My…father.
I sat there, stunned and overwhelmed with all of this new information. Noah offered to make me a cup of tea, giving me a moment of privacy to attempt to filter through my thoughts and feelings. By the time he reappeared with the steaming mug, I still felt like I was in complete shock.
He placed it down gently in front of me before patting my shoulder and sliding the book to me.
“We read these texts for a purpose, Kieran. To never forget. To honor those slain. To refuse to yield to tyranny. Whenever you are ready, you can begin. If you need me, I will be here working on translating the book Gabe brought down from Alfemir.”
I swallowed harshly, my fingers trembling as I reached for the book. I still felt a thirst to learn what lay on the pages, but this time it felt…heavier. But also like an honor. The fact that I made it out when so many hadn’t…That was a truth that would take me much longer than a day to work through.
Opening the front of the book, I read the inscription quickly.
This book serves as a recalling of the dead affinities, per the Affinity Codex kept in Alfemir. All entries are penned by Noah Giuffrida, a Text Keeper who has sworn an oath to ensure the information of the Codex is never forgotten.
I spent the day with my head buried in the book and sprawled on the mats, flipping through the pages and reading about as many dead affinities as I could. In particular, I spent a lot of time on Gabe’s affinity, noting that an excruciating amountof pain came with his process…and that the ability was limited to changing into people you had actually seen before. They could mimic their voice as well, after hearing the person speak. It was a hell of a power but definitely seemed to be one that came with a lot of downsides, considering the pain and energy it took.
There were a few others that caught my attention as well.
Mind Wipers, who could quite literally wipe someone’s mind, either selectively or as a whole, depending on the individual's power levels. The idea freaked me out a bit, but I quickly reminded myself that any person could be good or bad. Having the affinity didn’t mean they would use it maliciously.
Blockers, who could stop someone from using their own affinity. Similar to Mind Wipes, their power level impacted their abilities a lot. Supposedly, many could only block one person at a time, but the stronger ones could block whole fleets in an army.
Star Keepers, who tended to the stars. It seemed like a really beautiful job, ensuring they were being fed enough energy, keeping the world as we know it stable. I couldn’t imagine being able to transport myself up to the stars, far into the galaxies where they thrived. Each Keeper was assigned a star from birth and was taught runes to help manage its power.
A knock on the door drew my focus from the book as I began to read about Rune Makers, who worked closely with the Star Keepers.
“Yes?” Noah called out before the door opened, revealing an older man I hadn’t met yet. He had beautiful long, silver hair to his waist, and an impressive beard to match. His circular glasses sat low on his nose as he scanned the room upon entry.
“It’s time,” he announced cryptically, making my brow furrow in concern as I glanced at Noah.
Talk about ominous.
He took a deep breath as he nodded a few times at the newcomer. I was too scared to ask any questions, and that fearonly spiked as his gaze slid to mine. Pushing up from where I’d made myself cozy on the floor to read, I stood up as he approached me. I couldn’t read the emotions lurking in his eyes, but the hair on my arms stood on end, noticing howoffthe energy in the room suddenly felt.
He squeezed my arm before seeming to force a smile to his face. It wasn’t one that came easy, and I noticed the pinched lines around his lips and eyes that were never present before.
“Well, you’re about to get all of the answers you wanted, Kieran,” he announced a bit solemnly, sending my stomach into a string of knots. “Promise me something?”
It was happening. The council meeting he’d been waiting for approval on.
“What’s that?” I asked hesitantly as my eyes darted to the man in the doorway again before landing back on Noah.
“Don’t let the answers you are about to get sour your outlook on life. The future isn’t set in stone, only prophesied.”
BASTIAN
“Idon’t understand why Steele can’t tell us what’s going on. He’s such a dick.”
Ronan’s wyvern offered a growl of agreement from his shoulder before he dipped his small head up and down. It nearly made me smile before I remembered the creature's refusal of my attempts at friendship. My lip curled back with indignation. It was ridiculous if you asked me. I was a wonderful companion, just ask the creatures that came and went from the holes in my prison cell. We were best friends.
That wasn’t theonlything that was ridiculous, though. No, another, much more ridiculous thorn in my side was Steele. The current dick in question, walking a distance ahead of us as he led us through the camp.
I debated for the umpteenth time whether or not my darling Kieran would be upset if I slit his throat. I knew she wasn’t his biggest fan by any stretch, but I could also tell there was a begrudging level of respect growing between the two of them. Murdering him would no doubt complicate that…as well as the rather delicate balance we were finding in our new home.
Decisions, decisions.
I ran my fingers through my hair before letting my head flop back as I surveyed the sky through the trees around us, zoning out from the current debacle.
My grudge with Steele wasn’t completely selfish, despite thinking he was an annoying gnat on a power trip. No, I could deal withthat. What I couldn’t deal with was his grievous fucking mistake of spilling Kieran’s precious blood on that first day of training and his seeming thirst to procure more of it each time since. What he was doing wascompletelyunacceptable, unless I was the one doing so. He’d even forbade me from keeping her comfortable as she fell to the ground.
