White Orchids {BOOK 1 COMPLETED}

Chapter 39

According to Vrana the meeting is held in the Citadel. Yet it seems to be more of a trial. Each guardian will be present as they discuss Clover and what I've done. How Vrana will explain the mirror I don't know. He cannot tell them where I got it, not after he promised to keep it a secret. Not that I have any trust for a guardian. I never asked, I was too tired to care. Nor did I want to think of the hell I created because I couldn't shut my mouth for a second.

Once I reach the Citadel, Deer is waiting for me, the orange glow in her eye sockets move like flames. She bows slightly and take a few steps back.

"I'm here to show you the way to the meeting, Orchid," she says with a fragile voice. "The guardians are waiting for you there."

"Okay," I mumble.

Deer bows once more and limps over the glass floor. She leads me deeper into the Citadel, through the long corridors with murals.

We reach a large hall where the floor, ceiling and each wall is forest green. On the walls are seven pulpits, they're decorated with bronze symbols and shapes. Below them, gentle waves caress the platform. It's already crowded by five soul wanderers – Clover, Sun, Nine, and another one I don't recognize.

I stand next to Sun. She looks questioningly at me – it's clear she has no idea why they took us here, nor do I know why Sun and Nine are present. I had expected to only see Clover.

"Why are we here?" the unknown soul wanderer asks.

His voice is dark and commanding. He's dressed in Native American tribal clothing and carries a confidence that reminds me of the guardians.

"Sage," Couleur says and the unknown soul wanderer steps forward. "We'll explain everything, until then it's better if you let us speak. You may ask questions later."

The soul wander she called Sage takes a step back. The dark eyes don't look a tad friendlier; they won't leave his guardian.

Couleur gives Vrana a glance and nods. He lays his hand on the pulpit wall and looks down at me, like he is asking me to trust him.

"There have been some rumors that the Raven had been seen in Vert," Vrana begins.

I don't dare to look at either Clover nor Sun.

"What are you talking about?" Sun asks. "The Raven had his funeral fifty years ago."

Saturn takes a step closer and looks down at us. "The funeral you attended was nothing else but a lie to make sure there would be no uprising," Saturn says.

Sun's young face grimaces of pure betrayal; she takes a step forward and clenches her fist. "And you never planned on telling us?"

For the first time I see clear sympathy in Couleur's face, something I wasn't expecting to find in her features.

"I had no reason to tell you," Saturn says with a tone of incomprehensible wonder, "unless I'm asking you to deal with the Raven there was no point with you knowing."

"I had the right to know," she hisses between gritted teeth.

Saturn frowns slightly, yet his face remains calm. I doubt he was insulted by Sun's decision to question her guardian, yet I have a feeling he isn't taking her seriously either.

First laughs and places a hand under his chin. "See, Saturn. If you don't put them in their place, they'll forget who they're speaking to in such a disrespectful way."

Couleur scoffs and the air in the forest green hall feels suffocating. "If Saturn had warned her before the meeting took place..."

"Silence," Saturn commands and Sun takes a step back.