I wait, for what, I’m not sure. An earthquake? Lightning? A rush of wind through the trees?
None of those things happen.
Sophia sits very still, her brows knitted in a frown. She looks like she’s meditating, but after a few minutes of silence, she opens her eyes. “She isn’t responding to my questions.”
“Are you sure?”
I glance at Eldaren. He’s looking at Sophia very intently. “What is she saying?”
Sophia ducks her head, shoulders hunched. “She sounds distressed. Her attention is elsewhere right now.”
“Fyit,” Eldaren swears. “Tell her it’s important. Surely she wouldn’t ignore the gaia.”
Sophia rubs the back of her neck, looking rueful. “Well, I mean, I’m not that important. I’m just one human in a sea of many.”
“All humans are important to some degree or another,” Eldaren says, but he sounds distracted. “Try again.”
Sophia nods and closes her eyes.
We wait. Again.
I try to stifle my impatience by surveying the forest clearing. There isn’t anything about it that makes it seem more special than anywhere else we’ve been on the island. Maybe it had less to do with the place and more to do with Sophia herself.
That’s when I see him.
Bren is settled in a tree at the edge of the glade, looking down at Eldaren with nothing that could be called anything less than open hostility. I don’t see any magic, but power emanates from him, I’m so sure of it. I can feel it.
“Uh, Eldaren—”
“Shh.” Eldaren silences me, swiping his hand in the air for emphasis.
“But—”
“Shh,” he says again, glaring at me. “Sophia is concentrating.”
I roll my eyes in exasperation. Chills skitter up my spine when I look back and see Bren is looking straight at me, a smirk tugging at his lips, his pale blue eyes narrowed chips of ice. He could be a statue, he’s so still, but the young man has shown me he can be quicker than thought when he chooses.
I stare back, hoping Eldaren will get the message, but judging the lack of reaction from him, his attention is squarely on Sophia. Drat.
Get him away.
I blink, startled. Did Bren just speak to me?
You’re not very good at this yet, are you? Bren’s mouth twists, looking more like a sneer, now. He’s not good for Sophia.
He’s using telepathy or something. Can he understand me if I just speak back to him in my head?
Sophia seems to like him well enough, I think.
I put out the thought as a test, and the smile is gone. Bren’s lips peel back in a silent snarl. Stars, he can read my mind.
Fear prickles my arms, and I rub them briskly. I risk a look at Eldaren. He’s staring at the gaia like his eternal soul depends on it.
Talk to me. Bren’s voice presses on my mind. I can’t read your thoughts unless you’re talking to me, specifically.
Why are you doing this? I ask. How is it possible?
He arches an eyebrow, and the smirk is back. Because of what I’ve become. And because of what you are.
I stare flatly back. Give it to me straight, Bren.
He’s remained in the tree, crouched in the branches. That’s hardly fun, though, is it? Tell you what. Get Eldaren off the island by tomorrow morning, and I’ll tell you what you are. My word is my bond. Usually.
Squinting up at him, I feel unease creeping over me. How could you do that? I’d have to go with him.
I’m not confined to this island, Stella. Get him off, or I’ll have to. And you’ll be left in the dark about your past.
I bite the inside of my cheek. Eldaren is stubborn. There’s no way he’ll leave. And Bren is probably full of nonsense.
But what if he’s not? What if there’s something in my past that I can’t remember? Something that could change everything?
Sophia stirs and opens her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she says, her voice meek. “She’s not telling me.”
“Were you able to communicate with her?” Eldaren asks eagerly.
Sophia shrugs a shoulder. “Sort of. She sounded distracted. Sorry, she gets that way, sometimes.”
Eldaren is disappointed—he has to be—but he nods. “It’s all right. Why don’t we try again tomorrow?”
Sophia nods. “Okay.” She stands and brushes the dirt off her skirt. “It’s hard to tell with Eema,” she continues. “Sometimes she’s chatty, and sometimes she’s distracted and won’t even talk to me. It depends on the day and her mood.”
“I see,” Eldaren says, in a way that makes him sound like he doesn’t see at all. “We shall try again.”
“Are you ready to talk to me?” I say.
Eldaren blinks. “Of course,” he says. “I always enjoy talking with you, Stella.”
I huff and point upward. “I was trying to tell you about—”
Of course, Bren isn’t there anymore. How frustrating.
“Is something wrong?” Eldaren asks hesitantly.
“It’s fine,” I huff. “Let’s go home. I’m tired and hungry.”
“Ah, yes,” Eldaren nods. “Women do get contrary when they’re hungry.”
I’m tempted to fling a handful of dirt at his face, but settle for storming out of the glade.
Eldaren catches up to me in a moment. “I said something that offended you.”
“Bren was here,” I say.
“What?” Eldaren sounds startled. “When?”
“When Sofia was trying to talk to the planet.”
“Why didn’t you say something?” The shock in his voice is evident.
“Did you really just say that?” I fling at him. “You shushed me twice!”
“Sophia needed to concentrate,” Eldaren says.
I throw my hands up.
“Bren?” Sophia interrupts the conversation. “If you’re worried about him, he’s fine. He’s a friend.”
I swallow my frustration. “I’m going back to the Ranger’s Inn,” I say. “Why don’t you drop Sophia off at the clan?”
“I can’t leave you here in the woods alone,” Eldaren protests.
I walk away, fear and frustration tightening my chest. What was Bren talking about? Why is Eldaren acting weird? Why am I getting hostile vibes from the gaia, of all people? It’s been a very confusing day, and it’s not even dinner time. I’m ready for bed. Eldaren can scrounge up his own stupid dinner for once.
“Uh, I’m okay,” Sophia calls, uncertainty in
