We don’t go far from the gates of the castle. It appears that the home of the First is just down the street. It’s massive, which is no surprise, and guarded as much as the palace of the Sovereign is.Thatdoes surprise me though. It’s a pretty strong indication that not all is right in the land of Tierit. Which is further supported by what went down in the tribunal room just to summon me here. What are these Sentinels guarding against? Knox’s and Sabin’s gazes skim the sentries, and I can tell they’re wondering the exact same thing.
We make it through the gates and up the pathway that leads to the mini palace the First occupy. There is a small orchard of some sort within the walls, and I notice that peculiar football shaped fruit growing that caught my eye when they first brought food to us in the castle.
Sauriel stops suddenly, and I almost slam into him. Knox pulls me back just in time, and I flash him a thankful smile and turn forward to see what has Sauriel stopping in his tracks. We stand at the bottom of the steps that lead to the front door. At the top stand two white haired Sentinels. The man and woman watch us like they’re spellbound.
Sauriel and the messenger bow to them, and then the messenger scampers off. The woman gasps as her eyes land on mine. A hand flies to her mouth, and she shakes her head slightly. Her white-hued pixie cut is stark against her deep olive-toned skin. Her lilac eyes well up, and I watch as the grip she has on the man’s hand tightens to what looks like the point of pain.
The man stares at me, his lips parted in shock. He doesn’t seem to notice the death grip his companion is giving him as his teal eyes trace over me.
“You really are hers,” he states gently. “I know they told us you were, but I couldn’t hope…”
“Until now,” the woman whispers, quickly wiping at a tear that’s escaped her vibrant purple eyes.
I stand tall, not sure what to do or say. My heart hammers in my chest. It’s clear they know Grier, but I have no idea who these people are to me. I have no clue how to feel about the way they’re looking at me right now. Knox and Bastien tense and step forward when the man takes a step down toward me. He freezes.
“We would not hurt her,” he defends, looking at my Chosen like he’s affronted by what they just did.
“With all due respect, we don’t know you, and that has not been our experience here,” Bastien states simply.
The white haired man sort of reels at Bas’s statement and looks around like he’s not sure how to respond. His teal eyes land on Ory and light up.
“Ory, you know them, please reassure them that they’re safe here,” he commands.
I snort and step forward, Bastien and Knox moving aside for me. “He was one of the first to attack us. His reassurances will fall on deaf ears,” I inform them, stepping around Sauriel and up the steps.
“Hi, I’m Vinna,” I offer, and I hold a hand out in greeting.
The woman is too overcome with emotion to say anything, but the man eyes my outstretched hand and then places his fist over his bicep and bows to me. I’m stunned by his actions. I’ve only seen other Sentinels give this gesture in the presence of Tawv and Sauriel. Why the fuck would this dude be giving it to me? Ory hisses, and I turn to find him staring at what’s happening in shock.
The woman suddenly bows too, and I watch, confused as tears drip from her eyes to the cream stone of the stairs. Her emotion reaches out to me on some visceral level, and my throat tightens. They both straighten at the same time, and I’m suddenly wishing I hadn’t come up here to stand with them. This is fucking weird, and I don’t know what to do.
“Good greetings to you, Vinna. I am your Tok, and this is your Marn,” the man informs me, and his voice fills with emotion.
They think these words should mean something to me, I can see that in their eyes, but I don’t know what the hell they’re saying. I look to Sauriel, my eyes pleading for him to help me make sense of what this means.
“This is your mother’s mother and her father,” he tells me kindly, and the light bulb goes off.
“Ahhh, I got it,” I announce, and I turn back to my maternal grandmother and grandfather. I’ve never had grandparents before, so I have no idea what the fuck to do. I clear my throat and shift my weight a little. “I’m sorry about your daughter,” I tell them. “I never got to know her, but I’ve been told she was incredible.”
“She was,” Marn agrees, and her eyes are so fucking sad that I ache for her. “You look like her,” she tells me on a whisper, and Tok wraps an arm around her and pulls her into his side. He kisses the top of her head sweetly, and the loving gesture warms me.
The two of them take a moment and just lean on each other. Their grief is palpable, and I feel like I’m intruding on what has to be a very painful and difficult moment. They lost their daughter. I know she’s my mother, and I grieve that loss in a way, but it’s different. They knew her. I miss what I picture a mom would have been like, but they know the sound of her laugh, the things that made her smile. They saw her first steps in this world and probably watched her leave the barrier, holding onto hope that she would come back to them. Their loss, in a weird way, feels greater in this moment than mine could ever be. I mourn the idea of what she could have been to me; they mourn who she was.
“I’m so sorry,” I tell them again, struggling to know what else to say.
Marn looks up at me and shakes her head. “Don’t be sorry, you are here andthat’swhat matters. We’re sorry, we’re making this very uncomfortable for you, and we’ll stop. It was just...seeing you...it made it all so real. I wasn’t prepared for it to hit me like that.”
I give her an understanding smile, and her eyes fill with loss and gratitude.
“May I…” she trails off.
I wait, giving her the room she clearly needs to move forward with whatever she wants to ask.
“May I embrace you?” she asks me hesitantly, and I’m taken aback for a second by her request.
“Sure,” I tell her and try to mask the uncertainty in my answer.
She steps forward like she’s just as unsure about all of this and wraps her strong arms around my waist. She’s about a head shorter than me, and her ear rests over my chest as she holds me tightly. I wrap my arms around her and wait until she’s ready to pull away. Tok watches us, joy shining in his eyes. As soon as Marn releases me, he steps in for a hug too. I feel his chest shake against mine as he hugs me hard. I’m pretty sure he’s crying, and he holds onto me until his breathing is more normal. He steps back and wipes at his face.
