“Every Bloodwright is trained by another, more experienced one. Those who are left alone without guidance . . .” his voice trailed, a look of guilt coming over his face.
“What happens to them? To those who keep having headaches. To those who don't get a magical ring to help them,” I demanded.
Dan sighed, “If left alone, the best-case scenario would be they would lose all sense of reality, essentially going insane. Without a Bloodroot Circle Ward to keep the death echoes at bay, they will be unable to stop the onslaught of death memories trying to get messages across.”
“Bestcase scenario?” I screeched. “What would be aworstcase scenario?”
He hesitated, clearly unsure of telling me much more.
“Tell me.” I gritted my teeth, my right fist tightening until my knuckles were white, the ring that now protected and bound me feeling like a heavy weight.
“I really shouldn’t say more. Not until you speak with your mentor.”
“Fuck that!” Tears burned my eyes. “I’m tired of being in the dark!”
He finally nodded, pulling me back into his office before pulling the same book which closed off his secret Bloodwright room.
“Worst case scenario is that an awakened Bloodwright without control of their abilities gets hunted down.”
My knees buckled, and I luckily landed in the leather chair across from Uncle Dan’s desk.
“Hunted down by what?”
“By the Stonebound.”
Chapter Seven
It was nearly 1 AM by the time I had finally gone to bed and drifted into a restless, but dreamless sleep. It seemed the Bloodroot ring was still working, keeping my head clear of visions and death echoes. Uncle Dan had stayed up with me as I processed what apparently was my heritage, my birthright that only would have come into fruition through the loss of a loved one. Nana, the very person who seemed to have done everything in her power to keep me away from this part of me, was the one who threw me into it headfirst when she died. Ironic.
Before I went back to my room, Dan made it clear that no one outside of another Bloodwright could know about us or what he called the Stonebound. Sara-Kate and Tiffany had to remain in the dark for their own safety, both from other Bloodwrights and the Stonebound. He refused to go into any more detail about the Stonebound beyond the fact that they are enemies to Bloodwrights and should be avoided at all costs. I hoped when I spoke to Alaric next, he would actually give me some more helpful information and explain more about what being a Bloodwright meant, including what could be done about it. Surely there is a loophole Uncle Dan just doesn’t know about.
I woke up the next morning groggy, mouth dry, but no headache. The ring felt tight around my finger, but not uncomfortably so. I pulled on my uniform for the day, getting my bag together before heading to the kitchen. Tiffany had already left, but Dan was uncharacteristically sitting at the breakfast counter, sipping coffee. For the last week, he had always been gone before I went to school. But here he sat calmly, as if this had always been his routine. Iris had the morning off, so it was just the two of us today.
“How are you feeling, Mari?” His tired eyes told me he had gotten just about as much rest as I did.
“Okay, I guess.” I shrugged, moving to the fridge to refill my water bottle for the day. “No headaches.”
Uncle Dan chuckled. “You’re handling this better than I did.”
“Really?” I moved closer to the kitchen counter. “How did you become awakened?”
Uncle Dan sighed. “Did Nana ever tell you about Daisy?”
The name didn’t ring any bells. “No.”
He nodded, like he understood why this would be another thing Nana wouldn't have mentioned. “She was my baby sister. She and my mom drowned at Lake Sinclair one summer. I was only about seven when it happened. Daisy was only three.”
“Oh my God,” I whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah, well, I was awakened. But Dad was there to help me cope, be my mentor through it.” He shrugged as if becoming aBloodwright was just another rite of passage, like puberty or braces. But maybe in a family like ours, it was. “At least he mentored me until he and Sylvia had your dad, Preston.”
“What happened after that?” Nana never spoke much of life before my parents died. I was only three at the time, living in Massachusetts. But when my parents died in that car crash, Nana flew up from Georgia and took me with her. Before I thought she was trying to help Uncle Dan, her stepson, who was fresh out of law school, trying to make his way in the world. Now I understand the real reason.
Uncle Dan shrugged again, draining the last dregs of his coffee.
“Ancient history. Not worth getting into. Besides, I just wanted to check in with you before heading back to work. You sure you’re up for school? I could call and get you a day off if you need. You’ve been through a lot and had a lot of information thrown at you.”
While a day to hide out in the apartment was tempting, I shook my head. “No, I want to go and talk to Alaric about . . .” I gestured to my ring and then to myself. “All of this.”
