Page 211 of The Lands Defying
I’ve held her hand before, many times now like it is something natural, but I marvel at it every time.
Maybe because it’s different now.
Letting her lead the way to the graveyard, we watch the wisps play in the trees as the sun begins to set.
“I’m glad they are back here,” Rhea whispers.
I am too.
For her.
Wrapped in a fur cloak, our breath showing in the cold, we crouch over the snow-littered ground and start to climb up a hill.
“It’s not far now,” she says, sniffling.
“You need to keep warm.”
“I will.” I eye her. She can’t get sick. I’ll think of a way to keep her warm on the way back.
Snowflake drops from the sky, floating in front of me and Rhea tilts her head up. She was born on a winter’s night, like me, and I have to wonder what she’s thinking as I let her have this moment.
“I miss my family,” she says, never opening her eyes. I look up too, having difficulty swallowing.
“I do too. They were taken too soon.”
“Aren’t they all?” I make a sound of agreement.
Yes, they are.
“I think my sister would have loved you,” I tell her, and she looks to me then. “And she would have constantly asked you to make her things.”
She smiles. “I think I would have liked her too.” We continue on our way as she looks down at our joined hands. “Were you born a pup?”
“I wasn’t, and you weren’t either.”
“What does it mean?” she wonders. “Heirs are meant to be born as pups, that is what history states.”
“Can we believe what the Highers had put in those scrolls and books? We cannot trust anything anymore.”
She shakes her head, deep in thought. “That’s true.” She’s silent for a moment. “My mom passed her Heir powers to me. She had been the Heir of Zahariss for so long, maybe the longest that had ever been. I don’t know why she started to pass everything on to me, but it was a gradual thing. Over a full year actually.”
I think about that. On how Drax came to me and my power. “I hadn’t seen Cazier’s Heir at all before I got my powers.” My brows furrow in thought. “No one passed anything on to me, I just…was.”
“Maybe we aren’t born pups at all, maybe that was just something that was said toprotectHeirs.” She looks at me, eyes wide. “Maybe all this time, it wasn’t even true.”
“That would make the most sense. The Highers would have been looking for pups being born, when in reality, Heirs were here right under their noses.”
“But the King said his mate birthed a pup.” She tilts her head in thought.
“Maybe they lied too?”
“But why?” she asks.
“I don’t know.” I shrug.
“My mom was a seer,” she begins, her brows scrunching. “Maybe they knew something we didn’t.” It’s not entirely impossible. “And then they had to stay quiet until they couldn’t hide it any more, like me.”
I hate the look of devastation on her face.
