Page 76 of In Between Darkness

“What do you mean, bonded? You don’t even know me.” I shake my head in disbelief and sit down in front of him, my bottom comfortable on the soft, flouncy hay.

“I know more than you think.” He looks at me and tilts his head as if trying to get inside mine. “Didn’t Oriah tell you?”

“Oriah? You know Oriah?” I question.

“Imorethan know Oriah, young one. She is my master, my creator.” He purrs a little after he says this.

“Hmmm,” I think out loud, trying to connect the dots. “She made you?”

“Yes, she made all of us as a Gift to the Sun people, along with my cousins, the sky serpents, for the Moonkind when her race came to be,” he says. “Did she fail to mention this information?” I nod my head, still confused at the knowledge I am hearing.

“Gods rest their souls.” He lowers his head, and I see pain in his demeanour. I reach my hand out and stroke the fur between his eyes. “The stigma surrounding them is unjust, but you will change that.” He pauses. “You will change everything, young one.”

“M-me? I don’t understand.” I pull my hand from his head and look away from his gaze.

“You are the product of Sun and Moon. You bridge the divide of your people.” He takes to his feet again and stares down at Sun Castle.

I follow his eyeline and sit down with my legs hanging off the edge. I feel Craize’s breath on my hair as he stands behind me.

“Everyone expects so much of me, but I don’t know what I am doing… I have made a mess of everything so far,” I sigh, lowering my head defeatedly, thinking of what happened with River.

“You will learn.” He nuzzles his head in my hair again.

There is a small silence as we watch the castle from afar.

“Did you know my mother?” I ask. It is the one thing I thought I knew when he clicked at me before.

“Yes, young one, I tried to tell you before, but the bond wasn’t strong enough without your Gifts. That’s why you could not understand me.”

“What was she like?” My memory of her evokes sadness in me.

“She was brave… just like you. Brave soul.”

“Brave soul? That’s what you clicked at me the other day,” I say, thinking back to the elion book of languages with Nala.

“Yes. She was chosen because of her fearlessness,” he says proudly, but this makes me question myself.

“Chosen?” I look up at him.

“Yes. The rebirth of the Starkind was a heavy duty to carry. Oriah needed someone who was not only fearless but also kind and caring. Someone strong enough to healthily carry a Starchild in her womb to full term. Someone like your mother.”

“Wait, so my mother didn’t defy the Gods? She was chosen by one?” I ask, optimistic about getting another piece of the puzzle that is my mother.

“Yes. Oriah had been planning this for years,” he says. “It took centuries to find the perfect suitors.”

“Luca?” I question.

“She brought them together,” he says, and I feel closer to her than ever.

That pull I feel towards Ryder must be the same thing she felt towards Luca. Undeniable chemistry.

“Wow. All this time, people thought he was a criminal; it turns out he was a hero.” A tear rolls down my cheek.

“He saved your race, young one; they both did.”

I wipe the tear from my cheek and smile up at Craize. My attention is broken by the sounds of people down below me.

“Asha, are you okay?”