Page 56 of Echoes of the Raven
“Um… I don’t know.”
“What does your heart tell you?”
Leave it to Nana to throw my question back at me. I shrug. My heart, my gut, my brain… they all seem useless at the moment. I have no idea what to do.
“Well?” She presses.
I shake my head forcefully. “I really have no idea.”
She finally sets aside her work for good, placing it inside a woven basket sitting next to her chair. “I think it’s nonsense,” she answers, surprising me.
I peer at her curiously, waiting for more.
“Why would the saints put us in this realm so we can follow a path they already chose for us? It would only make for boredom for everyone, don’t you think?”
I smile despite myself. She’s only joking—not taking me seriously. I can’t blame her. She’s probably not in the mood for such a conversation. For a long while, Nana’s only pursuits have been peace and quiet. Her own words, not mine.
She winks. “Do you want to know what I truly believe?”
I nod.
“I think fate does govern the lives of some, though not all. But for certain individuals, it is destiny that matters.”
“Aren’t they the same thing?” I frown, never having given much thought to the difference between the two.
She shakes her head. “Destiny is what we make of ourselves—not what someone else decides for us. A person with a purpose shapes their own path, taking actions that bend the trail toward their goal, their vision. However misguided your sister might be, she’s trying to shape Castella into what she thinks will be a better place.”
“But she isn’t only crafting her own destiny. She will affect so many people.”
“Those affected by her decisions believe it is their fate, and there lies the difference.”
I push to the edge of the armchair. “The fae don’t have a choice, Nana.”
“There is always a choice.”
“I’m sorry. I’m not sure I believe that.”
“Perhaps because you anticipate a choice between good and evil, but reality isn’t always so clear-cut. At times, our options are limited to the unfavorable, the extremely unfavorable, or the downright dreadful. Nonetheless, the choice remains.”
“What would be their other choice? Death? They’re already exiled, for all the gods’ sake! That isn’t fair.”
“I believe your father schooled you well on the fact that life and fairness are mutually exclusive.”
Indeed, he used those exact words. He said them often enough that even Nana can quote him.
“I believeyouhave a choice to make,” she says.
I blink, looking up at her and wondering if she suspects what the choice is. Her gaze pierces mine so intensely that I feel as naked and vulnerable as a babe. And even though her lips remain sealed, I sense her unspoken words echoing in the air.
“Now, niña, will you be ruled by fate? Or will you forge your own destiny?”
23
VALERIA
“They think I’m greedy because I want gold. I want gold because I have none at all.”
Esmeralda Malla - Romani Healer - 21 AV
