“Do you think it will ever be reclaimed?” she asked.
“No.” Garrett stared out the window, away from the building.
She remembered the way his voice would take on such a reverent tone when he'd first told her about The Sanctuary. Despite everything that was happening with The Council and Amadeus, Garrett had believed in his grandmother’s vision for it, and he'd grown up with the idea that it was his responsibility to carry on her dream.
“I’m sorry,” Thora said, and reached for his hand.
He looked at her and smiled reassuringly, giving her fingers a gentle squeeze.
“I’m not. For a long time, I thought my duty was to keep The Sanctuary open, but I was wrong. Tatiana wanted the breeds to be treated as equals, and this place wasn’t meant to keep them apart from society. The Council began pulling her dream apart years before I was born.”
The carriage angled away from the wall and passed through a new barrier into the tunnel Thora had taken when she'd run away. The tunnel flew past, and then they were heading across the field toward the woods. As they neared the shadow of the trees, the carriage didn’t slow. Instead, the trees parted to create a path just wide enough for the carriage.
Her surprise must have been apparent, because Garrett chuckled.
“It’s a much easier journey through the woods when you know your way.”
Almost immediately, the houses came in to view. The carriage continued to the center of the village, and then pulled to a stop in front of the town hall. Garrett helped her down the carriage steps, and she glanced around amazed at the transformation.
It looked so different. Not only from when she'd roamed the area as a child, but also from the last time she'd been there when the trees had pushed their way in, consuming the buildings as they reclaimed the land. Darrian had planned to rebuild the fence, but he'd obviously abandoned that plan as the old planks lay in a pile. But he no longer needed the fence. Instead, the trees had retreated. Not completely, but enough that they simply defined the area.
Movement across the road drew her attention, and she watched as a group of breeds made their way from one of the houses to the market square. They carried baskets of vegetables and acted as though it was their village.
And she supposed it was theirs now. After The Summit, there were breeds who had nowhere else to go, but who refused to stay at The Sanctuary. Darrian had been the one to suggest the village as a temporary home, and he'd set off with a group of almost fifty breeds through the woods.
A wave of emotion washed over her, and she struggled to hold back tears. Less than a year ago, the village had been filled with people she'd known her entire life. Now, strangers worked in the gardens and spoke to each other as if it had been they that built the houses years before.
“We don’t have to stay,” Garrett said. “We can go back to Oozara.”
She hadn’t minded the city, but the masses of people had been overwhelming. Especially when hostilities still simmered. She had gone there to be with Garrett because he had work to do at The Depository and as a member of the royal family. But with his resignation from The Depository and the dissolution of the hunters, he had turned to his royal duties, which, according to him meant continuing to help the breeds.
“Or one of the other cities in the faction,” he suggested.
“No. I want to stay. At least for now,” she said.
“Thora,” he said skeptically. “You’re crying.”
“They’re for all the regrets I have.”
“What regrets?”
“That I never appreciated home as much as I do now.”
He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and hugged her to his side. “Is that what this is? Home?”
“Almost.”
She slipped from his embrace, and caught his hand, leading him down one of the paths. When she and Garrett decided to move to the village, she'd considered returning to her childhood home, but there were too many memories there. Living there would only be a constant reminder of everything she'd lost. So, Garrett had sent a message to Darrian with a request for help.
Eventually, they came to a newly built house at the far edge of the village with a small orchard in the back that was fenced off from the woods.
“Now we’re home,” she said.
“Good.” He gave a sharp tug, and she fell in to his arms. He gave her a quick kiss before gazing down at her with a lascivious grin. “Let’s go break in the orchard.”
She laughed at his suggestion and eagerly followed him in to the trees.
*** The End ***
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About the Author
Angela was born and raised on the Canadian prairies with dreams of becoming the next Jane Goodall or Dian Fossey until she realized that nature just wasn't her thing. After earning her B.Ed from the University of Alberta, she spent the next decade living and working in the US. Angela recently returned to Canada to complete her M.Sc in Education and pursue her dream of being a full-time writer.
http://www.angelafristoe.com
Hunter: Faction 10: The Isa Fae Collection Page 24