Sol took a deep inhale and pushed aside her fear and anxiety, facing the strangers as she stepped in front of Lora. “Someone better explain what’s going on.”
She wondered if, instead of a nightmare, the day’s events were an elaborate joke.
It could be a trick of sorts; festival magicians could do as much. Sol had seen it herself during the solstice and equinox celebrations, when foreign psychics and people who claimed to have magic would charge almost a whole day’s pay to showcase their mirages. This could be that.
With that idea in mind, the panic subsided slightly, and Sol slid her attention to Lora. “Is this a joke?”
As if considering her answer, Lora angled her head and looked toward the peeling wallpaper along the ceiling.
“Children, it’s late,” her aunt said finally, leaving Sol standing alone while she neared the Wielders. The four of them gave her gentle smiles, even Sawyer, whom Sol had only seen scowl. “Head on up to the rooms, I’m sure Sol’s boss won't mind you all taking two for the night.”
Sol frowned, bracing her hands on her hips. “Lora??—”
“Sol and I," her aunt cast her a glare, “will be going home where I will explain things. We will regroup here tomorrow.”
Besides the fact Keelin would bite her head off for letting people into guest rooms without consulting him, Sol also didn’t want to leave. She wanted answers.
Quickly.
“I’m not going anywhere until someone tells me what’s happening,” she said, frustration rising. “I deserve an explanation, after almost dying and all.”
“You almost died because you decided to jump into the Helian Ocean,” Sawyer remarked.
Nina, who had been admiring a small firelight atop the mahogany table, gasped. “Sawyer!”
“That was his fault,” Sol scoffed, pointing at Cas, who narrowed his eyes at her. “For his size, he toppled over quite easily.”
“Children,” Lora warned, turning back to face Sol. Her aunt’s eyes gleamed in the firelight. “Enough. Sol, show them to their rooms, then meet me outside.” After sensing her hesitation, Lora added, “They won't bite.”
Sol crossed her arms. “Not until I’m told who they are.”
It was Nina who stepped forward, an apologetic smile on her face. “You are correct. We didn’t introduce ourselves.”
She nudged Sawyer forward. “My name is Nina. This here is Sawyer. The man you apparently almost drowned—impressive, by the way—is Cas. And lastly,” she wrapped an arm around the bronze-skinned man who smiled down at her—"is Alix. We can’t give you our full names due to…well, Wielder laws, but these are what we go by.”
Lora sighed and sat on a chair to the right, plopping her head on her palm. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you to wait, Sol.”
But Sol ignored her, foot tapping on the wooden floor. “And you all broke into my place of work because?”
“Because, like I said in the alley, we are here for you.”
Sol cut her gaze to Cas. “What could you possibly want with me?”
“Your mother, Sol,” Lora said, tapping her nails on the table. “The stories she told you weren’t myths. They were memories, things she lived through.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, Sol, your mother was from Rimemere. And so are they.”
All five pairs of eyes watched her, surveying her reaction. The silence was only filled by the soft patter of rain that had once again started, while the occasional flash of lightning illuminated the shadows dancing along the walls. Through the open doors, the soft scent of a patchy rose-and-lily garden blew in with a cool breeze. Sol didn’t know if the sudden chill was from said breeze, or from the words her aunt had spoken.
Sol narrowed her eyes. “You expect me to believe that?”
“After seeing us literally fight creatures from the Void itself with our magic, you still don’t?” Sawyer asked, standing. “I can toss a ball of fire your way if that helps.”
Her face tensing, Nina glared at the woman. “Sawyer.”
Sawyer wasn’t wrong, to Sol’s annoyance. She had been so mesmerized by their magic out there, but then on their walk became progressively suspicious. There was no way. There was just no conceivable way.
