Chapter Fourteen

“Syrvena. It’s time to get up.”

Ven opened her eyes to find herself back in her old bedroom in the inn. It was dark, save the glow of the lamps in the hallway outside pouring through the door. A man darkened the hallway, his form backlit so that he was nothing but a man-shaped shadow in the doorway. Ven sat up, transfixed. Something about this man was instinctively familiar, and though she was too young to remember him well, she knew who he was without a second thought.

“Father?”

The man in the doorway walked into the room and placed his hands on her shoulders, the dark void of his face now a foot from hers.

“Wake up, Ven.” He said.

“Why are you here? Where have you been?” She asked.

“You’re not dead.” He said. “Now wake up.”

“But I don’t wan-”

Ven jerked awake to the feeling of someone slapping her hard across the face. She stared up into the impassive eyes of Master Eujin, who leaned back to give her space.

“Ah good, there you are.” He said as she scowled at him. “I was starting to worry that you were going to stay stuck in there a while.”

She rubbed her cheek and took a look around her surroundings. They were sitting on the bed in their room in the inn, though how she got back here she had no collection of. Glancing down at her clothes, she found herself in a clean pair of trousers and a clean tunic, and not the dark ones she normally wore. Realizing the implications of what that meant, she flushed crimson as she looked up at him with an accusing expression.

“What, you wanted to just stay covered in blood? Don’t look at me like that. I’m not the one who changed you. The innkeeper’s wife agreed to help me once she saw the state you were in. The clothes belonged to her son.” He said.

“I...how…” Ven started, trying to piece together what exactly had happened to her. “How did i get back here?”

“I was already getting up to come check on you when I heard the screams. By the time I got to you, Kassadin and his son were dead and you were hugging yourself in the grass, staring blank-eyed into the void. Not sure how badly you were hurt, I called for help and carried you back. You’ve been out for hours, staring up at the ceiling, even while you were changed and the poor woman tried to feed you soup. Once she and many of the others who found out what happened recognized that you were a young girl, they assumed the two Krins had planned the worst, and you protected yourself from them.” Master Eujin said, his voice having the tone you would talk about the weather with. As he spoke, the memories of what she’d done began to pour back in, and she felt herself growing cold and light-headed again.

“I… I killed them….” She said.

“You protected yourself against men trying to kill you. Nothing more.” He replied.

“But I didn’t… I didn’t want to. I just... didn’t want to die....” Ven said, wrapping her arms around herself again. She tried to look at Master Eujin, but for some reason, seeing another person made her feel so much worse, so she stared down at the patterned blanket on the bed instead.

“Ven. Look at me.” Eujin said. When she shook her head, he reached out and lifted up her chin with his thumb and forefinger.

Ven’s gaze met his, and the look she found there was unnerving. She had expected him to look hard and cold, probably to show her just how she was supposed to be, but he wasn’t. His eyes were soft and sad, and the concern there cut her to the core.

“What you did is the hardest thing any man or woman will ever have to do. Most people, when faced with their death, will choose to die rather than do whatever it takes to live. You didn’t. The pain of making that choice is cruel, and it takes something from us every time we make it. But you are not evil for saving yourself, and you are not evil for stopping those who would harm you from harming anyone else.” He said.

Ven could feel tears bubble up and flow down her cheeks, but couldn’t say anything in response. He gently let go of her face, and ran a hand across her hair.

“You did well, Ven. It is okay to feel guilt, disgust, and sadness. Those will always come until you learn to no longer need them. Feel the hurts you need to feel. But do not feel shame for what you have done. There is nothing wrong with you for having done it.” He said.

Ven hung her head and sobbed. Without even meaning to, she leaned into him, and to her surprise he placed an arm around her. They sat in silence for a long time, until she finally felt composed enough to sit back and wipe her eyes.

“Sorry.” She said.

“Don’t apologize for being human, kid.” Master Eujin said. “Enjoy it while you still have it.”

He stood and walked over to the window and pushed open one of the shutters to let in the night. He stared out into the darkness for a long moment before he spoke again.

“Tonight you managed to survive an ambush and single-handledly kill two talented Shikari almost unscathed.” He said. “That is not an easy feat, even for a skilled fighter. I need you to tell me what happened. Do not leave anything out. Every detail is of the utmost importance. Do you understand?”

Ven drew in a deep breath.

“Okay.”

She described how they grabbed her, what they said, and how they attacked. Then she told him about being stabbed, and the Names she saw, the commands she gave. She described how it felt, and what she did. She had to stop a couple times as she tried to tell him about how she dealt with the son. For some reason every time she tried something in her just shut down and kept her from saying it aloud. When she finished she fell silent, and that silence hung in the air for an uncomfortably long time before Master Eujin spoke again.

“I need you to think very carefully, Ven. Were you seen by anyone but those two when you were doing this, even if for just a moment? I need you to be absolutely certain.”

Ven shook her head.

“I saw no one, and no one saw me. I am absolutely certain.” She said.

“Good. That makes things simple. If your abilities had been observed by anyone else, they would need to be silenced. Word about these sorts of things travels fast, and quickly draws the wrong kind of attention from the worst kinds of people.” Eujin said, turning away from the window.

“What even happened to me? I still don’t really understand. It just… happened.” Ven said.

Eujin walked to her bag and pulled the dagger from her bag. As soon as he did so, the golden text of its Name faded into view above its hilt.

“Can you see the Name of this dagger?” He asked.

Ven nodded.

“Alright. Show me. Remove it from its sheath and balance it point-first in the palm of my hand.” He said, holding out his gloved hand, palm up.

Ven swallowed hard, and commanded the knife to do as he asked. It pulled smoothly from its sheath before drifting lightly into the air and balancing onto his palm, twisting gently in place as it rested there. Eujin stared at the rotating blade, his brow furrowed and his eyes wide with intensity.

“What does it mean? Does this make me one of the Sa’Cari things you talked about before?” She asked.

“It means three things, Ven.” He said finally as he watched the knife. “First, you are a Sa’Cari. Second, what you have shown me can never be shown to another person whom you do not intend to kill or trust absolutely. You must keep this secret tight, and never share it but under the most serious of circumstances. Third, as of this moment, you are now my ward in perpetuity. Everything I know, you will know. Everything I can do, you will do. And when fate sees fit to be done with me, you will carry my blade after.”

With a lightning-fast jerk of his hand, he pulled his palm out from underneath the point and caught the flat of the blade with his fingers before offering its handle to her.

“Now, get some sleep, kid. You’ve got a tough life ahead of you.”

- END OF PART 1 -