The God of Wisdom had called me. Me. The one who had destroyed lives with her heka and who would never know peace for it. The Fates might have chosen me for this path,but what if… what if it wasn’t about the choice they’d given me, but the choice I was brave enough to make?
How could I leave my mother? How could I explain that some part of me felt like I’d lose her either way? That if I stayed, I’d lose myself?
I had no answers to my questions and so I simply laid my head on my mother’s lap.
“What am I going to do?” I asked.
She gently stroked my hair and smiled. “You will go to the God realm and do what you always do. You will be a light to those that need you and you will do so in the knowledge that you are one of the greatest blessings of my life.”
* * *
I slept in the next morning. The surgery was closed on Solis, the last day of the week, and so for once I had no reason to wake up before the sun was up. Sleeping had been difficult, I had recounted everything that had happened the previous day over and over again. Truthfully, my talk with Caelan had left me with more questions than answers.
Shoving my blanket aside, I decided to take a quick, cold bath before putting on some fresh clothes. I opted for a light blue dress that matched my turquoise-colored eyes and braided my wet hair before going downstairs. My mother watched me wearily as I helped myself to a cup of tea and a scone.
“There was a man here earlier, who said he needed to speak with you urgently,” my mother informed me. I had hoped that maybe Caelan would give me more time to consider his request, but I had a long list of questions for him anywayand started to get ready.
“Did he say where I could find him?” I asked.
“He said to meet him at the old Peterson’s farm,” my mother supplied while continuing to knit. That was an odd place to meet, but then again was there anything not odd about Caelan?
I made my way across town through the narrow streets of Rivermond and stopped at a yarn store to buy some more supplies for my mother. When I finally made it to the old barn, I called out for Caelan, but got no response. I sat down in the shade of the barn, taking up a book I had brought with me and waited. After thirty minutes of reading, I started to ask myself whether my mother had heard correctly. Standing up I rounded the barn once, but there was no sign of Caelan anywhere. I was about to walk back to my original position in the shade, when I heard a noise behind me.
Before I could even make out who was behind me, a sharp pain exploded along my spine, the force of a kick sending me stumbling to my knees. Another blow landed across my shoulders, knocking me down fully this time. With my face in the dirt, I tried to reach for the dagger in my boot, but as soon as I moved my arm, a heavy leather shoe crashed down on my hand.
“If you are as clever as the Oracle thinks you are, you’d stay still now, little birdy,” a raspy voice murmured. “Took us long enough to find you in this Fate’s forsaken place, puppy. We won’t let you escape now!”
The shoe on my hand eased and I felt the man gripping me under my arms, heaving me up to my feet. The pain in my shoulders and back was intense, I felt sick to my stomach and there was blood pooling in my mouth from when I musthave bitten my tongue while falling to the ground.
“What do you want? Did Caelan send you?” I hated how meek and fearful my voice sounded.
“I don’t know who you think you were meeting here. You were probably hoping for a little romp in the hay with the local farmer, huh?” I heard laughter behind me and saw from the corner of my eye that a group of people were approaching us. The man who had kicked me spit on the ground while tying my hands at the back. He turned me around and I could finally see the face this unpleasant voice belonged to.
He was older, probably in his mid-sixties and his face looked like old leather. His eyes were a clear blue, nearly white. From the tip of his nose down to his throat his face was covered in a black mask, making it impossible for me to interpret the expression on his face. He was wearing the same uniform Bogus had been wearing, a dark red ensemble with golden buttons, not matching his weathered face and hair. The group of people I had seen approach were wearing similar attire. I counted. There were 19 people here, including the man who had restrained me.
“They will be paying us a nice bonus for capturing you, little birdy.” He chuckled and pushed me towards the barn. It was a warm day, the ground was dry and as we walked, clouds of dirt rose up from the ground. It wasn’t the first time I had found myself in an unfortunate situation like this, but certainly the first time I had no idea who my attacker was.Don’t anger him, be apologetic, validate his feelings, escape. Breathe. Don’t anger him, be apologetic, validate his feelings, escape.
I took a breath.
“Excuse me sir, I think you have the wrong person. I don’tknow why you are here or what you want from me, but I am supposed to meet someone and they are probably wondering where I am by now.”
A woman approached me, the mask making it impossible for me to recognize her. “Your meeting has been canceled, sweetling. You are coming with us, Bogus sends his regards. Now shut up and let’s go.” She grabbed my tied hands and shoved me towards the horses that were standing near the barn. My stomach sank, tears were prickling behind my eyes and sweat coated my skin. I looked around frantically, my vision turning blurry from my racing heart. I needed to get to my bag, so I could grab my pen and somehow call to my heka. I waited.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
I jerked on my arms as hard as I could. I managed to slip out of the woman’s hold, my eyes fixed on my bag on the ground. She let out a surprised gasp and tried to grab me, but I evaded her grip by twisting my shoulders to the left and ducking slightly. This would work, I just needed to get t—“Umpf!” A muffled scream escaped me. Three of the men were already on me, one of them pulling on my tied hands in the back. My shoulders were screaming in agony. I should have known better than to try and escape. I should have tapped and counted and recited my verses. I should have known that I’d make the wrong choice. Again.
One of the men dragged me back upright, while the older man who had captured me first stepped awfully close. He was breathing heavily, his stale breath hot on my skin. I hadn’t listened to my own mantra, I had angered him and I was going to pay the consequences for my actions. He lifted his hands in a fluid motion and before I knew what he wasdoing, his hands were around my throat.
“You little bitch, did you honestly think we’d let you go this easily?” He seethed.
Panic rose in my chest as his hands started to tighten around my throat.
“Fates, please help me. I call upon your age-old wis—”
Before I could finish my thought, someone or something rushed out from inside the barn, tackling my captor to the ground. The force of the impact and the sudden loss of his hands on my throat threw me off kilter, and I landed roughly on my backside.
I looked up, only to see Caelan towering over the man in red, plunging a sword deep into the man’s chest. My breath caught in a silent scream as I watched Caelan retract his sword. Oh Fates, the other two men who had overpowered me earlier were already dead, their lifeless eyes staring up at me. I was going to be sick. The smell of wet dirt and blood flooded my nose. I needed to get up and get away from those bodies, or I’d lose it.
