by Jen Valena
“We had just started our training at the Monastery. Did you know your room was mine?”
“No.” Ithia imagined what a gawky, teenaged Gramps and her recently revealed Grandmother were like back then. She tossed the thought away for the moment. “Urica, don’t try to distract me from what is happening right now.”
Urica huffed and pressed on. She dodged the low hanging branches, psychically scouting for their small leak to the world outside.
Tyrsten followed Urica’s example and ignored Ithia. “Why create an escape route off of the grounds?”
“Larin and I built the passage for our getaways. It was the only way to keep our relationship secret.” Although blind, her mind’s eye saw the opening of the egress. “Ah! Just where I left it!” Urica sighed. “Sad it should be used again, to hide your relationship. Patterns—do they ever stop?”
Ithia mimicked her sigh. “Any other patterns I should be aware of?”
“I am sure I can think of a few. But we should find ourselves a place to regroup before we do that.”
Ithia said, “Perhaps we should deal with the Elders now. If we leave Huldo and Feron behind like this, they will worry.”
“It is more complicated than just explaining our case. Huldo and Feron will understand.”
“How do you know that?”
“I am a Seer, remember? Now stop giving your poor Grandmother grief. We can argue all you like when we are far from here. I see that you have time to argue with me later if we go now.”
Ithia gave in with a grimace and followed Urica through the passageway.
Despite her best efforts to remain silent, Ithia couldn’t wait to get through to the other side of the passage before resuming her argument. “Let them judge! What would they do to me?”
Urica’s casually buoyant demeanor faded.
A steam-train of foreboding hit Ithia full force. “What did you see in my future?”
“Death.”
Jen Valena is often found: with pen in hand, daydreaming, reading, drawing, and theorizing about the human condition and the Universe. Valena’s novels blend Science Fiction and Metaphysical Fantasy with a dose of Realism to explore untapped human abilities and what might happen if people used them. Although not verified, Valena exists mostly on the Earthly plane.
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