Talon the Black (Dragonwall Series # 1)

Chapter 58 - A New Promise

Kastali Dun

Claire greeted the day with a groggy groan. The morning was already half over when she rose. Last night's conversation with Reyr was still fresh in her mind, but she was resigned to not let it bother her.

After sleepily stumbling through her apartments, she found breakfast waiting on her dining table. Out of curiosity she checked her chamber door hoping she might peek out into the hallway. It was locked. Reyr must have been by, and this his way of ensuring she did not disobey orders to stay inside. He knew her too well. Otherwise, she might have slipped out for spite, simply to explore more of the south wing. Instead she shrugged it off and went about eating and bathing, all the while deep in thought.

It was the morning of the execution, and the world looked as it should: overcast and gloomy. Maybe it was good she wasn't allowed out of her chambers. Had the king locked her up for more than one reason? He claimed that he wanted her to lay low until her new status was announced. But surely it was more than that. Was he against her attending the execution? Part of her wanted to see the traitors die gruesome deaths. Their contributions to Kane's cause disgusted her. She thought back to the moments in the dungeon and shuddered. No, she hadn't the heart to see them die, even if they deserved it.

After wandering around her apartments, studying her accommodations in detail, picking up and examining the trinkets on the fireplace mantle, reading the titles on her bookshelves, and exploring the views of the sea outside on her balcony, she went to her bed, sitting down with her legs crossed. She needed to think. She needed to better understand what she was supposed to do with herself, with her new life, and with the Gift Cyrus had given her. There was only one person who could help.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep, steadying breath. Cyrus, I need to speak with you, she said.

Most times the extent of his presence was a word of advice here, or an informative thought there. During her fearful moments, like her desperation before the trial, he'd shown himself with potency. But that was different. Now the world around her seemed peaceful.

Cyrus, you said you would always be with me. I need you now. Like, I really, really need you.

Something caught in her chest, making her more emotional than she'd intended. She didn't want to cry. She didn't want to lose control. But deep down, she was overwhelmed beyond belief. She'd done well to hold herself together since yesterday's discovery of magic. But now....

Ever since coming to Dragonwall, she'd begun to feel more and more like a stranger. Some days it seemed like the person within her was unrecognizable, like she'd lost everything that made her the person she thought she knew. Sure, she was still stubborn, spunky, and headstrong, but those were surface traits. What about deeper?

When Cyrus had dropped into her life she was bored with the norm, she was desperate to find her place in the world, to start her career, to get out from underneath her parent's wings. Now she was fearful of stepping out into the open, and more so afraid of her uncontrollable power. Was the accident with Caterina the first of many to come? What would happen each time she lost control? The magic was there. She'd felt it for a while now, not knowing what it was. It lurked inside her waiting to burst forth like a caged animal. Cyrus was the only one who could help her better understand herself.

Of its own volition, her mind swept back to the porch swing, back to the day she and Cyrus sat sipping sweet tea watching the cornfields together. Yes, that had been a special moment. Cyrus was showing her something. A small smile crept to her lips. She watched the memory, her eyes open but unseeing.

Who were you then? Cyrus asked.

That was easy because she knew that person, only, that person had changed. It was her current self she couldn't figure out. "I was naive," she whispered. "A silly overwhelmed girl with wanderlust for a place seemingly impossible. A place you called Dragonwall."