed there hadn't been an appropriate time for Graeson to tell her, yet it still did not sit right with her.
"Graeson has known you were his soul bond since he was a child. His mother had a premonition that only one path would lead you together."
"What do you mean only one path?"
"Our futures are ever changing, and Lysanthia, Graeson's mother, had seen various futures, most of which resulted in the two of you being torn apart, one way or another. Graeson has hung onto the small hope that he could prevent that future from happening. He has known there was always a risk that you would either not accept the bond, or..."
"Or Domitius's hold on me would get in the way?" Kallie guessed.
Fynn nodded in response. "He never gave up on you. However, I understand your hesitancy towards accepting the bond. But if I know Graeson, I know he won't force you to make a decision. He will let you decide when you're ready."
Frowning, Kallie twisted her mother's ring around her finger. "What if I'm never ready?"
A pained expression passed across Fynn's face as he said, "Take as much time as you need, but sometimes, we do not have all the time in the world. I do not regret much, but I do regret not realizing that Dani was my soul bond sooner. Because if I had..." Fynn's words trailed off, grief shadowing his features.
He sighed and raked his fingers through his hair.
"I cannot change my past, and I cannot force you to accept the bond. No one can. But perhaps you shouldn't dismiss it so quickly," he said softly.
When Kallie awoke, Terin had since vanished, perhaps knowing she would need space once she woke up. But as she sat alone with Fynn's words circling in her mind, she was left more confused than before she talked to him.
She thought he would give her the answers she needed, but instead, she was left with only more questions.
As Kallie sat there, her mind spinning, she knew there was only one person who would be able to quiet her tumultuous thoughts.