Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 108376 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 434(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108376 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 434(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
“You’d better explain yourself, young lady,” she said and my stomach clenched with dread.
17.
My throat ran dry. I didn’t know what to say. Then my dad finally lifted his head. “Wolf came to speak to us,” he said and realisation dawned. They didn’t know I’d gone to Oreylia. They were mad because they found out I wouldn’t be graduating from St. Bastian’s. I never imagined I’d be relieved that this was the thing my parents were angry about, but life was full of surprises.
“Listen, I was going to call and tell you but I’ve been so worried about how you’d react and—”
“The fault is ours,” Dad said, cutting me off.
My mouth fell open. “It is?”
He rubbed a hand over his jaw, his gold eyes flickering. “We never should’ve permitted you to go to the Prison of Thorns. The time you missed was vital and now you won’t be able to graduate.”
“No, the fault is mine,” I said and my mother made a face like she agreed. Huh, it figured. I swallowed and went on, “I never tried hard enough at school. Maybe I didn’t deserve to graduate, but I’ll repeat next year. Principal Wolf said I could and I’ll do it if it makes you both happy.”
Mum stared at me for so long I felt like I might break and blurt out everything about Oreylia, too. Then she sighed and went to sit on the sofa, running her hand over the plush fabric.
“Darya, we don’t want you to do things just to please us. We want you to do what you feel is best for you. Perhaps I shouldn’t have pushed you so hard to get good grades and improve your magic. I just didn’t want you to miss out and look back wishing you’d made different choices. If you want to repeat the year, then repeat it. If you don’t want to, then don’t. We won’t force you in a direction you haven’t chosen for yourself anymore. You’re a grown woman, old enough to make your own decisions.”
I swallowed thickly, unable to decide if I’d prefer them to simply yell at me and ground me for failing. Somehow, their understanding felt worse. I didn’t feel like I deserved it, and especially not since I was keeping another secret from them, one I doubted they’d be quite so understanding about.
“But what if I don’t know what to choose for myself?” I asked, my voice catching.
“It may take time,” Dad said, coming to wrap his arms around my shoulders. I always felt so small in his embrace, small yet protected. “But you’ll figure it out eventually.”
***
Three long weeks went by and I didn’t hear from Vas. I presumed he and Sven were on the move, unable to stay in one place for very long. Carra was still in a coma so a part of me was glad they weren’t here to enquire after her, but another part was worried something unfortunate had happened.
Why the radio silence?
Surely, Vas could have sent a letter, or some other form of communication to let me know he was all right.
I had to keep reminding myself that Red Armand had taken a long time to track them down the first time. He would also have to find another witch like Carra to open a portal for him. Yes, time moved faster in Oreylia, but I didn’t imagine he could’ve come for them again so soon, especially not if he needed to recover from being poisoned.
Sergeant Davis contacted me one afternoon and I almost had a heart attack thinking he’d found out about Vas and Sven being back. It was a relief when he was merely calling about whether I still planned to enrol in the Guard at the end of summer. He was surprised when I told him I’d changed my mind and that I no longer had aspirations to join. I could tell he wanted to ask why I’d had such a change of heart but thankfully he didn’t probe too much.
Without school to attend, I spent my time training with Dad and practicing magic with Mum. My mother had been surprised by my keen new interest in spells, but it was the least I could do given I wouldn’t be graduating. I knew the failure saddened her far more than it did my father. She wanted me to be a good witch. And besides, if I ever did take the plunge and return to Oreylia to free the miners I’d need all the magical knowledge I could get.
I found that the more I practiced, the more my magic grew within me. Minuscule amounts, sure, but it was still something. I had this sense of something building, like my powers were evolving. It was an exciting feeling, but also disconcerting. After so many years with weak magic, why was I getting better now? Was it the bond I’d created with Vas? I couldn’t think of another explanation.