Page 74 of Fire Touched

Ivy saved us. We must protect her. If any outsider learns of her power, she’ll be in danger. An oath has been served to our people. Elga and I have made them swear never to mention the power of our little girl.

I’ll never forget the look in little Killian’s eyes. For it was his mother, Vivienne, who fired first, and my sweet little girl’s power ended her life.

I drop the papers, forgetting how to breathe.

Time passes. A minute, an hour. I lean against the tree in the woods, scarcely breathing, tears streaming down my face. Anger, loss, pain warring inside me, vying for my attention.

Someone clears their throat behind me, but I don’t care.

Haldreg comes around, into my view. ‘Killian?’ His gaze finds the papers. ‘You got them.’ His voice is sad.

I jerk my gaze up to him. ‘You knew. You knew what happened.’ My voice is raw and scratchy from disuse, my throat dry.

The man lowers his gaze. ‘I was a boy when it happened, seven years old.’ He points at the papers scattered before me. ‘I know my father died that night. Had the air sucked out of his lungs. Do you mind if I—?’ Misery fills his face. ‘I never learned what happened to my own mother.’

I blink at him. ‘You didn’t lie about that?’

‘I didn’t.’

I shove the papers at him. ‘But you knew about Ivy? That she killed my mother?’

Haldreg flinches. ‘N—no. I didn’t know that. I knew it was because of her that any of us survived. I should have been there, but I’d snuck off to the kitchens, looking for the dessert.’ His gaze meets mine, tears shining in his ears. ‘When I came back—’ His voice cracks, and he shakes his head. ‘It’s why I became a guard. I wanted to protect my home. My people.’

‘Why wouldn’t they tell you what happened to your mother?’

‘They always said that night should be left in the past, and that… as I grew up, people kept saying they didn’t want to pass the pain on to us, the generation left behind.’ Haldreg’s gaze scans the pages. Then he stiffens. Anger sparks in his eyes. ‘My mother was… killed by a fireball.’ He looks up at me, but the embers of anger are already dying. ‘It doesn’t say by whom. Perhaps no one knows.’

‘One of my parents. I’m sorry.’

Haldreg drops the paper as though it were poison. He finally sits down opposite me, leaning against a tree and tilts his head back to meet the sky. ‘I always thought it would make me feel better to know.’

‘It doesn’t.’

‘No, it doesn’t.’

I pull something out of my jacket pocket. Something I’ve been working on for days. ‘I made this for Ivy.’ I turn the small chisel in my hands. ‘Because she’d made something beautiful, and she… she helped me with Katherine when I was feeling lost.’

Haldreg meets my gaze. ‘But after what you’ve learned, you feel different?’

The stars shine brighter in Terran than anywhere else I’ve been. I hadn’t noticed until I stepped away from the buildings. ‘I don’t even remember my mother.’

‘I don’t remember much of mine, either,’ Haldreg offers. ‘Just little things. The smell of pies she would bake. Wrapping me in a blanket on cold nights. But not much.’

‘Why would my mother do such a thing? Fire on Verron, his people, when he was trying for peace?’ Something in my heart breaks.

The guard shrugs. ‘I’m sorry, I don’t know. Perhaps she had her reasons. Have you talked to your father?’

I shake my head. ‘No. He hasn’t returned my messages since I’ve been here.’ Something comes back to me. Upon arriving in Terran, Prescott had said, I haven’t seen you since you were a pup. How could I have missed so much?

‘Perhaps he senses this conversation coming. I’m sure it’s hard for him.’

That’s the first reasonable answer I’ve heard for why my father would ignore me. Slowly, I nod. ‘Yes. I think he might. But it’s coming. I need to know what happened.’ My gaze finds the papers sprawled on the ground. ‘Prescott was in his office. For a moment, I thought you’d set me up.’

Haldreg’s eyes widen, startling a bitter laugh from me. ‘I didn’t. I thought he was with your friends at your guesthouse—’

I shake my head. ‘I broke his trust.’ I drag a rough hand down my face, feeling the bite of stubble on my jaw. I need to shave. I need a haircut. Hell, I need some sleep. ‘I came here under the guise of friendship, like my parents, then broke his trust.’

Haldreg shakes his head firmly. ‘That is not the same, Killian. You stole some files. You didn’t hurt anyone. Besides, I helped you.’ He kicks me lightly in the shin. ‘Come on. We should admit what we’ve done.’ As we make our way back toward the alpha and the Second, he says, ‘You are not your parents, Killian. Know that.’

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