Heritage: Book Three of the Grimoire Saga by Boyce S. M

Author:Boyce, S. M. [Boyce, S. M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Dark Fantasy
Publisher: Acorn Valley Press
Published: 2013-11-05T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

RESILIENCE

Kara hated the silence most. At the very least, she expected anger when the Bloods realized she’d come back. Snide remarks. Maybe even laughter. But silence—she suppressed a shudder. It reminded her too much of her first meeting with Blood Lorraine when Kara first discovered Ourea. It reminded her of how the generals had looked behind her, so certain she was nothing more than a clever joke. So certain she couldn’t possibly be the all-powerful Vagabond meant to save them from themselves.

She snapped out of the memory and stood a little straighter. The table’s surface creaked under her boots as she shifted her weight.

Fire crackled around them. The wall of flames blocked her view of the windows—of escape—but served her purpose well enough. None of the Bloods tried to put it out, at least not yet. Her theory had worked thus far. They didn’t know how deep the flames went.

The room settled, as if no one wanted to break the hovering tension by speaking first. Each of the Bloods leaned back in their chairs, though Kara noticed Ithone’s absence. Only Frine, Gavin, Braeden, and Evelyn sat at the massive table. Frine’s wrinkled forehead became all the more prominent when compared to the young Bloods around him.

Evelyn stood, her chair stopping inches from the wall of flames. A bead of sweat rolled down the queen’s temple—probably from the heat of the fire and not from nerves. She frowned and tapped her fingernails on the table.

“Welcome back,” Evelyn finally said.

Kara forced a smile. “Why, thank you. I was hoping for a warm greeting.”

She hadn’t intended to make a pun. Her grin widened.

“We never expected to see you again,” Gavin said.

“If things hadn’t changed, you never would have,” Kara admitted.

“What—?”

Kara let loose the barb in her palm. The purple thorn slid out and curved away from her hand. She examined it, the lingering traces of doubt dissolving in her stomach. Light glinted along the barb’s surface.

The Bloods cursed in unison and jumped back. Evelyn pushed away, keeping her hands on the table as she inched toward the far end of the room. Gavin tripped over his chair as he stood, tossing it into the fire in his haste to get away. Smoke billowed upward as the wood burned. Frine sputtered, his chair falling backward as he, too, shot to his feet.

The flames burned brighter with their fear, as if the chaos fueled Kara’s strength. She frowned and hoped not. Being feared shouldn’t make her strong.

The Bloods cursed as they continue to shift away from her, surprise apparently stripping them of their senses. Only Braeden still sat in his chair, one hand barely hiding a smile as he eyed the melee.

“Quiet!” Kara yelled.

Gavin, Evelyn, and Frine hushed. They hovered along the far edge of the table closest to the door, trapped between her and a wall of fire.

Evelyn’s eyes widened. She tensed. The queen barely moved, and it seemed as though she held her breath as well.

Gavin glowered at Kara as if she had betrayed him by being an isen.

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