CHAPTER 67
REASON
Kiethara breathed in deeply and looked up at the sky.
She was standing in the middle of her clearing. One hand was placed upon the pommel of her sword, the other on her vine belt, which was empty. Her waist long brown hair fluttered in a warm breeze; a breeze, for once, that was natural, and not caused by fear. No, far from fear, there was a rich sense of peace dancing in the air. Her navy blue eyes looked up at the cloudless sky, unclouded themselves.
It was as though the other day had just been a dream. It was as though Gandador had not even returned to the forest all those months ago. She did not even have a mark on her skin to prove his existence. Not even a scar.
All of this serenity—her bodiless clearing, unscathed skin—was due to Navadar. She would have felt that the last year or so had not occurred at all if it were not for his presence. If she had not met him, all that time ago, she would not be standing here with nothing to do but enjoy the forest around her. If it were not for him saving her life for the umpteenth time, there would be no forest to enjoy.
After she had killed Gandador, she had collapsed. She would have continued onto oblivion, slowly but surely, if Navadar had not been there, if he had not had the strength and wits about him to grab her last remaining potion. He had poured it all over her in his desperation to revive her, pouring it in her wounds, in her mouth, and on her perfectly fine skin as well. The result of that potion on scar tissue, evidently, was skin as smooth and as flawless as a small child’s. She had not known this until now, until the end, but somehow that seemed to fit. She could get rid of everything at once. And she had.
Camella, thank goodness, was all right as well. She had only been knocked out and not seriously wounded. She was sleeping on the banks on the guardian’s lake, next to Navadar. Kiethara had not had the heart to wake them.
She herself had woken up inside the lake. She supposed—her memory was fuzzy on the finer points—that Navadar had put her in after using the potion. Too right he had, for she had had no magic left. It really made her think…back to when the forest had caught on fire. That day had certainly caused a lot of damage, but that might not have been the only thing it caused. Aaron had trusted Navadar after that. She had learned then how to put out a fire, a skill she had used more than once in the final battle. And because of it, Navadar had known to put her in the lake.
Her own adage resounded in her ears. Did it apply to everything, though? Why had Markii died?
She already knew that answer. Seeing that, coupled with seeing Navadar about to receive his own death blow, had been just enough to send her over the edge. The magical burst had been everything Aaron had warned her about and more. It had been a surge of power she had needed, though, to end things.
And that was why Tinya had been there, all this time. It might be a stretch, but perhaps that was why the poor girl had died. To help another guardian, to bring her back to herself before she could destroy more than just her enemies. In the end, it had been Tinya who protected the forest. She had been given the opportunity that she had been denied all those years ago.
But why had the blast only killed Sinsenta, and not Gandador? Why did she have to have the feeling of murder on her hands? Righteous murder, one might call it, but murder all the same. She would never forget the feeling of her sword plunging into him…
Yet she felt like she had accomplished her duty to Aaron. It felt as though she had avenged him. Aaron had said, a long time ago, that he would have never asked her to commit such a crime; however, she was glad he had. It was her gift to him. So maybe that was why.
Thud, thud, thud. She smiled as she felt Navadar approach her from behind. His arm snaked around her waist as his chin rested on her shoulder.
“Are you okay?” he whispered in her ear.
“Perfect,” she said, not bothering to look away from the sky. “Everything is perfect.”
Everything was perfect, because, well—
Everything happened for a reason.
Acknowledgements
It quickly became obvious to me, as I began writing Kiethara’s story, that her legend was one that I had craved since I was a little girl. As I grew, the idea of her grew with me. Kiethara is strong. She is confident. She is dedicated. She is trustworthy. She has a concrete sense of right and wrong. She is passionate. These characteristics are inspired by her position of power; in my world, however, they were inspired by people. I would like to take this time to thank a few of them.
My good friend and daily inspiration, Kira Chang, is stong. She never fails to step in when I finally admit that I need help (the cover of this book would not be nearly as magical without her) and always sticks fast to the course that she lays out for herself. She has given me the confidence I need to pursue my dreams, a task that is made especially easier knowing that she is in my corner.
Robyn Mooney, my cross country and life coach, is dedicated. She inspired me to be dedicated to my sport, to my health, and to the things that made me happy. No matter what the weather holds—take that both metaphorically and figuratively—she is the reason I go the extra mile. I thank her for that, as well as the edits she provided me for this second book.
My good friend Jody Masch is trustworthy. Many people promise to read a book, but she went above and beyond what I asked from her and helped Kiethara’s story grow. Kiethara had to protect a great deal with no immediate reward in sight; I have never seen anyone graciously help other as well as Jody does.
While I’m being so open, I have to acknowledge the fact that this book may not have been without my brother, Chris. Anytime I became frustrated or suffered from a severe case of writer’s block, he was the one I would go to and scream ideas at for a good hour or two until something stuck. There were not many people I trusted to talk to while I was developing this story, but Chris has always had a true sense of right and wrong, and I knew he would never betray my ideas to someone else.
Emily, my fated twin, taught me to be passionate. There is no act, big or small, that she does without passion. WhenI felt defeated, or angry, she is always there to remind me that no dream should ever be dismissed in the face of adversity.
Anyone who has reviewed this series online, anyone who has read it, anyone who loves Kiethara as much as I do…thank you for giving my story a chance.
Of course, the glory of it all is to God.
About the Author
Kelly Napoli is still working towards her Evironmental Engineering degree at the University of Florida, with a minor in English in sight. Between the demands of a student, an author, and an active member of her sorority, she finds time to dream up new book ideas while training for her fourth half-marathon and first marathon. She does not plan to quit writing any time soon—whether Kiethara’s legend continues or not will be up to the readers.
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