Undestined: Fight your Fate

Chapter 12: Blood Magic, Pt. 2

*Quick note: I made a small change to the preceding part. I had originally said that besides Silay's friends there were several strangers sitting at the table. Now there is just one woman and an older man, besides her friends*

 Before Silay could reply, one of the strangers, the woman stood up. 

“Before we jump into things, I’m sure you’re all tired. Please, sit down and have something to eat.” She spread out her hands, indicating the table, which Silay just now realized was covered with food. 

“Thank you.” Silay, Riya, and Talis joined their friends at the table. 

The woman smiled. “I’m Olivia Laternae, the Superintendent here in Griffin. As Edo said, there is much we need to tell you. But there is no reason we cannot eat first. The news is the kind that can wait, and is probably best not heard while hungry.”

Silay considered pushing the matter, but when she saw everyone else was already piling his or her plates with food, decided she was hungrier than she was curious. Platters passed around the table, and Silay helped herself to bread, fish, and roasted vegetables. “Thank you, again. Everything looks delicious.”

The others nodded in agreement. Riya passed another platter of vegetables to Silay. “What is this room used for? It’s rather unusual.” 

Silay looked around. Riya was right. The wood-paneled room stretched the length of the building downstairs, but was only a quarter of its width. 

Olivia laughed. “I suppose it is. Too small to be a dance hall, too narrow to hold court or a conference. I don’t think many towns have a space like this. We use it for smaller, private gatherings, but that are still continued legal affairs. Like weddings or,” she looked around at the group, “meetings that are better kept secret.”

Riya swallowed the bite of roll in her mouth. “With words like that, I think I would like to know what it is you have to tell us.”

“This.” Edo passed a piece of parchment to her. “I honestly don’t know if I should be horrified or amused.”

Riya glanced at the parchment and nearly choked on her bread as she started to laugh. “Here, Silay. It seems you and Talis are continuing Dagrosa’s tradition of producing famous people.”

Silay took the sheet and blinked in surprise. She looked at Jarlen. “Can they do this?”

“That,” he commented drily, “is rather a moot point, seeing as they have already done it.”

Silay looked at the parchment again. Looking back at her were sketches of herself, Talis, Riya, Jarlen, and yes, even of the yellow donkey. Beneath the sketches was a text proclaiming them enemies of Ohicink and offering a reward for their delivery to Sojan. “I meant, do they have this kind of authority? Declaring us enemies of Ohicink.”

“Sojan likes to think it does.” It was Olivia who answered.

“Some might say the same about Griffin,” Edo retorted.

“Some might.” Olivia nodded. “But they would be wrong.” Edo opened his mouth to reply, but Olivia held up a hand. “This is not the time to open old wounds. I would be happy to address your concerns, but first, there is something else I need to show you all.” She held up another sheet of parchment paper.

“What is it?” Amata’s voice was quiet. 

“It’s a letter from Sojan that arrived just before you did. We haven’t opened it yet.”

Jarlen held out his hand and Olivia passed the letter to him. He turned it over and investigated the imprinted wax on the back. “That is certainly Sojan’s seal.” He passed the letter on to Edo.

The young magician brought his right index finger a few inches from the seal, an Silay saw a spark jump from his finger to the wax. “It’s genuine. And it hasn’t been opened,” he confirmed. He turned to Jarlen. “Would you read it?” Jarlen nodded and took the letter back. Breaking open the seal, he unfolded the paper, cleared his throat, and began to read.

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Sorry for the late, short post. I have a lot written, but not edited. Look for more in a few days :)

In the meantime...What do you think the letter says?