Threads of Fate, page 20
Tears of frustration lined her eyes and she stepped back a few steps farther than she had with her last attempt. She screamed as she ran forward, and her feet hit the wall. Using all her remaining strength she pushed her body upwards but knew the momentum wasn’t enough. Out of desperation she flung out her hand and yelped in surprise when a golden rope of light flew forward and connected to the top of the wall. “YES!” she screamed, gripping on to the rope with both hands, pulling herself up. Her feet hit the wall and she started to scale upwards. There were no sounds in the room other than the sounds of her own breathing. It took her longer than she wanted to get to the top given how tired her body was, but she made it.
Triumphantly, she smiled down at Jes and found he hadn’t moved, but his mouth was dangling open. She peeked behind her, finding the wall sloped even further on the opposite side and slid down, landing ungracefully at the bottom. Ahead of her was the bell Jes mentioned and she sprinted for it. Grabbing it, she shook it as hard as she could, then gasped when the room shifted around her.
“What did you do?” Jes yelled from the other side of the wall when it suddenly vanished, and she could now see him clearly.
Scoffing, she glared at him. “I rang the bell. Like you told me to.” She stumbled back when a set of doors slowly rose from the middle of the now empty room. Jes threw her a stern expression she couldn’t translate.
“Don’t touch those doors.” He was obviously nervous and the hairs on her arms stood in response. Swallowing, she nodded her head.
“Come here.” He pointed to the space next to him and she scurried over. She wasn’t sure but she didn’t believe ringing the bell had anything to do with the doors appearing in front of them.
Jes cleared his throat and turned to her. “Did you do this?”
“Do what? Conjure doors? Jes, I haven’t even been able to open the fake doors in here,” Orah replied.
He stared at her before turning back to the door. “I don’t know what this is, but we need to get Roan.” Grabbing her hand, he pulled her from the training room, slamming the door behind him.
He pointed to the ground. “Don’t move. Do you understand me? Don’t move from this spot. It might take me a few minutes to track him down.” She nodded her head in response and watched as he sprinted down the hall.
Orah's legs groaned while she leaned against the wall, staring at the training room door. She didn’t know how long Jes had been gone for, but it was certainly longer than a few minutes. A low hum called to her the longer she stared at the door. Pushing away from the wall, she glanced down the hall. She didn’t know how long they were going to be and Jes technically wasn’t in charge of her.
She walked toward the training room door and pushed it open. The golden doors were still in the middle of the room. The hum was stronger and the air in the room had an almost metallic taste to it. Hesitantly, she walked towards the doors and gasped at the heat coming off them.
“Like at home,” she whispered, putting her hand out to feel their heat. A content sigh escaped her when her hand made contact. It was warm just like her garden door had been, but these doors weren't the same. These doors were solid gold with symbols of stars, the sun, the moon, and planets engraved around them. Taking a step back, she admired their size. They were so large they reached the top of the ceiling and each door had a handle placed right in the middle of them. Handles that hummed loudly while she stared longingly.
“There’s nothing wrong with taking a peek,” she whispered, grasping one of them. “Nothing wrong with it at all.”
The handle turned with no resistance and the door clicked, swinging open a crack. Blood rushed to her ears and the world drowned out around her. She stared at the door in awe. I did it. I got one of these damned things to open. Slowly she pushed it open and stepped back. It was as though she were looking at the portal in the city center, but through the blur she could see something. She wasn’t sure what it was, but she could see gold and light. Her eyes watered, not able to break her focus on the image off in the distance. Without her control her feet moved forward when suddenly hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her backward. Unsure of what was happening, she watched in horror as the door slammed shut and the doors disappeared.
“NO!” The scream tumbled out of her and she wriggled out of the arms holding her back. “What did you do?” Tears flowed down her cheeks and she fell to the ground. She glanced back up to where the doors were, finding Jesiel standing in their place. His nostrils flared and his hands fisted at his side.
“What did I do?” he demanded, walking toward her. “I told you to stay in the hall.”
“You’re not in charge of me!” she yelled back.
Jes stepped forward but someone’s quiet groan caught her attention. She looked back, finding Roan kneeling on the ground behind her. He’s who grabbed me. Roan glared at her, his eyes burning with obvious rage, and she stumbled. She hadn’t seen that expression on his face before.
Standing and not breaking their eye contact, Roan lowered his voice. “Orah, what did you do?”
She stared at him in both shock and irritation. “What?” They both had to stop acting like she had done something. “What did I do? I finished that stupid fucking obstacle course your Captain forced me to do! That’s what I did!”
Roan rushed toward her, grabbing both of her arms, and pinning them to her sides. The lights in the room flashed on and off and there was an almost chilling blue light surrounding him. “No, Orah! What did you do with those doors? Where did they come from? What did you do?” he demanded, tightening his hold on her arms.
The unexpected pressure from his hands on her shocked her. Struggling to get out of his firm grip, she stared at him. This man better get his hands off me before I get a chance to kick his balls in.
Her thoughts turned wild and as untamable as the fury rising within her. Her arms grew hot and Roan jumped back letting out a yelp, rubbing his hands. Staring down, she marveled at the scorch marks now on the sleeves of her shirt. He stared at his hands while the lights stopped flashing and his color returned to normal.
She glared at him. “I had nothing to do with that door appearing. I may have opened it, yes, but nothing I did made those doors appear.” Tears of anger and frustration spilled over while she held her gaze.
How dare he touch me. How dare he grab me like that.
They all stood in silence, staring at each other. The room grew uncomfortably cold but none of them dared to move. Roan and Jes kept their eyes on Orah as if they expected her to cause some kind of destruction.
Sighing she slumped to the ground, putting her face in her hands. Jes cleared his throat and she peeked through her fingers as Roan joined her on the ground.
“Orah,” Roan said.
“Don’t talk to me,” she replied.
“Orah.”
“Roan, you do not talk to me right now. You have no right to talk to me. You grabbed me. You grabbed me as if you were going to hurt me.” She looked away from him and down to the ground. She didn’t know what she had seen behind the golden doors, but she wanted nothing more than to be there instead of in that room with them.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered before standing. She watched him walk toward Jes, tapping him on the shoulder. Jes nodded and they both glanced at her once more before walking out the door.
Alone in the quiet room, her tears hit the floor. Her familiar numb companion wrapped her with its chill while quiet sobs came from her. Always being grabbed. Always being hurt. Her tears fell rapidly while she sat there in the quiet numb cocoon, unwilling to move, unwilling to allow anything to break past her protective walls enveloping her.
When her tears finally dried, she pushed herself off the floor and walked toward the door. She turned back to where the golden doors had been before walking into the hall and stumbling over a pair of legs.
“I’m sorry.” Roan popped off the ground and stepped back. “I couldn’t leave you alone. I need to explain.”
Orah put up her hand. “I don’t want an explanation. An explanation is an excuse for how you reacted.”
“But Orah, those doors,” Roan interjected.
She shook her head and something in her heart fractured. She didn’t know what she was going to do when she left the room—until that moment. Sighing she peered down the hall toward the front door then back to him.
“I want to leave,” she stated.
“I know that. I’m still trying to find out how to get you home. I just need to explain.”
Putting on her bravest face, she stepped forward. “No, Roan, not home. Here. This house. I want to leave, and I want to leave as soon as I can.”
Chapter 17
Stumbling backward, Roan stared at Orah unsure if he had heard her correctly. She wanted to leave him, his home. He had told her he wouldn’t stop her if she ever made that decision, but he never expected her to.
“If that’s what you want,” he replied.
“It is.” She averted her gaze.
He knew he’d made a mistake. Those doors rattled something deep inside of him and he allowed himself to lose control of his temper. He was always losing control of his temper at the worst possible times.
“Do you want to stay here in Iluna or were you hoping to go somewhere further? I could send word to Lahana and see if you could go somewhere in Spreng.”
“I don’t know where I want to go yet. I think right now just that purse of money you offered. If that’s still an offer?”
“Yes, of course.” He nodded his head, but she still refused to look at him.
Sighing she moved to walk down the hall. “Thank you.”
“Orah?” He had to explain to her what had happened. He watched her body tense in response to her name, but she didn’t turn around.
“Roan, whatever it is you want to say right now, please don’t,” she replied.
His chest tightened and he felt that thread between them strain. “Just one thing. It might take a day or two to get the money you’ll need together and get you packed with whatever you want to bring, but I won’t stop you from leaving.” Her shoulders slumped and she nodded her head as she walked toward the stairs.
He watched her walk away but couldn’t bring himself to move for a while. Jes eventually found him and motioned down the hall as a request for Roan to follow. Roan’s heavy feet somehow carried him, and he followed Jes into the study. Slumping down into his chair, he covered his face with his hands and let out a sigh.
“What happened?” Jes asked.
The concern in Jes’s voice irritated Roan. If Jes hadn’t pushed her so hard none of it would have happened. She would have still wanted to stay. Roan would have still been able to help keep her safe.
“She’s leaving,” Roan responded.
“Where will she go?”
“That’s up to her. She’s a grown woman. I’m not her keeper.”
“Roan, you can’t possibly let her just go after what just happened in there.”
“After what just happened? What would that be, Jes?” Roan replied, his voice rising with his anger. “Are you referring to how you pushed her like a madman or how the throne room doors to the fucking Palace of Kings somehow appeared in the middle of that room!” The room was now pitch black except for Roan. The temper he fought everyday had swallowed up the light like a ravenous monster.
“You’re not wrong. I pushed her. I did. She has power, Roan. Insane power that I don’t think either of us are fully aware of how deep it goes. That room was warded to that obstacle course. She didn’t touch the ward pad once but somehow when she rang that bell the room shifted in response to her. I don’t know if she did actually make the doors appear but we both know who they would have led to and we can’t let her out there alone,” Jes stated, keeping his voice calm and steady.
The light on Roan’s cheeks burned his skin while he stared at Jes. His Beskermer, his brother, a man he would trust with his life. Roan breathed in and out, his head cleared, and the lights slowly faded on. His temper had already caused too many consequences and Jes couldn’t be one of them.
“We don’t know if He’d find her,” Roan whispered, slumping against the back of his chair. He wasn’t confident in his response. Power to call a portal to the City of Kings was certainly enough to catch his Father’s attention.
Jes’s eyebrows rose. “Roan, you know they say denial is the first sign of acceptance.”
Roan chuckled. “Hopefully she just decides to stay in the city or at the very least in Nacht and we can keep an eye on her. I’m not forcing her to do anything, Jes.”
Both of them were aware what had happened wasn’t good. Too many possibilities existed as to what could happen next. Too many questions were left unanswered the moment she walked out of Roan’s door.
Jes stood from his seat and stretched. “I’m sorry for my part in this, Roan. I made a mistake and I hope you know how sorry I am for that.”
“It’s not me that you owe an apology to,” Roan replied.
“I know.”
Roan watched Jes walk out of the office and stared at the stairs. Orah was likely up there now, packing her things. He wasn’t confident how much she would end up taking, considering he provided most of it. He leaned against his chair. He’d spent a majority of his life feeling helpless against the things that occurred around him but he didn’t believe he had ever felt worse than he did now.
The fear and anger he’d felt when he came through the door to the training room was blinding. Staring at those doors, he could see Erde clearly. He could see all the years he walked the halls of his Father’s palace toward the throne room, through those golden doors. He wasn’t positive if it even was the palace he’d seen, or if his memories from childhood had made him believe he had. He could, however, sense the portal was calling to her. Like a siren tempting a man to its cave. Shuddering, he tried to push down the thought of what would have happened if he hadn’t stopped her.
He couldn’t imagine the surprise she would have been for his Father. This beautiful mortal woman just waltzing into His palace without a care in the world. He probably would have killed her on the spot. A shiver ran down Roan’s spine. It didn’t matter now, they stopped her from going through. He may have broken something between them, and her anger was valid, but he stopped her. He protected her.
But you also hurt her. You grabbed her. You grabbed her as if she were one of Father’s spies.
Groaning he stood and paced his study. Every instinct in him believed she was a threat. For a brief moment he’d viewed her as the enemy and treated her as such. His stomach rolled in response. Fates, I’m a monster. His Father’s paranoia had created Roan’s own where he couldn’t separate real threats from his own fear.
He stopped his pacing and walked into the library. Observing the room, he found bits of Orah scattered throughout. A book left on top of a shelf, piles of blankets thrown across nearly every chair and couch, even piles of books for her to read later.
“So, I know where they are when I’m ready for them,” she’d proclaimed when he’d questioned why they were left out. He’d always felt that the library was his own personal room in the house, but it never quite felt like his own. Now—now—he could only see it as Orah’s.
Taking one last look, he turned and walked out of the room. He had to find Ms. Perri and let her know Orah would be leaving. He also had to gather funds for her. He wasn’t sure he would be able to figure out how to get her back to her world and felt responsible to ensure she was taken care of. He had no doubt she wouldn’t allow him to provide enough funds for as long as he hoped. If she decided to stay in the city, he would check with Yohan to see if he knew of anyone looking for help. Orah was a damn fine cook and Roan was confident she would be able to live comfortably working for some of the Gods in Iluna.
Leaving his office, he turned down the hall toward the kitchen but paused at the quiet cries coming down the hall. Startled by the sounds, he paused, trying not to disrupt the conversation.
“But Orah, why do you have to go?” His heart tugged from the sounds of Clarah’s cries.
When did Orah come downstairs?
“I just do, Clarah. I’m sorry.” The cracked sound of Orah’s voice tugged on Roan’s heart. Her voice was as broken up as Clarah’s. He cursed himself. He did this.
“Will you at least stay in the city?” Clarah sniffed and the quiet sounds of Yohan’s comforting hushing floated down the hall.
“I’m not sure. But I will promise that if I do, I’ll come and visit you at home often,” Orah replied.
Roan couldn’t help but take note of Orah’s emphasis on the word “home” and how she had made sure not to say “here.” She likely had no plans to see his home again, or at the very least, never step through its doors again.
He turned back toward the foyer to find Ms. Perri. Orah probably wouldn’t allow Ms. Perri to help her pack but Roan knew this housekeeper needed to be made aware the wards to Orah’s room could be reset in a few days. A noise in the hall behind the sitting room ventured down toward him and Roan followed it to the training room. He was surprised when he found Ms. Perri standing in the middle of the room making little tsk noises while she surveyed the room.
“Ms. Perri?” he asked, stepping into the room.
“Roan, when are you going to start calling me Etta again?” Something in the sad almost disappointed way she smiled at Roan told him she already knew Orah was leaving.
“Etta was what I called you as a young boy running after you for entertainment when my uncle wasn’t home,” he responded.
Ms. Perri had been his mother away from home, but as he grew older the comfort of addressing her by her first name had somehow become uncomfortable. Roan placed himself next to her then glanced around the now empty room. There wasn’t one piece of equipment out, but the air was heavy. As if all the oxygen had been sucked out and was slowly being replenished.
Quietly, his voice barely above a whisper, he spoke, “Did Orah tell you?”
“No, Jes did,” Etta replied.
