Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 141492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 472(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 141492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 472(@300wpm)
All eyes turned to Safia. She heard Amara gasp and then hastily cut off the sound. Glancing up, she could see that Amara had her hand over her mouth and was leaning into Izem.
Amastan’s sharp gaze was on her as well. “Amara.” His voice was gentle. “You have known of this almost from the day you married Izem.”
She nodded. “That is true, Jeddi, but it wasn’t real to me. Lately, I’ve felt the presence of evil, but even with that, I’ve done my best to ignore it. I often spoke to Izem, urging him to speak with you and Emmi about finding Safia a husband. It didn’t seem right that we were happy and she had no one. She loves children, and she works harder than any of us. Because fighting something we can’t see and the fact that the family would send her out to fight unknown evil entities didn’t seem real to me, I just wanted someone very special for her. Now it feels like we’re all abandoning her. Forgive me, Jeddi, but I don’t understand.”
Amastan’s expression remained gentle. Safia loved him even more for the way he had always allowed every family member to ask questions and share opinions. That had been a difficult concept for Amara, and Safia knew it had to have been very hard for her to express her concerns, especially in front of the entire family and Safia.
“It’s natural for you not to understand completely, Amara. You weren’t raised from childhood with the knowledge those born into this family have. Perhaps it was already imprinted on us for our family to accept these ideas so easily. I have never asked the ancestors this, but it is a good question. I admire you for caring so deeply about Safia, but I assure you, she is spoken for.”
It was Safia’s sister, Lunja, who questioned their grandfather next. “Jeddi, I have heard you express this on more than one occasion, that she is promised, and you would never say this unless it is true, but we are now in a dire situation, and she will need all the help she can get. If that is so, where is he?”
“He will come, Lunja. You must have faith. He is a great warrior.”
It was Izem, her oldest brother, who brought up what Safia worried about the most. “Is this wise, Jeddi? Bringing an unknown into a complicated battle and having Safia get used to a relationship that will need time to develop? She is used to coping on her own with just us. If this man decides to take over and has his own strategy, it may well throw her off-balance.”
Ordinarily, Safia would have had several questions of her own, but it was nice to have family members addressing the concerns for her. Her heartbeat stayed steady, under control, a win for her. She’d trained hard to keep her heart and lungs functioning under every circumstance. The accident in the afternoon that had sent her plunging over the cliff had shaken her confidence in her abilities for a brief period of time. She’d lost that control, sending her brain into chaos. She had to be able to always think, no matter what was going on around her.
“You raise a legitimate concern, Izem. Gwafa and I have worried about the same thing many times. We prepared Safia as best we could. She knows many of the customs of his people, and she speaks his language.”
The breath caught in Safia’s lungs. A stunned silence filled the room. She pressed a hand to her throat in an effort to stay grounded. For a moment, she couldn’t feel her own flesh.
“He doesn’t speak our language? He has different customs?” Izem echoed. “Are you saying this man you have chosen for our sister is not a member of our tribe? He is not Imazighen?” He looked to his father and then back at his grandfather. “You would have Safia leave our family? Our tribe?” He was shaking his head even as he spoke, rejecting what his grandfather implied.
He wasn’t the only one. Her brothers and sister were also indicating a strong disapproval of the choice selected for her. It was extremely rare for anyone to disagree to such an extent with Amastan, and never over an arranged marriage.
Safia had never considered that she would be sent away from her family, especially since she had been trained to protect them. She had the family cards. She had spent her entire childhood, her teens, her early adulthood, training to fight, to hone her skills. She’d been devoted to her family. She couldn’t believe her grandfather would arrange a marriage to an outsider. It felt like a betrayal.
“Jeddi.” It came out a choked whisper. She turned to her father, knowing she wasn’t successful at hiding the shocked horror on her face. She did feel as if her father and grandfather had deceived her all these years. They had known they were going to send her away, and yet they had demanded the long, grueling hours of training from her. They had forced her to accept her fate as the defender of her family, and she had done so willingly.