Several hours later, I made it to my destination. I knocked on the door. The woman who answered seemed surprised, but once she realized who I was, she grinned and hugged me.
“I’m so glad you came back. We were hoping you’d find your way back to us.”
“Thank you. Can I come in?”
“Yes, the seeker is always welcome. His highness will be so glad that you’ve returned. I’m Mika.”
It was late, so the Institute was quiet, almost deathly quiet. The faint scent of incense hung in the air. I was beginning to suspect that it was an ever-present smell, not that I minded. It was a soothing smell and I felt myself relaxing.
“We made a room ready for you in the hopes that you’d return to us,” said Mika.
Not sure if that was touching or just creepy. They sure took responsibility over seekers seriously.
“Here you are. Someone will be by in the morning to bring you to breakfast and to His Highness.”
“Thanks.”
She shut the door and left me to my thoughts. Muffin sniffed around the room before jumping up and settling on the bed. He sprawled out in the middle of the bed, taking up most of it.
“Just make yourself comfy buddy. It’s not like I need to sleep on that.”
I put my bag under my pillow. I wanted it was close by in case I needed to make a quick escape. I kicked off my boots and crawled into bed with my clothes on. I needed to be “run ready,” should these cult creeps decide to harass me or attempt to harm me.
I pushed Muffin over to his side of the bed but, he moved back towards me until he was draped over me even intertwining his legs with mine. Obviously, the mutt had no concept of personal space.
I fell asleep with Muffin’s comforting warmth against me.
25
Muffin’s growl vibrating through me and the soft knock that followed brought me completely out of my dreams.
“Marty are you awake?” said a woman from the other side of the door.
“If I wasn’t, then I wouldn’t be talking now.”
“May I come in?”
“Sure, but if you value your well-being, then you’ll have coffee with you.”
When the door didn’t open, I snickered. Guess, she needed to get the coffee. I didn’t expect her to take me seriously.
By the time I’d showered and brushed my teeth, there was knocking at my door once more.
I yanked the door open and the woman smartly stayed silent this time. She merely held out the coffee mug as a peace offering. They were certainly hospitable here. And just like that my mood sunk. What would Miles do when I didn’t show up for training? He knew I couldn’t access my magic, but I still broke our agreement by not showing up at today’s training session.
The woman was quiet, her gaze focused on the ground. She nervously shifted her weight from side to side. Muffin was at ease, so he didn’t detect any threats from her.
I sipped my coffee carefully to keep my disrupters covered by my sleeves. The warmth of the Institute was going to be super uncomfortable as the day wore on. Already, a trickle of sweat was making its way down my spine.
With most of my coffee drank, I studied the woman before me. She was of a mixed descent with gorgeous caramel-colored skin and thick, shiny hair. Her eyes were a pale green and I couldn’t help, but be a little envious of.
How long would I be here with my life on hold? Would Sterling wonder what happened to me? Would Lochlan? Thinking about those two hurt. I already missed the handsome fae and I felt raw from Sterling’s betrayal. I wanted to hit something until my hands were a bloody pulp or rail to the heavens about the unfairness of it. Neither of those things would do any good. If I couldn’t save myself, at the very least, I’d figure out what this cult was up to and save Emma Lynn and her family.
I cleared my throat and my escort looked at me before she turning her eyes downwards once again.
“My name is Isa. I’m to escort you to His Highness.”
“By all means, show me the way.”
The path she took was familiar from my previous visit. People moved around us. Some flashed welcoming smiles and others reached out to pat my shoulders or touch me. While that might comfort to most people, it certainly wasn’t to me. By the time we got to Jarl’s door, I was as prickly as a hedgehog and ready to smack the next person who dared to invade my personal space and touch me without permission.
Isa knocked on the door and carefully opened it. She bent at the waist towards Jarl and then ushered Muffin and me inside. The deference they showed Jarl was out of proportion to anything I’d seen other religious leaders get. Even the Sisterhood’s Lead Seer, Cassandra, wasn’t treated like this.
Once we were inside, she scampered away, closing the door on her way out. Jarl’s eyes met mine, searching and with a semi-smile on his face.
What was he looking for? Weren’t they hell-bent on having me stay? Did he want to question me about returning?
“I’m glad to see you back with us, but I am surprised at how quickly you returned to us.”
“So am I?”
“Care to share why the change of heart?”
“Is that a requirement to join?”
“No, not necessarily, but I’d like to understand why you made the choice. You seemed pretty adamant that you wouldn’t be back.”
If I wasn’t so pissed and hurt, I’d be annoyed with his semi-inquisition.
“I didn’t feel right when I left.” That much was true. The funny thing about being a convincing liar is that it required including elements of the truth.
“And, I couldn’t stop thinking about what I saw and heard here.”
Jarl was happy with that response. He got up and hugged
