Page 74 of Veinblood
The sound of horses interrupts us—hooves on earth, the jingle of harnesses, voices calling out in greeting. Vorith stands and walks to the window.
“They’ve arrived. Please, wait here.” She steps outside, and voices reach me, though I can’t make out the words.
My stomach flips, and my hands shake as I set down my cup. I’m about to meet the other two masters who helped save my life.
The door swings open, and Vorith comes back inside. Two men follow close behind her.
“This is Kalliss.” She indicates the one with more gray in his hair. “And this is Meren.”
Kalliss steps forward, one hand lifting toward me. “May I?”
I’m not sure what he’s asking, but I give a cautious nod. His fingers brush my cheek, then he smiles.
“Elowen. My vision showed me this moment.” His fingers tip my chin up, and he peers into my eyes. “You returned and grown up. Prophecy made manifest.”
The intensity of his attention makes me want to stepback, but something in his expression holds me still. I get the distinct impression that he’s looking for something specific, and apparently he finds it, because his smile widens.
“Visions are one thing, reality is another.” Meren’s voice breaks the moment and Kalliss drops his hand and steps back. “Her presence here will put everyone at risk.”
“Isn’t that all the more reason for us to act?” Kalliss turns to face him. “This is what we’ve been waiting for.”
“Or it will be the catalyst that will get everyone we’ve kept safe killed.”
I look between them, unable to ignore the tension crackling in the space that separates them. “What are you talking about?”
Vorith sighs. “Kalliss and Meren have been divided on what the visions and your eventual return means. Kalliss believes it is a sign that we should stop hiding, but Meren thinks your presence will be the herald of the true end of Veinbloods.”
“We sent her away for a reason. The visions called her both savior and destroyer.” Meren looks at me. “I’m glad you’re alive, Elowen, but I do not know that your presence here can be a positive thing.”
The bluntness of his words sting, but I try to set that aside because I can hear the genuine concern in his voice.
"You're talking about me like I’m some force of nature that’s going to sweep through and change everything whether I want to or not.”
“Aren’t you?” Meren’s question is quiet. “The Authority has issued proclamations about you. They’re mobilizing resourcesto hunt you down. Your very existence changes the game we’ve been playing for twenty-four years.”
“Easy, Meren,” Kalliss says softly. “He means no insult, Elowen. You have to understand that we’ve watched the Authority grow stronger year by year, while we remained hidden. Children have grown up suppressing the very essence of what they are. Families live in constant fear of discovery.” He turns to Meren. “But when do we stop hiding? When do we remember what we once fought for?” His hands move as he speaks, and I catch a glimpse of burns on his palms.
Did the ritual they performed to send me away cause those? Am I responsible for his scars?
“When we can do it without sacrificing the very people we’ve sworn to protect.” Meren’s voice is just as passionate. “These aren’t just numbers we’re talking about. They are people. Families with children who have never known anything other than the safety of our settlements. Elders who have spent years building new lives. Are we willing to throw all of that away just because a girl arrives with powers that match prophecy?”
The word ‘girl’ throws me back to Lisandra and the way she sneeredlittle girlwhen I refused to believe Sacha was dead. But I keep the reaction to myself. Meren isn’t Lisandra, and he’s not wrong. Iamyoung by his standards, and Ihavebrought danger. The proclamations about me are proof enough of that.
“Are we willing to abandon the possibility of freedom for the certainty of oppression?” Kalliss fires back.
“Freedom forwho?” Meren’s voice rises. “The dead? Becausethat’s what revelation will bring. The Authority don’t want us to live. They don’t show mercy. They will only destroy us.”
“They’re already destroying us! Slowly. By forcing us to hide what we are until there’s nothing left worth preserving.”
I watch the argument turn more heated. Kalliss speaks of destiny and prophecy. His satisfaction with my return is evident in every gesture, every word. But Meren counters with practical concerns. Everything he says shows he is someone who has learned that hope can be just as dangerous as despair.
Vorith tries to be objective, but as the argument continues, her own belief becomes clear. She agrees with Kalliss, although her reasoning is different. Where he talks of prophecy and destiny, she speaks of necessity.
“The Authority is still gaining strength. Their reach extends further all the time. How long before they find us regardless of how well we hide?”
“We’ve stayed undiscovered for twenty-four years,” Meren counters.
“Because we’ve been lucky! And because they believed we were already dead.Herreturn changes that.” Kalliss points at me. “They are going to discover Veinbloods survive, no matter what you try to do. Elowen, and the Vareth’el being free ensures that they are going to search. Eventually they will come to our settlements.”
