Relive

Brant

So uh, everyone begged for this so here it is. I lost the draft of this five. times. I have rewritten this five. times. Now I'm publishing what I wrote without proofreading lol, sorry.

"You look beautiful," Grady said as knocked on her door.

She smiled. "You don't look too bad yourself."

"Thanks. But I truly hate these things." He pulled at his green velvet cloak as he stepped into her room. "Whoever decided we should wear capes was an idiot."

Sophie nodded her head in complete agreement. She could feel her heart inching its way up her throat. The night before was spent panicking over her visit with Brant. Keefe wanted to attack him right then and there. After countless hours of going back and forth, it was settled that Biana would follow behind them. She could then scope out the place and see if they could find anything that could possibly stop Brant's future actions.

"I guess we should probably get going. I've already informed Sandor that he's not coming with us—"

"He's not?" Sophie had forgotten that only he's could visit these sacred grounds.

"Only elves are allowed near the Wanderlings. Even the Councillors leave their bodyguards behind. So he's agreed to entrust you to our care for the next few hours."

"He couldn't... he couldn't come to Brant's could he?" She asked, hoping for a small possibility of him saying yes.

"Sophie, you will be fine. We will protect you. You usually never want Sandor with you. What's up?" Grady kneeled down so that they would be more level.

Sophie shook her head. "It's no big deal."

"Okay," he headed for the door, obviously doubting her words.

"Where's Edaline?" she asked, changing the subject.

Shadows seeped into his features, and he closed his eyes a second longer than a blink.

"Oh. I'll get her," Sophie offered.

Grady didn't protest as she moved past him and headed down the curved staircase to the second floor. She made her way over to her adoptive parents' room.

Edaline didn't say a word as Sophie crossed the soft carpet and sat next to her on the edge of the canopied bed.

"Grady and I are ready whenever you are." Sophie's voice echoed through the silent room.

When Edaline nodded slowly, Sophie could tell it was going to be a hard day

———

Nothing was more quiet than the Wanderling Woods.

It was the same as she remembered, full of beautiful trees that represented markings for the elves whom had passed.

Grady led Sophie to the nearest tree, which resembled that of a weeping willow—if weeping willows had red leaves and bloomed with thousands of tiny purple flowers.

"Each Wanderling's seed is coiled with a single hair from the one who's been lost," he explained. "When it sprouts, it absorbs their DNA, taking on some of the attributes of the life they now share. Letting the lost live on."

She reached for Grady's and Edaline's hands.

They held on tight and moved slowly down the path, their glassy eyes staring straight ahead. The path twisted through the quiet forest, leading them through patches of shadow and light until they rounded a large bend and entered a small sunlit clearing.

A lump formed in Sophie's throat.

Elevated on a small hill and silhouetted against the sky was a fragile-looking tree with pale bark, dark green leaves, and slender limbs that fanned out toward the sun. Soft yellow leaves draped off the end of each bough like Spanish moss, making the tree elegant and wispy. And large blossoms the exact same blue as Edaline's eyes blanketed the branches, filling the air with a scent like honey and berries and sugar.

The graceful tree blocked the early afternoon sun as they approached. Sophie couldn't take her eyes off the inscription on the white stone marking the grave.

Jolie Lucine Ruewen

It was equally as hard as the previous visit to see Jolie's tree.

Though she had never visited Jolie personally, the way her adoptive parents talked about her made her seem wonderful. Sophie wished she was still alive.

Her mind wandered as Edaline poured some liquid onto the ground. If Jolie hadn't died, would she have been adopted by the Vackers? It seemed weird to think about, considering she previously had a huge crush on Fitz.

A gleaming from the tree caught Sophie's eye. It wasn't long before she released it was the charm that was planted by the Black Swan. How they knew she was there was beyond her.

So she stood there, pretending to admire the tree before discretely slipping the Black Swan's charm into her pocket.

Some things had to remain a secret.

———

Standing in front of the bleak house, Sophie knew Biana was waiting somewhere nearby, she just didn't know where.

It got pretty rough last time.

"Brant's afraid of fire now, as I'm sure you can understand," Grady said quietly. He pointed to the square, windowless stone structure in front of them looked more like it belonged to a human. A poor, reclusive human, with ugly taste in houses.

"Brant's sanity cracked during the fire. Watching the house burn, knowing Jolie was inside, knowing he couldn't save her—it was too much." Grady's voice vanished for a second and he had to swallow to bring it back. "The trauma and guilt broke part of him. He's not completely catatonic, like someone whose sanity is shattered. But reading Brant's mind is extremely dangerous. Promise me you will not open your mind to his thoughts."

"I promise."

She watched Grady squeeze Edaline's hand before pulling the chain that released a chiming sound.

The silence swallowed them and Sophie stayed still for an eternity. She didn't even flinch when she noticed Biana behind a tree near the house.

But when the door moved an inch, she felt her breath hitch.

"Come in."