Page 40 of Riftborne
I could never tell her what I actually thought of this world—these people.
This nation would do what it needed to clean up its messiest atrocities and protect its image from any accusations of foul play, no matter the cost.
Riftdremar was to blame, along with every soul that existed on the small island to the east—the one now destroyed beyond repair, crumbling in decay and the skeletons of the people who once lived there. Our families.
I took a deep breath and nudged Osta’s side as we walked through the dimly lit street.
“But look at all that you’ve accomplished despite our situation.You’re thriving, Osta. Regardless of who they were, I know that they’d be proud of you.”
She hugged me, and we continued the rest of the walk in silence.
Upon returning home, Osta and I stumbled to our respective rooms for the night. I laid in bed, staring at the ceiling. Unwanted emotions began to creep in. My mind drifted to the General and our last training session, and the thoughts tumbled out, thick and drenched in wine.
I remembered the frustration on his face. I remembered our explosive argument. Our decision to stop training. He was right.
It had all been such a waste of time.
I wiped the salty edges of my eyes, attempting to calm myself. Crying wouldn’t solve my problems.
I’d lived this long with no semblance of control. It was foolish to believe anything could change now. I saw nothing inside me that resembled what the General described. No spark, no tendril of light or static or electricity.
It was as if my focus didn’t exist outside the confines of my rage.
The General had seen me for what I was–a lost cause. I couldn’t blame him. How long could a General of Sídhe really wait with no progress, no improvement? I was sure his time was better spent elsewhere, actually accomplishing something.
But despite my resistance, a tiny seed had found its way into my mind. A seed that brought with it a glimmer of hope. And now that it had started rooting, I didn’t know how to rid myself of it. It was a dangerous game, letting myself aspire to be anything other than what I was.
I blinked back the blur from my eyes.
For the first time in my life, I had actually allowed myself to wonder.
The tears started to fall. I quickly brushed them away with the sleeve of my dress.
You knew this would be the outcome, I reminded myself.
CHAPTER 15
Ma was gonefor the morning, so I took the opportunity to reorganize the shelves in the back of the Apothecary. The desire to tear them apart had been clawing at me for a while, but that wasn’t the type of work that Ma prioritized.
Usually, we just flung our freshly distilled potions onto the shelves with little care. It took forever to restock anything with this routine.
I started by taking all the bottles down and dusting them. Some were well past their expiration date. I sighed. This was why we desperately needed a new system. The money and resources we would save just by putting things in some type of grouping would be a game changer.
Eyeing the cubbies to the left, a wave of exhaustion hit me. A pile of scattered stones sat haphazardly around the baskets meant to house them. I picked up a piece of amethyst, blowing dust into the air. I rubbed the surface against my apron until it reflected the light.
There were a few stones I couldn’t identify. One in particularstood out. I was sure I’d never seen anything like it. It was stuck somewhere between a deep blue and violet, and shimmers of light ran through its center as if it was alive.
The bell on the front door chimed. A sliver of anxiety ran over me as Ma's footsteps approached. Things had been so tense between us lately. I hoped my morning project wouldn’t push us further in that direction.
Her eyes narrowed as she took in the new setup.
“Fia, what have you done now?” Ma questioned, arching her brow at me.
“I did somemildorganizing.” I gulped. She didn’t look happy. With a bit of hesitation, I strode over to the shelves and began explaining the new system.
“So I can’t just throw the products back here anymore? I have to put them in their correct section?” She eyed me. Only Ma would have such an aversion to efficiency.
She walked around the shelves, inspecting them. I couldn’t figure out what she was thinking.
