The Cleansing (Book One: The Folara Chronicles)

005: Rion

Light  from the glowing stone illuminated the expression of the Minion facing Kara, and from her vantage point inside the rock face of Sentinel, she could see that his eyes burned bright blue within. A piercing intensity emanated from them as he began to stealthily move toward the place where Kara was concealed.

"Could it be that you are overzealous to prove yourself? Seeing as he has so recently told you he is your father?"

"He is not my father!"

Crevan eyed the other Minion with raised brows. "You may not claim him, but he made it clear he claims you."

"It is a little-known fact of biology, and you will do well to keep it to yourself." This may have been said with some threat, but Crevan just laughed and moved on down the hallway. "Anyway, Crevan, it may be that he wants revenge not just for the exile, but for Taan taking his woman as well!"

"Taking his woman? What do you mean?" Both Minions were slowly moving toward Kara's hiding place.

The first one ran his hand along the rock wall feeling for a fissure. Kara shrank back automatically, even though she felt a fury she'd never known, having them so close to her.

"The Queen, you know. Taan's Queen was Quildor's woman once, before the war. What was her name?"

Kara felt her heart clench, her shoulders tremble. They were casually talking about her own mother! The thought of them speaking her name burned like a brand inside her. How dare they?

"Ondrea, wasn't it? Wasn't she one of their Council Ladies?"

"Young, and beautiful, I'd wager, else how would Quildor fall for her? She chose Taan then?"

"I suspect it had something to do with who held the most power. Taan, being the oldest son stood to inherit all of it. And the sister, Belakane, she married into the royalty on Carrigah, didn't she?"

"What is this, a history lesson? Why should I care?" Crevan's voice was too sharp, too irritated. Kara began to suspect there was a purpose in their conversation other than idle chit chat. But she couldn't bring herself to move away.

The first Minion shrugged. "It was rumored that Ondrea died giving birth just a year or two after the war."

Both Minions stopped before they reached the light from the outer tunnel, and turned resting against the living stone. Crevan's voice was curious now. "You're saying she died giving birth to a daughter?"

"A daughter would be about the right age now to be a Searcher if she so chose."

Kara felt a quiver of fear. They were piecing together a viable bit of information. They didn't understand why Quildor would keep Jerrika alive and unassimilated, in their words "intact". But if she were royalty, the Princess of Aquaria, Taan's own daughter, she would be a very valuable hostage.

For one unsteady moment, she wanted to hold her breath, all her warrior training telling her to jump out and fight them. She'd never been this close to a Minion before, but without a doubt, the 'two little Searchers' he'd been talking about, were herself and Jerrika.

"Adara, the witch, would know her, wouldn't she?"

"I don't think she was still there when the war ended. She defected to our side before the land battle and the exile. She wouldn't have seen the child. But she may have known Ondrea."

"You said you felt they had unusual power. What kind of unusual power? Power similar to Adara's?" The dark haired one had turned to face the tunnel from whence Kara had come, and she could see that his eyes glowed with the same intense blue as his "brother".