Page 48 of The Sacred and the Tormented

The female disappeared inside again. A beat of silence filled the space.

“I apologize,” Rion finally said, his gaze locked on the ground. “For my outburst.”

“No, I apologize,” Conall countered. “Sive warned me to choose my words carefully. I didn’t mean to spring on the fact that your mo—” Sive cleared her throat and Conall stopped speaking. His jaw worked. “She’s okay, by the way. She wasn’t injured during the attack. Neither was your sister.”

Rion glanced up, a spark of disbelieving hope in his eyes.

“How do you know?” Arianna asked.

“We’re able to send small messages with the runes.”

“Is my father okay too?”

Conall nodded again. “The High Lord only suffered minor injuries. Nothing to be concerned over. We’ll have more information once your companions arrive.”

The female emerged from the cabin, carrying a tray with two steaming bowls. Arianna’s mouth watered from the hearty aroma. Cara stood once again and took the tray. She carefully held one bowl and offered it to Rion. He hesitated before taking it. Cara lifted the tray with the remaining bowl and balanced it in Arianna’s lap.

Blocks of cut cheese sat to one side of the tray while crackers were neatly piled on the other.

Arianna felt Rion’s uncertainty down the bond. Cara looked between them. “I can try it first if you’d like.”

“It’s okay,” Arianna said. She spooned some of the broth and sipped on it, letting the flavors explode across her tongue. A moment later, Rion did the same.

“It’s wonderful.” Arianna said. “Thank you.”

Conall shifted again and slipped the iron bracelet back on. The female settled down next to him.

Arianna’s brows knitted. “Why are you wearing iron?”

“It was customary in past days to wear iron in the presence of royalty. It was a sign of complete submission.”

If their current situation were different, Arianna wasn’t sure she’d like the idea but given that they still didn’t know much about these people, she found the gesture … appreciated.

“You said my mother was involved. How?”

Conall peered over them all to Sive. “Are you sure?” Sive asked. “We can discuss her at a later time.”

“I’m sure.” Arianna studied her mate. He was calmer now than he’d been since they woke. She stared at the lines on his arm, wondering what kind of long-term effects they might have on him.

“Eimear found us shortly after she married your father,” Sive said. “It was then that she adopted a façade that made the High Lord believe she was under his control. It was clear he kept careful tabs on her, therefore she had to tread with utmost caution when it came to this group. We’ve moved over the centuries, adopting one refuge after another. Eimear claimed we’d be safe here for a long while and we’d know when it was time to move. I’m starting to think she was referring to your arrival.”

“Does this High Lord have a name?” Cara asked. “Or are we just going to keep referring to him by a title he doesn’t deserve?”

“Vairik,” Sive said. “And the previous Divine’s name was Laoise.”

“Do you think he followed us here?” Arianna asked, fear suddenly pulsing through her anew. She could barely move, if she had to run—

“I think we’d already know if he had, however, I doubt it will take him long to figure it out.” Sive’s gaze drifted to Rion. “He’s always possessed an uncanny ability to locate those who came before you.”

Rion swallowed hard. “You mentioned how she’d been captured …” He trailed off again.

Sive’s face fell. “Her actions were ones that any mother would take for her child.” Sive’s hand moved over her stomach. “Eimear received her first vision of who you’d become when you were only three years old. We actually celebrated for an entire week, though she could only stay for a few hours. She’d even brought you along, though I’m certain you were too young to recall such an event.”

“She drug a child across the continent?” Arianna asked.

Sive shook her head. “We were closer to Nàdair back then. I think there was a lake house nearby.” Rion perked atthat. “Her visions … changed after a time, as if they were being manipulated by an unseen force. She grew frantic and honestly believed those from Ashling had figured out a way to manipulate her visions. She consulted with Conall’s predecessor for years on what might be done. She considered putting you under his care, but the visions would shift again and they weren’t … pleasant to say the least.

“We were forced to move away from Nàdair and went south for a time before relocating to Móirín and finally here. There were less permanent dwellings along the way.”

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