Daya held her breath as the soldier checked the area once more.Finding nothing that grabbed his interest further, the man slowly made his way back into the keep.
Relief was a physical weight lifting from her.Veda was safe.But the men of the fortress now had reason to be on higher alert.Even if they thought a wild animal had frightened the girl.It was not a welcome factor to their mission.
A soft, persistent cry from Veda had her attention snapping back to the girl in concern.Her own initial connection had been visceral, consuming, yet still peaceful.Like coming home to somewhere she’d always belonged but never been.
Veda seemed to have a much more painful reaction.Perhaps because the magic had flooded her, instead of her actively choosing to engage with it as Daya had.She posed the question to the mountain.
Too weak to hold the bridge on her own.
No wonder.The magic had hit Veda like a battering ram, forcefully gripping her since she couldn’t hold the connection.She’d likely remain overwhelmed until she was stronger.Sick as she was, the girl had barely even been conscious when the connection was formed.
Does she know?Will she remember?Daya asked.
Yes.
When must she choose?
Soon.
Daya’s stomach clenched in anxiousness.She’d been a year before deciding to accept the mountain’s claim on her soul.How was a young child supposed to make such a decision with any degree of surety?A traumatized one at that.
Connor was tense beside her, watching over his charge below, his muscles flexing with the need for action having just witnessed something indefinable happening to her.A protector, just as she’d always assured him.
How was she going to tell him that he couldn’t fulfill his promise to take the child to the safety of Calderre?That he would have to abandon her in Eldridge just as he’d feared?
Hard green eyes turned to meet hers, a hint of accusation in their depths.Daya sucked in a harsh breath, certain he could read the guilt on her face.Though he wouldn’t have witnessed the magic from outside their connection, he’d felt the earth tremble, heard the hawks, and seen Veda’s response.He knew something was wrong.Knew she was a part of it.
Quietly, she signaled him to return to the clearing.It would be best to have the difficult discussion before the others returned.Veda was bound to the mountain now, just as Daya was.Neither of them could leave Hannelore’s shadow without risking a brutal death.
Chapter 14
Ridgecrest Forest, Border of Eldridge and Zamyra
Angersimmeredbelowthesurface of Connor’s control, threatening to boil over as Daya explained the violent collision of magic Veda had just been subjected to and, worse, what it meant.An intense awakening to a huge calling.He understood it just enough to be furious.
“She’s a child, no more than ten,” he challenged.“How do you expect her to make a lifelong decision—more than that—a literal change of life that will affect her for centuries?”
“I don’t know.”Daya ran her hand over her brow in a rare show of agitation.“I was expecting an adult as the next guardian.I’m not prepared in the slightest to take her on.Children haven’t been called in a very long time.”
“How old were you?”
“Twenty.And I was given a year before I had to make the final commitment.”
His spine tingled with a sense of foreboding.“When will she have to make the choice?”
“I don’t know for sure, but it feels soon.Even if it’s not immediate, I’m afraid she’ll have to decide before you leave.”
Otherwise, she’d be re-orphaned and likely picked up again by mercenaries.Daya couldn’t leave the mountain to take her somewhere safe.It was now or never.His mind tripped over the worddecide.
“Wait, she can reject it?What about what just happened?There wasn’t much acceptance from what I saw.That wasn’t her choice, it was all Hannelore.”
His own words sifted back to him.Zevat.Was this what she’d been trying to explain?Hannelore took the people it wanted and cast aside the others.
“Hannelore initiated it—just like you said.The choice has already been made by the mountain, and it’s holding the connection for now.Sealing the bond is up to her.”Daya’s voice softened the tiniest bit.“It doesn’t work the other way around.”
Right.Because it was about Hannelore, not about the person being absorbed into its depths.He set his personal situation aside, focusing on Veda.“If she refuses the call, it can be severed without harming her?”
“Yes.She can go with you as planned.This entire experience will fade into memory.”
