Thear: Bree: Travelling (part 1)

[k_a_webb]

The last thing Bree ever expected to receive was a message from Trey asking her to visit him at the Residence. It had been years since they had last seen each other, before he had started training to become a priest. Now he was the High Priest of Herne while she was well on her way to becoming the best translator the Dorma had, which wasn’t all that difficult as there were very few Dorma translators. Most of her people preferred working outdoors but she loved working with books so it had been natural for her to fall into translating, even though it meant she had to spend almost all of her time inside.

Seeing Trey again would be strange. For a few days, before she had told her parents, she had contemplated not going. There was a part of her that just wanted to keep hold of the good memories she had of him from when they were young, as they had actually been close friends then and not just spending time with each other because that was what their fathers wanted them to do. It was her father who had convinced her that it would be good for her to see Trey, even though she knew he had his own agenda. Ever since he had become a part of the growing Dorma supremacy group who were fighting for Herne to be the only deity of Thear and the end of mixed blood couples he had been pushing for her to marry someone who was known to be pure blood Dorma. Trey was not only one of the leaders of the group as the High Priest of Herne but also pure blood Dorma so that made him the only candidate for marriage in her father’s mind.

Even when they were young Trey had been very sure about his beliefs. Herne had always been the one true deity to him, no matter what. It was something he had been taught by his father who had been taught by his father before him. There was no way of knowing whether it went any further than that because every record from that time had been lost. Some said they’d been destroyed by those who didn’t want Herne to take his true place as the only deity of Thear. Bree had never been able to connect with Herne as a deity. She could understand why people might connect with other deities, although she’d never got a chance to see if she would. The arguments they’d had over the subject had, eventually, shattered their friendship.

She shifted in her seat, hoping that the journey would end soon. Travelling by coach was always uncomfortable but after three days it got close to being unbearable. If it hadn’t been for her father she would have ridden to the Residence but he was worried that something might happen to her. After trying to convince him that nothing would happen to her, even though they had heard stories about a band of mixed bloods who robbed people on horseback, she gave in. Her father had always been protective of her as she was his only daughter.

When the coach finally came to a stop she could barely move. Every muscle in her body ached. Carefully, trying not to kick anyone or hit them in the face, she stretched. It didn’t really help much. Once the twelve people who’d been travelling with her had finally got off the coach she followed them. Each one of them looked as though they felt as uncomfortable as she felt. While the coach driver took all the luggage off the top of the coach she looked at the Residence. She hadn’t been sure what to expect because no one had wanted to tell her what it was like. Most people’s excuse had been their inability to describe the beauty of the place.

The entire building was made of stone. Bree had never seen a building that was made of stone before. All the houses in Dorma towns were made of wood because that was the closest building material. She’d never been to a Tein-Igni or Uisdro town so she had no idea what they were like. To begin with she couldn’t help staring at it, wondering who had built it and why. It was one of those things that no one knew. Finally she shook her head because she knew it was unlikely anyone would ever know the answers to those questions. Once she had found her bags she started walked towards the building, wondering whether Trey would come out and meet her or whether she’d have to find him. When she felt a hand gently touch her arm she turned to see who it was.

“Is it your first time here?” a young Dorma woman asked, smiling at her.

“Yes it is.”

“You should go in the east door because the main door is only used by the High Priests. This place can be really confusing if you haven’t been here before.”

“I was actually invited by the High Priest of Herne. He’s an old friend of mine.”

The woman bit her lip thoughtfully. “I’m not sure what you do then. I’ve never met anyone who was actually invited by one of the Highs.”

“Why are you here, if you don’t mind me asking?”

The smile reappeared. “I don’t mind at all. No one ever really talks on the coach because everyone has their own problems to focus on so it’s nice to meet someone who is interested.” She looked over at the Residence for a moment before looking back at Bree. “I come at least once a month to ask Herne for a child. So far it hasn’t happened but I’m sure that if I keep visiting then it will happen eventually. Herne is a benevolent deity.”

Bree smiled back, feeling sorry for the woman. She had no idea what it was like to wish for a child but not have one. A lot of Dorma women that she knew had found themselves having problems with conceiving children and carrying them full term. If they did have a child then it was more than likely to die within its first five years. It didn’t make her want to try for a child, even though the problem meant that children were even more important than they had been before.

“That’s true,” a male voice said from behind Bree. “I know that Herne will be doing everything he can to help you have a child.”

She thought it was Trey but the way the woman’s mouth dropped open at the sight of one of the most important men in the country made her absolutely sure. Slowly she turned to look at him and was almost surprised to find that he was a lot taller than he had been before. Apart from that he looked almost entirely the same as he had the last time they’d seen each other. Their eyes met so it was possible for her to see the same surprise in his eyes. After a moment they both smiled. It almost felt like their last major argument had never happened because she was glad to see him.

“It’s nice to see you Bree. I’m glad you came.”

“You’ve grown up.”

His smile grew. “So have you.” Gently he took hold of her hand and raised it to his mouth. “You’ve become a beautiful woman.”

“I’m going to go,” the woman said from behind Bree, sounding embarrassed.

Bree turned to look at her. “It was nice to meet you… I’m sorry, I didn’t even ask your name.”

“I’m Lena.”

“I’m Bree.”

“Maybe we’ll see each other again Bree.”

“That would be nice.”

Lena turned to walk away. “I will see if I can aid you in some way Lena,” Trey said, which caused her to stop mid-step. She turned to look at him, her eyes full of happiness. “I know how important children are and Herne would want me to tell him of any people who deserve the gift of a child. Your kindness has made me sure that you’re one of those people.”

“Thank you High Priest,” she replied, bowing to him before turning away again.

“How have you been?” Trey asked when Bree turned to look at him. He took one of her bags out of her hand before they started walked towards the main entrance of the Residence. “Your father told me that you’ve been working a lot.”

She wasn’t entirely comfortable with the idea of her father talking to Trey about her but it was to be expected. He was proud of what she had achieved even though he didn’t understand why she’d made the decision to focus on her work. Most of her friends were already handfasted, those who could find a pure blood Dorma to marry, so being single at twenty-two was unusual. Some assumed that she had been waiting for Trey because of his blood line and their friendship before he had become High Priest.

Shrugging, she replied, “I don’t really notice how much time I’m spending working. Once I start translating something I just fall into what I’m doing and the next thing I know Mother’s calling me for dinner.” She smiled. “I love what I do, even though it’s not something I ever imagined myself doing before.”

“What did make you choose to become a translator?”

That was a question she knew she couldn’t answer honestly. “A lot of things lead to my choice Trey. I’m not sure I could really say what it was that actually made me decide.” She looked at him. “What’s it like being the High Priest of Herne?”

“It’s interesting. When I took the position I think I expected to be more important than I actually am. Being the High Priest is more about learning than anything.”

Bree could tell he was lying from a slight change in his voice but she knew she couldn’t ask why he was lying. Only her mother knew about her ability to read voices and they had decided together that it would be better to keep it that way. There were times when she wished she could ask. In this situation she knew it was better not to because the last thing she wanted to do was get too involved in the situation at the Residence.

“What are the other Highs like?”

He raised an eyebrow. “They aren’t what I was expecting. I think I thought they were all going to be like me but they aren’t. None of them have the same strength of connection to their deity as I do, so I can’t help wondering if they were chosen because there was no other choice.”

There was a sound behind them that made Trey jump and then a male voice asked loudly, “Have you told her why you invited her here yet?”

When she turned to see who it was she saw that there was a Tein-Igni man walking towards them. It was obvious what blood he was from his colouring. She couldn’t stop herself from examining him as he was the first person outside her blood that she had ever met. He had the most stunning scarlet eyes and hair.

Bree saw a flash of irritation cross Trey’s face when she turned her attention to him before he forced a smile and also turned to look at the Tein-Igni. “I was waiting until I’d settled her in Logan. She has just got off the coach.”

Logan, she knew, was the High Priest of Anubis. She’d had no idea that he was Tein-Igni, only that her father hadn’t been happy when he’d been called. Normally he was most unhappy when a non-Dorma High was called, even though he knew it was extremely unlikely that the High Priest of Anubis would ever be anything other than Tein-Igni. Four hundred years of history told them that.

“How could you wait Trey? This could be history in the making.”

“If those books are what you really believe they are then they can wait for a couple of hours. They’ve already been there for at least four hundred years.”

She looked between them. There was a huge difference in their reactions. Logan was excited by the existence of the books he’d found while Trey seemed totally indifferent. It wasn’t unlike Trey to be disinterested in a book he couldn’t understand. He would never have the patience to translate a book because he’d want to know what it said straight away and with some books it wasn’t that simple.

“How can you say that? We thought those books were lost for good but now we might be able to find out what happened.” Logan turned to Bree, shaking his head. “Trey said you’re a good translator.” All she could do was nod, wondering what that had to do with anything. “I think we might have found the lost histories.”

She looked at him for a long moment, unable to truly believe that someone had found the lost histories. People had been searching in vain for two hundred years and it seemed impossible that they would be found in the Residence after the number of searches that had taken place. Disbelief got taken over quickly by the rising excitement that she felt but she managed to not let her feelings show. Translating the lost histories had been a dream of hers ever since she started working because she knew how important they were.

“Take me to them,” she said.

“Are you sure?” Trey asked, looking at her. “Wouldn’t you prefer having a couple of hours to relax first?”

“Yes, I’m sure. I can relax later.”

“I didn’t invite you here so you could spend all your time working.”

“All I’m going to do is have a look. They might not even be the lost histories.”

“Come with me,” Logan said, smiling at her. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you Bree. Trey hasn’t stopped talking about you.”

She smiled back. He didn’t see it because he’d already turned away and started walking in the opposite direction to the one Trey had been taking her in. From the sound of footsteps behind her she guessed that Trey was going with them. The silence gave her a chance to actually look at the inside of the building. At first the walls seemed plain but then she began noticing designs carved into some of the stones.

“I found the books in the basement last month,” Logan continued, dragging her attention away from the walls, “and I’ve been waiting for you since Trey sent a message to you. He told me not to get my hopes up because you’re a busy person but I knew you’d come.”

“Anubis?”

“Persephone told Anubis that you’d be here. He doesn’t have the ability to watch the future as she does. I don’t think he’d want it.”

“I don’t think anyone wants to be able to see what the future holds. Imagine viewing your own death or the death of a family member.” She shuddered. “Personally I’d rather be surprised. At least then I wouldn’t always be looking for ways to change what’s supposed to happen.”

“I’ve never thought about it that way. It’s not something that’s ever been a skill that I could learn so the only link with it I’ve had is hearing about Persephone’s visions. Anubis has other skills.”

“Has he taught you any of them?”

He shook his head, laughing. “Anubis still thinks I’m not ready to learn the lessons he has to teach. There are things that have to happen before he’ll even contemplate passing any of his skills on to me.”

Bree heard the slight change of voice that told her that Logan was lying and was amazed that she could pick it up even when she didn’t know the person. Her mother had told her that she would be able to but she hadn’t believed her. When the amazement faded she wondered why he was lying. Once again she couldn’t ask so she just continued with the conversation, trying not to let the confusion she was feeling enter her voice.

“Do you know what those things are?”

“If I did then I’d make them happen.” He looked over his shoulder at her for a moment. “I’m hoping that meeting you was one of those things.”

She smiled. “I’m not important.”

“You’d be surprised Bree. A lot of people who think they aren’t important are actually very important. Then there are people who think they’re important and really aren’t.”

There was a moment of silence before Trey said flatly, “Bree, I think I’ll leave you in Logan’s capable hands and take your luggage to your room. The last thing I want to do is make it all dusty by dragging it down to the basement. If I get a chance I’ll meet you down there but if not then I’ll meet you in my study. Logan can show you where it is.”

When she turned to look at him she could see a trace of anger in his eyes. It faded when he realised that she was looking at him and he smiled at her. He held his hand out for her other bag. All she could do was give it to him, even though she was slightly worried about leaving it with him. There was no real reason for her worry but she was beginning to think that there was something really wrong in the Residence. She watched him walk off before she turned to look at Logan, who was watching her intently. Their eyes met and she found herself smiling at him. He smiled back, but she knew from the look in his eyes that he was trying to work something out about her.

“You could just ask me,” she said, surprising herself.

“Maybe, but I don’t know if you’d be honest with me.”

“I’m not in the habit of lying.”

“You don’t look like someone who is. It’s just the normal paranoia that comes with living in this place.” He sighed and started walking again. “There are days I wish I’d never been chosen by Anubis but at the same time I’m proud that he believed I was strong enough to be here.”

“Logan what’s it really like to be a High Priest? Trey mostly evaded the question when I asked him.”

“That sounds like Trey.” A moment of silence followed. “I can only tell you what it’s like for me to be a High Priest. It may be different for him.” There was a longer silence, filled only by the sound of them walking. “I’ve found being the High Priest of Anubis very lonely, even though I do have my connection to Anubis, because I have no one. My family lives far away so they can’t visit, my friends were scattered when we graduated from the training temple and the Highs don’t talk to each other unless they have to. The Residence is full of secrets as there is no trust. No one really feels comfortable here except for Trey, which just makes things worse. We all know he’s the least trustworthy High and he’s making plans with people outside the Residence. They’re lucky because they don’t know what his plans are. I do.”

Bree looked at him thoughtfully. Persephone, if she truly existed, could see the future so she’d know what the Dorma’s plans were, probably even before they did, and yet she didn’t seem to be doing anything to stop them. It was unlikely that she would have kept it to herself, yet the other deities also appeared to be doing nothing. Herne was still one of the deities even though everything was being done in his name. She felt like she was missing something important because she didn’t believe that the deities that had been so instrumental in the creation of Thear would be ignoring what was happening. Unless Trey was right and the only deity that really existed was Herne.

“What are you doing to stop those plans?” she asked finally, even though she knew that it was unlikely that he would tell her because she was Dorma and Trey’s friend.

“At the moment I’m not doing anything. That’s not my job. I’m here to find anything that may help us in the future. I know it’s probably hard for you to understand but Persephone sees that I have an important job here while other people are completing different parts of her plan. Even Trey has a place in her plans but doesn’t know it.”

“Do I have a place?”

He smiled at her. “Yes Bree you do. She doesn’t know quite what your place will be yet because there are other decisions that need to be made, but you have always had a place in her plans.”

“I’m not sure how to feel about that. Having someone involve me in their plans without consulting me makes me uncomfortable but I have this belief that Persephone will actually do what’s best for me while Father just does what is best for him.”

“Her ability to see all possibilities of someone making a certain choice does help.”

“Does she ever tell you what you should do?”

“She gives guidance but she’ll never tell you what the best choice is because she thinks that everyone should be allowed to make their own mind up. That’s why no one will be able to stop the Dorma’s revolution.”

Bree looked at him for a second before focusing on the stairs that went down to the basement. The last thing she wanted to do was fall down the stairs, especially as it got darker with every step. When she got to the bottom she could barely see her own hands so she just stood there, hoping that Logan would create some light because she wanted to see the books he had brought her down to see. Candlelight soon filled the basement and all she could do was stare around her. There were shelves full of books on every wall.

Logan was knelt down near a box. “These are the books I was telling you about.”

She knelt down next to him even though she really wanted to explore the whole room. Gently she lifted out the first book, wishing that she’d thought to bring her gloves with her. If Trey had told her about the books in his message then she could have but she guessed it had probably slipped his mind. They were entirely uninteresting to him so there was no reason for him to remember them, even though he knew they would interest her.

Normally the last thing she would have done with a book thought to be four hundred years old would be open it on the floor. Unfortunately it didn’t look like she had a choice. The basement was full of everything from bottles of wine to what looked like crates of clothes, but no table. In the end she just did it because her curiosity got the better of her. She needed to look inside the book to know its true age and she wanted to know whether it could be one of the lost histories. All she could think was that she might have a chance to translate something historically important. Holding her breath she carefully lifted the cover.

There was a moment when she didn’t want to finish the movement. She didn’t want to be disappointed. When she saw the first page she knew without a doubt that it was the oldest book that she had seen. The smell of old paper always took her back to the very first book she translated. It took some time for her eyes to adjust to reading in the half light of the basement and once she could see the writing she sighed. She hated translating books that had been written by people with bad handwriting.

“What do you think?” he asked.

“It could be one of the lost histories,” she replied distractedly, “but at the same time it could be something else. The language definitely looks older.” She looked at him. “We both know that it’s possible that these books have no connection to the actual history books that everyone wants to find, but anything that is older than four hundred years old is important.”

He nodded. “That’s why I’ve spent most of my tenure down here searching for books that look like they might be older than four hundred years old. These are the only ones I’ve found.”

“Someone did a good job of destroying them then,” she said, looking around the room. It wasn’t a surprise that all the books on the shelves were four hundred years old or younger. “There must be some that were saved somewhere.”

“I’ve always wondered if they were hidden in the Residence somewhere but every time I try to look Trey finds some job that only I can do.”

“People have searched the Residence before though.”

“I’m not sure that I trust any search that happened under the supervision of one of the High Priests of Herne.”

“You think it was one of the High Priests of Herne?”

“They’re the most likely suspects considering they were the people who most needed our history books destroyed.”

“If you really believe that then you need to get those books out of here before Trey decided they need to be destroyed as well.”

“I was thinking about that. It’s easy enough for me to get the books somewhere safe but I’d still like you to translate them.”

“Are you sure you want me to translate them Logan?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Yes I am sure. No matter what I believe in your professionalism.”

“When I get home send the books to me one at a time over the space of about six moons. Make sure you use a Dorma as the deliverer otherwise it won’t get into my town.”

“Thank you Bree. I do appreciate it.” He looked at her and she could see that there was worry in his eyes. “The one thing I really worry about is Trey being right.” He stared thoughtfully at the book she had open in front of her. “I don’t think he is, and Anubis hasn’t given me any reason to think otherwise, but I know that if he is then everything the Tein-Igni have worked for will be destroyed.”

She nodded. “Everything the Uisdro have worked for will be destroyed too and I’m sorry for it. There may be more of the Dorma but that doesn’t give us the right to rule Thear any more than our deity being the first to rise does if he was the first to rise. You are just as much a part of our country’s heritage as us.”

“I’ve always wondered about how we all ended up here Bree. We’re three very different people and I can’t believe that we all came here together.”

“Who says that we came here? Maybe we’ve been here for longer than eight hundred years and this was where our blood lines began.” She shrugged. “It’s something that we may never know. Maybe it’s something we don’t need to know. Does it really make a difference why we came here?”

“I think it does. There must be a reason why we’re here and my people think it’s important that we know what that reason is.”

“We could do with an Uisdro in this conversation. It would be interesting to know what their point of view is.”

“It would.”

“What about the other Tein-Igni? The High Priestess of Bast? Does she have the same beliefs as you or do some of your people feel differently?”

“I’ve never met her. The day before I arrived she disappeared and she hasn’t been seen since. No one here knows what happened to her.”

“Is that normal?”

“No, it’s not, which is why nobody outside the temple knows that it’s happened. When you leave you have to keep it to yourself.”

“I will Logan.”

“Thank you. I shouldn’t really have told you but I think I can trust you.”

Bree smiled at him. “I will do my best to be worthy of your trust.”

He smiled back. “I’m glad you came. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I met you but I think that no one else would have been as right for this. I’ll get these books sorted but for now I should really take you up to Trey’s office. He’s not going to be happy if I keep you to myself for too long.”

“I’m sure he’s keeping himself busy.”

She glanced down at the book one last time before closing it. When she put it back in the box she couldn’t help feeling like she had done the wrong thing. The translator part of her wanted to get started straight away because that was what she did. Translating something that old would have to be done carefully so she knew logically it would be better to wait until she got back to her studio. Everything she used to keep an old book intact while she was translating was there. Sighing she put it back into the box before standing up and brushing the dust off her knees.

Logan also stood up. “Probably thinking up ways to get rid of me.”

She shook her head as she started walking towards the stairs. The last thing she could imagine was Trey thinking up ways to get rid of someone. When she realised that Logan wasn’t following her she turned to look at him and couldn’t help feeling slightly guilty when she realised he hadn’t moved.

“I’ll meet you at the top Bree. It will be safer for you if I wait until you’re at least part of the way up the stairs to blow the candle out.”

“That’s kind of you.” She smiled at him. “Will you be all right?”

“I do this almost every day. I’ll be fine.”

Breathing a sigh of relief she started making her way up the stairs. She hadn’t wanted to try to get up the stairs in the dark. The candlelight disappeared when she was about halfway up which was far enough up that the light from the corridor meant that she could still see the stairs. At the top she waited for Logan, staring at the designs on the walls around the entrance to the basement. With one finger she traced some of the writing around the designs and she was sure that she recognised a couple of letters.

“They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” Logan said, making her jump.

“Yes they are.”

“I’d love to know more about them and who carved the stone.”

“Maybe one day we will know more about them.”

“Trey’s study is this way,” he said, starting to walk along the corridor that they had originally walked down. “It’s on the south of the building because he likes being able to look over the gardens. If you want to visit me at any point my study is on the east wing. I have a view of the stables.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” She smiled. “Are you handfasted?” she asked, suddenly realising that he had to be slightly older than her.

“No, I’m not. Are you?”

She shook her head. “Father wants me handfasted soon but it’s not what I want.”

“If you had a choice what would you do?”

“I think I’d probably stay single my whole life. It would be much easier that way. Then I could focus on my career rather than having babies.”

“You’re the first Dorma girl I’ve met who hasn’t been desperate to have a child.”

“After watching my best friends go through the heartache of losing their babies I decided that I’d probably be better off if I didn’t even try.”

There was a long silence before Logan said quietly, “There are Dorma half blood children around and I’ve never known one of them to die before their fifth birthday.”

“I’ve heard of them.”

Thankfully he wouldn’t be able to hear the lie in her voice. The last thing she wanted was for anyone to know about Quinn until she was sure that she could trust them. Quinn was her slightly older half brother, who was much more Uisdro than he was Dorma. It was only his eyes that gave away his Dorma side and even then it wasn’t easy to tell. Her father didn’t know that he existed, which was the way they wanted to keep it. Some of the men who had fathered mixed blood children before they joined the Dorma supremacy group had actually searched them out to kill them. If it hadn’t been for Quinn’s quick thinking they may actually have done what they set out to do. He’d kept the Dorma mixed bloods he knew safe for years.

“They’re a danger to Trey’s plans too. I think if some of the Dorma girls knew they could have a child then they might choose to marry someone of another blood.”

“I don’t know Logan. Bloodlines have become very important to Dorma girls and I don’t think they’d give up their pureblood husband just to have a baby. There are some I think might, but it would be hard to know for sure who would be happy to do something so unusual.”

“What would you do?”

She shrugged. “I’ve never thought about it. It’s possible that if I met someone of another blood that I liked enough I might marry them and have children, but I don’t think it would ever happen. I don’t get a lot of chances to meet people who aren’t Dorma. You’re the first Tein-Igni I’ve ever met.”

“How long are you here for?”

“A sennight, unless Trey somehow convinces me to stay longer.”

“If you’re interested then I can take you to a town where handfastings between bloods are relatively normal.”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” She could tell he was disappointed with her answer by the way his shoulders slumped. “For them, Logan. There are a lot of people who would do everything they could to destroy a town that was full of people with mixed blood. If we lead them to that town then anything might happen.”

“No one has followed me.”

“A Tein-Igni High Priest riding out to a town isn’t something that would draw someone’s attention. A Tein-Igni male with a Dorma female would.”

He nodded. “Maybe you’re right.”

“I would love to visit somewhere like that but it just doesn’t seem possible right now. There’s too much going on and too many things that neither of us know.”

“Another time then?”

“If we can work it on then yes, we’ll go another time.”

They walked in silence the rest of the way to Trey’s study. Bree couldn’t stop thinking about the town Logan had told her about and the possibility of there being somewhere safe for her brother to live. She hated the thought of him, and the other mixed bloods, living hidden in the forest somewhere. All she had ever wanted for Quinn was somewhere safe, but it seemed a though things were going to get more dangerous for him instead. There was no way she could send him a message though so she just had to hope that he really could look after himself as well as he said he could.

Logan knocked on Trey’s door and opened it when Trey’s voice called, “Come in.”

She stepped into the room alone. Logan closed the door behind her and she stood there for a few moments, listening to his footsteps as he walked away, trying not to feel alone with him gone. It was a feeling she hadn’t expected. Trey watched her curiously until she took a few steps towards his desk once she realised she really had no other choice. He smiled at her, their eyes meeting for a moment before she sat down in the chair closest to her.

“What do you think?” he asked, putting his quill down on the desk.

“It’s possible that they are the lost histories. It’s also possible that they’re just a set of diaries written just before or just after the histories were lost. There’s no way I can know for sure until I start translating them.”

“You’re going to do it?”

“Of course I’m going to do it Trey. The language in them is older than the version we use now and I can’t just not translate them. It’s too interesting. I want to know what’s in them as much as Logan does.”

“They’re not going to be the lost histories.”

“I don’t care if they are or not. All I care about is working out where in history that version of Thearan is from. If it’s older than four hundred years then I might be able to use it if someone ever does find the lost histories.”

“No one will ever find them Bree, because they were burnt. Someone didn’t want anyone to know what was in those books.”

She didn’t know how he knew that they were burnt and she didn’t want to ask because she knew he wouldn’t answer her. “A copy may have been made before they were burnt.”

“That’s possible but unlikely. I would doubt very much that the person who burnt them would have mentioned it to anyone before they did it and at that time there wasn’t a deity with foresight. If Persephone had been around at the time then maybe things would be different now.”

“Do you even believe that Persephone exists?”

He smiled at her. “No I don’t. I don’t believe that any of the other deities exist. Everyone just pretends that they do so they don’t offend my fellow High Priests.”

“If you feel like that then maybe they feel the same way about Herne.”

“Be honest with me Bree. Do you believe the deities exist?”

“It doesn’t matter what I believe.”

“To me it does.”

“Why?”

“You know why Bree. If you didn’t know then you wouldn’t have come.”

“I came because we were friends before you started training to become a priest. It has nothing to do with what I do or don’t know”

“I want to handfast you.”

She shook her head. “I’m not ready to talk about this.”

“You don’t have a lot of choice. Our fathers have been talking and they want us handfasted by the end of the sennight.”

“Do you want to handfast me because you actually like me or are you just doing this to make your father happy?”

“It doesn’t matter why. This is what needs to be done so it’s what I’m going to do.”

“Trey we’re not going to be happy together.”

He shrugged. “I never expected to be happy when I got handfasted.”

“We don’t have to do what they want us to do.”

“So what do you suggest Bree? Run away? Go and live with that mixed blood brother of yours?”

“How do you know about him?”

“I know about all the mixed bloods. It’s something I’ve been researching for a few years now, ever since I realised exactly how prevalent they are. Did you know that your mother isn’t pure blood Dorma?”

She shook her head. “Mother’s never said anything about it.”

“I doubt it’s something she’s proud of. Especially considering your father’s bloodline.”

“How much do bloodlines really matter when we can only trace them back four hundred years?”

“It matters enough Bree, especially now. If anyone ever found out that your mother wasn’t pure, which means that you’re not pure and neither are your siblings, then I don’t think even your father could keep you safe from the vigilante Dorma’s.”

“Are you blackmailing me Trey?”

“That’s such a nasty word. I prefer persuading. If you handfast me I won’t tell anyone what I know about your family.”

“Why me?”

“Your mixed blood heritage means that you’re much more likely to give me children than any of those pure blood Dorma women and you’re the only one I know well enough to do this to.” The way he looked at her with sympathy in his eyes just made her want to slap him. “For the first three years we won’t even be living together. I have to stay here until my tenure is up so you will have the same freedom that you would have normally. We’ll be handfasted in name only. Once those three years are up we’ll renegotiate. Children are the only thing I want from you.”

Everything that he said increased the anger she was feeling and made it hard for her not to slap him. He saw their handfasting as some sort of business arrangement which didn’t exactly surprise her but it still hurt to hear him speak that way. Handfasting shouldn’t be a business arrangement. It should be about feelings. That was what her mother had taught her and for the first time she understood why. She knew that if she ran the way she wanted to she would just put her mother, as well as Quinn, in danger. All she could do was treat it the same way he was until she could work out some way of changing what was happening.

“Do I get a chance to think about this?”

“What is there to think about Bree? There’s no one else in your life who could ever give you what I could.”

“Maybe not, but I can’t just agree to this. It’s not a good deal until I’m getting something more out of it than I am right now.”

“I’m giving you your life. Isn’t that enough for you?”

She raised an eyebrow. “In return for your silence I’m handfasting you and giving you children, which is really one sided. What do I get from it Trey?”

“Children.”

“I’ve never wanted children.”

“Is there something specific you want?”

“I want to be able to continue with my work. I’m not giving up translating for anyone, especially not you. You cannot have any input into what I can and can’t translate, including the books Logan found in the basement.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t wish to stop you from working because I know how important it is to you. However I would appreciate at least being consulted about what you’re going to work on, especially as I need you on my side. It will be important for me to have a translator.”

“I’m not taking sides.”

He looked at her. “You’re Dorma Bree, or at least that was what you were brought up as, so you need to act like one.”

“Just because I don’t think that we should be in control of the whole of Thear doesn’t make me any less Dorma than you. I care about the other bloods because they have as much right to be here as we do. Everyone has a right to handfast whoever it is they wish to.”

“We were here first so we have the right to be in control.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do know that.” He smiled. “Someone may have destroyed the history books but that doesn’t mean we don’t have some knowledge of them. Throughout the years the High Priest of Herne has kept a journal and I am currently in possession of those journals. They go back to the year we first arrived on Thear.”

“They’re too subjective to ever be counted as proof of anything Trey.”

“Not to the Dorma. The Tein-Igni and Uisdro might not accept it as proof but there’s less of them, so I’m not particularly worried.”

“You’re happy to take away their freedom to live their own lives the way they want to simply because you think that you’re right.”

“Do you know anything about either of the other bloods?”

“No, but I don’t think that matters. All that matters is that you’re taking away their freedom, and the freedom of the Dorma who don’t believe the same thing as you.”

“Each of them would do exactly what I am doing now if they had the same power that I do. Most of the Uisdro believe that Poseidon is the one true deity and they’d be just as willing to take away our freedom. Then almost as many of the Tein-Igni don’t believe in a deity at all, so they think that their fate is in their own hands.”

“Let them believe what they want. It’s their right.”

“If I remember correctly we had this debate about thirteen years ago and it was the debate that changed our friendship forever.”

She nodded. “You haven’t changed at all.”

“Neither have you.” He ran a hand through his hair. “If we get handfasted then you can’t argue with me about anything in public. I don’t care how much we argue in private but in public I want you to support me no matter what.”

“I haven’t agreed to the handfasting yet.”

“You will though. I know that you’ll do anything to keep the people you care about safe.” He looked at her and she could see that same insecurity in his eyes that she had seen before. “The last thing I wanted to do was force you into anything but I didn’t have a choice. I need children Bree and you’re the only girl I know who would be able to give me them.”

“Surely you could find someone else of questionable heritage who could give you a child.”

“There’s no one like you.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You’re the only Dorma girl I know who has every blood in Thear in her family tree.”

“I still don’t think it’s possible that you can know that for sure.”

He rolled his eyes before standing and going over to a cabinet that was close by. She watched him closely. Now that she knew what he really was capable of it was impossible for her to even think about trusting him. It was the first time she could really believe that Logan was right about what he was saying about Trey, about the High Priests of Herne and about everything else. Trey eventually found whatever it was he was looking for but he didn’t sit back down. Instead he walked over to where she was sitting, which made her shiver slightly, before putting a piece of paper down in front of her.

“This is your family tree.” He pointed to one side of the paper. “Your father’s side is pure Dorma as far back as we have records for.” Pointing to the other side he shook his head. “It’s not possible to say the same about your mother’s family. Your mother is part Uisdro, her mother was part Tein-Igni and it’s just a mess really. No pure blood Dorma would marry you with this sort of heritage.”

“Apart from you.”

He left the paper where it was when he went to sit back in his seat. Bree couldn’t stop staring at it because it was the first time she had ever seen anything like it for her family. She could understand why no one had bothered when she saw exactly how mixed her bloodline really was. It was better that they didn’t have one considering how badly her father wanted her to marry someone who was of an almost totally pure Dorma line.

“I know that your blood is better than that of a pure blood Dorma because it will mix better with mine. It’s only when two pure blood Dorma’s handfast that there are problems with conceiving and having children that live past five.”

“Why haven’t you told the Dorma that?”

“There’s no reason to.”

“The Dorma will cease to exist if you keep playing this game.”

“That’s what I want to happen.”

All she could do was look at him. For a moment she didn’t believe he was telling the truth but she knew he was because his voice hadn’t changed. It was hard to believe that he wanted the people he was a part of to fail and she couldn’t think of any reason why he would want it to happen.

“I don’t understand you.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. My plans are not necessarily the same as those of my predecessors and I refuse to be forced into doing things that I don’t think are right.”

“What are your plans?”

“I’m not going to tell you what my plans are until you agree to the handfasting.”

“I need at least tonight to think about it. You won’t get an answer out of me until I’ve had time to think.”

He stood up. “I’d better show you to your room then. I’ll get one of the staff to bring your meal to your room because the last thing you’ll want if you’re busy thinking is an interruption.”

Bree also stood up. She wanted to get away from Trey but she wasn’t going to let him trap her in the room he had chosen for her when what she really wanted to do was take a closer look at the designs on the wall. He took the piece of paper that had her family tree on it and put it back into the cabinet before turning to her with a smile.

“No one will see that if you agree to the handfasting. I’ll even try to keep your half brother safe is that’s what you want.”

“He doesn’t need you help.”

“He will do Bree. There’s nothing I can do to stop those people who think that the mixed bloods should be exterminated and he can only stay ahead of them for so long.”

She shook her head. Talking to Trey about Quinn felt like she was betraying her brother. What she really wanted to do was warn him that things were going to get a lot worse and try to find him somewhere safe to stay but that was never going to happen. Contacting him was difficult at the best of times. Before the Dorma supremacy movement had taken over her town he had sent the more Dorma looking mixed bloods as messengers. As it had got more dangerous their visits had become rarer so she was lucky to get a message once every six moons.

“Bree, please listen to me. The mixed bloods are important and I want to keep them safe as much as you do.”

“The Dorma supremacy group wouldn’t like to hear you talking like that.”

“I’m not a part of that group. Yes they’re helping me to achieve my aims but that doesn’t mean that I agree with them.”

For a moment all she could do was look at him. “Your grandfather is a part of it, your father is a part of it, and you expect me to believe that you’re not.”

“They live in the past.” He sighed. “Come on. Let’s go to your room so you can think about the handfasting.”

“How do you plan on keeping the mixed bloods safe?”

Instead of answering the question he walked out of the door and she knew that she should follow him. She stared at the open doorway for a moment wondering if there was any way she could avoid doing what he wanted her to do. There was no chance of her agreeing to the handfasting because she couldn’t trust him. He said things he knew other people wanted to hear and, even though she hadn’t read a lie in his voice throughout the conversation, she didn’t know if he was being truthful with her. A few people did lie with conviction so their voice didn’t change in a readable way.

“You can’t stay in there forever,” Trey said, making her jump just before he appeared in the doorway. “I know it’s difficult for you but I need to know whether you’re going to handfast me or not as soon as possible.”

“If you’re so desperate to keep the mixed bloods safe why are you threatening me?”

“I just told the truth. Someone will find out that your mother is mixed blood and once they do she’s in danger. Unless I have a reason to, like being a part of the family, I can’t bring her or your siblings out of town without drawing attention to them.”

“Have you done this for other mixed bloods?”

“I’ve done it for as many as I can.”

Sighing she started walking. Her heart was saying one thing while her mind was saying another and she needed to decide which was making the most sense. Keeping her family safe was important to her but she didn’t know if she wanted to handfast Trey in order to do that. She knew, without any doubt, that she wouldn’t be happy with him and that made her think that handfasting him was a really bad idea. At the same time she would be just as unhappy if something happened to her family because she wasn’t willing to give up her freedom.

“I’m being selfish Bree. I know that, but I need you. It’s as simple as that.”

“It’s hard for me to make any decision because I can’t work you out. The Dorma supremacy movement believe that you’re their leader, yet you say that you’re not and you want to look after the mixed bloods.”

“The Dorma supremacy movement believe a story told by my father. He wants me to lead them and I don’t have any interest in it, so we have a lot of arguments about it. I know he’s trying to find some way to force me into the position he wants me in. That’s just the way he is.”

“That doesn’t make me want to handfast you Trey.”

“I won’t let him do anything to you.” He stopped and looked at her. “He doesn’t know that you’re mixed blood and he never will if I can keep it from him.” There was a door next to him. “This is your room. If you need me then get one of the staff to show you to my study.”

He opened the door for her. She glanced at him before stepping into the room. Nothing had prepared her for the beauty of the room. Slowly she looked around, taking in the wonderful paintings that were on two of the walls and the stunningly carved wood furniture.

“Are you sure about this being my room?” she asked, turning to look at Trey.

“All the guest room are the same. They have different paintings on the walls but they’re all beautifully decorated. This is one of the Herne rooms and it’s on the south wing so you have a view of the gardens. I picked this room because of the section of garden that you have outside. It’s known as the moon garden because everything out there is white or silver.”

Bree stepped over to the window so she could look at the garden. Most of the gardens in her town were full of vegetables rather than flowers because the women had been banned from going to the market. She could remember when her mother’s garden had once had flowers in and she loved seeing that much garden being full of beautiful flowers. Smiling she turned to look at Trey.

“Thank you.”

“I’m not a bad person Bree. We have different points of view but I will never force you to conform.”

He turned away and closed the door so she was alone in the room. She listened to him walk away, trying to work out what she was going to do. Everything had become complicated faster than she had expected it to. Turning back to the garden she stared out at the flowers, wishing for an answer to appear from someone or something else. For the first time she actually wished she could see what the future would bring.

Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.