Page 59 of Feral Gods
Anger flares within me at her dismissal. "I choose those who protected me without condition, who value me for more than my bloodline or magical potential."
"Without condition?" Lyra laughs softly. "How naive you remain, cousin. They value you precisely for your bloodline—the key to their freedom, the guarantee against renewed imprisonment. Why else would such beings protect a human female?"
The question echoes doubts I've struggled with myself, but something in her condescending tone strengthens rather than weakens my resolve. "You know nothing about them, or about me."
"I know they've manipulated your gratitude and isolation to bind you to them," she counters. "I know they've taken physical advantage of that bond."
Heat floods my cheeks at the implication she somehow knows about my intimate relationships with Ravik and Thane. "My choices. My desires. My life."
"For now," she concedes with maddening confidence. "But consider this, cousin. You've lived six years as property, defined by others' expectations and limitations. The coven offers true freedom—self-determination through knowledge and power."
"Knowledge without choice is merely another form of captivity," I counter, though her words strike uncomfortably close to fears I've not fully acknowledged even to myself.
Lyra sighs, apparently recognizing the futility of further persuasion. "Matriarch Valeria anticipated your reluctance. Your human upbringing and recent experiences make trust difficult." She reaches into her cloak, withdrawing a small leather pouch. "A gift, regardless of your decision. It belonged to your mother."
She places the pouch on a nearby crate, stepping back immediately to demonstrate it contains no threat. "When you'reready to learn the full truth of your heritage, use the contents to contact us. The Matriarch will come herself."
"My mother," I repeat, the words catching in my throat. "You knew her?"
"Not personally," Lyra admits. "She disappeared before my time with the coven. But her legacy remains—as does yours, waiting to be claimed."
Voices approach from the main chamber Ravik and Thane, likely checking my absence from my sleeping place. Lyra glances toward the sounds, her expression shifting to practical urgency.
"They come. Consider what I've said, Kaia Flameheart. Consider who truly seeks to control your destiny—those who would keep you ignorant of your heritage, or those who offer knowledge and belonging."
Before I can respond, she retreats toward the hidden passage, movements fluid and silent. "Until we meet again, cousin. Sooner than you might expect."
She slips through the opening, which closes behind her with a soft scraping of stone against stone. By the time Ravik appears at the storage alcove entrance, Lyra has vanished completely, leaving only the leather pouch as evidence of her visit.
"Kaia?" Ravik's amber eyes scan the small space, concern evident in his expression. "Why are you here alone?"
I should tell him immediately about Lyra's intrusion, her message, the hidden passage that compromises our sanctuary's security. Yet some instinct holds me silent on these points, at least momentarily. Instead, I gesture to the supply crates. "Checking our remaining provisions. Planning tomorrow's meals."
His gaze sharpens, clearly sensing the partial truth in my response. Before he can question further, I retrieve the leather pouch from the crate, holding it up for his inspection. "I found this among our supplies. It wasn't here earlier."
Ravik's reaction is immediate and intense—wings flaring, runes etched across his obsidian chest pulsing with amber light. "Stand back," he commands, moving to place himself between me and the pouch. "Zephyr! Thane!"
The other gargoyles appear with startling speed, summoned by the alarm in Ravik's voice. "Intruder," he informs them tersely, gesturing to the pouch in my hand. "Left this while we were distracted."
Zephyr approaches cautiously, turquoise eyes studying the item with scholarly assessment. "May I?" he asks, extending a clawed hand.
I surrender the pouch, watching as he examines it without opening the drawstring closure. "Purna craftsmanship," he concludes after a moment. "Old, judging by the leather's patina. No obvious magical signatures beyond a preservation spell."
"She said it belonged to my mother," I admit, the partial confession emerging before I can reconsider.
Three pairs of inhuman eyes fix on me with varying degrees of surprise and concern. "She?" Thane growls, crimson gaze sweeping the chamber for threats. "You saw the intruder?"
No point concealing the encounter now. "A purna scout—Lyra, apprentice to someone called Matriarch Valeria. She came through a hidden passage in the rear wall."
Ravik's expression darkens to thunderous proportions. "When? What did she want?"
"Just now," I answer, bracing for his reaction. "She offered sanctuary with the Flamekeeper Coven. Training for my abilities, knowledge of my heritage, protection from King Kres's forces."
"A trap," Thane declares immediately. "Designed to separate you from our protection."
"Obviously," I agree, somewhat irritated by his assumption that I would fall for such transparent manipulation. "I refused.She left this as... persuasion, I suppose. Then disappeared back through the passage."
Zephyr examines the wall where Lyra entered and exited, his scholarly curiosity momentarily overriding security concerns. "Fascinating. The stonework shows no obvious seam or mechanism. Likely magical in nature."
