Read Online The Twelve Kingdoms: The Mark of the Tala by Jeffe Kennedy - Free Book Online
Authors: Jeffe Kennedy
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words.
I slid my finger along the glassy edge of the feather. Just a thing. It didn’t mean anything one way or the other. I pulled it out and the firelight caught it, gleaming indigo-black. Amelia made a little sound. I laid it across Ursula’s calloused palm. Out in the night, a wolf howled and I shivered.
Ursula didn’t hesitate. Of course, she never does. She strode to the fireplace and tossed the feather in. For a moment it gleamed there, perfectly black and glossy. Then it burst into flame, a flash, a tendril of blue smoke rising and fading away. And it was gone.
Ursula folded her arms, watching the fire burn with her back to me, a long, lean silhouette against the bright fire.
“Don’t give me cause to doubt you again, Andi.”
“It seems to me that doubt is something that rises in your own heart and mind, Ursula, regardless of my actions.”
She turned, a line between her brows, and surveyed me as if she’d never seen me before. “Our actions define us. They speak who we are more clearly than any number of words.”
“I gave you the feather to destroy, didn’t I?”
“What else happened in that meadow, I wonder?”
“I told you everything already.” Mostly.
“But not how you felt. You haven’t said how you felt about it all.”
“She was hurt and afraid—it’s hard to put that into words,” Amelia defended me.
“Are you feeding her the correct lines, Amelia?”
“I don’t need lines, Ursula.” My arms were folded, too, a mirror of my sister. I unwound them, holding them deliberately still by my sides. “If you judge me by my actions, then note I left my dagger buried in that man’s shoulder. I defended myself and succeeded. And you know full well that wasn’t easy for me. Don’t stand there and accuse me of dreaming after love from my attacker.” Though, hadn’t I? Imagining him as my husband. That longing churned with the fear in my stomach.
“You two are my entire world. Don’t push me away—I can’t bear it.” The emotions pushed up into my throat, making my eyes sting. “What do I have if I don’t have you?”
Amelia slipped her arms around my waist, leaning her shining head against my breast, as soft and sweet as when she was a child. “Don’t cry, Andi. We love you. We would never let those awful people take you.”
“Thank you, Ami.” I wrapped my arms around her but kept my gaze on Ursula.
Ursula nodded slowly. “So be it, then. We’ll keep you safe, Andi, whatever it takes. We won’t give you over to them, to him. I give you my solemn word on that.”
I should have felt reassured by that. And yet, with the sudden gulf yawning between us, it still somehow sounded like a threat.
A chill of loneliness frosted my heart. It knew what I didn’t yet understand.
4
A fter they left me, I dreamed of Rayfe.
Hard to imagine I wouldn’t, given the way his advent into our lives had turned everything upside down. I did my best to clear my mind before I slept, mouthing the words along with Gaignor while she led the ladies in a prayer to Glorianna for Her divine protection against the dark forces, to uphold and protect the Twelve Kingdoms and me.
Sometimes I wasn’t sure which they referred to.
But even as Gaignor repeated the ritual praises of Glorianna, invoking Her inviolate strength, I kept seeing the shards of Her window raining down, like so many sharp drops of watery blood.
I fell asleep mesmerized by the declining flames in the fireplace, fending off the chill night air. Their falling dance lulled me into rest, the interplay of light and shadow a silent music. Even the noise of the sentries ceaselessly pacing the ramparts had quieted. Blessed, sweet sleep welcomed me and drew me down.
The brush of black wings on the stone sill yanked me awake.
My window didn’t have even Glorianna’s feeble glass to keep it out. I sat up, heart pounding, almost afraid to look. The raptor sat there, cocking its head so one bright eye fixed on me. The deep shadows
I slid my finger along the glassy edge of the feather. Just a thing. It didn’t mean anything one way or the other. I pulled it out and the firelight caught it, gleaming indigo-black. Amelia made a little sound. I laid it across Ursula’s calloused palm. Out in the night, a wolf howled and I shivered.
Ursula didn’t hesitate. Of course, she never does. She strode to the fireplace and tossed the feather in. For a moment it gleamed there, perfectly black and glossy. Then it burst into flame, a flash, a tendril of blue smoke rising and fading away. And it was gone.
Ursula folded her arms, watching the fire burn with her back to me, a long, lean silhouette against the bright fire.
“Don’t give me cause to doubt you again, Andi.”
“It seems to me that doubt is something that rises in your own heart and mind, Ursula, regardless of my actions.”
She turned, a line between her brows, and surveyed me as if she’d never seen me before. “Our actions define us. They speak who we are more clearly than any number of words.”
“I gave you the feather to destroy, didn’t I?”
“What else happened in that meadow, I wonder?”
“I told you everything already.” Mostly.
“But not how you felt. You haven’t said how you felt about it all.”
“She was hurt and afraid—it’s hard to put that into words,” Amelia defended me.
“Are you feeding her the correct lines, Amelia?”
“I don’t need lines, Ursula.” My arms were folded, too, a mirror of my sister. I unwound them, holding them deliberately still by my sides. “If you judge me by my actions, then note I left my dagger buried in that man’s shoulder. I defended myself and succeeded. And you know full well that wasn’t easy for me. Don’t stand there and accuse me of dreaming after love from my attacker.” Though, hadn’t I? Imagining him as my husband. That longing churned with the fear in my stomach.
“You two are my entire world. Don’t push me away—I can’t bear it.” The emotions pushed up into my throat, making my eyes sting. “What do I have if I don’t have you?”
Amelia slipped her arms around my waist, leaning her shining head against my breast, as soft and sweet as when she was a child. “Don’t cry, Andi. We love you. We would never let those awful people take you.”
“Thank you, Ami.” I wrapped my arms around her but kept my gaze on Ursula.
Ursula nodded slowly. “So be it, then. We’ll keep you safe, Andi, whatever it takes. We won’t give you over to them, to him. I give you my solemn word on that.”
I should have felt reassured by that. And yet, with the sudden gulf yawning between us, it still somehow sounded like a threat.
A chill of loneliness frosted my heart. It knew what I didn’t yet understand.
4
A fter they left me, I dreamed of Rayfe.
Hard to imagine I wouldn’t, given the way his advent into our lives had turned everything upside down. I did my best to clear my mind before I slept, mouthing the words along with Gaignor while she led the ladies in a prayer to Glorianna for Her divine protection against the dark forces, to uphold and protect the Twelve Kingdoms and me.
Sometimes I wasn’t sure which they referred to.
But even as Gaignor repeated the ritual praises of Glorianna, invoking Her inviolate strength, I kept seeing the shards of Her window raining down, like so many sharp drops of watery blood.
I fell asleep mesmerized by the declining flames in the fireplace, fending off the chill night air. Their falling dance lulled me into rest, the interplay of light and shadow a silent music. Even the noise of the sentries ceaselessly pacing the ramparts had quieted. Blessed, sweet sleep welcomed me and drew me down.
The brush of black wings on the stone sill yanked me awake.
My window didn’t have even Glorianna’s feeble glass to keep it out. I sat up, heart pounding, almost afraid to look. The raptor sat there, cocking its head so one bright eye fixed on me. The deep shadows
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