“I’ll help you keep that promise,” I said to Everett, my gaze still on her. I blinked and shifted back to him, remembering my other motive for coming here. “But there’s actually something else I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Oh?”
“The real reason I asked you to come with us.” I clapped him on the back when he raised an eyebrow. “I need a favor.”
21
Devora
The buzz of power and excitement flooding the town was intoxicating. It took the edge off just enough for me to shake the nerves of being around all these strangers, to let my guard down and let loose, not worrying about magic or guilt or spying on a murderous Shifter.
Flames and shadows twisted together and rose into the sky. I couldn’t tell what was magic and what was smoke from the fire. I reached out a hand, standing on my tiptoes to try and grasp a flickering tendril. It slipped through my fingers, but something inside me stretched. For a brief moment, a heartbeat, somethingelsecame to life.
“I have someone who’d like to meet you, Devora,” Thecae said from my left.
I turned to see him standing next to an older woman with coarse gray hair curled around her head. Kind silver eyes stared back at me, with a smile deepening the many wrinkles along her face.
“I would know you anywhere,” she said, her voice quiet but strong for her age. “Ceres’s daughter. You were born with a head full of that fiery hair, you know.”
A half smile formed on my lips. “You knew my mother too?”
“‘Course. She was my most gifted scribe. Powerful as could be, with a mind to boot.”
“I…I have so many questions,” I said with a nervous chuckle, savoring every small tidbit of information.
Her grin widened, exposing a gap between her front teeth. “Come, girl. There’s a log over here, and my old bones need to sit. Thecae?” she called, glancing behind her to the other Shadow Wielder. He approached and took her arm as the three of us walked to a nearby log.
“This is my mother, Calyra,” Thecae said. Recognition dawned on me. She must be the woman who stitched the blanket I was found in.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I said.
“I always wondered if we’d ever see you again,” she said softly. “I saw the rubble from the shipwreck, but I knew your parents. They would defy the Fates if it meant saving you, girl.” Her wrinkled hand clasped mine as we sat. “The shadows have brought you back to us.”
The sentiment made my heart lift. “You said my mother was a scribe? What does that mean?”
Calyra nodded. “A lifelong learner, that one. Shadow Wielders are big on tradition and history. Recording the lives of our ancestors, figuring out ways to keep their memories alive, that sort of thing. She loved uncovering new stories. Traveled all across the province, recording people’s tales.” Her smile faded as she gazed at me, then let go of my hand to cup my cheek.
“You have her eyes. Such bright eyes. And her hair too. You could see that girl coming from all the way across the valley. But your smile…that’s all Malijah.”
I swallowed. Her words clenched around me, pricking the backs of my eyes. “And what did he do?”
Thecae stepped in. “He was studying to become a shadow trainer, like me. At least, until we formed the rebellion. He was the only Shadow Wielder and Lightbender hybrid in the province. His magic was incredible to watch.”
“And boy, did he know it,” Calyra added with a chuckle. “Half the province was in love with him and the shows he’d put on for the ladies. Handsome and charming, always ready with a joke. But, oh, Ceres couldn’tstandhim.”
I couldn’t help but smile as I listened, watching their story unfold before me.
“Malijah only had eyes for her,” Thecae said, a low laugh building as he shook his head. “He talked about her so much, I once knocked him off our bunk.”
“You lived together?” I asked. “At the training grounds?”
“For a time, yes. We were in the same class.”
“Ceres refused to give him the time of day, but I was always rooting for them,” Calyra said, wagging her finger at me. “There are some people who are just meant to be.”
Thecae grunted. “It wasn’t until Malijah almost died that she finally realized her feelings for him.”
My eyes widened. “Almost died?”
