Blood-Bound [ Lore of Penrua: Book I ]

51

Mhera stood in front of the council house door, her heart cold in her chest. She was trying to work up the courage to knock. A sense of terrible urgency had brought her to this point, but she still did not know whether she should tell Matei or not.

Before she could decide whether to knock, the door opened. Sashta came out, moving almost at a run. Mhera took several steps back to avoid being knocked over.

The woman jerked to a stop and took in Mhera at a glance. Her expression was cool. "Mhera, isn't it?"

"Is Matei inside?"

"Aye, he is. He's busy."

She hesitated, still torn between the two choices, but the words came out before she could stop them. "Please ... I need to speak with him."

"It can wait. Move. I'm wanted elsewhere."

"It can't wait. It's important. It's urgent. Please."

Sashta looked Mhera up and down, hands on her hips. Finally she frowned and turned back into the longhouse, pushing open the door enough to lean inside. "Matei! Your pet is out here. Says she needs to speak with you." A pause. "Aye, so I said, but she says it's important. Up to you."

The rebel woman let the door fall closed and pushed past Mhera, making her way to the main road. Mhera ignored the rude shove she had received. She turned back toward the council house, hoping he would come—and also hoping he would not.

The door opened abruptly. Matei stood there, one hand braced against the door frame. He looked angry. "Mhera, I gave you the last word on the matter," he said. "Go, and leave me to my work."

"It's not that, Matei, I promise it isn't." To her own ears, Mhera's voice was little more than a whisper. The last thing in the world she wanted to do was tell him what she had Seen. And yet she felt increasingly certain that she must.

Something on Mhera's face must have given him pause. He stood up straight and dropped his hand, raising his brows. "What, then?"

"Please ... I just need a few moments of your time. It's very important."

"We can talk here."

Mhera bit her lip, feeling small, feeling like a child. If she must confess, she must, but she could not do it here where she would be overheard. "Matei ... please."

Irritated, the rebel sighed. "Fine. Wait." He turned back into the longhouse and the door fell shut behind him with a snap. A moment later he came back out, making an impatient gesture: Lead on.

Mhera did not know where to go, so she simply walked forward, on through the houses and the outbuildings and the busy people until she came to the edge of the settlement. It took several minutes, and all the while she could sense Matei scowling at the back of her head.

Finally, they were at the edge of the trees. Mhera stood there, looking up at the swaying branches so far above her. She remembered the vision of smoke curling through the branches and breathed a sigh.

"Mhera, I haven't the time to take a pleasant stroll through the wood," Matei said.

She turned to look at him. He stood with his arms crossed, watching her expectantly. Now that they were here, she did not know how to begin. She opened her mouth, but had nothing ready to say; she closed it again, looking away and trying to force her scattered thoughts into some semblance of order.

"Your hands are shaking," Matei observed. His tone was gentler. "Mhera ... did someone say something to you? Hurt you?"

Mhera looked down at her hands. He was right; they were trembling. She folded them together, wondering how he could ask her such a thing. How could he be blind to how much he had hurt her himself? "No."