hoped we would
have a different reception.” He reached forward and gently brushed
my cheek with his thumb. Alek stepped up behind Kael and pulled his
wrist away from my face, bracing it behind Kael’s back. Others came
forward to secure the SwordBrother, but all I could do was stand
there frozen in shock. This couldn’t really be
happening.
His hands were manacled and chains put
around his feet. He wouldn’t look at me. He wouldn’t raise those
beautiful stormy blue eyes to even try and tell me that we would be
okay.
“ No!” I turned back to
Alba. “You can’t do this! I didn’t know that by coming here, I was
putting anyone’s life in danger—mine or Kael’s. You must
reconsider.” I kneeled on the floor before her and bowed low, my
forehead touching the cold wood floor as I pleaded for Kael’s life.
“I can’t let him die for me.”
“ Child, why are you so
upset over this one? If it wasn’t him, it would be you.”
“ Because he saved me,” I
cried out. My chest felt heavy with emotion. “Over and over again
he saved me. I owe him my life. And frankly, if he died right now
because of this, I would never be able to forgive him. I would hate
him till the day I died.”
Alba shook her head at my stubborness.
“If it’s not death, then his punishment at dawn is to the very
brink. Tortured and beaten till he wished for death. Would that
suit you?”
My breathing ragged, it took me a few
moments to comprehend her form of mercy still demanded pain. I sat
up. “How could you do that to your own? That’s almost worse than
death.”
“ Yes, it is, but that is
our law.”
“ It’s a barbaric law,” I
seethed.
Her eyes narrowed and she looked into
my face accusingly. “Thalia Valderstal, are you saying that your
clan laws are less barbaric than ours?”
“ I…I…uh—how do you know my
name?”
“ I wouldn’t speak about
barbaric customs and laws, until you look deep into your own family
history.”
“ I know my family history.
Yes, there are some things our clan does that I’m not proud of, but
I’ve been trying to change things for the better.”
“ You don’t even know if
your own clan will allow you to lead. You’re not like them.” Her
hand reached out and covered my blue eye, so that I only saw her
with the horrible silver one. “Just as I thought.” She pulled her
hand back and poked me hard in the chest. “It’s weak, but it’s
there.”
“ You know what’s happening
to me?” A single burst of hope started to rise. “What is wrong with
me? How can I change it back?”
Alba scoffed and stood. “I see why he
brought you here, thinking that this,” she waved at my eye, “might
validate all of the wrong things he has done. But it hasn’t. There
is much he hasn’t told you. If he did, you might want to change
your mind about his punishment. Besides, you can’t change it back.
You can’t make something disappear when it’s always been
there.”
“ What do you mean?” I
called out, but Alba was already shuffling off into the back of the
house.
I turned to follow her, but a
calloused hand grabbed me around the neck and directed me to the
front. I twisted my neck out of the grip and turned to glare at
Gwen. Someone else came and grabbed my elbow, and the pair roughly
escorted me outside. Gwen seemed to be taking her jealous anger out
on me. By the next day, I would have huge bruises. They led me
around the building, and I tried to search for Kael, but I couldn’t
see where they had taken him. I should have fought, should have
stopped them, but instead, I began working on a plan.
Gwen stopped in front of a small stone
shed that butted up to the back of the house.
“ We haven’t had company of
any sort in many, many years, so this will have to make do for
now,” she said.
Two more hands grabbed each of my arms
and began to lift me off of the ground and force me into the
shed.
“ Wait! What are you doing
with Kael? Stop this…ouch!”
With a shove,
have a different reception.” He reached forward and gently brushed
my cheek with his thumb. Alek stepped up behind Kael and pulled his
wrist away from my face, bracing it behind Kael’s back. Others came
forward to secure the SwordBrother, but all I could do was stand
there frozen in shock. This couldn’t really be
happening.
His hands were manacled and chains put
around his feet. He wouldn’t look at me. He wouldn’t raise those
beautiful stormy blue eyes to even try and tell me that we would be
okay.
“ No!” I turned back to
Alba. “You can’t do this! I didn’t know that by coming here, I was
putting anyone’s life in danger—mine or Kael’s. You must
reconsider.” I kneeled on the floor before her and bowed low, my
forehead touching the cold wood floor as I pleaded for Kael’s life.
“I can’t let him die for me.”
“ Child, why are you so
upset over this one? If it wasn’t him, it would be you.”
“ Because he saved me,” I
cried out. My chest felt heavy with emotion. “Over and over again
he saved me. I owe him my life. And frankly, if he died right now
because of this, I would never be able to forgive him. I would hate
him till the day I died.”
Alba shook her head at my stubborness.
“If it’s not death, then his punishment at dawn is to the very
brink. Tortured and beaten till he wished for death. Would that
suit you?”
My breathing ragged, it took me a few
moments to comprehend her form of mercy still demanded pain. I sat
up. “How could you do that to your own? That’s almost worse than
death.”
“ Yes, it is, but that is
our law.”
“ It’s a barbaric law,” I
seethed.
Her eyes narrowed and she looked into
my face accusingly. “Thalia Valderstal, are you saying that your
clan laws are less barbaric than ours?”
“ I…I…uh—how do you know my
name?”
“ I wouldn’t speak about
barbaric customs and laws, until you look deep into your own family
history.”
“ I know my family history.
Yes, there are some things our clan does that I’m not proud of, but
I’ve been trying to change things for the better.”
“ You don’t even know if
your own clan will allow you to lead. You’re not like them.” Her
hand reached out and covered my blue eye, so that I only saw her
with the horrible silver one. “Just as I thought.” She pulled her
hand back and poked me hard in the chest. “It’s weak, but it’s
there.”
“ You know what’s happening
to me?” A single burst of hope started to rise. “What is wrong with
me? How can I change it back?”
Alba scoffed and stood. “I see why he
brought you here, thinking that this,” she waved at my eye, “might
validate all of the wrong things he has done. But it hasn’t. There
is much he hasn’t told you. If he did, you might want to change
your mind about his punishment. Besides, you can’t change it back.
You can’t make something disappear when it’s always been
there.”
“ What do you mean?” I
called out, but Alba was already shuffling off into the back of the
house.
I turned to follow her, but a
calloused hand grabbed me around the neck and directed me to the
front. I twisted my neck out of the grip and turned to glare at
Gwen. Someone else came and grabbed my elbow, and the pair roughly
escorted me outside. Gwen seemed to be taking her jealous anger out
on me. By the next day, I would have huge bruises. They led me
around the building, and I tried to search for Kael, but I couldn’t
see where they had taken him. I should have fought, should have
stopped them, but instead, I began working on a plan.
Gwen stopped in front of a small stone
shed that butted up to the back of the house.
“ We haven’t had company of
any sort in many, many years, so this will have to make do for
now,” she said.
Two more hands grabbed each of my arms
and began to lift me off of the ground and force me into the
shed.
“ Wait! What are you doing
with Kael? Stop this…ouch!”
With a shove,
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