Golden

Chapter Thirty-Four

Chapter Thirty-Four

            I only open my eyes when I feel the familiarity of hardwood underneath my boots. Kia’s white walls greet me, to which I smile in relief. “We made it,” I breathe.

            Daneth enters the living room we stand in, his mouth filled once more with chips. “You made it!” he exclaims, pieces of food crumbling past his lips.

            We all unlink arms and Kia immediately moves to sit on the couch, her head in her hands. “I can’t believe we did it,” she mutters. “That was so intense.”

            “Well this is all fine and dandy but does someone want to explain why you broke us out?” Atticus speaks up, sitting casually on one of the couches.

            I sit beside Kia, Quinn moving to take his place beside me. The other three sit down as well, waiting expectantly. I open my mouth to speak, but Quinn places his hand on my leg with a smile. “I will explain – I think Kia would like a word with you,” he nods over my shoulder.

            I turn to see that Kia has stood and is beckoning for me to follow her. I glance at the four we have just rescued and then at Quinn. “Don’t take long; we must leave soon,” I tell him before following Kia out of the living room.

            She leads me into a kitchen of sorts, furnished with appliances that I am unfamiliar with. A small wooden table sits to the right of the room, where Kia sits. I take a seat across from her and fold my hands in front of me.

            She leans forward with weary eyes, “I’m gonna take you up on your offer to come with you,” she says.

            I grimace; that is exactly what I had not wanted to hear. “My offer is no longer standing,” I tell her. “You are not ready for the life that lies ahead of us; you must stay here. Perhaps later in the future, you may come. However, you are too young at the moment and you are not prepared.”

            Her eyes narrow and she purses her lips defiantly. “I can make my own decisions. Just because I wasn’t able to slit someone’s throat doesn’t mean I can’t kill someone. Besides, I highly doubt that I’ll be able to continue running after what we just did, so either I come with you or I die because I sure as hell am not letting myself be tested on by those animals.”

            I meet her unfaltering gaze. Her ability to know everything that is happening is incredibly useful. Penella was not able to know everything that happened on Valsea, and so she needed to constantly be reported to. Kia could be our eyes and ears in the new Valsea – she would not need to be exposed to any danger. She could reside in the new Hall, in a room created specifically for her needs.

            “I remember when you were a teenager,” Kia suddenly says, her words startling me. “And when your abilities starting showing; I remember that too. I was seven when I found out about you.”

            I stare at her, astounded. “You knew who I was back then?” Why had she never told me this?

            She chuckles, “of course. I knew you were Penella’s daughter as soon as I took notice of you. Can you imagine? Being seven years old and having to worry that a goddess is in need of her daughter.” She shakes her head with a smile, “I knew what I had to do; who do you think gave Adrian the car to run you over?” My jaw slackens of their own accord.

        “It belonged to my parents,” she continues. “They thought someone had stolen it when really, I had tracked Adrian down and brought him to my house to get the car. Just picture it – a little girl telling a grown man that she has a car he can use to run over another girl. Thinking back on it now; it’s pretty hilarious.”