Page 36 of Shadows in Bloom

“Don’t think we are letting you help with the work tomorrow, either!” Zorinna shouted, too loud for what was necessary, given the mere steps between our doorways.

I could practically hear him roll his eyes in response.

Kallistra placed a hand on my shoulder. “I am going to take a look around. Rest up, Nairu. I’ll wake you for dinner.” She moved her hand down to touch my arm, but pulled back before making contact. She lowered her voice and said, “We will need to talk about these marks later. I am worried about you. I’ve never seen these before.”

Yes, I had known that would be coming. I had myself to blame for hiding them from her when they’d first appeared during my training with Alandris. I was going to get an earful once she could get me alone. I was suddenly grateful for the tight quarters we would be sharing.

Chapter 17

This time, it wasn’t a blurry nightmare, or a vague dream—it was a childhood memory that came to me in the night. One I’d carefully repressed and hadn’t understood how deeply it’d affected me until I’d met Alandris, Kaz, and Zorinna. Until I’d shared in their company and learned enough of them to consider them more than strangers—people I cared about. A fact that terrified me and made the memory resurface against my will. A blaring warning of what could happen if I got too close to anyone.

I ran through the ankle deep snow as quickly as my legs would take me. Just beyond the hill was a sheet of ice as far as the eye could see. My destination. The reason I’d risked it all to sneak out of the Hazki home while they were away at a meeting with the Elders. It was the first time that Kallistra had gone with her mother, and the only opportunity I’d had for freedom. I’dwanted to see the famed Sea of Ice that my people often spoke of.

Panting breath and laughter cut through the air behind me. “Saintess! Wait up!” the boy called after me.

He lived nearby. A black-haired boy around my age who’d caught me sneaking out alone. As it was forbidden, we had never spoken before, but I had caught glimpses of him around the village on the few occasions when I had ventured outside of Hazki property. Upon catching me, he’d insisted on coming along for the adventure. I didn’t have a good enough reason to deny him, and if I let him come along, I wouldn’t have to worry that he would rat me out to the Elders, so I’d agreed.

I came to a halt at the top of the hill, taking in the sight below. Words had not done it justice. The Sea of Ice was endless. Frozen solid, with the deep blue water beneath, barely visible. I’d never seen so much land. Trapped within the confines of our village, especially my small corner of it, I’d seen little else than our wood and stone buildings and the forest of spruce that surrounded them. There was an entire world out there beyond our village, and I’d never known about it.

“Wow!” the boy exclaimed. “My parents have never let me come down this way. I didn’t know this was here.” His russet eyes twinkled with wonder.

I needed a closer look. I carefully stepped down the other side of the hill, kicking the toe of my boot into the ground before each step to check for any slippery spots of ice. The wind was picking up, nipping at the few tiny spots of exposed skin around myears and neck. My furs could only do so much. The worsening weather, with each night getting colder than the last, was part of the reason I was often kept inside.

“My name is Nawel.” He’d followed me down the hill, stumbling all the way. “Should I call you Saintess? Would you prefer your given name? The Elders say not to use it, but they also say not to speak to you, so…”

I nodded. We were breaking enough rules already. I didn’t see the point in avoiding adding another to the list. Still, I didn’t speak to him in return. Not out of obedience, but because I couldn’t find the words. My tongue felt awkward in my mouth. I’d only ever spoken with Kallistra and her mother, and a select few of my attendants, but even that was rare. I didn’t quite understand what I was supposed to say to the boy. Nawel.

We approached the edge of the ice, and Nawel gasped in awe. “It’s beautiful! Don’t you think, Nairu?”

I nodded once more.

Stepping onto the first few inches of ice, I peered into the water below its clear surface. You could see the way the water moved back and forth in waves, creating tiny bubbles of white foam. Something about it was captivating. I found myself following the flow of the water, walking atop the ice, stepping further and further away from the shoreline, until Nawel eventually called out to me.

“Nairu… I think you should come back!” His shouting voice wavered with unease.

When Iturned around to peer at him, I realized just how far I’d gone. Nawel had remained at the shoreline and was now far enough that I could barely make out his features. Looking at him, I hesitated. Part of me wondered what would happen if I continued to walk along the ice, following the water to its destination. Would I eventually reach the end of the world… or something more?

I shoved the thought down and started back to Nawel. My mind was elsewhere, distracted enough that I hadn’t heard the first signs of the ice fracturing beneath my feet. I heard frantic shouting from the shoreline, and then felt a shock freeze my entire body as I plunged into the depths below. I struggled against the water, dragged down by the heaviness of my furs. My lungs expanded in agony as icy water flooded my mouth. I was only conscious a moment longer before everything faded to black.

When I woke, I found myself wrapped in thick furs at the side of a hearth. A hand was combing through my hair, stopping when I shifted my position.

“Saintess?” Kallistra’s mother, Talaya, looked down at me, letting out a deep sigh when her eyes met mine. “You live.”

I sat up slowly, looking around the room. I was home. “What happened?”

“Get dressed. We must go. Quickly.” She pursed her lips. “They may spare the boy if they learn that you’ve survived.”

Talaya rushed to the village hall where the Elders were meeting. When we entered, six of them were sitting in chairs along the back wall, arms folded in their laps as they stared at the family infront of them. I recognized Nawel immediately, held protectively between two adults who I assumed to be his parents. They were gripping him tightly, tears streaming down their faces.

“Please! He is just a boy!” the woman sobbed, dropping to her knees.

The Elder in the leftmost chair answered, “There is no greater sin than the crime he has committed. Boy or no, he put the Saintess’ life at stake, our entire people’s existence in jeopardy, and he must bear the consequences of his actions.” His eyes turned to Talaya and I. “The Saintess lives, but at what cost? What damage has her body suffered? The man who saved her lost his life. There are debts that cannot be repaid without blood.”

“I will take his punishment,” the man said, dropping to his knees beside his wife. “Spare my boy. I will pay for his crimes myself.”

I looked up at Talaya, begging her to say something, but she shook her head. Not even she, the matriarch of the family sworn to protect me, would stand up to the Elders. Their word was law.

“The boy dies,” the Elder said in finality. “Say your goodbyes.” He turned his attention to Talaya. “Remove the Saintess from here; she need not be subjected to such bloodshed.”

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