Page 12 of Claiming Sarah

When we arrived and were standing in front of the monitor, I said, “Allegiant, show us a physical map of Halla.”

The map of the micro-planet displayed on the screen, with a red dot near the forest.

“That dot is where we are right now,” I told her.

Her eyes were glued to the map. “So the forest is east of your father’s house, and west of us is all this land, until you get to the Diamond Sea…” She glanced at me in confusion. “I thought the Diamond Sea was on Orhon.”

“It is also there. It is believed that Orhon and Halla were once one planet, called Oodural,” I explained. “When the god Shorlun hatched from the center of Oodural, Orhon and Halla were what remained, dividing the Diamond Sea and two continents.”

“Is that what you believe?”

“There are mineral deposits that line up with the story.” I stared at the map, too. I had often wondered whether the old myth was true. “I am not sure if I believe Shorlun hatched from Oodural, or if something struck the planet, causing Halla to crack away from it, but the maps are accurate.”

“Do you believe in Shorlun?” she asked.

I nodded. “Yes, though if you want more in depth information on him, you would get better answers from Omen Ayext. She knows the holy texts.”

“Hmm.” Sarah’s gaze returned to the map. “So we’re kind of in the middle of the continent here, with the river to the south of us almost breaking the land into two pieces there. And north of us…is that where the conduit temple is that we visited to speak to my mother?”

“Yes, just before you get to the Craggy Mountains. Everything south of there is The Freelands. There is no one ruler, though some classed ghosts have taken it upon themselves to exert some amount of authority over the other ghosts around.”

She tipped her head curiously. “And what about north of the Craggy Mountains?”

“To my knowledge, it is sparsely populated. I do not know much more than that.”

She looked up at me with a glint in her eye. “Sounds like the perfect place for the runaway conduits to hide, don’t you think?”

“Perhaps. Though as I understand it, the lands there are hostile. Given that is the case, almost none of the living would inhabit the area. There are large, aggressive animals, some volcanic structures, has extreme weather…it is doubtful anyone stays there for long.”

“Would any of that affect a ghost?” she asked. “Particularly a ghost with powers?”

I smiled at the sparkle in her eyes. “You truly believe they are there, do you not?”

She nodded. “If I were them, I would be there.”

I considered her thoughts. “The animals could injure the ghosts. As they can be penetrated by bone, and teeth are bones, they can be bitten. However, animals do not generally care for their lack of taste and texture. The volcanoes…I do not believe the ghosts could be harmed by them. However, they are affected by the gravity of Halla, so the trembling of a volcano would shake them, too. The weather…” I thought about all the ghost lore I knew and came up short. “You would need to speak to Omen regarding such things.”

“Then she and I have a lot to discuss,” she said with conviction. “Do you mind sending Omen in here? I’d like to have the map available while we chat.”

I studied Sarah’s face, while she continued to study the map. “Are you asking me to leave my own quarters to fetch her for you?”

The corner of her mouth twitched with a smile. “If you don’t mind.”

I smoothed my hand over her hair to flirt, but it did not have the same effect on her human form as her Ladrian form. Then I remembered—kisses, and where those could potentially lead. I bent down and brushed my lips across hers, but much to my disappointment she did not let it lead anywhere.

I sighed at my inability to distract her. “Very well. I will play fetch, though I am unaccustomed to such things.”

“You are too spoiled by having people do things for you,” she teased. “Playing fetch for me builds character.”

I chuckled and left to find Omen, because I truly didn’t mind being her errand boy.

CHAPTER 4

Sarah

“Hello again, Sarah,” Omen said as she arrived a short time later. “I thought you might be hungry, so I brought breakfast.”

I watched as she walked into Deacon’s quarters with a tray, which held many strange things, and a worried feeling seeped in. I was right to be concerned. Thefoodwas on large leaves, except for the pungent mix of things that sat in a bowl. There were also two glasses of a red liquid.

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