Page 25 of Wicked Thieves
Taking a breath, she then said, “I’ll go to the castle and destroy the Loom on the Senin.”
Before anyone could say a single word, leaving absolutely no room for argument, he said, “No.”
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“What do you mean,no?”Anelize blinked at the absolute gall of this man.
He crossed his arms over his chest, regarding her closely. “It’s exactly as I said. It’s too dangerous, and unlike the rest of us, you have next to no control over your power.” Anelize shot Adan a glare and he smirked.Rat.“If it comes down to needing to defend yourself, you’ll not succeed against the king’s men. It’s a risk I’m not willing to take. There is too much at stake.”
“You said so yourself, you have no way of getting to the book within that hour. How else do you expect to do it. Moments ago, you asked me to join you in this fight against the king. Now you won’t consider letting me help with this?”
“And what makes you think you can do it?” Adan challenged. “I saw you in that alley backed against the wall like a quivering pup. You could have easily disposed of all of them with a simple wave of your hand and even so, you barely managed to slow them down.”
“I’m sorry for not being as bloodthirsty as you. I’m a healer, it’s all I’ve been trained to be, not a fighter by any means.” she said through gritted teeth.
His smile was a cruel sneer. His tone mocking as he said in challenge, “Funny how your gift does the exact opposite of that,nevit.”
“Adan!” Zara scolded, this time her voice stern. But the damage had already been done.
Anelize spun on her heel and stalked toward the door, leaving the Dobrins to chastise the dolt who looked confused as he watched her storm out of the parlor. No one stopped her as she slammed the door behind her, stalking down the corridor with her heart in her throat. A heavy weight starting in her chest, constricting her lungs.
He knew nothing, nothing at all, about the burden being anevit,of all things, had done to her. Yet, the words had been said, and they were suddenly all she could think of. When she was a child, she’d never cared about her gift. Hadn’t been taught or encouraged to do anything with it other than stifle it entirely, extinguish the flame that constantly burned through her veins.
To this day she can still hear her father’s voice warning her against it. The first time she’d thought to use it had been when she and Enid had played in the garden behind their shop. The temperature had been warmer than the usual bone-chilling winds and flurries that had turned Elvir frostbitten. Anelize was eight, a few days away from adding one more name day to her age, while she tended to the garden, using her shears to cut at the dried leaves that had yet to fall. Wishing that the herbs she’d planted would sprout so she could show them to her father. Enid had always stuck close to her skirts at that age, toddling about behind her wherever she went. It was because of Enid that she noticed a bird with a broken wing laying at the base of their tree.
The poor thing had been in so much pain it continued crying out as she scooped it up between her hands. It hadfallen out of its nest; the bone having snapped in two as blood oozed from its torn flesh. Enid had started to cry, tugging at her to do something for the creature. But what could she have done save for put it out of its misery? What sort of life would it have had if she’d helped it heal? Never using its wings to fly again…
The instinct had come to her naturally. Her blood pulsing to life as it reacted to the tragic suffering before her. She ushered Enid inside the shop, promising to help the bird before closing the door behind her. Then she placed it down on the ground, black wings and blood laid out across the snow as she brought the shears to her hand and cut a line down her palm. It hadn’t taken much to slow its heart as it had already been dying. Anelize had held her hand over the bird and curled her fingers into a loose fist after she’d found the slow pulsing of its heart. Saw the quickly fading light of its life. The crying had stopped. Its wings no longer fluttering about. Its heartbeat no more.
The sound of the door behind her had creaked open and when she looked over her shoulder, she found her father standing in the threshold. Holding Enid in his arms as he watched her, then looked to the bird. The blood on her hand.
“Anelize, what have you done?”
She’d never forgotten the look on his face, even now as so many years had passed. The look of horror and disgust that plagued her whenever she thought of using her gift. As if she had become a stranger to her father. A monster.
It had been the first time she’d truly despised being a Vedran.
Walking past the opened hall that overlooked the rest ofthe tavern below, she continued down the hall until she spotted the door to the room where she’d slept in. If Zara and Henry wanted her out, then so be it, but for now she needed to be alone where she could drown in her worries and sorrows of the last few days.
She barely managed to open the door before a hand landed on it, easing it closed. Warmth enveloped her back even as he didn’t touch her, but she knew who was standing behind her.
The Vedran clicked his tongue, the sound making her tense as he murmured, “That temper will get you into trouble, you know. As much as I admire you for going toe-to-toe with Adan, you really should learn when to pick your battles.”
Anelize threw her elbow back as hard as she could, ramming it into his side where she knew his stitches were still healing, unless he got anavitto get rid of them. She smiled with satisfaction that her hunch had been correct as he released a grunt of pain, dropping his hand from the door as he took a step back. Turning around, she spotted him hunched lower, his hand on his abdomen and his face twisted in pain.
“That was a low blow, don’t you think?” he asked through gritted teeth.
“Not nearly low enough.” She leaned against the door. “If I’d known you were a filthy Watchman, I would have left you out to die that night.”
“You flatter me. That’s what? The second time you’ve gotten a hit in?” He lifted a hand as if imploring that she’d grant him a moment to compose himself before she decided to attack him again. When he finally managed to stand to his full height once more, he released a breath. The Vedran raised his hands in defeat. “All right. Let’s start over, shall we?”
She crossed her arms, glaring down her nose at him. “What do you want?”
“For starters, how about your name?” At her silence he laughed, the sound rich and deep, “Very well, can’t blame me for trying.”
“You have the gall to make jests with me. After everything?”
He leaned a shoulder against the wall, staring her down, “Believe me, I am anything but amused by the circumstances of our little...reunion. Unfortunately, there is not much I can do to rectify the situation now. What I can say is that I will ensure Wellyn and your sister remain together.”
