“As long as Ethan is with me I’ll be fine, even if Alistair is there.” I stood and rumpled his ears before following Ethan’s footsteps, trying to block out Theron’s whining.
We reached the main hall and headed toward the lounge where everyone had gathered. I could see why Theron refused to venture inside when a stifling feeling pressed on me and made both my locket and my head throb. I pulled off the sopping boots in the entranceway and quietly hoped they’d get a chance to dry before I next came to use them. Ethan turned the door handle and entered with me close on his heels, to find everybody standing around in blank confusion. I felt sick.
“What’s happened?” he asked. It seemed every one of his muscles were tense against the suffocating atmosphere.
All eyes were suddenly focussed on us in the doorway. The sight of Alistair was enough to make my blood run cold and I took a step back. “Get away,” he called out to Ethan.
“Alistair, calm-”
“Get away from her,” he snarled. “She’s not who you think she is.”
My stomach dropped.
“I don’t understand what you’re saying.” Ethan put an arm out, shielding me in case Alistair lost his patience and decided to attack.
“You don’t need to understand,” Alistair growled.
“I’m not moving until someone tells me what is going on.” Ethan bared his teeth and his nails extended.
“Please,” Ric started. The rage that burned through the others failed to touch him or Lavender, but Alistair and Willow shared a similar look of betrayal.
“Let me enlighten you.” Daniel strode toward us. “The little bitch has been keeping secrets from us.”
“Daniel says that Ava isn’t Gnathian,” Lavender said, “that she’s one of us.”
“How could that be possible? Have you seen her try to fight?” Ethan laughed at the insinuation and I scowled at him.
“Not at the moment she doesn’t seem it, but back then-” Daniel caught himself. “At the House of Adrian something was amiss, yes?”
“The Berserkers ambushed us. It was a trap-”
“I wasn’t talking about them. Ava could see things we couldn’t see, in fact, why do the Berserkers care about one Gnathian at all?” he said, pacing closer.
“Gabriel is intent on revenge. Stephan doesn’t like losing-”
Daniel stopped, tapping his chin. “Gabriel wants revenge for his eye, yes. But why would the others come after her? Stephan doesn’t care about Gabriel’s pride or his losses. Stephan cares only about his own endeavours. He’s not proud enough to put together an army and send fighters to kill one Gnathian girl for just any reason.”
“How would you know that?” I pushed bravely. I didn’t like his face.
“We all know that,” Daniel yelled, “it’s common knowledge.” He turned his attention back to Ethan. “My point is: why does Stephan want her so badly?” Ethan had no answer. “In the crypt she came to the conclusion that Terra was alive but she couldn’t tell me where. We all know Stephan’s sister was Lady Catriona, Adrian’s wife, and Stephan’s niece-”
“Daniel,” Ethan said impatiently. “Are you giving me a history lesson or do you have a point?”
“There’s only one thing that Stephan wants more than anything in the world,” Daniel’s eyes rested on me. “To find his niece and complete his revenge.”
Ethan turned and looked at me then, his fingers touching the unearthly necklace that hung around my neck, and the information sunk in. “Terra?”
I shook my head. “No,” I said. “I’m Ava.” I’d decided to reject the information not long after learning it. The past was the past. In the present I was Gnathian: I had no strength, no otherworldly qualities; my eyes were brown.
Ethan backed away from me, shy in disbelief. “You knew?”
“I only saw what Catriona showed me. I’m not one of you. My heart beats faster; I’m weak; my injuries don’t heal as fast as yours. Gehn, I grew up in Wetherdon, my mother’s name was Millie and my father is called Richard.” It seemed I was trying to convince myself of my origins, never mind the others.
“Do you remember the first few years of your life?” Daniel asked.
“Nobody does, not clearly.” I shook my head.
“But your parents told you stories of when you were little right? About what kind of baby you were and marked off your height on the doorframes? What about the song you were never allowed to sing? Has anybody wondered why it sounded so familiar?” The others waited for his response. “That lullaby, Miah’s ballad, I’ve no doubt Ava knows every word of it since Catriona was a White Witch and a priestess.”
My head swam. The pieces of jumbled memories were sliding into place and suddenly things were starting to make sense. But they couldn’t make sense.
“And your dreams and ‘visions’ – those aren’t normal gifts for Gnathians to have, even with mixed blood,” Daniel said, grabbing my arm tightly. “What disturbs me most of all is how convenient it is for Stephan’s niece to suddenly appear on our doorstep; the Berserkers’ greatest threats. What better position is there for spying on the enemy? How would anyone suspect the poor, defenceless child when the Berserkers are so intent on capturing her?”
I blinked back tears as he squeezed my forearm hard enough to shatter the bones beneath if he wanted to, but inside a fire raged in my belly. I didn’t like his face. “I’d say you’ve done this before,” I accused. Fight fire with fire. He squeezed my arm again and I yelped, collapsing to my knees.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” he whispered. I glared at him; at that ugly red eye.
“We should have killed her a long time ago.” Alistair took a dangerous step forward but Ric blocked his path.
“No,” he growled, “even if she is a Berserker spy it’d be one more life wasted in this endless battle. What threat is she to us when she can barely stand?”
“Then cast her out and let her find her own way home,” Alistair said.
“That sounds reasonable.” Daniel smiled.
“No.” Willow flicked her hand at me. “Put her in the cell. She won’t be going anywhere until we get all the information we need. We’ll discuss this in a manner that suits our cause.”
Daniel wrenched me up to my feet and let go, smiling as he did so. Nobody agreed, nobody disagreed, and only Ric moved to retrieve my dagger and escort me to the chamber below. I clutched my sore arm to my chest. I was too numb to fight. My body continued to ache but I was angry. There was no reassurance from him as we walked, clearly he had little idea of what the outcome of the discussion would be, but when he locked the shackles around my wrists and ankles he left them loose enough for me to slip my hands free.