Radiant's Honor (Founders Series Book 2)
Page 22
Her father snorted, and when Kai left, he followed him out, saying something Vic couldn’t hear.
“Is everything okay? Or are they keeping things from me?” Vic asked while watching the retreating forms of her father and Kai.
William’s gaze followed them. “They were expecting more from GicCorp. They want to make an evacuation plan.”
Her brows shot up. “To where?”
“Your favorite place.”
Vic groaned. “If I end up living in the sewers, I’m quitting the rebellion.”
William chuckled, and his face lit up. “Yeah, sure you will. You love fighting the man.”
“You won’t be the one laughing, Mr. Clean, when we’re keeping sewage away from our beds.” She leaned closer, her face even with his. “Wait until it floods. Feces up to your eyeballs.”
William’s face turned red again.
Vic placed her palm on his forehead. “You’re feeling hot too.”
He gently removed her hand. “I’m fine.” He continued to stare out the door. Vic thought he wanted to ask her something, but he glanced back at her and said, “I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
“Okay, then.”
Vic wondered why it suddenly felt awkward. William stared out the window as the afternoon light lit up the room. She felt a bit of relief when she saw Bomrosy.
Bomrosy waited at the door. “Can I talk to you?” She glanced at William. “Alone?”
William got out of his chair, and Samuel woke up to follow him. He took one more look at Vic, then left the room.
Vic shifted on her cot, and Bomrosy sat in William’s vacated chair.
Emilia still slept, so Bomrosy spoke softly. “I worried about you when they said you ran off by yourself.” She fiddled with a string on her pants.
Vic swallowed. “We didn’t leave on very good terms.”
“No, we didn’t.”
“I’m sorry I said it was your fault that the reapers left.” Vic tried to sit up straighter. “It wasn’t fair of me. I keep thinking I’m the only person who tries to take care of others and saying I understand you and Xiona, but I did a poor job of supporting you.”
Bomrosy took a deep breath. “What Xiona did was wrong. If there’s ever a trial for a radiant, she should have one.” Her eyes grew misty. “I can’t forget who she used to be. I owe her my life, Vic. I shouldn’t have kept her in the Order, but Kai shouldn’t have lied.”
Vic tried to hug her friend with her arms stiffly wrapped. It didn’t turn out so well, and they laughed. “You’re right, and Kai knows it too. I hope our Order can heal before the next thing comes at us.”
“Do you think we’re that lucky?” Bomrosy asked.
“Not a chance.”
“The reapers are settling in. Your mother is a force to be reckoned with. She barks orders better than Landon. She even has him saying, ‘Yes, ma’am.’”
It felt good to laugh, especially at Landon’s expense. After a while, Bomrosy left, and only Vic and her sister remained.
Feeling creepy, she watched her sister breathe in and out to make sure she really was there.
Em opened one eye. “Are you going to stare at me all night?”
Vic burst forward, and despite her bandages, she squeezed her sister into a tight hug. “I can’t believe you’re alive.”
“Was I supposed to be dead?”
Vic backed away and continued to drink in her sister’s presence. “Tristan told me you were dead. I thought …” Vic drew a shuttering breath. “It doesn’t matter. We found you, and you’re here, and you won’t go back.”
Emilia held her hand. “Calm down. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Do you want to talk about what happened, or do you need to rest?” Vic took in her sister’s pale skin, or was she flushed? Should she call a healer?
“I’m fine. I’m sure I’ll rest more, but honestly, I don’t remember what happened to me. Maybe that’s a good thing.”
Em usually kept things to herself, so Vic didn’t want to push. “If you need to talk, I’m here. Don’t keep it all bottled up.”
“Thank you for coming to get me.”
Vic didn’t want to let go of her hand. “Always.” She met her sister’s familiar eyes—the same bright green but with shadows that aged them beyond her sister’s years.
She would do anything to take those ominous shadows away. She’d gotten her sister back. Now she could face GicCorp full-on.
The sisters talked into the night, and when Emilia fell asleep again, Vic watched her.
Her father came back and fussed over them. “Your mother won’t rest. It looks like you won’t either?”
“I’m afraid she’ll disappear if I close my eyes.” Vic pulled the blanket around herself.
He patted her shoulder, then spoke softly so only Vic would hear. “I’ve talked to the healers about the stress Emilia may have faced. They think it’s best to keep her out of the loop when we deal with GicCorp, for her own mental health.”
“Oh? That seems odd. You’d think talking about it would help.” Her father’s eyebrows creased as he looked at his daughter.
He shook his head and reached into his pocket to fiddle with the bag of sand. “We need to look out for her and help her heal. She won’t be part of the fight, but we can keep her safe. Limit any information you tell her, okay?”
Vic didn’t completely understand, but she nodded. “If that’s what she needs to heal, I’ll do it.” A feeling grew in her that her father wasn’t sharing everything with her. She wanted to trust him. He wouldn’t keep any information that might hurt them to himself, would he?
Her father’s face softened. “You did so well, my daughter. I’m sorry I let this happen.” His voice cracked, and he turned away.
“Everything turned out okay.” She tugged at his shirt. “You’re overreacting a bit. Em’s safe and fine. We’ll get through this.”
His eyes looked distant. “I wish you didn’t have to live in this time. I don’t want your spirit to break.”
“I’m pretty strong.”
Father and daughter sat together in silence. Vic tried to resist drifting off, but she couldn’t stay awake anymore. As her vision blurred, she saw her father bury his face in his hands. She stretched her hand out to comfort him, and he gripped it so tightly.
She wanted him to know that she wouldn’t go away. “It’s okay,” Vic mumbled as sleep claimed her.
“I’ll fix this.”
Not understanding, Vic fell asleep.
In her dreams, shadowy eyes haunted her.
Thank you
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Also by Mari Dietz
Founders Series
Reaper’s Order
Radiant’s Honor
Magic’s Curse Spring 2021
Acknowledgments
Thank you for joining me again!
This middle book wasn’t easy to finish. A particular character decided he didn’t like my outlined plan for him and continued to do his own thing. I decided to let him, and we’ll see where he ends up in book three.
I’d like to thank Ravenborn Covers for the wonderful work on this series. It was fantastic to work with you, and your beautiful work has inspired me to keep going, even when I felt too tired to finish.
Many, many thanks to the fantastic Elizabeth from arrowheadediting.com. Your attention to detail is amazing. Every time I get a list from you, I vow to make the next book even better! Thank you so much for your time and energy.
And, to Stacy Rourk, The Blurb Doctor for helping me fine tune my blurb.
Also, to my wonderful Alpha readers, thank you. Your comments help me so much, and I appreciate you so much for reading my work! To Angela, Nicollee, Mary, Helen,
Bryan, and my mom, thank you for all your help.
Since I live in the middle of nowhere, I’m also thankful for all my virtual writing buddies. The brainstorming and reality checks keep me grounded. I never thought I would look forward to a meeting, but here I am, excited to share in our trials and triumphs. I’m amazed by all your talent, and I can’t wait to see what you write next.
Last but not least, dear reader, thank you for picking up my book. All I ever wanted to do was share my stories. I hope you’ve enjoyed the journey and will finish it with me.
A thousand times over, thank you all.
This is only the beginning.
About the Author
Mari Dietz wrote her first poem about crickets when she didn’t even know how to write. Her mom typed it up for her on an old typewriter. From then on, she was a goner to the written word. Over the years, she fell in love with the world of fantasy and thought maybe one day she could write something too.
She took a few side roads and got a major in Theater and English. Then she somehow ended up teaching in South Korea for three years. Now back in the middle of nowhere, she teaches Creative Writing and writes her own books in her “spare time,” when not distracted by lesson plans, anime, or K-dramas.
Four rescue dogs give her the privilege of living with them, and they keep her sane-ish.
This is her debut novel and series. If you want to contact Mari, feel free to connect on:
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She can’t wait to hear from you!