Eclipse: Time Thief (Romantasy)

59. Chief Kaid

For the first time since our captivity, I stood in the home I had shared with Leif and his family since they took me in. When the Prophet of the Valley captured our people, they'd set fire to dozens of our homes. I was fortunate that this one survived, but it was not without damage.

The chief had wanted updated on everything and then to have time to think before discussing it further. So, I'd started from the beginning, during the time when I trained with the Prophet of my hometown to when I'd killed the villagers. I told the chief and commanders of my time at the Sacred School, the binding of my power, and finally of all I'd experienced and learned since captivity. While I did not attempt to explain the science of anything, I even shared that the gods had created our world to test their power on us, and that I had stolen control of our world from them.

I knelt down to pick up the broken brush off the floor that Rune always used to brush my hair before battle. Our home was small with only two rooms, separated by a thick curtain. The house was nestled into the hill with small windows that peeked out like eyes. In the summer, we kept the door open, but in the winter, we closed it and covered it with canvas to keep out the bitter cold. Before all this happened, we would have likely been home cooking this evening, preparing for the battles ahead as we defended our village from the Prophet. Today, our door was broken and the curtain separating the rooms torn.

"Max." Beast stood in the doorway. "The Chief is ready for you."

I held my breath for most of the short walk to the center of the village. I no longer recognized this place I had once loved with the homes burned and the ground blackened. It would take so much work to rebuild.

I met with the Chief in a home that had not been razed and sat down on the ground in front of where she also sat. From her expression, I could not guess at her thoughts.

"You have carried secrets far beyond my imagination," she said.

Shame choked my throat. I nodded.

"I wish you'd trusted us enough to tell us. Though, I understand your fear for our safety, since this god threatened the safety of anyone who you told the truth to. In the end, it was your power that freed our people. You did what no one else could."

My head lowered naturally, because I could not take praise when I had not accessed my power sooner. "I should have killed the Prophet long ago before he destroyed our homes and stole our people."

"I understand why you weren't honest and why you couldn't defeat him until now. It has challenged me to see that some without power are not hungry for it like the Prophets or wicked like many demons we have encountered. You only want to protect us. So, you remain one of us, and you are free of any guilt or blame."

My eyes closed tightly to cover the dampness spreading there. The chief could have banished me for simply having power and certainly for deceiving them.

"We knew when you came to us that you had secrets. We accepted your silence and we cannot blame you for what we willingly participated in. I know that wherever your battle leads you, you will fight for us."

"Always." I opened my eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't kill the Prophet that day. I couldn't risk the child getting hurt."

"I understand. It's better this way. Once you kill the Prophet, there will be chaos. We need time to recover and prepare for the coming war."

"I want to kill him now." My voice deepened. "Piercey and his graduates voted no, but I am not bound to them. I could go to him now and finish what I started."

"Then what?" The chief tilted her head. "You'll have to kill the disciples. What about the one who takes their place?"

"I'll kill anyone who threatens this valley and my people."