He cleared his throat again, leaning back. “Your mother vouches for him now.”
Nya bit her lip, gaze dropping to her wringing hands. “I’m just…I’m confused. I knew him as one person all those yearsat home, and when I realized that was a lie, I hated him. But now, I’m realizing I might have been wrong. He was never two different people, not really. I’m just angry he withheld information.”
“Do you think he had a reason for not telling you everything right away?”
She raised a brow. “Are you taking his side on this?”
“Not… No.” He knotted back his hair, something he did sometimes when he was nervous. “But I do think that sometimes, telling someone the truth right away, just for the sake of being truthful, can often do more harm than good. Some truths need to be handled carefully, or instead of providing clarity, they have the potential to only cause more pain.”
She met his eyes, his expression always gentle and kind for her. She wondered for a moment if her fervent tenacity towards caring for the few people she really loved came from her father too. Sometimes, she wished she could feel less ferociously; loving someone regardless of risk wasn’t always the smartest or safest choice. But she thought of her conversion with him mere days ago, when she’d asked if he ever wished he hadn’t met her mother, and how he had said he didn’t, without a second of hesitation. To love as they did, in a world like this one, was a tragedy.
He would understand her next request, even if no one else did.
“I need to see him,” she said firmly. When he hesitated, she felt a flash of power rise like fire in the back of her throat, and she added, “Say it, whatever it is.”
To his credit, he didn’t sugar coat it. “The principals kept you separate on purpose. They’re worried for Morgen if you slip again.”
“Oh,nowthey care?” She laughed coldly. “They always knew he was the only one with embers, so I don’t see…” But she trailed off. “Or did they?”
Her father shook his head slowly. “It seems Sol kept some, just a small amount that he was somehow hoping to increase. I presume he fed the council lies that he was the reason the stability of the world had yet to digress.”
“But they realized that’s not true, didn’t they?”
“I meant what I said in the hall, Nya.” She opened her mouth to say she hadn’t been listening, but he only gave her a pointed look and continued, “They tend to care about things only when it is convenient for them.”
She cleared her throat to ease the tightness there. It felt like the circumstances of her life were constricting around her, and she was powerless to stop it. If the situation were reversed, she knew Morgen wouldn’t let a few doors stand in his way, but maybe this was for the best. This way, she might actually be able to force herself to leave.
“I’m tired,” she said, avoiding her father’s eyes.
He paused, and she was sure he was going to push more about Morgen, but instead, he sighed. “Alright. Get some more rest; we’re right outside the door.”
He patted her cheek and stood, letting the fire die as he left. She waited a long while after that, for the voices in the hallway to quiet and for the darkness of night to deepen. Then, she quietly unlatched the window and slipped outside.
“You are a stupid,stupidbastard, and they are going to kill me for this.”
Nya jerked, nearly tumbling off the cliff she was dangling her legs from. She had walked aimlessly for over an hour before finding the waterfall. It was much larger than the one in the forest at home in Mise, and she was sure the chances of surviving a fall would be slim.
“They won’t kill you, and they won’t kill me, so calm down.”
Nya’s breath caught, a mix of relief and apprehension turning her stomach. That was Morgen’s voice.
“Apparently, they need you now, but they don’t need me! I’m just the reincarnation of some dead baby, and now, I’m going to be a dead?—”
“Carus, calm the fuck down. You’re giving me a headache.”
“Sorry to break it to you, but I think your headache is just a result of all the bleeding you did out of your face. You can’t blame me for that.”
“Try me.”
Their footsteps shuffled closer then stopped abruptly. She bit her lip when it started to wobble, tears threatening to spill over her cheeks.
“Nya.” Morgen’s voice was even, but she could detect the hint of alarm in it, in the brush of his magic stirring the air. “What are you doing?”
She didn’t turn right away, forcing what she hoped was a composed expression before she twisted and found Morgen leaning slightly against Carus, who had an arm slung around his shoulders to support him.
“I really hope you didn’t portal here,” she said. Her voice was as flat as she suddenly felt, as if all the emotion had drained out. She was an open wound, but even the worst wounds stopped bleeding eventually. “Otherwise, I’m going to have to agree with Carus and call you stupid.”
Carus let out an exasperated sigh. “I told you, Morgen.” He shook his head, catching her eye. “I told him, but he would not listen.”
