“Where are they?” Jak said, ignoring his words.
“Who?” The Priest’s face held no confusion. He merely kept smiling.
“Don’t play dumb with me,” Jak growled. “You know who I’m talking about.”
“I suppose you mean the poor, unfortunate students hidden away by your leader, Gabriel. Once the queen got word of their situation, she immediately ordered them to come here, for their own protection.”
“What protection? They were fine where they were!”
“They were prisoners, locked away where no one could help them.”
Jak felt her face grow hot. “They weren’t in any danger!”
“That remains to be seen. And it really is none of your business. Suffice it to say, we will do all we can to reverse this condition imposed on them by your teacher.”
“What? Gabriel had nothing to do with this. He was with me when it happened.”
The Priest shrugged. “I hope you won’t take it personally if I don’t believe you. Your position in this is hardly unbiased. And after what happened here all those weeks ago. Well, you can understand if I don’t trust you.”
Jak shook her head. It was all coming apart. How was she supposed to get anything from this man if he kept pretending that he was the good guy here and that she was the dangerous one?
“You know the Fae aren’t dangerous. They have not been cursed. I’ve seen the prophecies.”
“You’re referring to your friend’s little book? Hardly prophecy.”
“Not there, you know I’ve seen an original copy of the Annals of Adam. It mentions the Fae.”
“My dear, anyone can modify scripture to suit their own needs.”
Jak growled in frustration. “Stop turning everything against me!”
A light filled the space around them, a white light, different from that of the warm candles. Jak glanced down to see that she had, without even realizing it, activated her Gifter brand.
The Royal Priest’s eyes flickered in the new light. “If you brand me, you’ll never make it out of the city before someone finds you and executes you for heresy and treason.” His face was completely calm, not at all frightened of Jak. Jak glanced at his hands once again, both laying flat on the table. Like before, the back of the palm was hidden in a glove. She couldn’t see what brand he carried. It must have been something powerful for him not to be afraid of her.
She let her brand deactivate, and the light faded. She glared at the Royal Priest. “You’ve got it all figured out, haven’t you? You have an answer for everything.”
“Our father’s fathers illuminate my path of understanding. Do not worry about your friends. If there is hope for them, we will find it.”
“And if there isn’t.”
“Then I advise you to never again support the work of black magic.” His voice was still calm but held an edge this time. “Either these people have perverted magic, broken our most important law, or someone else has done it to them. Either way, someone will eventually pay the price.”
Jak had heard similar words before, coming from Kuldain. At that time, the demon in disguise had sought to discredit the Fae, to breed hatred among his soldiers. It had almost worked, and in some cases, like Estel, it had.
Once again, her suspicions rose in her thoughts. And right now, they were more than suspicions. Surely, this man had to be a demon in disguise, just like Kuldain, but even more cunning. That smile he always kept, like he was always one step ahead of Jak, and the way he had an answer for every argument she could summon. He was prepared for everything and almost certainly held the attention of the queen in his hand.
“I know what you are.” She whispered, barely audible.
She met the Royal Priest’s gaze and saw only his knowing smile. “You see what you think, girl, nothing more. That has been evident from the moment I met you.”
“Someone will come for you.” She said. “When it becomes plain to everyone else what you are.”
The Royal Priest didn’t skip a beat. “It appears I will not get through to you. This meeting is over.”
For once, Jak agreed. She turned on her heel and stalked out of the cathedral, not bothering to say a word to the guards at the door.
When she returned to the college, Semwei was waiting just inside the dome.
“How’s Gabriel?” Jak asked.
“He will recover,” Semwei said through pursed lips. “But we need to talk.”
“I’m not in the mood to talk right now.” Jak turned to walk to her room.
“You will stay right where you are!” Semwei put one foot down, her fists at her sides, glaring at Jak like she had never done before. “Now I may have granted you some leniency before. After everything, Gabriel has told me, and what happened on the High Morning after you arrived, I know that special circumstances had to be taken.”
“I never asked to be special!” Jak shouted. She knew Semwei had done nothing to her, but she didn’t care. She was just so mad at everything now.
“Then you won’t mind if I treat you no different than any other student who runs away when she belongs here. Twice in one night. You will spend the next week away from your classes and spend the day helping the cook and the caretaker in addition to your chores.”
“What!?” Jak’s classes were the only thing she truly loved about this college.
“Furthermore, you will not leave the college without my express permission, or it will become a month. And when you return to your classes, your teachers will tell you how to make up the classes that you missed.”
Jak glared at the woman. How could she be this harsh to Jak when she surely knew the gravity of the situation? Without Jak, Gabriel might have died. And she was being punished for it!
Without another word, Jak turned on her heel and stalked off. Semwei didn’t stop her this time.
The rest of the students were all asleep, and Jak didn’t see Amelia anywhere. All for the best. The last person she wanted to see was her all-too-peppy friend.
She slammed the door to her room and sat on her bed, clutching her head with her hands and finally letting the tears come. After everything that happened, everyone was blaming her. From Semwei to Naem to the Royal Priest, they all blamed her for something. She was just trying to help. It all confirmed one thing to her, she was no hero. Whatever sort of redemption Seph sought for his followers, and for the Fae, it wasn’t going to come from her.
As if automatically, she picked up a woodchip from her nightstand, one of many that she picked up to practice with. She gave it a Healing brand, done perfectly like before, where it sprouted and grew until it became healthy enough to be planted as a sapling.
Now was the time to confirm once and for all that she either was an Oren or was not. Focusing as hard as she could, she summoned her magic again, imbuing the sapling with a second brand, a Flamedancer brand.
For a moment, the sapling sat in her hand, unchanged save for the lines of the Flamedancer brand that settled into the wood, next to the Healing brand.
Before it began to wither.
Within seconds, the green buds that had formed on the sapling fell away, the wood lost all moisture, and it crumbled to dust in her hands, overwhelmed by the two brands.
She lay back in her bed. Well, that settled it. She was no Oren, no hero. Whatever had happened when she gave Naem her brands must have been a fluke. A one time thing.
This was not her fight.
And it never had been.
13
The days blurred together after that. Jak did her week of chores without further complaint. Other students would pause to watch her, some of them snickering to see the odd one suffer. They had no idea what had happened to her. Few even knew that Gabriel was hurt, but word soon got around, and her peers began to put two and two together. Trouble was, most of them thought Jak was somehow responsible for Gabriel’s injury, rather than the one who rescued him.
Amelia tried to help by squashing the rumors. But most people didn’t list
en to her, knowing she was Jak’s friend. That was also why Jak did her best to avoid Amelia when she could. Her friendship with Jak only made things worse for Amelia. Jak’s penance made it easier to avoid Amelia since one was stuck in class and the other in the kitchens, but that didn’t stop Amelia from tracking Jak down and trying to talk. Eventually, once it became clear to Amelia that Jak didn’t want to talk, she stopped trying. So Jak was left to herself.
Once her week of chores was over, Jak resumed her studies and worked harder than ever before. She may not have succeeded in using more than one brand on a subject, but she was still determined to know all there was to know about branding. It was her only source of bitter comfort, seeing the looks on the other student’s faces as she continued to pass them up in their studies. She was even doing fine in the other areas of study at the college. Physicality came as no problem, coupled with all the training she had done with the Watchers. And her Mentality classes weren’t too hard once Jak applied herself.
Naem had not yet come back, and probably for the best, Jak thought. She would have turned him away anyway, much as she had Amelia. It was best for him.
These days, she spent most of her time in the library, going from book to book, making notes in her journal, and reading for as long as they allowed, then sneaking a book to her room and continuing there.
“Variations on Strength Branding in Modern Relics,” a voice spoke to her one evening while she read. “Now that’s about as dull as it gets.” Jak looked up to see Seph standing there, smile firmly in place.
“Seph!” She leaped from her chair and wrapped her arms around him. He winced, and she quickly pulled away. “Oh, I’m sorry. Your back. I shouldn’t have.”
“It’s fine,” he said, chuckling. “It’s healing nicely. I’ll be good as new within a few days.”
“I’m so sorry they did that to you.”
“A little suffering for the right cause can do more good than bad.” He sounded like he was quoting something, but Jak couldn’t place it. “And from what I hear, I’m the least of your problems.”
Jak huffed. “Did Amelia send you?”
Seph smiled. “No pulling the wool over your eyes. Yes, she’s worried about you. Says you haven’t spoken with her in over a week.”
“I have nothing to say.”
“Well, I find that hard to believe. You’ve suffered a loss. The Fae you protected are gone, your teacher suffered as a result, and you’re blaming yourself.”
“How did you know about the Fae?” Jak went back to her seat. Seph joined her in another chair, careful not to let his back rub against it.
“Amelia again, but I’m glad she told me. It only confirmed my suspicions that you have an important part to play in all of this.”
Jak scowled. “You’ve seen what trouble comes when I try to do something about it.”
“Trouble would have come whether you were here or not. But you are here, and you can take action.”
“But I made it worse.” Jak felt her eyes burn. She wasn’t angry at Seph, but perhaps speaking to him was unveiling the rest of her emotions.
“Did you? Let’s see. You had nothing to do with the Water Fae appearing in the first place. You’ve had little or no sway over the actions of the queen and her advisors. Without you, Gabriel likely would not have made it back. The only failure I see is a failure to keep your friends close when all they want to do is help.” He said the last line with emphasis.
“I’m not your hero, Seph,” she said, ignoring his rebuke. “I thought I might be, I once branded...someone with more than one brand. It was a unique moment, and there was Fae magic involved. But I tried to do it again, more recently. It doesn’t work.”
Seph took the new information in with admirable calm. “You know,” he said, changing the subject. “I believe we’re all born on Earth with a purpose of some kind. We all come with a destiny to be a hero, whether that’s to save the lives of others, or to be someone’s hero for cooking their favorite pastry.”
Jak shook her head. “I don’t think I can believe that. It takes away our choice.”
“Oh, everyone still has a choice. They can choose to accept their destiny or reject it. Personally, I feel that the world would be a near-perfect place if everyone accepted their destiny. Sadly, most do not, and only a few achieve the greatness they’re capable of.”
Jak paused, “What does this have to do with my failure?”
Seph smiled and took her hand. “Jak, you’re a wonderful person. I hope you will forgive my frankness. But might I suggest that you have yet to accept your destiny.”
“How do you even know what my destiny is?”
“I don’t, but I suspect you do, and you’re fighting it.”
Jak hung her head. Something about Seph’s words rang true. “So you’re saying I can’t perform more than a single brand on a subject because I haven’t embraced my destiny?”
“No Jak, I’m saying you can’t succeed because you don’t want to.”
Was Seph right? She had been in a bitter place the last time she tried to double brand the wood chip. Curiosity ate at her. “So, I can’t form a second brand because I don’t want the responsibility that implies?”
“No one ever wants to be a hero, Jak,” Seph said, almost in a whisper now. “But sometimes other people are counting on us.”
Jak looked into his eyes. There was a fire there, a passion that Jak admired. Seph truly believed in what he was doing, but not only that. He truly believed in her.
“I... will think about what you said.” She moved her hands away, breaking Seph’s touch.
“Of course.” Seph didn’t skip a beat. “I will let you be.” He strode to the staircase, took one last look at her, and quickly disappeared.
He was gone so suddenly that Jak almost wanted to call him back, but she remained in her chair. She didn’t feel as angry as she used to, but she still needed time to think. Her thoughts troubled her, but something felt different than before. Talking with Seph soothed her like nothing else had. There simply was no getting angry at that man.
Standing, she put her book away and walked down the large stone steps into the main dome. From there, she found herself taking long strides to Gabriel’s quarters. The old man had recovered now but never asked to see Jak. Now, she wanted to know why.
Checking to make sure there were no dangerous wards about, Jak knocked loudly on Gabriel’s door.
“Who is it?” Gabriel’s muffled voice came through the door.
“It’s Jak.” She said in a clear tone.
A pause, and then the door squeaked on its hinges as Gabriel opened it wide. He stood there, his face a mixture of pity and respect. “Come in,” he said after a moment.
Jak entered. Inside, she saw the same worn map that covered one wall, with the same pieces of string linking various papers to spots on the map.
“I... came to see how you were doing,” Jak said.
“Oh, I’ve been fine for a few days now.” There was a pause as Jak’s unspoken question hung in the air. Gabriel cleared his throat. “I’ve been meaning to see you, to thank you for what you did. I’m sorry if Semwei’s punishment for leaving the college seemed a little... harsh.”
“You did nothing to change it,” Jak said, surprised to find her voice was calm.
“No, that was not my prerogative. She is the headmistress, and I am only the head instructor. It would not look good if we kept countermanding each other’s orders.”
“It’s okay. I’ve dealt with it.” Jak took the chair next to Gabriel’s desk. “But I wish you would have come to see me.”
“Yes, I’m sorry. But I honestly didn’t know what to say. I’ve tried to keep you sheltered here, where you can focus on learning instead of the Fae or demons or cruel men. It seems I failed.”
Jak nodded. “I wouldn’t blame you. I tried to do the same thing for myself, and it didn’t help.”
“Well, I’m sorry all the same. I’m just glad that the queen’s guards did
n’t hurt you too.”
“I’m kind of surprised they did not,” Jak said, honestly. “They hurt Seph, do you know him?”
“He’s that preacher that people have been making a big fuss about? Yes, I know him.”
“He was flogged the same day that we rescued you. On the queen’s orders.”
“Really? Well, now that is interesting.” Gabriel tapped his fingers together.
“Why?” Jak asked.
“Well, you see. He was once the adopted son of the queen.”
“What?” Jak’s mouth hung open. She would never have guessed Seph had any ties to royalty.
“Oh yes. I remember some years ago, he came to the palace from the eastern nations, in exchange for the queen’s only daughter who left to marry a prince there. And as I recall they had some sort of falling out. The boy left the palace with nothing and has survived on his own ever since. I don’t know much more than that.”
Jak ran a hand through her hair. Why hadn’t he told her any of this?
Gabriel stroked his beard. “Let me guess, you’re wondering if there’s any truth to what he teaches.”
“I guess so. Some of it makes sense.”
“A lot of it makes sense,” Gabriel confirmed. “More than you know.” He glanced at the map displayed on the wall. “Do you want to know what this is?” he asked. When Jak nodded, he continued. “This is my biggest research project. My life’s work. And once upon a time, it was your mother’s work too.”
“What?” Jak looked more closely at the map.
“Yes, this is everything we know about the Pillars of Eternity.”
Jak sat back in her chair, her eyes widening with understanding. The Pillars of Eternity, three Relics that were supposed to be the most powerful of all, each one capable of unspeakable magic. Though from what Jak knew, details were scarce about what they actually did. It was the search for a Pillar of Eternity that led her mother and her expedition into the Hollow Peaks, where they instead found the Annals of Adam, the Relic that changed them into the Shadow Fae.
Growing Ripples: An Epic YA Fantasy Adventure (Roots of Creation Book 2) Page 12