Page 33 of Riftborne
“Unfortunately, we have to call it a day. I have a meeting soon that I need to begin preparing for.” His chair legs screeched against the floor and my eyes snapped open. He rolled his neck and shoulders.
“This was fun and all, but please tell me you have alternative plans moving forward?” I questioned.
His jaw twitched, but he stood still, staring straight ahead.
“Yes, well I’m hoping you’ll try harder next time,” he said flatly, turning towards the door. He didn’t give me a second glance before sauntering off.
I shot up from the chair, taking long strides to catch up to him.
“Still so sure this isn’t a huge waste of time?” I chided.
“I’ll see you the day after next. The second day of Eibhlín, if I’m not mistaken.” The General stepped aside and held the door open for me. I sighed, brushing past him.
“Can’t wait.” I could barely contain my sarcasm.
I didn’t dare look back as I stomped off in the direction of the apartment. The last four hours and my lack of progress would surely be running on repeat in my mind for the remainder of the afternoon.
The General’s presence might have been the problem. How could anyone focus with such asinine prompts?
I could have sworn the weight of his gaze lingered on me until I reached the peak of the hill.
CHAPTER 12
I dodgedthe uneven cobblestones at a slower pace than usual today, eyes darting ahead, taking in the familiar arches of the Apothecary in the distance. I had finally worked up the courage to leave the apartment and head into work for the day, but only after stalling as much as possible.
Wandering through the city, I chose to take the longer route, justifying my apprehension by convincing myself that Ma's well-being was my main concern. That it wasn’t just my anxiety getting in the way.
A part of me was disappointed in myself. I wasn't sure how Ma would react to my new extracurricular activity, but keeping it a secret felt pointless. If General Ashford was right, I'd be joining the Guard at some point and leaving the job I'd loved for six years–a place that felt more like a second home than work. I had to tell Ma, and it had to be now.
A knot formed in my stomach. I yearned for a reaction like Osta's–a sigh of relief,a newfound freedom to express her anxieties about me and the danger that lived within. But my hope wasdwindling. We were too much alike for me to entertain such unlikely outcomes.
To Ma, the Guard was the ultimate evil. She rarely spoke of her family, estranged for reasons I never fully grasped. But through snippets over time, I'd pieced a few things together.
Ma had a twin named Miguel. The two were inseparable until the Guard snatched him away at seventeen. She watched the light fade from his eyes as he became a shell of his former self, consumed by ambition.
While their parents reveled in his success, Ma grieved the loss of her brother long before he died in combat. Unlike the rest of Sídhe, she didn't blame Riftdremar. Her hatred festered for the Guard itself, a constant reminder of what it had taken from her.
Ma’s questions had probably tripled since the last time she saw me. I couldn’t divulge the entire truth... just enough for her to understand.
I buried the pang of guilt that threatened to turn me around. With a deep breath and a simple prayer, I pushed open the door and walked inside.
Ma was restocking our herbal teas near the front desk. The chime of the bell gave me away as the door closed. Ma's eyes shot up in attention, softening once she realized it was me.
“Fia! I’m so relieved. I feel like I haven’t seen you in three days,” Ma teased with feigned exasperation.
“Well, that would make sense, considering it’s been exactly three days since I last saw you.” A smile broke across my face as I approached the desk, pushing myself up to sit on it. “So, how was your trip to the Scarlet Coast?”
Ma put down her crate, dusting off her hands before leaning against the shelf.
“The travel itself was excruciating. Base Guards had set up checkpoints on nearly every main road out of Luminaria. Such a pain to get through.” She shook her head.
Sídhe hadn’t experienced a serious threat for twenty years,since the end of the Rebellion that rendered Riftdremar a wasteland. Although the actual fighting hadn’t gone on for long, it was devastating to the small country East of Sídhe. When powerful focuses go to war against one another, there’s not many outcomes other than total and overwhelming destruction.
Sídhe burned Riftdremar into oblivion.
Though I hadn’t heard of Sídhe facing anything new, the Guard’s proximity to the city did make me wonder. And there was the matter of the General’s scar. I had never seen a wound like that. One would think healers could cure it. Or perhaps the alterationists that could change appearances.
Then again, I could imagine him drawing it on every morning for attention.
