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“I am?” Kallie squeaked.
“Absolutely. I will not make it, I do not think, but you will.” Tegan beamed at her. “Want to try?”
“Yes!”
Michael and Sloane stood back as they measured out the distance, and then once both females were happy with it, they decided they would shoot at the same time. Michael watched Tegan. She had the height difference over the other Akrhyn. His sister was willowy and tall but strong. Her hair was in her customary braid, and she stood straight and tall with the bow strung tight in her hand. He glanced at Kallie, her posture was the same, but she was a few inches shorter. Her own dark hair lay loose and hid most of her face, but he could see her concentration matched Tegan’s.
Both of them shot at the same time, and Sloane jogged down to the targets. “Just in the black, cousin!” he yelled back to them. His whistle was loud in the quiet of the training ground. “Dead centre, Kallie!”
Tegan looked at the other Akrhyn with a smile. “Want to go back further?”
“Yes,” Kallie admitted. “Sorry?”
“Do not be foolish,” Tegan chided her. “Let’s see how far you go before you cannot hit centre.”
“Okay!” Kallie grinned at her eagerly.
It turned out that as long as Kallie could see the target, she would hit dead centre. As they retrieved the arrows and headed back to the warmth of Headquarters, they were all chatting excitedly. Michael stopped talking before the others, and as they looked ahead, they saw why. Zahra stood in the snow, a bright pink jacket on and a white knitted cap over her blonde curls.
“Oh boy,” Sloane muttered. “I know that look.”
“Yeah.” Michael grimaced as they approached. “Who upset her this time?”
“Do we need to find out?” Tegan asked quietly. Both males looked at her disbelievingly while Kallie hid her smile behind her hand.
“Hey, sis,” Michael greeted. “You okay?”
“I need to talk to you.” Her glare was sharp for Tegan and Kallie. “Without yourfriends.”
“You mean your sister?” Michael snapped.
“Kallie and I are heading inside,” Tegan said to them all. “We shall see you at dinner.”
“You do not need to go,” Sloane protested.
“It is suddenly chilly and unpleasant outside,” Kallie said as she hooked her arm through Tegan’s. The two of them walked into the Headquarters and exchanged a look once inside. “Thank you for this afternoon, I had fun.”
“I did too.” Tegan glanced at the main door.
“Ignore her.”
“It is becoming harder to do,” Tegan admitted quietly. With a small smile for Kallie and a promise to seek her out later, she headed back to her room. Too many things were changing, and not for the first time, Tegan missed her home. Closing the door behind her, she thought wistfully of her father.Was he okay?
Salem sat in his study as his mother berated him for several things. He had stopped listening several minutes ago. He had stopped listening when she started comparing herself to an oak tree. Was it an oak tree? Maybe he should have been listening. He felt slightly guilty, but really why was she a willow tree? He tuned back in as she mentioned strong roots, and he confirmed it was an oak tree.
He was Principal Elder of the Northern Territory. He commanded an army of Elite Sentinels. He was responsible for the wellbeing of all the Akrhyn in Canada and northmost America. Why was he being chastised by his mother as if he had broken his new bow? Talia took a deep breath, and he feared she had another thirty minutes of lecture in her.
“I can stop you there, mother,” Salem interrupted her. His mother looked at him in shock. “I am sure you have many other salient points to make, but I am busy. You have no right to talk to Tegan the way you did today, and I am sure as a Priestess of Arflyn you wish to make the connection with her.” Salem crossed his arms on the desk as he looked at her. “What you did in the training room was unnecessary, and if Tegan interacts with you, I will be surprised.”
“She needs to be told.” Talia’s mouth twisted in distaste.
“She is an Elite Sentinel, trained by Leonid Novikov, raised by Leonid in all things, and her Trials have all been conducted by the Great Council themselves. She does not need to betoldanything.” Salem leaned back. “She is an amazing soldier, and she is loyal to those she considers friend. You made no friend today.”
“You sound as if you admire the fact a Vampyre raised your daughter,” Talia snapped in outrage.
“I am resentful of the years that I have missed with Tegan, but I am not ashamed of who she is. She is a fine young Akrhyn and will bring great pride to this family.” Salem looked at his mother contemptuously. “The Holt name will be revered as a result; you should be happy.”
“I am a Priestess of Arflyn,” Talia told him with a bite in her words. “My goddess wishes me to guide her.”
