Page 3
ROOTS
SERYN
O ur bodies flung through the blurred, twirling aether before being deposited unceremoniously inside a dimly lit grotto. A briny scent saturated the cool air. As I breathed deeply, my feet fumbled for balance on the shifting gravel.
Fingers wrapped around my biceps, steadying me. I gulped and pulled away from Gavrel’s touch, ignoring how his warmth sank into my flesh and moved toward the sun-drenched opening of the hollow. He followed behind like a silent, prowling shadow.
“Inksalt Loch,” he stated, stepping into the light and surveying the expansive pool before us. Beyond, he studied the sprawling mountains lining the horizon, their massive summits reflecting in the glassy, brackish water. Decidedly, he turned and moved toward the marshy path behind me.
I inhaled, questions about to tumble from my lips as I trailed him, but Gavrel spoke before I had the chance. “We need to gather some supplies before navigating the mountains. We can reach Ceto before nightfall, find a place to rest, and head out in the early morning. ”
“But we should try to find the seer tonight?—”
“If we’re rash, Kaden is lost to us. Besides, the message said, ‘on the morrow,’” he interjected.
I huffed, shifting the nearly empty rucksack on my back and ignoring the quiver in my legs. My energy was depleted, and we were dangerously low on rations, but I didn’t care. We needed to find my best friend. Gavrel’s brother.
The corners of his eyes softened. “If we don’t care for ourselves, we won’t have the strength needed to reach him. We need to be intentional.” His long stride slowed, matching mine.
My upper body deflated as I sighed, knowing his words rang true. It would be quicker to head into the city than to hunt game when it was scarce in these parts.
My jaw tightened. “All right. Ceto first, then we leave with the sunrise.” He nodded, looking before us without another word.
As we navigated the marshland, the reeds swayed in the breeze, and mud sucked at my boots. Air caressed my cheek, and I breathed in, not minding the damp aroma of dried grass and earth. Quiet moments often brought a flood of hazy memories from a life half-remembered, and now was no exception.
Logically, I understood those emotions and experiences were mine, yet the jarring difference between my past and present was profoundly unsettling. It was as if I were looking at a series of blurred paintings from a distance or watching a disjointed theatrical play on an endless loop.
I sighed, and Gavrel’s words flit through my mind once more, plucking at the edges of a resurfaced recollection from when I was seven turns old—one of Mama during the Dormancy before she vanished.
With an unfocused gaze, I urged it to fully form, knowing the memory was a vital one.
“What pretty hair you have. Like flames.” The male’s voice slithered over my back, his hot breath grazing my cheek.
In front of me, Letti squinted at the intruder. With a thunk, the ball she’d been holding dropped onto the grass and bumped into the toe of my slipper. Her bottom lip trembled.
I gritted my teeth, unease fluttering in my belly, while I turned to the voice, tucking Letti into my side.
I recognized him. The Akridai, who was never far from Elder Harrow. He leaned into our space, his greasy black hair curtaining either side of his blunt face. His rancid whisper rasped over us as his spindly fingers reached out. “If I touch, will it burn me?”
Hastily, I stepped back, tugging Letti with me as our backs hit the wooden fence that ran along the training field’s brink.
He leered, his thin lips shiny and pulling across crooked enamel.
His oily, phosphorescent aura simmered above his form, and a sickly glow pulsed under the geometric locust tattoo marring his neck.
Below, the river roared, its waves crashing against the obsidian cliffs on either side. My pulse frantically pounded throughout my small body as if I were one giant heartbeat. My sister whimpered, and I hunched over her, turning my head away from him.
“Don’t.” The clipped demand gave the Akridai pause. I peeked at him as he straightened, tilting his head at the sound of a woman’s voice.
He chuckled humorlessly. “Don’t?”
I seized the opportunity while he was distracted, shoving Letti past him. The male’s brows scrunched together as my sister made her escape. His attention snapped back to me, splinters sticking in my fingers as I clung to the fence and tried to creep away.
Clucking his tongue, he snatched my wrist and swung us around. My back slammed into his front, and the jagged nails of his other hand dug into my shoulder.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I whimpered at the stinging in my scalp as my curls pulled, trapped under his grip. My nose scrunched at the pungent scent wafting from him.
“Balor.” My eyes snapped open, realizing that Mama was the one talking. I’d never heard her sound like that. Chilling. Lethal. “Let. My. Daughter. Go.”
Behind Mama, Father backed away, Letti cradled protectively in his arms. There was a small crowd gawking at the unfolding scene. Mama stepped forward, her jaw tight, her golden-hazel eyes boring into the male’s. I shuddered, fearful that she would get hurt. We weren’t supposed to defy Akridais.
Balor’s bony body practically vibrated against me. “Let her go?” he sneered.
All at once, a yellow radiance illuminated behind me, and slippery tendrils of ember slithered around my waist. I gulped, my petrified eyes meeting my mother’s.
Before I knew what was happening, the ground left my feet, and my body flung over the fence to a chorus of gasps and stunned cries. My mother darted forward, her outstretched hands reaching for me. A glimmering halo of midnight blazed around her.
Time seemed to move in slow motion as I soared through the air.
My last thought would be one of panicked confusion.
Mama is a Druik?
As the furious river came into view, all my thoughts scattered, carried away by the blood-curdling screech that tore from me.
My body jerked to a stop before I plummeted. A glittering, dusky mist coiled around Balor’s embered ropes, cinching them around my waist tightly. My vision swam in my eyes. Hazy tears plunged into the churning water.
“What have you done?” The Akridai bellowed as my mother reeled my body into the safety of her arms. I curled into her glowing form, and her ember flung Balor’s away. He glared at us, a severe scowl carving into the dull, pallid skin of his face. The corners of Mama’s full lips tipped up.
“Ah, Balor. Run along. I think you’ve done enough today,” a melodic voice commanded from behind us. His gaze snapped toward the woman, and he hunched forward, his aura slinking back into itself.
“Yes, Mistress.” Balor, a scurrying insect, fled toward Morpheus’ palace.
My mother squeezed me closer, and I whimpered as my face pressed against her chest. Her pulse quickened, harmonizing with the beating under my star-shaped scar. “Shhh, it’s all right, Little Star. I’ve got you,” Mama murmured as her halo dimmed.
The woman clapped her hands over the buzz of hushed words from the crowd. “What do they call you, pet? Who am I to thank for such entertainment? And during the last days of the Winnowing Trials at that. ”
A rush of air blew from Mama’s flared nostrils, and she gently set me on my feet. “Go to your father.” Numbly, my feet followed her directive. I glanced at the striking woman. Elder Melina Harrow. One of her perfectly arched, pale eyebrows rose as she scrutinized me.
“Elder Harrow.” Mama’s voice was steady. The Elder’s attention slid back to my mother. “My name is Maya Vawn.”
Melina’s laughter chimed through the air.
“Maya.” She paused, her tongue pushing at the inside of her cheek.
Tasting the name. “Come, pet. It seems we’ve a lot to discuss.
” She sauntered toward the palace, her flowing black dress fluttering behind her.
In the cool breeze, her hair lifted from her nape, and a flash of gold reflected in the setting sun.
I blinked, and it was gone.
Hurrying over, Mama crouched, her chilled hands cupping my cheeks. “You were very brave. Thank you for protecting your sister. I know you’ll always be there for her.”
“Yes, Mama,” I sniffled, tears lining my bottom lashes.
She swiped her thumbs under my eyes. Icy dread gurgled behind my ribs as if my heart had fallen into the river and was drowning.
Urgently, Mama continued, “But hear me now. You must also be good to yourself. A flower can’t bloom and nourish other living creatures if it doesn’t seize the sunlight itself. If it doesn’t cling to its roots.”
With wide eyes, I blinked while her words knocked around my mind. She stood, kissing the top of my head and then Letti’s, and murmured sentiments of love, smiling at us. But it didn’t quite reach her eyes; the crinkles at the sides were missing.
Rubbing her lips together, she looked at Father. “Take care of them.”
He lifted his chin, his expression softening as he met her gaze. “Of course, my love.”
My eyelids scrunched together as the memory faded away. I coughed, trapping a sob in my chest. Gavrel glanced my way, and I subtly shook my head from side to side. He looked ahead, brows squeezing together.
I breathed in deeply through my nose, resting my palms on either side of my neck as I worked on soothing myself. My middle finger stroked my humming scar .
No wonder I was terrified of heights. Images of the Winnowing muddled with this unearthed memory. I shivered at the thought of being suspended over the cliff’s edge, whether by ember or by rope. A huff of air whooshed from my nose, and my shoulders sagged.
That was the last time I saw my mother. The moment I had learned of her gift, and it had saved me.
Doomed her.
My loathing for Melina and the Dormancy burrowed deeper into my marrow, hardening my bones until my frame straightened and lifted my head.
All these turns, my last moments with Mama had been stolen. But they were mine once more, and I’d be bloody damned if anyone would take them again.
Marching forward, my hands fell as I pushed my shoulders back. First, food and supplies. Then rest.
One step at a time.
Back to the beginning.
To my roots.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3 (Reading here)
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57