Kingdom of Sea and Stone (Crown of Coral and Pearl #2) - Mara Rutherford Page 0,71
had said no.
Ceren looked disappointed but not surprised. He rose from where he was sitting and went to answer the door. A beautiful young woman with olive skin and golden-brown curls falling to the small of her back stood in the shadows. Her green eyes instantly landed on Talin, a smile spreading across her face that seemed like sunshine itself.
Talin rose and ran to her, and she dropped to her knees to embrace him.
Ceren stood next to the doorway watching, no expression in his pale eyes. Talia rose and took Talin’s hand, leading him out of the playroom. Talin raised a hand to his half brother, but Ceren didn’t wave in return.
The door closed. A moment later, Ceren returned to the wooden practice sword, picked it up with his long, delicate fingers, and beat it against the wall until it broke in two.
When he was finished, Ceren sat down on the floor of the playroom. His cheeks were pink from the exertion of destroying the sword, and purple bruises were blooming on his arms where he’d inadvertently struck himself, but his gray eyes were just as empty as they had been before.
As the dream faded, I woke with cold tears snaking down my cheeks. I understood now why Talin had refused his brother; Ceren was so delicate that he was likely not allowed to play with the wooden swords. And he wasn’t allowed to go wherever it was Talin had gone with his mother, either.
Roan was awake and watching me. I wondered if I’d made some noise in my sleep. I wanted to get up and leave, my tears threatening to spill over, but I was afraid I’d wake the others.
“Nightmare?” Roan mouthed to me.
I nodded, because it was simpler than the truth: that what I had seen was likely one of many similar memories Ceren had from his childhood. The visions had been disturbing enough, but this was far worse. Because even after all the terrible things he had done, I had seen a small glimpse of what had shaped him, and how could I want to kill someone who had been so broken inside from such a young age?
All of my frustration from last night had turned into a sorrow so heavy I knew I had to release it. As quietly as I could, I slipped out of my bedroll and made my way to the river. Mist rolled on the surface of the water in the pre-dawn light. I sat on the same rock I’d sat on with Adriel last night and let the tears come, weeping silently as the forest began to wake around me.
At the sound of soft footsteps behind me, I whipped around, hand flying to my waist before I remembered I had left my knife under my pillow.
Roan raised his hands. “It’s just me,” he said.
I groaned and wiped my tears on my tunic. “I’m fine. I needed to be alone.”
“You don’t look fine.” He approached the rock slowly. “If this is about what I said to you last night...”
I rolled my eyes and turned away from him. “This has nothing to do with you, Roan.”
“Okay.” He sat down next to me, and I scooted as far from him as I could. “What was the nightmare about?”
“It wasn’t really a nightmare,” I said. “It was one of Ceren’s memories, and it was heartbreaking.”
“You’re sure it was a memory? Is it possible he gave you some kind of false vision?”
I shook my head. “No. I don’t know how I know, but I’m sure it was real.”
“Empathy can be overwhelming at times. I can’t imagine what it would be like to experience someone else’s painful memories like that.”
“Is that why you were so patient with Yana?” I asked. “Because you can empathize with her pain?”
“I suppose so. But I’ve also known her since I was a child, and I know she’s a good person. Even good people can do bad things when they’re suffering.”
I thought of Ceren, staring into nothing though the pain he’d caused himself had to be excruciating. “I’m worried about the queen,” I said. “Talia. I know Talin loves her and that she was a wonderful mother to him, but what if she’s not the person he remembers? In this memory, she was so callous toward Ceren. He was just a child.”
Roan nodded. “I can understand your concern.”
“It’s just...what if the person Talin is risking everything to help is no better than the person we’re trying to stop?”