Previous | Chapter Index | Next

It must have worked because Ophelia flinched as the knife thudded into the branch right next to her hand. Kate smirked and followed up with another blade, attempting to force her to come down from the tree. This time the wall of light that Kate had seen when Ophelia threw her so many days ago now flared around her and the knife bounced off it. She was just aiming a? when a mental yell of warning from Darlryan gave her just long enough to brace as Alsia grabbed her.

“He doesn’t care what happens to you, girl!” She snarled in Kate’s ear. “I’ll prove it to you.” She threw her hard at another tree.

Kate shrieked and pushed out her hands trying to cushion the impact. The breath was jerked from her body as Darlryan blurred in front of her and caught her before she hit. He turned to Alsia who was staring at him as if he’d grown a second head and yelled something in the strange language he sometimes used. Alsia snarled in disgust.

“Honestly, can’t you even remember to use English in front of people who don’t know draconic? I refuse to get into a battle of wits with someone who is unarmed!”

Still struggling to catch her breath Kate blinked to hear Ophelia’s words used by Alsia. Apparently it shocked Ophelia as well because she nearly fell from her perch. Sera just looked gobsmacked.

“A-aunt Sophie?” Ophelia said hesitantly.

“Mum?” Sera said almost simultaneously. Alsia muttered something under her breath in the same language Darlryan had used. Kate rather thought that she was swearing.

“Who’s unarmed?” Darlryan chuckled, “I’m not the one giving myself away because I can’t resist getting in a cheap shot.”
Alsia turned to Ophelia with a sigh.

“It’s a long story, dear,” she said. “We’ll talk about it later.”

***

Ophelia looked from Alsia to Darlryan and back as she tried to assimilate the fact that Sophie was Alsia but she couldn’t take the time to think about it right now. The girl who had been throwing knives at her was still braced against Darlryan looking winded. Neither of them seemed like they were about to attack her so she looked around for Paritan and found him leaning against the tree she was in and looking up at her. He didn’t seem to be about to attack her either.

“Darlryan-mirian said that Kaylaria-miria would knock his and Alsia-ida’s heads together if she could see the way they were behaving, he said. Ophelia felt a leap of amusement she couldn’t explain at that.? It must have shown on her face because he grinned. “I think he’s right? Don’t you?”

“I want to knock their heads together,” she said. “And I’m not even on their side.”

“I don’t think you know what side you are on girl.” He turned his attention back to Alsia and Darlryan. “But I wish they’d stop bickering.”

There was a sharp tugging from the Key then, as if it was trying to warn her about something. It came as such a shock that she nearly toppled from the tree again.

Previous | Chapter Index | Next