The Torn Guardian
Page 18
“I didn’t ask…” I begin to say, but Kenley interrupts and shushes me. He is aware I did not ask. I’m not the type of person who would have. Adira did what she did because she believed it was the right call. Her people are fine without her and doing well. She was not needed and had already made her own memories. She wanted me to have the same opportunity to do so.
Kenley wants me to rest, and I admit I have grown tired. Between my body already being a mess and crying harder than newborn baby I am drained. I ask him meekly to stay by my bedside. I do not want to be alone. He promises to stay until I fall asleep and begins to hum a sweet melody until my eyes close again, and I doze off.
When I wake up, Kenley has left, but Isabella is in his place. It is dark, and a single light is dimly lit next to my bed. Isabella has not noticed I am awake and is reading some book, but it is too dark for me to make out the title. She looks up when I stir a tiny bit and apologizes because she thinks she has awaken me. I tell her she has done nothing wrong as the light is not why I am awake. I am no longer tired, and I have a strong urge to walk around. Isabella smiles but says she cannot let me get out of bed, Kenley’s orders.
I pine a bit which causes her to chuckle. She agrees, but only for a short distance. I really should not overdo it. Although our walk around the palace halls is quite short, it does not take long till I become winded. We head back to my room where I crash into the bed she has graciously provided me and talk for little while longer about nothing important or serious.
Eventually we get on the topic of what my plans are, and I immediately reply I have to visit Elsen then Briza for a little while. Grace and Adira’s people deserve to know what they did for them and me, and although Isabella agrees I should, she does not think I should go alone. The royal family owns a ship, and she knows its crew will be happy to take me.
I jokingly ask her if that is because they believe I am like their good old leader Jo, and she hushes me. According to her, the only thing Jo and I have in common is our desire to keep people safe. The guards do not respect me because I am their fallen leader's sister. They respect me because I saved Saphira when no one else could.
I wish to keep talking, but Isabella says I have already cheated enough. She refuses to converse with me any further and returns her attention to her book. After enduring some of my pestering, she threatens to grab Kenley. I have no desire to explain to him why I am up and ignoring his resting orders, so I lay back down, pull the silk sheets over me, and go to sleep.
For the first time in as long as I can remember, I sleep peacefully. There were no bad dreams, no waking up every hour, just pure restful bliss. I do not for sure, but I am almost positive I felt Adira’s and Grace’s presences while I slept. Unfortunately, if they did visit me in my dreams, I cannot recall them.
I decide as soon as I get up in the morning that I will go to Elsen and Briza as soon as I am able, and if Kenley will have me, I will continue to train and study under him. I have no actual obligations to anyone or anything, and it is positively freeing. I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, and however I want, within the laws of course.
As I watch the sun rise above the destroyed temple where Adira and I destroyed Sethos together, I realize what will fit perfectly in that space. I want to build monuments for my sisters. Not just Grace, Adira, and Jo, but Elizabeth and Linette, too because I would not be here without them.
I doubt the queen and whoever else is charge of such matters will like the idea as much as I do, but maybe they will. Who knows? Maybe I can fix up the temples in the mountains and start preaching about the balance again. Perhaps I will take some classes and learn to dance like they did at the ball or play beautiful songs on an instrument. Maybe I’ll pick up the lute. I cannot say for sure what will happen next, but I do know I want to show this world what I, Lux, daughter of Oran the grand dragon of light, can really do.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to everyone who read this book. It has taken me quite some time to pen this idea down, but I loved bringing Lux, Grace, and Adira to life. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
I would like to thank my mom and dad for encouraging me to work hard no matter what obstacles I came across and for being patient raising a child with an overactive imagination. It couldn’t have been easy lugging a child too afraid to sleep without a night light at the tender age of twelve, but you both managed.