The Gifted Heart (Marks of Inheritance: The Orkeia Cycle #1)

6. Between Salt and Safety

Chapter six

Between Salt and Safety

W hen I awoke, I didn’t bother taking down my summoning circle. Instead, I began to unpack. It felt strange, and I still wasn’t sure how committed I was to staying, but at least for now, I owed it to Sybil and the others to help the clan get settled in their new home.

It wasn’t long before I heard a sharp knock on my door and turned to see Neal enter uninvited. “Nice place,” he said. “I’m jealous. I still have to share with Jo.”

“How dreadful,” I said in mock horror.

One side of his mouth curved upwards. “Ready for dinner? My mother’s an excellent cook.”

Setting down the clothing I’d pulled from my pack, I followed him from the room. "I feel like all green witches are good cooks," I said.

He laughed and shook his head. "Not me. I'd probably manage to poison you with salt."

I chuckled. “Your whole family’s green witches, right?”

“Yeah. It’s been that way for generations. My dad’s the Father green witch.”

I nodded. Shae complained constantly that he didn’t let her try half the potions she wanted to. He said she was ‘too young.’

“Is that why you and Jonas were never really in the shelter?” I asked .

Neal paused as we entered the common area and looked at me, confused. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I just—I was surprised by how little I saw you around before,” I said, stopping beside him. “So was it because you were doing things for your father, or…?”

“Oh.” He shrugged and leaned against the wall. “I mean, sometimes, sure. But most of the time Jo and I were just exploring.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Exploring?”

“Yeah. I’ve never been good at staying cooped up,” Neal said wryly. “I used to sneak off to villages when I was a kid. Obviously I don’t do that anymore, it’s too dangerous, but being stuck underground wasn’t exactly for me. It’s a shame, though.”

“What? That you can’t sneak off to the villages anymore?”

“Sure, but that’s not what I meant,” he said, shooting me a grin. “It’s a shame I waited this long to get to know you.”

I bit the inside of my lip, feeling heat rush through my neck and cheeks once more. Thankfully, Jonas came and found us, saving me from having to respond. Together we entered the Patersons’ living quarters. The dining area was in the first room, and Jonas and Neal’s mother, Brynna, sat at the edge of a fire in the corner, stirring something in a cauldron. Her long black hair, even darker than Neal’s, was pulled into a bun on top of her head.

“Welcome, Kenna!” she said cheerfully. “Please, have a seat.”

“Thank you for having me,” I said as I sat. Neal took the seat next to me. Jonas punched him in the arm as he sat, but Neal didn’t respond. Apparently they didn’t roughhouse as much in front of their mother.

Their father came out from one of the bedrooms. He also had black hair and Neal’s same green eyes. When he saw me, his eyes crinkled with a smile. “Hello, Kenna.”

“Hello, Nathanael. Thank you for inviting me to eat with you.”

“It’s about time we did. My wife is the most talented cook alive—she barely even uses her gift,” he said warmly, kissing Brynna on the cheek. She giggled. Neal’s leg bumped mine and I looked up to see him roll his eyes exaggeratedly. I suppressed a laugh .

“What is it tonight?” Jonas piped up.

“Vegetable soup,” she said, filling the bowls. “I would have made something better if I knew you were going to invite Kenna to join us.”

“That sounds wonderful,” I insisted. “And it smells divine.”

“Speaking of ‘divine,’” Nathanael said, taking the seat at the head of the table next to me. “I’ve always wondered: what is the Land of the Saved like?”

I blinked, thrown off by the abruptness of the question. Brynna sighed and shook her head slightly, a bit of an amused smile on her face. Neal and Jonas exchanged a glance as well, and I gathered that they were used to Nathanael interjecting in conversations like this.

I chewed on my lip as I considered how to respond. “Well—”

“Is that not a question I'm supposed to ask?" he said.

“It’s not that,” I said. “It’s just that we can’t actually enter the city. We can only go up to the gates.”

Nathanael nodded. “That’s logical. My apologies for my ignorance. Sybil wasn’t exactly open to talking to others about her powers, and I’ve had a lot of questions, seeing so much death in the past few years.”

“Well, there will be plenty of time for questions later,” Brynna interrupted, setting the bowls on the table. “For now, let’s eat.”

Neal and Jonas picked up their spoons eagerly, gulping down the soup. I’d barely started before they were asking for seconds. It was a delicious meal, and I was surprised at the amount of flavor she was able to bring out of the vegetables. I could see spices set out in containers on a shelf nearby and wondered how she knew to combine them so expertly.

Despite Brynna’s caution to her husband, Nathanael was clearly eager to learn about the magic white witches held. I did my best to describe to him and the others what the Land of the Saved looked like from the gates, and I mentioned that I’d seen Sybil and how much she had changed being in her eternal spirit form.

“Are you sure you were talking to the same Sybil?” Neal asked with a laugh, bumping my leg again under the table.

His mother shot him a warning look. “Don’t speak ill of the dead, Neal. ”

“I wasn’t,” he said, putting up his hands innocently. “She was just always snapping at us when we were growing up.”

“Well maybe she wouldn’t have if you weren’t always making a ruckus and interrupting her spells.”

“Sybil certainly appreciated order,” Nathanael said, bringing a calming influence to the conversation. “She always found it difficult to be around rambunctious children. But I knew her for a long time, and she had a kind heart.”

“Elizabeth—the Mother white witch from my previous clan—said our spirits don’t change when we die,” I said. “We stay the same people with the same personalities. But the Land of the Saved…it exudes peace. I’m sure being free from the stress of taking care of a clan and worrying about a war has changed her in some ways.”

Nathanael nodded. “I’m sure. And what of the Land of the Lost? What is the fate of the spirits there?”

I shifted in my seat, frowning. “I’ve only been there once, with Elizabeth when she was teaching me how to travel between the worlds,” I admitted. “There’s a really dark forest. Elizabeth told me not to enter because the spirits there will try to make you get lost so you can’t return to your body. I don’t really know much else, just that Elizabeth said that anyone who goes there ends up miserable forever.”

“My mother taught me that the Lost One tortures the spirits sent to him,” Brynna said. “I’m not sure how you torture a spirit, but I’m sure it’s an awful place to visit.”

I nodded, shivering at the memory. The only time I’d felt more despair and sadness was when I had come upon the scene of my clan’s destruction. I stirred my soup for a moment, staring into it as I began to get lost in my thoughts.

Neal cleared his throat. “So, Kenna, do you want to go exploring tomorrow? Get a lay of the land?”

I looked up at him and saw Brynna’s eyes narrow as she did as well. “Don’t drag Kenna into your trouble,” she said before I could respond. “ The two of you need to be more careful so nothing like this happens again.”

Jonas put up his hands defensively. “Hey, I was out gathering, not just messing around.”

“Yes, but you’d become careless. That’s why you were spotted,” Brynna said with a gentle tone. “I’m not blaming you, Dear, but if it weren’t for Sybil holding them off, we may not have had time to escape. We don’t want to risk exposing ourselves again.”

“Someone has to do some scouting,” Neal insisted, setting down his spoon. “We need to know where we are and if there are any settlements nearby, after all.”

“I agree with them, Brynna,” Nathanael said, taking his wife’s hand. “We also need to know what resources are nearby, and I feel more comfortable sending the boys out searching than Lyra or Shae.”

Brynna sighed, taking a long look at each of them before nodding in defeat. Neal’s smile brightened and he turned to me again.

“So, what do you say? Want to come along?”

My chest tightened, but Neal and Nathanael were right. If nothing else, we needed to know what was out there so we were prepared. What’s more, I would need to know if there was a village or city nearby if I did decide to leave and find a way to the castle.

“Sure,” I said.

“Then it’s a date,” Neal said with a wink.

I felt my cheeks suddenly burn and noticed Jonas elbow him in the ribs, but I was saved from any lingering awkwardness by Nathanael asking another question.

***

Brynna was kind enough to give me one of her old coats for our outing the next day. I buried my hands in the pockets, grateful for the extra warmth, as I waited for Neal and Jonas outside the shelter. I stared at the waves rolling over the rocky beach, once again eerily reminded of the home where I grew up. I used to sit on the doorstep of our shelter and stare out at the waves like this while Elizabeth braided my hair or we both sewed.

Breathing deeply, I imagined she was here with me. A sinking feeling settled in my chest, centered beneath the talisman I now wore, and I reached up to grasp it.

“See? There it is again.”

I jumped, looking up to see Gideon, his golden hair bright under the morning sun. There was a pained smile on his face as he sat down and rested his arms on his knees.

“There’s what again?” I asked.

“That distant look I was talking about,” he said, nudging my shoulder with his. “Do you want to talk about it?”

I sighed, turning away from him to stare out at the sea once more. “This is a lot like the cove where I grew up,” I muttered quietly.

“I’m sorry,” he said after a moment. “That can’t be easy.”

He set his hand on my knee, drawing my gaze away from the waves. I stared at his fingers, not really sure why his touch made my throat feel tighter. After a short silence, I placed my hand on top of his and gave a gentle squeeze, realizing as I did that my eyes were watering.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

He turned his palm upward to properly hold my hand and squeezed back. I felt his blue eyes on me and lifted my gaze to meet them. There was a soft, concerned frown on his face. His eyes darted across my features and he lifted his free hand to wipe away a tear. The touch brought some warmth to my cheeks.

“Kenna,” he said, taking in a bit of a shaky breath, “I—”

“Ready to go?”

Gideon quickly drew back both of his hands and stood. Even though his touch was no longer there, I still felt the heat in my cheeks as I, too, stood and turned to face Neal. His characteristic grin spread across his face as he walked up to my side, but it seemed to be more forced than usual.

“Yes, I should be,” I said, clearing my throat .

Gid’s lips tightened into a frown. “Go where?” he asked, looking between the two of us.

“To scout the island. Figure out where we are, what resources are available, that sort of thing,” Neal said nonchalantly, looking at Gideon only briefly before returning his attention to me. “Mum packed us some sandwiches for lunch.”

“That was nice of her,” I said, stuffing my hands in the coat pockets again. “Where’s Jonas?”

“Jo decided not to come—something about getting settled in,” he said with a shrug. “I think he really just wants to sleep.”

“Hold on,” Gid said, moving directly in front of Neal. “You’re taking her out scouting alone ?”

Neal’s grin faded. He looked down at Gideon, who was about a head shorter than him, and crossed his arms. “Yes,” he said flatly. “Is that a problem?”

“Of course it is!”

Neal scoffed. “Why? I don’t seem to remember it being a problem when you were taking her out alone at our old camp.”

"Yeah, well, I know how to be careful, unlike some people," Gid said under his breath.

Neal's green eyes flashed with anger. "It wasn't Jo's fault," he said. "And Kenna can decide for herself if she thinks it's safe."

“Um, I’m right here,” I interjected, stepping between them.

Gid’s mouth was partially open, ready to retort, but he swallowed whatever he was going to say when he saw my hard expression. “Sorry, Kenna,” he breathed instead, shooting a sharp glance at Neal before stepping back. “I just don’t think it’s safe for the two of you to go out wandering alone, that’s all.”

“You’re welcome to come with us,” I suggested.

Neal shuffled where he stood and cleared his throat. “Yeah, sure,” he said, though his voice sounded a bit hollow.

Gideon looked from me to Neal and back again. With each passing moment of silence, his expression softened. His narrow eyes relaxed and he unclenched his fists. But for whatever reason, the frown on his face deepened.

“No,” he muttered finally, sounding resigned. “It…makes more sense for just two people to go, now that I think about it. Less people to be noticed, after all.”

He tried to force a smile, but sadness remained in his eyes. I creased my eyebrows in concern, but before I could respond, I felt Neal’s hand on my shoulder.

“Don’t worry, Blondie, I’ll make sure Kenna’s safe,” he said.

He caught my eye with a wink, looking as carefree as usual, and turned to go, steering me with him. Briefly, I looked back over my shoulder. My eyes met Gideon’s. He let out a breath and waved, the corners of his lips twitching, before he turned and reentered the shelter. Something in my chest tightened.

I faced forward as Neal let his hand drop to his side. He walked with what I can only describe as a relaxed confidence. Any tension he’d shown when Gideon questioned our outing seemed to have melted away now that our journey had actually begun.

“For today, why don’t we head north for a bit?” he suggested.

So that’s what we did. We took a half day’s trip north, walking along the foot of the seaside cliffs. They were magnificent, if a bit imposing. Neal wanted to climb them, an idea which made me nervous. But when he finally convinced me to go along with it, the feeling of hanging out above the water was exhilarating.

When we reached the top, Neal took out the sandwiches his mother had brought, and we sat down to eat. There was something peaceful about listening to the waves crash against the rocks below us. He sighed dramatically when he finished his lunch and laid down on the grass, resting his hands under his head as he looked up at the gray sky.

“It’s nice to get away for a bit, isn’t it?” he mused.

“It is,” I admitted with my own, quieter sigh. “But…we should probably head back.”

“What, are you tired of the view already? ”

He nudged me with his foot and wiggled his eyebrows when I looked at him. I rolled my eyes.

“It’s not that, it’s just…Gideon was right about it being dangerous.”

He rolled onto his side to look at me more directly. “I’m not worried about that. We haven’t seen anyone all morning, so I don’t think there are any settlements around.”

“In this direction,” I retorted.

“So we check another direction tomorrow,” he said matter-of-factly. “We need to check them all eventually. Blondie really can come too, if he wants.” He gave a slight smirk. “That’d be a shame, though.”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “A shame?”

“Mhm,” he said, sitting completely up and bringing his face level with mine. “I like having you to myself for a few hours.”

My breath caught in my throat when I realized how close he was, and I stood, brushing off my skirts with a rush of nervous energy.

“Let’s find a way back down to the beach,” I suggested.

***

We took several more scouting trips together. Jo joined us sometimes, but Gideon said he didn’t want to intrude and, eventually, I stopped asking if he wanted to come. Neal made each one an adventure with more climbing, exploring hidden caves, and chasing the wildlife. His carefree, easy personality was infectious. When I was around him, it was easy to forget about the weight of the war, or that of my new responsibilities.

I quickly decided that I didn’t like being Mother white witch. Ethel pestered me endlessly, requesting increasingly rare spell components and special privileges that I didn’t know how to accommodate. She said she was trying to develop new protection spells, but it was no secret that her keeping me busy was really retaliation for the talisman incident. To my surprise, Helen exasperatedly told her to stop after about a week, but Ethel continued to grumble and snap at me every time she had the chance. Helen, on the other hand, gave me Sybil’s writings without me even asking for them. She, at least, seemed to respect the talisman’s decision, even if she still wasn't exactly pleasant to be around.

I wasn’t sure how thorough I was supposed to be in keeping the clan’s records. I often found myself staring at a blank page. But occasionally, I’d feel inspired to write about certain interactions between the clan members. I imagined they were coming from the talisman since they weren’t usually things that seemed important, like noticing Darius and Helen leave the room immediately when Julius entered. But as I wrote about it, it did seem odd. I thought Darius and Julius were supposed to be best friends, but it was almost like they were avoiding each other.

Before I knew it, a month had gone by. I'd been too busy to think about leaving again. The weight of responsibility was definitely taxing, and I relished every opportunity to take a break. When Neal wasn’t dragging me off on another adventure, I spent time with Gid, talking about everything and nothing at the same time. Sometimes the conversations lasted for hours, sometimes only minutes. Usually, there were long periods of comfortable silence in which we just walked together or sat overlooking the ocean. There wasn’t necessarily anything that needed to be said.

During one of these moments, while listening to the beating of the waves of the shore, I closed my eyes and leaned back on the grass. I tilted my head back, letting the sun warm my face.

The sensation made me pause. I glanced towards Gideon sitting on my left. He, too, was enjoying the sun with his eyes closed. I hesitated for a moment, just watching him, but eventually couldn’t hold in the thought any longer.

“Have you thought any more about what I said, Gid?” I asked tentatively.

“Hm?”

“About your gift.”

He opened his eyes to look at me and sighed. “I told you, Kenna, it’s impossible. ”

“It’s not impossible,” I insisted. “Why couldn’t you have power over the planets?”

“Because no one can,” he retorted.

“What about Hanson?”

“That’s just a legend, Kenna.”

I frowned. “Sybil didn’t seem to think so. Neither did Elizabeth.”

“Well, I doubt they’re right.”

I looked down at the grass between my fingers and realized they’d tightened around it in a fist. “Do you doubt that, or do you doubt yourself?” I asked quietly.

He looked hurt for a moment before shaking his head. “It doesn't matter, anyway.”

“You don’t really mean that.”

“Yes, I do,” he said. “My life is just fine how it is. If that doesn’t make me interesting enough to spend time with, go run off with Neal.”

“Gid—”

“I’m going back inside,” he said, standing. “See you later.”

I was momentarily stunned as he walked away, but found my voice just before he disappeared from view.

“I’m not going to let you just give up on figuring this out,” I called.

He didn’t turn back, acting as if he hadn’t heard me. I groaned and laid down in exasperation, pulling up a fistful of grass and tossing it into the air. I wasn't sure why—maybe it was direction from the talisman, maybe I just wanted to spend time with him—but I felt the need to help him understand his gift. Something told me that even if he’d given up on ever knowing what it was, there was a special power within him that had yet to be uncovered. And for whatever reason, I felt like it was my job to help him find it.