accolades he has received from any mortal. The Oni is mentioned as being among the souls — Garren is Ereubinian — he cannot be the Oni, for the soul of his lineage was sold for power. Have you forgotten the history of these things?'
Michael cocked his head sideways. 'Have you forgotten the wounds inflicted upon my sister as she slept?'
As Michael said this, Jareth raised his head, having been staring at the floor. 'What happened to your sister?'
'Ariana's been seeing visions of Garren. In a dream this afternoon, she was scathed by Moriors, her back ravaged with claw marks. It took Jenner to pull her from its hold on her.'
Michael gave his words a moment to sink in before he continued. 'Though the realm of man has begun to diminish, we are not free from our duty and obligation to be its steward. Keeping this in mind, we're of no use to them if we place ourselves in peril.'
Jenner objected, as Michael had expected. 'My Lord, the divide has never failed us. You must have faith in its hold. And while Ariana and Riedar's injuries are cause for concern, they hardly constitute bringing all of Adoria into open warfare with Eidolon.'
Michael flexed his wings. 'Duncan, are you willing to reunite your men?' He'd hoped to hear his father's closest friend come to his aid, but even Duncan, it seemed, had lost the will.
'I've tired of the human realm. They've done little in response to all that we have lost for their sake. Jenner's right; the divide has never failed us. No matter if Garren is the Oni or not, let Man save himself.' Duncan sighed. 'The Braeden can't aid you in this, whether you make it a matter of obedience or not.'
'The elders,' Jenner said, 'would do everything allowed by law to prevent such a command. We cannot allow Adoria to wane in the shadow of Eidolon. Lead your own as you see fit, but we will send for our brethren still in Middengard to return home and a mandatory severance between the worlds will be decreed. For all others, we shall leave the permission to cross over to your discretion alone.'
Jenner had risen from his seat and now faced Michael, one hand on his shoulder. Michael was stunned and by the look on his face, Jenner knew it. The council had clearly discussed this — without his presence.
Jareth came to Michael's side, looking his own father in the eye. 'I'll stand beside you, regardless of Elder rule.'
'I'm at the mercy of our Elders. The last thing this kingdom needs is division among its citizens.' Michael paused, reining in his disappointment. 'We have nothing left to discuss here.'
Duncan followed him into the hall. 'Don't be angry with me Michael. If you only understood…'
Michael stopped but didn't bother turning around. Regret dripped from Duncan's words, but it made no difference. 'When the human realm ceases to exist, I would think your kind would mourn it most, and yet you fail it first. What else is there to understand?'
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Garren had been awake for several hours and lay staring at his ceiling, images of the girl running through his mind. He couldn't quite summon anger, his apprehension continuing from the night before. He rubbed his arm tenderly; the red marks had almost dissipated. He should have killed her when he had the chance and yet, as the words formed in his head, he felt sick, his stomach knotting at the thought. He ran his hands through his hair.
'Enough,' he murmured, rising from his bed to dress. When he'd finished, he made his way to the sanctuary.
It was empty. Black stones laid on the floors and walls. The cherry wood pews were inlaid with intricate white stone designs. The walls bore several large stained glass windows depicting scenes from when Ciara first entered Middengard. A likeness of Saint Erebus knelt in front of a large white dragon. When Ciara was shown in that form, her body was outlined in bright silver, her scales iridescent.
Garren began to whisper prayers as he approached the altar and knelt, feverishly reciting as many verses from the sacred epistles as he could. Suddenly, he jerked his head up. It had been a test. He looked around at the various depictions of Ciara, some human, some animal, and felt regret wash over him. He'd failed her. That had to be what was tormenting him.
He lay completely prostrate before the altar and was perfectly still, chanting a prayer of repentance. But while he'd started the prayer with conviction, he began to doubt his assumption more and more with every word that passed his lips. If she were indeed Ciara, it would certainly explain his affinity for her, but how could she have expected him to kill her? A picture briefly crossed his mind of his mouth touching hers and he recoiled. He squeezed his eyes tighter and tried to refocus himself. Trial or not, he'd failed both the Laionai and the Goddess by having mercy on an Adorian.
Did she not know she was Adorian?
It made no difference whether she'd been abandoned in the world of man or not, Garren argued with himself. Adorian blood still flowed through her veins.
I love but her and her alone. The words weighed as stones in his head. He could still see Tadraem's face as he'd said them.
'And what, my Lord, are you repentant of?'
Garren didn't move, convinced that he'd fallen so deep into his mind as to audibly hear his thoughts, until Tadraem stepped close enough to nudge him with the toe of his boot.
'I have been watching you pray in this manner for over two hours now.'
'Has it been that long? I didn't see you when I came in.'
Tadraem sat in one of the pews beside Garren. 'I was in the back, you wouldn't have noticed me. You needn't suffer in silence, Garren, I have no need to compete for your position. I've waited many years to be High Priest. Whatever burden you are carrying is not yours to carry alone.'
Garren raised himself from the ground and sat with his legs stretched out in front of him, his back against the end of the opposite pew.
'I have committed a sin,' Garren said, watching Tadraem's expression darken. He lowered his head and took a deep breath before continuing. 'The girl you saw me pursue into the woods in Palingard wasn't human. I had my sword in the air, no opposition, and yet I couldn't strike her. I heard the Moriors coming and left her in hiding. I released her, Tadraem — an Adorian.'
Tadraem was still for a time. 'An Adorian female in Middengard is unlikely. How do you know she was not human?'
Garren looked up from the floor. 'I couldn't take her soul. The only other possibility is that the Goddess was testing me.'
Tadraem shook his head. 'She would not have done so. Your reputation alone speaks for itself. The girl could have had a spell of protection about her, though I've never met an Adorian with such privilege. If she was of noble blood, perhaps?'
Garren furrowed his brows in disbelief.
Tadraem continued. 'There are legends of Adorians who have such powers. I cannot say for certain, but considering their secrecy, it wouldn't be unimaginable. If a female had been allowed to enter Middengard, it would seem reasonable. I can't imagine why she would have been there, though, particularly considering the Adorians were aware of our advances on Palingard. Anyway, the spell could not have been strong enough to make the girl invincible, but it would have been enough to affect your judgment.'
Garren wondered if it had been prudent to speak with Tadraem at all. Something felt wrong about the High Priest's reaction, though he couldn't say what. He decided it would be unwise to divulge that she'd continued to plague him.
'Did my father ever speak like this to you?' Garren knew as soon as he'd asked that he shouldn't have.
'Why do you ask?'
'You spoke of my mother once, years ago. That you knew her well — '
