Page 34 of Hollowed

Ifought against the uncomfortable feeling tingling through my body.Ithad been a valid question, andIwould not cower at it.Butdespite my words, my shoulders slumped in and my chest curled around my breastbone in an ill-fated effort to protect my heart from whatever stinging admonishment would come next. “Adelaideclaims she is all-knowing.Sheis a powerful diviner.”

“Adelaide’spowers come more from idle gossip than from anything she has seen with her magic,” he said dryly.Hewaved a hand, and the fire crackled loudly in response. “Takelittle that woman says at face value.”

“Shetold meIwould destroy the world.ThatIwas bred for power and would burnSleepyHollowto ashes ifIleft before they could sacrifice me.”Myvoice was steadier thanIhad expected it to be, even as my heart thundered against my ribcage.

Iwould not shake.Iwould not slump in my chair.Iwould be strong.PerhapsifItold myself that enough times, it would be true.

Hestopped pacing abruptly, his boots scuffing against the floor as he turned to face me.Theblue in his eyes blazed like icy fire, churning around the irises in a way that looked purely inhuman. “Shesaid that?”

Inodded slowly, grimacing at the anger radiating from him.Surely, he couldn’t be angry on my behalf, butIcould think of nothing else that would warrant his anger. “Yes, she did.Why?”

“Shemust have been trying to frighten you into staying.Whatelse did she tell you when you spoke?”

Itried to remember what else she had said, but my mind was racing.Itdidn’t surprise me thatAdelaidehad lied, as the lies still buzzed in my ears like a swarm of bees in the summer.Werenone of theCiallmharhonorable?I’dlong grown accustomed to my own parents’ faults, but sitting here, talking to theDullahan…ThemoreIlearned, the moreIwondered why he was working so hard to convince meIwould saveSleepyHollow.Whatwas there to save?

“Shesaid she believedIwas part of some prophecy, but she would not explain.ShesaidIshould accept my fate and stop trying to fight my destiny asRoghnaithe.But, if you do not take sacrifices offered, what do they think it is accomplishing?”

Heshook his head. “Ido not know.Butwe need to find out who is summoning the sluagh, and quickly.Ifsomeone unleashes them fully, no one will be safe.”

“Haveyou heard of the prophecy she mentioned?”

“Iknow many prophecies,Katrina,” he replied. “Anyof them could be the one she mentioned.”

Sighing,Iwrung my hands in my lap but nodded.Certainly, a being like theDullahanwould know of many prophecies, and without specifics,Icould not ask him more.

Uneasegnawed at my stomach, its teeth sharp, butIignored it, turning my focus back to the task at hand.Iwould proveAdelaidewrong;Iwould save theHollow, not destroy it.Ifonly to spite them all.WhenIwas the hero ofSleepyHollow, they would finally see.Myactions would show them my value.Theywould see thatIdeserved respect and kindness instead of disdain and dismissal.Theywould have no choice but to acknowledge me.

“Wewould need to question the townspeople.Knowingmore about their motivations could help us determine why the sluagh is being summoned and perhaps give us a clue as to how many.”Myparents kept me isolated, butIknew starting with their closest confidants and the townspeople who sought theCiallmhar’srespect would give us an abundance of knowledge, even if they didn’t know it.

“Thatis precisely what we will do.Noone in theHollowhas seen my face.TheCiallmharonly knew my father’s face.I’veonly ever appeared in my spirit form, andI’veremained hidden whenI’veventured near town.”

“Theyknow me, though,”Ipointed out. “Quitewell, in fact.”

Hesmiled, the genuine expression of joy showing his teeth and crinkling the corners of his eyes.Itwas the biggest smileI’dseen from him, and even so, it wasn’t a friendly one.Itwas one of confidence and boasting. “Yes, but my magic can disguise you.”

Iwas certain my face conveyed my shock. “Spiritmagic can do that?”

“Thereare very few limitations to spirit magic,” he explained, patient with me and my unending questions.Ina way, it reminded me ofHenryteaching me how to use the pottery wheel for the first time. “Whichis why it is so rare.Butyes,Ican alter your appearance so no one will recognize your face or your voice.”

“Myparents and some of the other members of theCiallmharalways greet new members of the town,”Isaid, thinking through the best way to get the information we would need. “Wecould simply approach from the bridge and request residence.”

“Whodo you suppose would be the best person to speak with first?”

“IchabodCrane,”Ianswered immediately.AtAlexander’sraised brows,Ielaborated. “Heis the schoolteacher in theHollow, but also the town’s most notorious gossip.Ifthere is any news about members of the town, he would be one to know it.Orat least could point us in the direction of someone who would know more.”

Hiseyes darkened slightly, but the shift was so brief,Icouldn’t be definitive it wasn’t a trick of the shadows as the flames flickered over the walls. “Afriend of yours,Ipresume?”

“Notanymore,”Ireplied, my voice hard.Myfingers began smoking, andIstarted to push my anger back asIthought ofBrom’sbetrayal andIchabod’scomplacence.We’dnever been friends, butI’dnever thought they would have tried to kill me.

“Letit out,”Alexandersaid, his voice firm.Henodded at my hands. “Donot fight your emotions,Katrina.”

“IfIlet it out,Iwill burn your house to cinders.”

Thecorner of his lip twitched up. “Iwouldn’t be so quick to assume the house cannot protect itself.”

Athis words, the fireplace flared, crackling and spitting embers into the room.

Emboldenedby the fire,Imoved my fingers away from anything flammable instead of shoving my anger down.Istared at them; the fire twirling over my fingers and pushing out into the air.Myflames twitched, mirroring the flames in the fireplace. “Hewas with me whenBrompushed me over the riverbank.Hestood there and did nothing.”

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