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

9. Interrupted Vows

Chapter nine

Interrupted Vows

O ver the course of the next few weeks, Gideon’s lessons continued. Though each was just as impressive as the last, they started to blend together after the first week or so. We occasionally had to take a day off to rest, but neither of us ever got tired of the lessons. Every day was a new adventure, and we were sharing it together.

After water, he learned how to create earth in its different forms—dirt, sand, rocks, and other small formations. The second week he started to create grass and small plants. He specifically had Hanson teach him how to create the herbs the green witches used most often to make a small but very useful garden in the common area. It was a great time saver, and we no longer had to take turns gathering, but not everyone appreciated his thoughtfulness.

“It’s obnoxious,” Neal said one day as we watched Gideon work on developing a pine tree—a type of tree that, Hanson explained, was very common in the South and lived all year round, with green needles instead of leaves. There aren’t many trees in Orkeia to begin with, so it was difficult for Gideon to envision the finished product, and it was taking him a while. Neal had brought us lunch from his mother since we were taking so long and decided to stick around.

I looked away from Gid for a moment. “Why? It saves a lot of time, and it’s much safer.”

Neal smirked and threw his arm around my shoulder. “Because I don’t get to spend as much quality time with you. ”

I rolled my eyes. “We spend just as much time together as we used to.”

“But now we spend it around other people,” Neal said, imitating disgust. “I’d much rather we were alone.”

I shivered, but didn’t remove Neal’s arm from its place on my shoulders. Gideon must have noticed, because when we left the shelter the next morning for his lesson, he confronted me.

“What’s going on with you and Neal?”

I stared at him. “What are you talking about?”

“Come on, Kenna. I’m not blind. You like him, don’t you?”

“I mean, he’s a friend ,” I said defensively.

“You do realize he’s five years older than you.”

“Gid! What is this?”

“You spend a lot of time together.”

“Not that kind of time,” I said angrily, my cheeks burning. “Besides, why should you care?”

“I care about you, Kenna, and he’s too old.”

“Your father is seven years older than your mother,” I retorted.

He scowled. “So you do have feelings for him.”

My jaw dropped. “No, Gideon Grison, I don’t, and if I did it certainly wouldn’t be any of your business.”

“The only reason he’s even flirting with you is because you’re the only girl we’ve had here under thirty for ten years.”

I flinched, feeling the sting of his words, but wasn’t about to let it show. Instead, I let a sly smile cross my lips.

“Are you jealous, Gid?”

He stared at me, dumbfounded. “Of course not!”

I moved closer to him and playfully ran my fingers through his hair. “I think you are.”

He blushed, knocking my hand away. “You’re my best friend, Kenna. I don’t—that’s not how I feel.”

“Then why did you blush?” I smirked, enjoying taunting him.

He closed his eyes and breathed slowly. “I’m just concerned, all right? ”

“Well, don’t be,” I snapped, serious once more. “And stop being such a jerk to Neal.”

This became a regular morning conversation: he accused me of caring for Neal, I accused him of caring for me, and we both left unsatisfied and full of bottled anger. Somehow, we managed to forget we were repeating ourselves.

But despite what I told Gideon, my relationship with Neal was growing stronger. He joined me for the lessons, he stole me away to picnic on the beach, and he always looked for excuses to be alone, even from Jo. And honestly? I was enjoying it.

***

Gideon’s lessons had been going on for almost a month. He was now creating larger formations, combining plants and trees with them. At first it was difficult for him to create both simultaneously, but he eventually got the hang of it. It only took him three hours to make a mountain out of nothing at all—Hanson’s record was seven. Of course, he had to destroy it immediately afterwards. It would be obvious to anyone in the area that the formation was new because of how large it was, and however remote we seemed to be, we couldn’t take any chances.

I was constantly amazed by his talent. When Darius heard that it involved the elements, he offered more than once to give me a break and teach Gideon himself, but I refused. I enjoyed meeting with Hanson and seeing Gideon’s excitement. Darius seemed a bit offended at this, but didn’t say as much.

At least, not verbally. The more days that went on, the more Darius and Helen isolated themselves. I was so engrossed in Gideon’s lessons that I didn’t notice at first, but when they started leaving the common area any time Julius entered, it soon became obvious. Something must have strained the relationship between the two men, and I was reminded of the uncomfortable feeling I had when Darius said he should have been the Father of the clan. But even though I was part of the clan’s counsel as the Mother white witch, it wasn’t my place to pry, so I kept my thoughts to myself.

Until Julius approached me himself. Gideon had just started creating valleys within his mountains. As he concentrated on sinking the ground in front of him, his father sat next to me on the ground. I continued eating a wonderful stew Brynna sent over with Jo and some bread from Lyra, waiting for him to speak. He was silent for a long time before sighing.

“Do you know how long Darius and Helen have been engaged?”

“As long as I’ve been here. So, six or seven months?”

“Three years.”

I hid my surprise and placed my bowl on the ground. “That’s a long time.”

“Do you know why they haven’t been married yet?” he asked.

Knowing he would tell me, I remained silent.

He sighed again before continuing. “Because I haven’t let them.”

I nodded. A marriage ceremony had to be performed by one of the three Mothers or Fathers. As Father of the clan and Darius’s best friend, Julius was obviously first choice. Had he refused, they would ask either Nathanael or myself, or have to find another clan to perform the ceremony.

“Nathanael refused too?” I asked.

He nodded solemnly.

“Because you told him to?”

Again, he nodded.

I frowned. “Why haven’t they asked me?”

“They’re about to. At first they were against being married by someone so young, but they’re becoming more desperate.”

I shifted uncomfortably. “And you want me to say no?”

He stared at the back of his son’s head as a new waterfall formed miraculously in front of us. “I’m not entirely sure.”

A heavy silence fell between us, interrupted only by the sound of the water from Gideon’s new creation. Gideon looked back and flashed me a smile, though his expression shifted to one of surprise at seeing his father. Julius gave a nod, indicating that his son should keep working. When Gideon did so, I let out a breath.

“Why don't you want them to get married?” I asked.

“Because of Helen,” Julius said, his usual calm eyes blazing with bitterness.

“She’s not easy to get along with,” I admitted.

He shook his head. “You didn’t know Darius before, Kenna. When Helen first came into his life, he started to change. He became a different person.”

“I’ve heard that can happen when you love someone.”

He sighed, hanging his head. “I know it doesn’t make any sense, but he’s never been this unhappy—the more time he’s spent with her, the more bitter he’s become. I can’t sanctify a union that I think is ultimately a mistake.”

We were silent once more. In front of us, Gideon leaned against a rock, clearly getting tired, but he didn’t stop his work.

“What are you asking me, Julius?” I said quietly.

He sighed. “You’re on my counsel. I’m coming to you for advice.”

I took a deep breath. I hardly thought I was qualified to do that.

When I spoke, I did so slowly. “You want Darius to be happy, right?”

He nodded.

“I think he would be happiest if his best friend performed the ceremony,” I said. “Not a seventeen-year-old that neither of them even really like. And honestly, I think three years is long enough. If he hasn’t changed his mind by now, he’s not going to.”

Julius frowned. Glancing over, I saw that Gid had finished. He stood and stared over the edge of the new cliff. When he looked to see my reaction, I sent him a huge smile of affirmation before turning back to his father.

“Unless you order me not to, if they ask me, I'll say yes.”

He remained silent until Gideon reached us, at which point he enthusiastically expressed his admiration of Gid’s progress. Gid knew perfectly well his father’s thoughts had been elsewhere, but he was used to that when Julius was troubled. He smiled politely and thanked Julius before turning to me.

“Were you timing?” His eyes shone. We’d decided to keep track of how fast Gideon accomplished all of his tasks and compare them with Hanson’s records.

“Twenty-five minutes,” I said grinning. Gid beamed before pulling me to my feet.

“Want me to wait for you to report to Hanson?”

I laughed. “If you must.”

After I visited Hanson to gloat for Gideon (Hanson’s record for a valley was an hour and a half), the three of us walked quietly back to the clan. I asked Gid to give me an hour to rest before we went on our walk.

As I lay on my bed, closing my eyes to relax, I heard a soft tapping on my door. I sighed and propped myself up on my elbows.

“Come in.”

Cautiously, Darius and Helen entered. Darius looked hesitant, but Helen was determined. I closed my eyes once again and sighed inwardly before sitting up, forcing my best smile.

“What is it?”

“Julius has probably spoken to you, Kenna,” said Darius, taking Helen’s hand. “I don’t know if you’re aware, but we’ve been waiting for three years now. Neither of us is getting any younger, and—”

“Julius told me everything,” I interrupted.

“And he told you to refuse us, did he?” spat Helen.

“No. He didn’t order me either way.”

The room went very quiet. Darius’s eyes filled with hope, and Helen’s visage softened.

“So will you do it?” he asked. “Will you marry us?”

I felt a sick feeling in my stomach, but ignored it. “I will, but I want you to ask Julius again first.”

Helen raised her eyebrows. “He already refused.”

“Give him another chance,” I said. “If he still says no, I'll perform the ceremony.”

“Thank you,” said Darius, his lips splitting into a huge grin. I thought I saw a hint of a smile on Helen’s face as well.

I followed them out the door, anxious myself to know Julius’s answer. When they left the Grisons’ rooms, eyes shining, I couldn’t help but smile.

***

The marriage was set for just two days later. The day before was extremely busy—Ethel altered the dress Helen made two years ago, I helped Lyra and Shae create flower arrangements, and the Patersons prepared a menu and gathered ingredients. Gideon assisted them by growing whatever they requested. He also decorated his pond and the surrounding area, growing beautiful flowers and sprinkling the surface of the water with lilies. Darius took some time from his personal preparation to create an altar in the middle of the pond with a pathway leading up to it where Julius would perform the ceremony.

The morning of, Ethel helped Helen get ready while Julius helped Darius. The rest of us decorated the pond and altar. When we were finished, the scene looked splendid. A fountain of water from the pond squirted up behind the altar, thanks to Gideon, and beautiful bouquets of flowers lined the pathway on both sides, full of roses, tulips, and carnations—all of them white.

We finished around noon and all hurried inside to change. I chose my nicest dress—a long, straight, midnight blue dress with long sleeves and golden accents. Elizabeth had made it as a gift for me when I turned sixteen. It was the only article of clothing I owned that I could wear without layering, because it was made out of wool, which was why I had even had it with me when I was on my gathering trip for my former clan.

The opal talisman looked like it was made to go with the dress, but I decided it would be best not to wear it at Helen’s wedding and placed it in my pack. As an afterthought, I pulled my curly mess of hair into a bun on the top of my head, letting only a few strands dangle out.

There was a short knock on my door and I opened it to see Gideon, dressed in his best tunic, waiting for me. His eyes opened wide.

“You look beautiful, Kenna,” he said.

I smiled. “You don’t look too bad yourself,” I said, admiring the way the blue trim of his tunic complimented his already bright eyes.

He blushed, as I knew he would, and we walked to the pond together. Julius and Darius were already there, and soon after we arrived, so did the rest of the clan. Neal grinned when he saw me, making my cheeks burn. Gideon shifted at my side.

Moments later, Ethel and Helen appeared on the other side of the hill, walking ceremoniously toward the altar. The smile on Darius’s face was one of the purest I’d ever seen as he watched his fiancé walk toward him, her red hair done up extravagantly, looking for once like she wasn’t about to kill someone. Julius smiled halfheartedly when the couple reached him, but his smile seemed to become more genuine and relaxed when he saw the look of elation on Darius’s face.

“We gather today,” he began, “to join this woman and this man together with an everlasting bond. We—”

The blare of the horn filled the air. I spun around, my heart dropping out my chest. An army of knights climbed over the hills, at least twice as many than the previous attack. They’d already seen us, and there was no way we could get rid of the altar even if they hadn’t.

I was frozen in place, but Julius immediately sprang into action. “We have to leave,” he shouted, running to land and drawing a large circle in the ground with his finger. “Everyone, inside.”

“What about our things?” Shae asked, her voice cracking in fear and desperation.

As silly as it seemed, everyone had the same concern. Without summoning candles, cauldrons, and spell components and ingredients, we wouldn’t be able to practice magic. We could leave them behind, but they were virtually impossible to replace with the knights destroying everything in their path.

A sinking feeling settled in my chest. I couldn’t let this happen, not again, not to this family. Something had to be done, someone had to stall the knights—

This is my chance.

“There isn’t time,” Julius said desperately.

“There will be,” I spoke up. “I’ll hold them off. The rest of you go.”

“No!” Neal and Gideon said in unison as everyone stared at me with concern.

I ignored them and looked between Ethel and Helen. “The talisman is in my pack with my candles. The records are on my bed.”

Without another word, I ran, kicking off my sandals. Someone yelled after me, but I didn’t turn to see the source of the voice. The only thing on my mind was getting close enough to the knights to attack them, but far enough away that I would be able to hold them off for a while before they reached my body. Just as I’d reached a hill I could partially hide behind, a firm hand took hold of my arm and spun me around.

“We’re not leaving without you,” Neal panted, trying to drag me back.

I wrenched my arm out of his grasp. “I have to fight them, Neal. I wasn’t there for my last family when they needed me, and leaving Sybil behind—I can’t let something like that happen again. I need to do this.”

I turned my back on him to look over the top of the hill and judge the distance. He let out an aggravated sigh and swerved in front of me. I tried to run past him, but he took a hold of my waist and pulled me into a sudden passionate kiss.

Shocked, I stopped fighting and let him hold me. I was even more shocked when I realized I was kissing him back. His arms tightened around my waist and my heart beat faster as I breathed in his earthy scent.

After a long, intense beat, he released me, and we stared at each other, breathless. He was about to speak when the knights’ horn sounded again.

“Let me do this,” I finally choked out.

He placed a hand on my cheek, his green eyes pleading. “I don’t want to lose you. ”

He leaned in once more to kiss me, but I couldn’t waste any more time. Closing my eyes, I willed my spirit to leave my body, pausing for the briefest moment to watch myself fall limp in his arms.

I flew as fast as the wind to our last home, summoning the spirits of the fallen knights and Sybil before repeating the process at the site of my first clan’s massacre. By the time I returned, the knights were almost upon Neal. He’d laid me on the ground and was hovering over my body defensively. Panicking, I instructed my spiritual soldiers to attack. As the knights struggled against their unseen foes, I called to the spirits of Logan and three of the other brothers from my original clan. They retreated from the fight.

“Take him back to his clan,” I instructed, hearing my voice crack. “There is a sorcerer who is going to transport him away. Make sure he gets inside the circle.”

They nodded, receiving directions to the shelter from my mind, before falling upon Neal and taking a hold of his arms and legs. Neal cried out, but the expression on his face soon changed from astonishment and fear to understanding.

“Kenna, stop!”

I tore my eyes from him, focusing all my energy on fighting the enemy and ignoring the sudden ache in my heart as his cries became more distant. I thought I heard Gideon in the distance as well, but tried to block out the sounds, praying that the rest of the clan would be able to get them to stay in the circle long enough to leave.

The knights pushed onward, and the space between their matchless numbers and my limp body grew dangerously slim. My little army managed to fell maybe half a dozen of them during their relentless march forward. But soon, the spirits began disappearing one by one as my energy decreased, until it was useless to continue fighting. I closed my eyes, reuniting my body and spirit, and kept them shut tightly.

There was nowhere to run.

“Here she is!” one of them yelled, anger in his gruff voice. “She was conjuring the spirits! ”

Footsteps hurried toward me and though I had intended to keep them shut, my eyes opened instinctively. I was surrounded by men covered head to toe in heavy armor. One of them drew his sword and I flinched.

Just get it over with .

Rough hands pulled me to my feet, forcing me to face a very large, very angry looking man with small, squinty eyes. With a start, I realized it was the same man who had been leading the army I fought with Sybil. He had his sword drawn, ready to strike.

“For the kingdom!” the same gruff voice yelled. I tried to force my eyes closed, but none of the muscles in my body wanted to move. His black eyes burned with the fire of hatred, and a whimper escaped my lips as he drew the sword back purposely.

Then, from out of nowhere, another voice suddenly rang through the crowd of soldiers.

“STOP!”