Page 120 of A Blightress of Wrath
“Arethose…”Ilyennabent, squinting at the band around my toes and ankle. “Rhyzolms?”
Everyonecrowded in to look.EvenMadameZoreyahleft her corner with her daughter and squinted to comment on theOfferingclothingIhad summoned somehow deep in my subconscious.
“Iwould have thought blue,”Ilaughed nervously, running my fingers over all the detailsIwore.
Mymother explained, “Everychanneler who accepts theirOfferingis draped in varying shades and styles of green.It’sa tribute to the forest that fuels you.”Hersmile lit her eyes in a shade ofFelgren.Atthis height,Ifinally reached hers.Shepulled me into her arms, squeezing me tightly while whispering in my ear, “Hewould be so proud of you.Iam so proud of you,LittleLove.”
“I—”Thoughtsraced through my mind of howIhad lied to her.OfhowIlet her believeIdid not know howIcould predict theBlightress’snext moves or howIhad never told herIhad the power to create my own spells and could turn back time. “Iwill try to bring him home,Mama.”Ikissed her cheek. “Ipromise,Iwill try.”
Shesqueezed me tighter as if she needed to hold on.AsifIwas that anchor, keeping her in place and keeping her from falling to her grief, her pain of waiting seventeen years for her love and father of her only child.
Ijust hopedIwas strong enough to save them all.
* * *
Iwanderedthe ruins of the castle with my uncle while the armies set up their new base.Hetold me stories of his childhood with my mother and with his mother, the formerQueenofHyrithia.Shehad fallen during the battle of her city ten years ago—her death a sacrifice to buy time for her people to escape.Manyof them had not.Hespoke to me of his time inFelgren, training under my mother and father and how it had taken the tides of war to bring him into his power.
“Andso you cut your hands from your body to sever the connection to theBlightress?Didit work?”
“Yes.TheBlightresshad no hold over me after that.”
“Andthe others?Yousaid there were others who carried the black hands of theBlackFever.Whatof them?”
Welooked out at his broken city.Hegripped the gray-blue stone of the tower—the only tower left intact. “Sheeither called them to her lands to siphon their power through those trees…or…”
Ifrowned. “Orwhat?”
“Or,” he lifted his head to the east where tents rose along theBlightLine.Dozensof soldiers monitored the clear delineation of black, standing guard over the forces gathered in the city. “Or, they could have their hands cut from their wrists.”
“That’sa terrible choice.”
“It’sthe choiceIgave them.Theycould walk into her lands, or they could sever their connection to her.Mostchose the latter.”
“Andthese syphoner trees…”Ibit my lip, searching the line of soldiers for one familiar face. “Dothey kill the channeler?”
“Idon’t believe they do.”
“Butthe people within them can’t be severed from the tree?”
Helooked down at me with the pain of griefIknew well from my mother. “Thatwe don’t know.Wehave never…successfully released a channeler from those trees alive.”
Hewas quiet for a moment, staring out at the northwestern peaks where theAttatockMountainslay hundreds of miles away.
“Youknow someone,”Istarted. “Youknow someone trapped in those trees.”
“Iam the reason two people are trapped in those trees,” he spoke softly. “Renn, my guardswoman, has a twin sister.TheBlightressstole her from us years ago.Ifear she has become a syphoner tree and that one day her sister will find her, molded to the wood as a source of power for theBlightress.”
Inodded solemnly. “Andthe second?”
Hemet my gaze then. “Doyou often speak withPompeii?TheBaron’sOverseer?”
Takenback at the question,Ismiled in missing him. “Ofcourse!Icall himPah-Pah.”Ilaughed, turning my head south. “Icould never get his name right as a child, so it stuck.Heis the closest to a grandfatherI’llever have, andIlove him dearly.”Ishifted on my feet, feeling the ache from the shape of my shoes. “Hewas always there to raise me when my mother…when my mother couldn’t.”
“Yourmother loves you.”
“Iknow my mother loves me,”Isnapped.Mycheeks flushed andIgave a nervous laugh. “Sorry.I-Iknow she did her best.AndIunderstand why her best wasn’t more of whatIneeded.”
“Youare astute in your conclusions of people,Saelyn.AtraitIbelieve your father gave you.”
