Page 16 of The Ascended
I groaned. "I stand by that."
"I’m sure you do. You spent an hour describing her in perfect detail." He took a small sip of wine. "Complete with what songs she sang and how her tail sparkled in the moonlight."
"In our defense, we had very active imaginations."
"Oh, absolutely. You once convinced half the village children to play pirates and held Elder Keth's goat for ransom." His voice held that fond tone he got when talking about our childhood. "Made him negotiate for an hour before you'd give poor Buttercup back. Thatcher insisted on being called Captain Dread, if I remember right."
"And you went along with it. Gave us actual treasure maps and everything." I smiled.
He glanced at me sideways. "You were always the brains of the operation, you know. Even then. Thatcher had the charm, but you had the plans."
Around us, the celebration continued at full volume. Someone had started another round of increasingly inappropriate riddles, and I could hear Thatcher's laugh rising above the crowd as he no doubt separated more traders from their coin.
"You know what I remember most about raising you two?" Sulien said suddenly.
"What?"
"The questions. God, the endless questions." He shook his head. "Why is the sky blue? Why do fish live in water? Why can't we fly? And if I didn't know the answer, you'd just ask someone else until you found it."
"Naturally."
"I always loved watching you figure things out." He reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "You've got a good mind, Thais. Sharp and curious and kind. Don't ever let anyone tell you different."
"Father–"
"And stubborn as a mule. Just like her." His voice grew soft, barely audible over the revelry. "She used to do that same thing you do when you're thinking hard. Bite the corner of her lip and get this little wrinkle right here." He touched the spot between my eyebrows gently. "First time I saw you do it as a baby, thought my heart might stop."
I leaned into his touch, this man who'd raised me as his own. "I love you, you know that?"
"I know." His arm came around my shoulders, pulling me closer. "I love you too, little fish. Both of you. More than all the stars in the sky."
It was something he used to say when we were children, when nightmares woke us or scraped knees needed kissing better. He hadn’t said it in years, and hearing it now made my throat thick.
The weight of it all hit me then. Tomorrow the priests would call upon those of age to step forward. Anyone sixteen or older with gifts was required to present themselves at the festival. Some would come willingly, drawn by dreams of godhood and immortal power. Others would be dragged forward by neighbors eager to curry favor, or by family members who genuinely believed the Trials were an honor their loved ones deserved. Some were simply terrified of those with gifts living amongst them.
We'd been through this before. My powers hadn’t manifested forthe festival when I was a child, but at sixteen, I'd spent the entire event barely breathing, terrified that every glance in my direction meant discovery. We'd managed to avoid suspicion this long, but that didn't mean we were safe.
I looked around the cave, trying to memorize everything. Everyone.
They had no idea. None of them knew that one of their own could bring destruction down on all of them. That my very existence was a threat to this—to Saltcrest, to Last Light, to every tradition and person I’d ever cared for.
And Sulien... God, what would they do to him if they discovered the truth?
"I—" The words stuck in my throat. How could I tell him that I was terrified not for myself, but for him? That the thought of him paying the price for my secrets made me feel sick? That I was most afraid of what my discovery might cost him?
"I'm scared," I finally managed.
His arm tightened around me. "About tomorrow?"
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
"Listen to me." He turned me to face him, his hands gentle on my shoulders. "Whatever happens tomorrow, whatever the priests do or don't do, nothing—nothing—will ever change how much you mean to me. Or who you are. Everything else is out of our control."
Tears were threatening now, hot and urgent behind my eyes. "But what if?—"
"No what ifs." His voice was firm. "You are my daughter. Mine. In every way that matters. And I am proud of the woman you've become. Proud of your courage, your kindness, your wit." He smiled through his own unshed tears. "Your mother would be proud too. So proud."
Before I could respond, the sound of hooves on stone cut through the drunken singing and off-kilter fiddle. Conversations faltered as people noticed the rhythmic clatter echoing from the cave mouth,heads turning toward the entrance with expressions of growing confusion.
