The Viridian Priestess by Katrina Calandra

Author:Katrina Calandra [Calandra, Katrina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Katrina Calandra
Published: 2023-05-26T16:00:00+00:00

Selene and the Frithian elders sit across the fire from us in her gathering room. The commander speaks to them and Selene translates.

I grasp my bag tightly in my lap as they stare at me. I'm uneasy, still unable to come down from the adrenaline of being in the cave, and I'm afraid of breaking the deal I voluntarily made with the Albright.

I won't utter your name.

The deal was on my terms, but I intend to keep it. The Albright's expression and what it said runs through my mind on a loop. We have the stones, but something else happened in that cave with the Albright and in the tunnels after with the commander.

Selene throws a log on the fire, making it spark in front of me and August. I look over my shoulder to the commander in the rows of chairs behind us and give him a tight smile. His legs are spread casually, like he does in the cockpit, elbow on the chair back next to him. His helmet tilts in response to my forced smile. As he slowly examines me, I know he can tell something is off.

Then August leans in, pressing his shoulder to mine. “You ok?” he whispers, almost too low to hear.

I rub my lips together and nod, hoping that they drop it. Both have inquired in their own ways—August’s sweet and direct, the commander’s silent and annoying but somehow still comforting. He gave a small head tilt, but I knew with that tiny gesture, he realized something was wrong.

Selene speaks with the elders much longer than anything the commander said to her, and my head is too foggy to pick up a single word to translate for myself.

“Priestess Ferren, the stones,” she says.

I withdraw them from my bag, placing them side by side on the low table that separates us. She runs her hands over the top in adoration then scoops up the Frithian stone to take to the elders, holding it out to each of them as they press fingers to it.

“The Albright found your cause important enough to part with them?” she says, returning the stone.

I nod, hoping she does not ask for more details.

“With that, well, I'm afraid I have bad news. The trees whisper of something in the forest—something human but not, something here but . . . not,” Selene says.

I hear the commander lean forward slowly, coming closer to my back. I can't pay attention to her words, just the proximity of him.

“Something here but not?” he repeats, deep voice so close to my ear.

“That's right. Like an echo with no point of origin,” she says.

“We leave tonight,” the commander says abruptly.

“The elders have asked that you leave before our ceremony. It is a holy night for us, 99th Commander.”

Calliape enters through the door out of the corner of my eye, and Selene pats the seat next to her. Calliape puts her hands on the stones and smiles softly. I'm happy to see her but my attention is on the holiday and which it could be.

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