I should have been terrified. Instead, another wave of the impossiblerightnessof this moment flooded through me, as his weight shifted from side to side.
Ready or not, I knew with absolute certainty that my life was about to change forever.
“Who the hell are you?” I asked.
“My name is Griffin Narvene.” His voice was deep, like rumbling thunder. “I’ve come to take you home.”
Chapter
Three
The truth shows up in the unlikeliest of places.
—From the journal of Violet Andrever
And with his words, I broke free of the spell.
Take me home?What in the name of Erde was that supposed to mean?
My thoughts came thundering back, sharp and now thoroughly annoyed. Who exactly was this man waltzing into my life and announcing he was here totake meanywhere? As if I had no say in the matter.
I glanced around our cozy little cottage, the furniture worn with age but comfortable. The warm oak floors. The faded green curtains surrounding the open windows, blowing gently with the breeze. Thiswashome.
Nana motioned me to sit at the table, and I followed her summons blindly, his words whirling in my head and stirring an idea in the back of my mind that there was something more out there, beyond the confines of the village. Something that called to me.
I traced the whorls in the wood of the table. Years ago, Nana and I had taken turns carving designs into the edge of the table. Mine were fairly basic and childish—shapes like hearts and stars. Nana had an actual talent for it, though, and had carved scenes—birds innests, foxes alert and at attention, and my favorite, a little girl and her grandmother standing hand in hand.
The man—Griffin—sat cautiously across from me, his face now an expressionless mask. I ignored him, looking only at Nana.
“Explain.”
She looked at me forlornly. “You stepped beyond the stones, didn’t you?”
I had never heard such resignation in her voice, and I bristled. Clearly, she had been hiding considerable information from me.
“What of it?”
For the first time in my life, she appeared at a loss for words.
“I come from a kingdom called Serentyn,” Griffin started, before running his hand through his hair.
“And?” I prompted.
“I hadn’t expected you to be so young,” he muttered under his breath.
“Excuse me?” My voice rose in irritation.
Nana placed a hand over mine, silently reminding me to take a breath. Shooting him an undecipherable look, she continued, “Serentyn is where you were born. I took you from there when you were young, to protect you from an enemy who sought to destroy everything we held dear.” She let out a shaky breath. “It’s been so long since I’ve thought about that time.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. I didn’t want to feel sorry for her. She had brought this on herself.
“Your parents, along with your aunt, died as part of a battle, a devastating battle, with that enemy?—”
“What?” I interrupted, half-rising from my chair. My entire life, she had told me my parents had died in an accident—not killed by some ancient foe. “How could you lie to me, let me believe?—”
Nana held up a hand, her eyes tired. “Let me finish.”
I settled back into my chair, arms crossed. How much more of my life was a lie?
