Page 90 of The Eye of the Fifth
Kyra glanced at Naal, unsure whether to reveal her true identity, but Naal said in a lowered tone, ‘This is Kyra. She is the Earth Warden, Maressa.’
‘Bless my soul,’ whispered the waterling, those unshed tears now brimming over the edge and rolling down her rosy cheeks. ‘There had been rumours, and I didn’t dare believe them… but it’s true.’ She fell to her knees. ‘Praise Corla! Praise the Four! The Earth Warden in my home! In my lifetime, I never thought, never even imagined…’
Kyra bit back the awkward laugh that threatened to escape her. She’d never been around such piety before: the humans of Avaldale no longer worshipped the Four, and though she’d grown up believing in Them, she and her family hadn’t taken much care in revering the Four Mothers.
Goddess… why the fuck had Roheia chosen her? Surely there was someone out there, far more devout and devoted to Them, who was better suited to the Earth Warden title?
Anyone would have been better than her.
Maressa pushed herself to standing, her lip quivering with suppressed emotion as she wrung Kyra’s hands in both of hers. ‘It is an honour, Kyra. A true honour. You are so very welcome in this home. Blessed, am I! I must fetch Selwyn, but please, both of you, make yourselves at home… I think there are biscuits in the kitchen… help yourselves to whatever you can find! I will be right back…’
In a rush, she scurried up a creaky staircase a few feet from the front door. When she was out of earshot, Kyra immediately turned to Naal. ‘She’sthe Water Warden’s mother?’
‘She is.’
‘He can’t be much older than I am.’
‘He’s not,’ Naal said off-handedly as her gaze wandered over the oddities of the little house. ‘He’s fifteen.’
‘Fifteen?’
Naal didn’t reply as Maressa hurried back down the stairs, followed by a tall man with dark brown, almost black hair as long as his wife’s, and pulled into a low ponytail at the back of his head. He did not share the same bubbling excitement as Maressa, wearing instead a worrisome expression that was apparent even through his weary yet welcoming smile. Both of them were thin, not obviously malnourished, but slender enough to suggest that a lack of hearty food might have been a frequent occurrence.
Maressa tugged at her husband’s hand. ‘You remember Naal, Selwyn? Naal Westerra, the Air Warden-’
‘Yes, yes, Mari, I remember who she is,’ Selwyn said tiredly but not without affection for his wife. He took Naal’s outstretched hand. ‘I am pleased to see you again, Naal.’
Kyra was introduced to Selwyn, and he greeted her with the same careful formality. Maressa busied herself in the kitchen almost immediately, muttering under her breath about what tea she ought to serve them, whilst Selwyn showed them to the front room and invited them to sit.
The silence that followed was nothing short of awkward. Selwyn waited for Maressa to return with their tea without saying another word. Naal was humming to herself as though completely unaware of the uncomfortable atmosphere, and Kyra took the opportunity to let her own eyes sweep over the little details of the run-down house.
It was well lived-in, that much was clear. The floorboards were rotten in places, bits of wallpaper were peeling off, and the upholstery on the furniture was holed and worn. Despite all that, it was a home. A cosy, wonky home that held an abundance of happy memories in every nook and cranny of every corner. A family who had never owned much of anything but the love they shared for one another.
There was something else alongside those cherished fond memories. A fresh, profound grief imbued into the very walls.
Kyra didn’t know how she knew that.
‘So,’ Maressa said, settling into a burgundy armchair after handing a cup of particularly strong smelling tea to each of them. Kyra slyly sniffed at hers and tried not to make a face as the fumes flew up hernose. ‘It’s been a long time since we have seen you, Naal. How have you been?’ Maressa said warmly, patiently, but it was obvious by the jolting of her leg that it was not the question she wanted to ask.
Naal sipped her tea, somehow without grimacing at the sour taste, then sat the teacup back down on its mismatched saucer. ‘I am well, thank you for asking, Maressa. But as I am sure you have surmised, I did not come here to bore you about my own well-being.’
For the first time, Maressa’s smile faltered. Kyra could hear her heart thundering. ‘Do you…’ she swallowed, eyes flickering to Selwyn and back before whispering, ‘do you know where he is?’
‘Regretfully, no,’ Naal said. ‘However, Kyra and I are here to attempt to find him. Am I right in thinking it has been three years since Kano disappeared?’
‘Yes,’ Maressa breathed. ‘Three years almost to the day. He… he had not been himself for a long time, but… there was nothing we could do to help him. He was fulfilling his duty. We could not stand in the way.’ Her voice trembled then, and Selwyn’s hand rested gently on her knee. Her jolting leg stilled. ‘I’m glad he left. And I… I wouldn’t want him to come back if it meant being in the King’s service again. But not knowing if he is even alive… it’s just… I…’
Tears spilled from her eyes again.
‘Maressa,’ Naal said gently. ‘If Kano was not alive, I would know.’ Kyra didn’t know if that was true, but Maressa took the words as fact and nodded fervently, blowing her nose on a hanky that she pulled from her sleeve.
‘Your other son…’ Naal continued, ‘he is also missing?’
Maressa nodded again, slower this time. ‘They thinkhedid it,’ she said fearfully. ‘They think he was the one that got him out. He disappeared the same day Kano did. The king sequestered Selwyn and I from our work for weeks because he thought we had aided Kano’s disappearance. The… interrogation process was quite thorough.’ She gave an involuntary shiver. Selwyn’s face hardened. ‘But we knew nothing of it. Kawai never said a word to us. Then they were both just… gone.’
‘Kawai?’ Kyra blurted, sure she had not heard right.
‘You know him?’ Hope lit Maressa’s wet, shining face. Her eyes were so wide, the iris’ like two suns dipped in honey.
