Page 34 of The Garnet Daughter
“And if that were true, we would have had an answer for them earlier.” Ferren turns to me and Selene more gently. “We will have to be very careful. Lying will complicate things, cause the order to investigate more.”
“If there is no other way, let us pray they are too preoccupied with electing a highest,” Selene offers.
I exhale deeply, now convinced I cannot get out of doing this.
“I will draw up the statement, and you only have to sign it. We will inform them you folded to Frith to urgently request help and remained there while your elders considered it.”
Selene scoffs.
“Alright, I will sign it. And I did speak to the elders and asked for their help.”
“Calliape.” Selene’s tone is disappointed.
I glare at her. “We were trapped on Frith with no way back. Of course I spoke to our elders. What did you expect me to do?”
She leans in. “Tell me what you told them.”
“Selene.” August puts his arms up like he will block her if she gets any closer to me.
I glance at her in disbelief as she awaits my response, but she won’t have it. I did what was necessary, what I thought was right. They are my elders too. I should be able to seek their wisdom without her consent.
“Like I informed 99, the beacon was damaged, and we needed to ask permission to fix it to return,” August tells Selene, a sweet attempt to sway the tension, and for a moment it calms the room. But I must tell them the other reason for going to the elders, why it was so critical we returned.
“Will the council not ask about the failed ritual?” I ask, turning the conversation to my point.
“Very few elders know the stone is missing,” Ferren says.
That is not exactly what I was thinking, yet surprising.
“Frith’s stone has not been present here during every conjunction. The elders have refused the invitation to unify the stones in the past. Two stones guarded is enough,” Selene chimes in and sits, resting her forehead on her palm, exasperated.
“The stone will be recovered after we are fully protected.” Ferren nods in agreeance with Selene.
I glance between them, missing something. “But what of the creature that took it?”
Ferren looks down as if I’ve accused her. “I saw that . . . thing when I was in the Estate dungeon. When Crixa’s ward dissipated, it escaped. The conjunction tremor destroyed the temple and its holding cell.”
I cast a look at August, and of course he’s watching me to see if this relieves any guilt. But it doesn’t. Crixa’s ward was not the only thing holding that creature in place. When she died, it did not run free and breach the temple because of a conjunction tremor. But that is what they honestly think, such true friends they could not possibly believe it was actually my fault. That the temple broke because of the failed spell and I called the monster toward us.
That is why Ferren was so happy to see me. She has no idea and I am terrified to correct her.
“It is documented the creature was kept beneath the Estate,” 99 confirms.
“Not a creature. An old god,” I reveal with a shaky voice. If I can’t confess my wrongdoing, then I can at least warn them. “It’s called Omnesis. It was known to the Frithian elders. They weren’t concerned with it taking the stone either, knew its intention was to protect the stone it once housed in its temple in the birthlands.”
Selene’s face is pale as she listens.
“What else did they say?” Ferren leans in.
I reach for her hand because it is too painful to keep this from her anymore. Ferren deserves peace, but this thing will not let her have it and she needs to be aware.
“It spoke, called you a word I didn’t know the meaning of until I spoke with the elders. It said abomination.”
“No, it spoke, but . . .” She shakes her head, trying to recall.
“It spoke in the language of the gods,” Selene murmurs.
“I don’t know how I understood it, but I did. And when I brought it to the elders, they speculated the word meant it intended to balance what the Temple of Divine Mothers tilted.”
