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The switch flipped. “Your seniority? Your age?” A scathing laugh as Sia paled. “Please, do enlighten me.”
Sia bit her lip, clearly uncomfortable with his ripening vehemence. “I’ve served as second for far longer than Derikles, and before that I was third only to you, Isaiah.”
“No.” Hostility emanated from the word with such vitriol that Sia froze. “You’ve lost that privilege, Sia. And you lost your right to question my decisions when you conspired against me to facilitate the death of your own sovereign.”
Isaiah stood menacingly, his aura pulsing with palpable rage. “Moreover, you concocted a scheme with Jacob that placed both of our clans at risk. Not only did Jacob betray my trust, but he made mecomplicit. You failed your own sovereign, Sia, by not addressing the root of his apathy when you had the chance. If I told Derikles I wanted to end my life, I have no doubt that he’d beat me over the head with a bat until I saw reason.
“Jacob was right about one thing: there is no rest for a sovereign. Death is ouronlyway out. But the way Jacob’s clan came under my rule is a mockery of our system. And what’s more, I have to live with the burden of his death on my hands until the end of my life, which one can only hope is sooner rather than later.”
Isaiah saw their eyes widen at the truth he’d just revealed, but he didn’t stop. “Until you’ve proven that I can trust you, you and Caiaphas will rank below Tien, regardless of your seniority. Be grateful you haven’t lost your rank. Be grateful I haven’t expelled you from the clan.”
Venom thick on his tongue, Isaiah wouldn’t apologize for the vengeful words, nor the animosity that had been so obvious in his tone. Sia’s face had crumpled as he spoke, Caiaphas merely hanging his head in shame.
Derikles and Jaeda were the only ones who’d continued to hold eye contact, though Jaeda was far from composed. Tears had trickled down her cheeks as soon as he’d spoken of his own death, and they hadn’t halted in the aftermath.
Isaiah settled back into his armchair. At least he’d spoken his mind; at least he’d tried to liberate the pent-up anger that bristled through him.
The problem was that it still beat through him, a tiger roaring for release.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Rukiafoundherselffloundering.After so many years under Gideon’s protective wing, she struggled to take the reins and make the decisions she’d so often questioned with biting sarcasm.
The morning after the service, she’d jumped back into her work with single-minded focus. Now, on her second official day, she found herself hesitating on the final call.
Jeremiah and Tyee, who’d so long been her companions, had started looking to her for guidance. She was woefully unprepared. Gideon had been such a seamless leader that he’d taken the brunt of their uncertainties in stride, reassuring as he spoke.
Rukia was simply not that person.
Their people had finally given them the nod of approval to restart the Search and Rescue operation, and Rukia was tied up in knots.
“We’ll need to identify who we’re sending to Colorado and who we’re sending to Washington,” she said, reviewing the list of Search and Rescue teams for a third time.
Jeremiah’s gaze was trained on her expectantly, though the harshness of stare was far from typical. “So, make the call.”
She fisted a hand on the table, her anxiety churning below the surface. “It’d be best to have a powerful earth here, just in case. Especially if something bigger comes up.”
“Well, usually we’d have Gideon.”
Fighting the sudden tightness in her throat, Rukia merely nodded. “Aaron is here. He can hold down the fort if something comes up, but we’ll send Marta and Hanson’s team to Washington. Given that Colorado’s landslide affected mostly uninhabited areas, we’ll send Lucy and Aidan with James’ team. It’ll give them both some experience on the ground.”
Rukia didn’t look up when Jeremiah grunted but began tapping away on the keys of his laptop. Approval, then, even though she wasn’t dignified with a response.
As she made the arrangements with Tyee, the churning sensation within her gut eased. The easy camaraderie she’d once had with Jeremiah had become stilted, but Tyee’s presence somehow made the rough edges soften.
It was late into the afternoon that Rukia finally admitted defeat and dragged herself home. As she walked through the humidity of the warm Iowa day, she allowed her mind to wander.
Now, having buried hope that Gideon would rise, Rukia was finally free to mourn. In the uncertainty, she’d felt stretched, caught between the flood and the fire, not knowing how to respond.
Acceptance was always the hardest stage of grief, but it was also the most important.
Taking Gideon’s role had been eye-opening. Although she’d been officially the lead in Paracel for less than a week, Rukia had had to adjust her response—her perception—of how to handle and respond to crisis.
She finally understood why Gideon kept himself in reserve all the time, rarely leaving the compound even for the biggest disaster. It wasn’t because he was being stingy with resources, it was because he was protecting Paracel the best way he knew how.
By beingpresent.
Gideon’s dedication to his people had run deeply, just like Isaiah’s.
