Straight Through The Heart ((ON HOLD))

Chapter Eight

The guest room was comfortable but conservative with a bed at the center of the room, an armoire to the side, and a small writing desk under the large window that looked out over the gardens in the back of the house. Alisa paid little attention to the details, however, as she quickly bathed and dressed for bed in a sleep shirt and pants she had packed for herself. Knowing that this could very well be one of the last times she and Bren had the chance to talk, at least until the Initiation was complete, she wasn't going to waste any time. Not when what she had to speak to her brother about was so important.

Once she was ready, she crept across the hallway, not wanting to attract any unwanted attention from Chey, and gently knocked on her brother's door. She held her breath to listen, and worried that he had fallen asleep until he opened the door and let her in.

His room was not much different than hers, with his window looking out over the front yard and the city beyond. Bren had bathed as well, his brown hair dripping onto the shoulder of his shirt untucked over loose pants, and he shut the door behind her while she made her way to the bed.

"What did you want to talk about?" he asked as he leaned against the door.

"I have a favor to ask of you," she said as casually as she could as she sat on the edge of his bed. "Once we're presented and have to go our separate ways."

He watched her with that aged stare, waiting for her to continue.

"I need you to take advantage of the Parish's libraries once you've begun your studies. I need you to look into something for me,"

Bren shrugged. "Why can't you do it yourself?"

"Because I'm not going to have the time," she said, frowning. "And you heard Chey— people are going to be watching us. I don't want any extra suspicion on me."

"And I do?"

Alisa scoffed. "The moment you're presented as a Cleric candidate you can do no wrong."

Bren just shook his head but didn't challenge her further. "What do you need me to research?"

A thread on the bedspread took her attention away from her brother's stare. "I need to know who Mother was associated with during the war. Who fought with her. By her side."

"That's easy," he said. "Father—"

"No. Not Rahn. There was someone else," Alisa said quickly, her nerves getting the better of her. "Someone who helped her seal the Rift. Someone Mother was... close to."

"You could always ask Father. Or perhaps Chey? Or—"

"Rahn isn't my father," she blurted.

Bren stared at her, unblinking.

Letting out a breath, she continued, "She only just told me... before we left. Like she knew us coming here was going to resurface her past and she wanted to be the one to tell us first. Finally."

Bren just stared.

"That doesn't make you any less my brother," she reminded him, panic edging her tone. "Or me any less your sister. But now that I know, I need to know the truth."

Bren swallowed, looking paler than he did when she arrived. "Why don't you just ask her yourself?"

"I did. Well... sort of. And she said she'd tell me once I returned home. But I'm also impatient and you know she never wants to talk about her past. I'm trying to save her the trouble."

Bren still hadn't moved— she didn't know if it was from shock or if he was now afraid to approach her. "So you want me to look through the Parish libraries for accounts on the War to find out who helped Mother seal the Rift... because you believe whoever it was is your real father?"