“Well don’t do it again,” he barked and I raised my eyebrows at him in response. He gripped the back of his neck before replying. “I mean, these people need you to help make decisions. It was inconvenient that you were incapacitated for so long.”
“Riiight.” A smile pulled at the corners of my mouth at his obvious discomfort before I mentally slapped myself.
You’re flirting with the General of an army who came in and killed the Librarian in front of you, all while Ben liesdyingin a bed in the capital.Floozy. You don’t deserve Ben.
Instantly the smile fell from my face and I took a step back from the General, my blood running cold at the thought. He cleared his throat as if he was going to say something, but one look at my less than inviting posture had him second-guessing.
“How long was I asleep? What’s been done in my absence? Where are the bodies buried? When will you be leaving?” I rapid fired questions at him, ready to put whatever that previous interaction was behind me and get to work for the people who needed me.
General d’Alvey blinked at me a few times, obviously processing my slew of questions before he answered in a clipped tone, “You were asleep four days. Obviously, cleanup has progressed well, people are returning to what is left of their livelihoods and homes, the deceased were identified and buried up there.” He pointed to the hill that I could just see the tip of from where we stood in the center of town. “We will leave as soon as we are no longer needed. Many of my Mages and their Vessels have sacrificed their reserves to help rebuild your town, and they’ve taken some of Lord d’Refan’s own funds to purchase food and other necessities.”
I chewed my lip as I listened, choosing to look anywhere but at him as he spoke. I didn’t want him to see the embarrassment shining in my eyes. “Thank you,” I murmured quietly.
He gave a sharp nod before stepping away from me, his hands behind his back.
“If that is all?” His gaze was searching, but his tone didn’t invite any further conversation.
I nodded once, folding my arms across my chest as I gazed at the place where I was raised.
Who will stay and rebuild? Will any choose to leave with the General’s men?
As if he heard my thoughts, the General spoke again, though this time his tone was softer. “I don’t anticipate that many will leave here, Faylinn.” My head snapped to him, and he gave a thin smile. “This is their home, reduced to rubble or completely rebuilt, this is everything to them. Many were born here, and many will die here, their children and grandchildren following their paths. It takes an immense amount of courage to separate oneself from their past.” I glanced at his expression, noting the faraway look in his eyes as he spoke.
“You speak from experience?”
“I’ve seen it more times than I can count.”
I nodded at that. He paused before continuing.
“We did find the body of a Keeper buried on the hill next to another fresh grave. The Keeper’s grave was marked, and we reburied his body after confirming his identity. While I don’t agree with the methods the previous Mages used to exact justice, the outcome would have been the same for him.” His tone was hard again and brokered no argument. I rolled my eyes instead. “You disagree?”
“I think there’s a lot of grey area in the world, General, and to simply operate under the guise that Keepers are ‘bad’ and the Warlord is ‘good’ puts the world and our existence into too small of a box. You limit the possibilities of life and provide yourself with only a narrow-minded view. Was he a Keeper? Apparently, yes. But he was also the Librarian—a man who gave without thought of return to those who required it, always knowing exactly what each person needed at any given time. He saved a few babies, like the Henshaw girls, when their mother was too weak to push them out and I was unavailable to assist. He . . . he gave a little girl access to other worlds andinformation beyond her wildest dreams. Allowed her to question and become curious, introduced her to a mentor who shaped that girl into the woman she is today.” My voice broke at the last part, thinking of all the people I lost in the past week. “So, in answer to your question, General, yes. I disagree.”
The General remained quiet after my admittance. After a few minutes of increasingly awkward silence, he finally spoke again.
“I will not inform Lord d’Refan of the Keeper’s existence here. There could be...further consequences for these people, and I think they’ve already suffered enough.” With that, he turned and stalked toward a group of his Mages, barking orders as he went.
Grumpy git.
I blew a wayward curl out of my face as Tal approached me again. “What did you say to the General to make him so angry?”
I laughed despite myself, and General d’Alvey spun on his heel to glare at me before quickly turning away again. “Nothing, Tal. Just gave him some things to think about. Information can do that to people.”
“You’re always so great at telling us stuff. You’re like . . . smart or something like that.”
I laughed again and ruffled his hair.
“Well, thank you, Tal. Shall we go pay our respects to the dead today?” The boy grabbed my hand, and we walked together toward the gravesite.
Chapter 42
Faylinn
Istood as still as the trees in the forest that surrounded my house as I gazed at the multitude of freshly dug graves that peppered the field and hill just outside the village.
There were dozens, no,hundredsof graves.
How could we even rebuild after this? Who was even left?
