Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 87731 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 439(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87731 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 439(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
Bria’s heart hammered against his chest. He could feel it.
“What happened?” Wynn asked.
Kaelan felt Bria’s fingers clutch at his shirt. A silent plea he easily understood. She needed time and privacy, and he intended to give her both.
“The journey here has been difficult,” he said. “She has had little rest since entering Driochmor.”
It was not entirely a lie.
Bria rested her forehead briefly against his chest.
Kaelan lowered his head slightly. “Can you walk?”
She nodded.
Relief struck him hard enough to nearly weaken his knees. He hid it well. Years of battle had taught him that.
“A bit of rest should do you good,” he said, anxious to get her to the cottage.
Bria looked up at him and nodded.
Kaelan wasted no time.
Whatever she had seen, whatever had shaken her so badly, he intended to learn the truth of it. And he intended to do so far from curious eyes and ears.
Kaelan kept his arm firmly around Bria as he guided her from the building and the entire walk back to the cottage. Several times he looked down at her. Each time his concern deepened.
The moment they stepped inside the cottage, Kaelan secured the door as Bria drifted near the hearth.
Crossing the room, he gathered her into his arms, and she rested her head against his chest.
Neither spoke.
Kaelan waited and only when he felt some of the tension leave her body, did he press a kiss to the top of her head.
“Wife.” His voice was gentle. Far gentler than most people ever heard from him.
Bria’s arms slipped around his waist.
He held her tighter. “What happened?”
For a moment he thought she might not answer. Then he felt her draw a slow breath.
“I saw her.”
Kaelan instinctively knew who she meant. “The woman from the mist.”
“Aye, it was her.”
He leaned back enough to look down at her. “What did you see, wife?”
“I saw Elara lying on the ground.”
Kaelan said nothing, letting her continue.
“Dar was there.” Her voice softened. “His pain was overwhelming.” She rested her cheek briefly against his chest. “The woman appeared then.”
Kaelan felt her fingers tighten against him.
“She went to Elara and placed her hand over her heart.”
Bria fell silent, struggling to understand what she saw.
“What happened then?” Kaelan asked, encouraging her to tell him more.
Bria lifted her head to look at him. “Power.”
The word sounded woefully inadequate.
“It surrounded her. Flowed through her.” She shook her head. “Nay, that is not right either.”
Kaelan remained silent, giving her time to sort it out.
Her voice dropped to little more than a whisper. “It was as though the woman commanded life itself.”
The words lingered between them.
Bria stared down at her hands. “I felt it, Kaelan.”
His arm tightened around her.
She looked up at him. “I felt her power.” The memory sent a shiver through her. “Death had already claimed Elara, but the woman did not accept it.”
Kaelan listened, trying to comprehend the impossible.
“Her power did not fight death.” She took a breath. “She simply overruled it.”
The enormity of the statement hung between them.
“Now I understand why kings and rulers search for her,” Bria said, “Why spies cross borders. Why tales persist. But now… I think the stories did not tell enough.”
A knock sounded at the door.
“That would be my great-grandmother,” Bria said.
Kaelan’s brow rose. “You are certain?”
Bria nodded. “She had to have sensed I saw something.”
A faint smile touched Kaelan’s lips. “You are becoming more like her quickly.”
Before Bria could respond, another knock sounded.
Kaelan crossed the room and opened the door.
Wynn stood there, concern in her eyes. Without waiting for an invitation, she stepped inside.
Her attention went straight to Bria. “Are you well?”
“I am,” Bria assured her with a faint smile.
Wynn studied her as though deciding whether to believe her. Then her gaze dropped and her expression changed instantly.
“What is that?” Wynn pointed.
Bria looked down at her chest. The leather cord had shifted and part of the pendant peeked from beneath her blouse. Instinctively, Bria’s hand went to it.
The reaction did not escape Wynn.
“Show me.”
The request came quietly, yet it carried the weight of command.
Bria glanced at her husband, and he dipped his head slightly. She understood his nod. He was letting her know he would stand by whatever she decided.
The exchange was not lost to Wynn.
There was no question that she could trust her great-grandmother. So, slowly, Bria drew the pendant free.
The moment Wynn saw it, all color drained from her face and the question came sharp and immediate. “Where did you get that?”
“You know what it is?”
Her gaze remained fixed on the pendant. “Where?”
Bria intended to get answers first. “Tell me what you know about it.”
Wynn remained silent for several moments. When she finally spoke, her voice was little more than a whisper. “It belonged to the Morvane Clan.”
Bria nor Kaelan exchanged a quick glance. Neither recognized the name.
Wynn slowly took a seat on a bench at the table as though old memories had suddenly become heavy.