Page 34 of Riftborne
“Fia, did you hear me?” Ma questioned, raising an eyebrow.
“Ah–yes, sorry. I was just wondering about the checkpoints. Any idea what they’re doing?” I asked with a bit too much enthusiasm. Her eyebrow raised further.
“No idea. Inciting fear like they always do?” She sighed, pointing towards the rear of the shop. “But once I finally arrived at the coast, I was able to collect a good bit of that Red Algae. It’s in the back, ready to be unloaded. The fish around it behaved so strangely, like they were moving slower than normal, and the water seemed eerily still. I can’t wait to study it.” Ma rubbed her palms together as eagerness flickered in her eyes.
“Well, I’m glad to hear it. I’ll just head on back and start unloading it,” I chirped, pushing myself off the desk in a hurry.
“Ah, Fia. Not so fast.” Ma narrowed her eyes at me. “Don’t think you’re getting off that easily. We still need to discuss what happened last week.” She crossed her arms.
“Right–about that,” I mumbled, crawling back onto the desk.
“I know that Osta is a brave little thing, but neither one of you should be getting anywhere near a party like that,” she scolded. “Now tell me why there was a Sídhe General in my shop the other night.” She pursed her lips and leaned against the counter.
“I met General Ashford at the Grove, during the party…” I tried to figure out exactly what I should say.
“You casually met a Sídhe General at an enormous social event crawling with all the people you typically avoid and struck up a conversation? Really, Fia. You?” She shook her head and let out a laugh that showed me she wasn’t buying it.Great.
“Not exactly…” I gulped, racking my brain. Ideas of what to say to her had been racing through my mind. All. Damn. Morning. But upon arriving, my thoughts were absolutely scrambled.
“I nearly collapsed when Eron told me you went by yourself. You know I don’t condone violence, but a part of me wanted to slap him right then and there. It’s his job to make the deliveries.Hecan get out of a dangerous situation quickly if he needs to.”
“Jaquelina went into labor. What was I supposed to do? It’s not like I went to socialize. I only went to drop off the crate of tonics, truly. But of course, Osta noticed me there, and begged me to stay.” I ran my hand through my hair and rolled my eyes. “I didn’t want to, but she insisted. So, I promised her I would have a single drink with her after she got a closer look at the King and Queen.” I winced. So far, it was the truth, but it all felt like lies leaving my lips.
“She made a loop around the party, and I decided to wander up the hill to cool off a bit. I guess I had gotten a bit… overstimulated.” I bit my lip.
Ma's eyes widened.
“Overstimulated?” she asked, cheeks flushing.
I took a deep breath, “Not like that, Ma. It had been such a long day. I was more than exhausted. And you know how I get nervous around crowds…” I glanced up, gauging her reaction. Her face remained calm, but I could see sparks of concern in her eyes.
“Anyway… I guess I started to… well, channel a bit. General Ashford happened to see me when it occurred. He was curious about my abilities. Well, I mean, he called it my focus, which is hilarious,” I rambled on, praying that I could distract her with erroneous details.
Maybe then she wouldn’t ask me specifics. So far, I hadn’t exactly lied, but the most important parts of the story had certainly been redacted. I shifted on the desk.
Ma stared at me, open-mouthed. “You... You used your… erm, powers… in front of the General?”
This was a subject we never dared broach. I stole a glance at her, expecting to see the beginnings of terror forming in her eyes, but she just looked concerned.
“Not exactly. I just felt like I might. Like I was slipping a bit. He saw me in a state of… well, it wasn’t my best moment. I’m sure I looked like a basket case, but he made me an offer…” I trailed off, nerves getting the best of me.
“He what?” she shot back, a little too forcefully. I didn’t know where her mind was going, but I needed to divert it.
“He offered to train me. To control my… whatever this is.”
Ma sat in silent contemplation.
“He wants to help you control it? Out of the kindness of his heart? That sounds a bit preposterous.” Ma's expression was drenched with skepticism.
“Not exactly. He offered to train me so that I could become a part of his faction. I guess he thinks I could be an asset to the Guard.”
Ma's eyes went up in flames, literally. Fire seethed through her.Oh Esprithe, here we go…
“The nerve. These fucking bastards think they can just control everything around them. It makes me sick.” She shook her head, “Is that why he showed up the other night?”
I paused.
“Well, he showed up to offer me the proposition. The night at the party… Well, I mean. We didn’t have much of an actual conversion. After it happened, I was pretty on edge. I really just wanted to get out of there.”
