Graely felt the weight of yet another decision on his shoulders. “I think we should wait until the morrow. We need time for the families to be told, and those who’ve sacrificed loved ones must know their deaths were not in vain. I feel obligated to bear the tidings myself.” He rubbed his burning eyes. The day would be long, with many grim tasks to complete before he could seek respite for his exhausted body.
*****
“Beth’s mom didn’t seem too upset, but I think Beth really downplayed the danger. And maybe she was pretty safe in the healing house.” Alora tried not to act impatient as her uncle drove them back to the hospital. She wasn’t having any symptoms from her short separation from Kaevin, but she felt uneasy with the distance between them.
“But it was dangerous, because if you or Kaevin had been killed, she’d have no way of returning. And that’s only one of the reasons I’m upset with you for going to Laegenshire without discussing it with me first.” Charles never looked away from the road, but it seemed as if his eyes were boring into her.
“I know, Uncle Charles. I know it was wrong, and I’m sorry. But at the time it seemed like the right thing to do.”
“Alora, I’m really frustrated with you. It’s not like driving—I can’t take away your car keys. You can transport at any time and take people with you, and I have absolutely no control over you. At fifteen—”
“I’m almost sixteen now.”
He rolled his eyes. “Even at sixteen, you aren’t mature enough to be making these decisions on your own. That much is obvious from last night’s decision not to talk to me first.”
“But it was an emergency, so we didn’t have time to ask for permission. It was just like that time when Vindrake’s men snatched Arista. If we hadn’t gone when we did, Arista might have died. And this time, we saved Jireo, and probably a lot of other people as well. And think of all the people those wendts would have killed if we hadn’t been there. The people in Laegenshire couldn’t even see them.”
She let out a small gasp, remembering the wendt she’d sent to her uncle’s root cellar. A glance revealed her uncle staring intently at the road, oblivious to her sharp intake. He hasn’t been down to the cellar in years. The wendt ought to be safe enough in there for a while longer. I’ll have to take Kaevin and Wesley with me to check it out.
Uncle Charles spoke between his teeth with tight lips. “There will always be an emergency in Laegenshire. It’s a dangerous place. And you went against my will and against Graely’s will and against the council’s will. The real reason you didn’t wait to ask for permission was because you knew my answer would be no.”
She bit back a retort, recognizing the level of his temper by the flexing muscles in his jaw. Maybe you’re right, but I still think we did the right thing.
“The point I’m trying to make is I don’t want you making that decision on your own right now.” He paused, blinking rapidly. “Look Alora, this is not about me trying to dominate you or keep you from your calling or whatever it is. This is about me doing my job as your father—your real father, the one who loves you. I’m trying to protect you so you’ll live long enough to make a mature decision about all of this. If you aren’t alive, you certainly won’t be able to help Laegenshire fight Vindrake.”
“But Vindrake’s attacking them right now. I can’t afford to wait until I’m older.”
“Alora, I know you feel like a grownup and you’ve had to do some grownup things, but you still have a long way to go before you’re actually an adult. It’s not that I think you aren’t smart or mature, but I want to protect you.” His voice cracked. “I need to protect you, Alora. You’re all I have left. You’re my daughter, and I’ll do anything to protect you.”
He swiped a hand across his cheek.
“I love you. I know you think God has this big huge plan for you, and He arranged for you to have a soulmate and gave you gifts and a destiny… But don’t you think Lena and I were part of that plan as well? Don’t you think we were appointed to be at that particular spot in Yellowstone the day your mother managed to escape from Vindrake? Don’t you see He chose us to be your parents? Don’t you believe He wants me to protect you and help you make wise choices?”
Overcome, she wrung her hands together in her lap. She nodded, struggling to keep her tears inside.
He reached across to squeeze her hand. “Don’t cry, Alora. I love you, and I only want what’s best for you. I never get to talk to you alone anymore, so I felt this was the time to clear the air.”
“Wh—what do you want from me?” she choked out.
“I want you to love me and respect me enough to include me in your decisions for a few more years. I want you to trust me to help you make wise choices. I’ll admit my selfish side would like to sneak off and hide you away on some deserted island to keep you safe. But I’ve accepted the fact you have a bigger destiny. And I realize your life is tied to Kaevin and the people of Laegenshire. Please don’t shut me out.”
“But what if it’s an emergency and you’re not around? Like yesterday, you were gone, and we couldn’t wait until you got home.”
“You could have spoken to me, and you know it. I always wear that steel belt around my waist so you can talk to me without endangering anyone. It’s not too comfortable, but I never leave without it. You’ve used it to ask me about going to Beth’s house. You’ve used it to remind me to buy ice cream from the grocery store. But you couldn’t have spared thirty seconds to mention the emergency you perceived with Jireo before you transported into a dangerous situation?”
Alora felt the heat rise to her cheeks. “I forgot. I really did. When the awful headache came all of a sudden, I couldn’t think straight.”
“You had a headache?” His indignant tone faltered.
“Yes, that’s what started the whole thing. It got better for a while, and then it came back. I felt like my head was going to split open, and so did Kaevin. I really was waiting for you to come home until that happened.”
“We need to figure out why your heads hurt like that. But still—”
“Yes, I admit I should’ve spoken to you before we left. I just forgot. You can punish me. I’ll be grounded if you want. I won’t go to the prom.”
His mouth twitched in a small smile. “Nice try, but it won’t work. I happen to know you don’t want to go to the prom.”
Busted! “Well what do you want me to say?”