Echoes

Chapter 22

Hello readers (if you happen to exist)! So I had been publishing Echoes on to another site well before Wattpad, which meant I needed to publish about 2-3 chapters a day here in order to catch up. Good news, I am caught up! Bad news, that means we're down to only one chapter a day.  Sorry if that totally bites, but it's the best I can do!

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I shut the door behind us as Shae and I retreated to the back room once more. Shae sat down at the table pushed against the wall and poured herself a glass of wine.

"Shae," I said, walking over to the table. She stared at her wineglass, silent.

"Shae," I repeated, slamming my hands on the table. The wine sloshed over the sides, spraying onto Shae's arm.

"What do you want me to say, Nisa?" She asked, wiping the drops of wine off her shoulder.

"I don't want you to say anything! I want you to take back the agreement," I shouted.

"I can't, the council has decided and it cannot be revoked" she said, shaking her head. "Nor would I want to take it back."

"Shae, you can't be serious. You can't just step down! The other councilors have no intention of stopping the Beasts, as long as they can hole themselves up in their cities. The Beasts won't be stopped, they'll just keep coming," I explained. I almost mentioned that she was the only person on the council willing to protect me, but it sounded a little conceited.

"Nisa, what I'm doing is what the people want," Shae replied, taking a sip of her wine.

"But you can't always do what the people want! Shae, you need to think about the bigger picture, what the people want may not always be what's best for them," I said.

Shae narrowed her eyes. "Well, Nisa if you know what's best for Ekota, tell me, what would you do?"

I tried to answer, but I didn't know how to respond. I stood there in silence, stumped.

"Leading is a lot harder than you may realize," Shae sighed. "Sometimes difficult choices have to be made in order to appease the masses."

I sat down at the table. "But it's not about doing what the people want, it's what they need."

"Sometimes Nisa, all we can do in order to move forward is take a few steps back. All we can do now is hope we find what we're looking for in Mount Wanea," Shae said.

I propped up my elbows and rested my chin on my hands. "So now what?"

"Now, we leave for Mount Wanea in the morning, and hope for the best. In the meantime, you should get some rest, and catch up with your companions. Make sure everyone is ready for our journey," Shae replied.

"Actually," I started, a memory tugging in my head. "I need to ask a favor."

"Yes?"

"My friend Gavie, his parents accidentally sailed into Inewei waters years ago, and have been held prisoner there since. Do you think there's any way we could help them?" I asked.

Shae bit her lip. "It's difficult to say. Even as the leader of Ekota, Inewei rarely ever makes any contact with me."

My shoulders slumped. Shae could tell from my expression that it wasn't the news I wanted to hear, or tell Gavie.

"I'll tell you this," she started. "If I'm still in charge when we return, I'll do everything I can to free his parents. I swear this."

I smiled. "Thank you."

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get at least one solid nights sleep," Shae said, standing up. "You may want to try that yourself. I'll send Sanus over tomorrow morning with fresh clothing and supplies for our trip."

I bowed my head slightly. "Goodnight, Shae."

"Goodnight, Nisa," She replied.

I slipped out of the room and made my way out of the Cathedral. The piazza was mostly empty, but I couldn't help but stare at the chunk of cobblestone piled next to the Cathedral, wincing in pain at the memory. I scampered across the square and entered our temporary home.

"Gavie!" I called, hopping out of my boots.

"Here," he replied from the couch.

"I've got good news," I said, walking over.

He lowered his eyebrows and stood up. "What?"

"I talked to Shae about your parents," I started. "And she said she'll do whatever she could to help them out."

Gavie smiled slowly. "Nisa, that's fantastic! That's-" His smile melted away.

"What?" I asked.

He shook his head and sat down on the couch.

"Gavie, what's wrong?"

"Do you think they're mad at me?" He asked.

"Who?"

"My parents," he replied.

"Gavie," I started. "Why in the world would your parents be mad at you?"

"Maybe I didn't try hard enough to get them back. I should have tried harder, I should have come to Tomaleya sooner," he said.

I put my hand on his shoulder. "Gavie you've been trying for years to get them back. They would never be mad at you. When we get them out of Inewei, they're going to be nothing but proud of who you are today."

"I never exactly told you the truth," he stated.

"What?" I asked.

"About how I ended up in Alvion. I wasn't just sailing too close, I was blown off course. I was trying to sail to Inewei," he answered.

"Gavie! What were you thinking?" I scolded.

He shrugged. "No one was helping me, Nisa. I was alone and I didn't know what else to do. That's why I was with the traders the other day, too. I wanted to find someone to take me to Inewei. And I did, but not without a catch."

I didn't say anything. I just stared at the opposite wall.

"So you're leaving tomorrow, aren't you?" I asked.

"What?"

"You're ship leaves tomorrow. That's the catch," I said.

Gavie threw up his hands in exasperation. "What would you like me to do, Nisa?"

"Gavie, I don't care what you do. This is your choice, I can't make it for you," I replied.

"I can't fight like you and Pix," he said. "What use am I to you now that you have Shae and Sanus?"

"You don't need a use, Gavie! You're our friend and we'll support your decision no matter what, but know that you are important, if not just to me, then to Pix too," I explained.

Gavie fell silent. I stood up.

"I'm going to bed. Maybe I'll see you in the morning, maybe I won't. You decide. If I don't, thank you," I said, reaching out my hand.

"For what?" Gavie asked.

"For being there," I replied. "For sticking by my side through it all."

Gavie reluctantly took my hand and shook it.

"Goodnight Gavie," I said. "And maybe goodbye."

Gavie smiled sadly. "Same to you."

I crept up the stairs, careful not to wake Pix. Goddess knows I didn't want to be the one to tell her Gavie could very well be leaving us. I crawled into bed for one last night of peace.

The next morning, I awoke to find Pix sitting in the kitchen, alone.