Page 76 of Veinblood
“What kind of stories?”
“About people who are different. Special people.”
I look at Nika.
“We tell them what we can,” she says quietly. “Stories about the old days, when families like ours lived openly.”
“But we don’t tell them why things changed.” Garel joins the conversation. “They’re too young to understand that kind of fear.”
“Do they know what they are?”
“They know they’re special. That they have gifts that others outside of our village don’t. But they also know that those gifts must stay hidden.”
“It’s a game.” Seram’s voice is bright. “We play the hiding game.”
The casual way she describes hiding core parts of herself as a game hurts my heart. To her, suppressing abilities that should be a source of wonder and joy is a part of life, a rule to be followed.
“Are you good at the hiding game?” I crouch down so I’m on the samelevel as them.
Both children nod.
“We never show anyone,” Bek says. “Even when we really want to.”
“That must be hard.”
“Sometimes.” Seram’s cheerfulness dims slightly. “But Mama says it’s the right thing to do. That maybe someday we won’t have to play it anymore.”
“What would you do if you didn’t have to play the hiding game?”
Seram’s eyes light up. “I would make all the flowers bloom at once. Even in winter!”
“I would make the trees grow tall enough to climb all the way to the clouds,” Bek adds, his shyness forgotten in his excitement.
I lift my head to look at Nika. “What about you? If you could have anything, what would you want most for them?”
“To be proud of what they are.” Nika doesn’t even hesitate. “To use their gifts to help people, to make the world better, instead of hiding them away like shameful secrets.”
There isn’t a lot I can say to that. I glance over at Vorith, who pats Nika’s shoulder. “Thank you for allowing us into your home.”
She guides me back outside. My mind spins with everything I’ve just heard as we walk back to the common hall, where Kalliss and Meren are still arguing.
“Do you see why they fight now? Every choice we make affects families like Nika and Garel’s.”
“Which is exactly why we live the way we do.” Meren’s voice lacks its earlier fire, though. Now he sounds tired. “One mistake could destroy everything we’ve built. One child whouses their power carelessly, one adult who reveals too much, one Authority patrol who stumbles into the wrong village.”
“But we keep hope alive by ensuring the past does not get forgotten,” Kalliss says. “We tell them about what we once were, about the Vareth’el and the sacrifices he made, the way he fought for us.”
“Even those memories are fading. Each generation remembers less than the one before. Before long, even our abilities will die.” Vorith’s voice holds sadness.
“Which is exactly why Elowen’s return matters.”
“What if I’m not what the prophecies say I am?” The words come out before I can stop them. “What if I’m just a girl with strange powers who’s going to get everyone killed?”
The room falls silent. All three masters look at me.
“That’s a risk we have to take, because the alternative is watching everything we are, slowly disappear,” Vorith says gently.
“The visions showed both outcomes. Salvation and destruction. The future isn’t written yet. It depends on the choices we make,” Kalliss adds.
