daughter?
There’s so much I don’t know and don’t really have the capability to process when it comes to Vaughn, and I’m just not sure how to see or understand who he is to me. But as I watch Sorik interact with him, I can see who Vaughn was to Sorik, and I can understand and relate to that because of how my Chosen are with each other.
“What do you think we should do, Sorik?” I ask, my voice quiet and my eyes trained on the details of Vaughn’s face. “Do you think he can come back from whatever Adriel did to him?”
Sorik watches Vaughn for a moment and then looks at me. “I don’t know. All I do know is I’m not ready to give up yet.”
I nod and give him a small reassuring smile. Sorik knew Vaughn better than any of us did, and it makes sense to defer to him about what he thinks we should do.
“Maybe the others will know,” Sorik says offhandedly, his eyes searching Vaughn’s face for something.
“Others?” I query, not sure what he’s talking about.
Sorik stares at me expectantly for a second, and then realization dawns in his eyes. “I never got to tell you.” He slaps a palm to his forehead. “I could have sworn I said something in the cell, but I just realized that I didn’t. Do you remember when Siah and I first tracked you down to warn you?” I nod. “I told you that I was working on something to help keep you safe.”
I nod again. “Yeah, but you didn’t say what.”
“Grier used to tell us stories about what it was like where she grew up. She never told us specifics as far as the location, just that there was a city of Sentinels and they kept themselves hidden for reasons that are obvious,” he explains.
A strange feeling starts buzzing through me, and it’s an odd combination of adrenaline, anticipation, and shock.
“I never thought much about it until I saw you in the club that night. And when Faron took you, I knew then that you would only be safe in that city. So I started hunting for it. I took what I knew from Grier and combined that with what Adriel shared from when his brother became Chosen. I mapped things out and went searching.” Sorik pauses for a minute, and it’s all I can do not to shake him and make him keep going.
“I found it,” he tells me, and his tone and gaze are filled with the same shock and awe that mine are. “I didn’t know if I ever would, but I did. As soon as I saw the barrier, I knew what it protected, and I immediately turned around to go get you. I came here to let Siah know, but you were already here. That was when we came up with the plan to break you out. I was going to take you home.”
Home.
The word moves through me like a warm breeze, and I try to reach out and touch it, but it flutters just out of reach. I’m not the last, I tell myself, and the words feel hopeful on my tongue, but my chest is heavy with uncertainty and nervous hesitation. I lean into Siah and he wraps an arm around me as I bringing my shocked gaze back to Sorik’s.
“Holy shit,” I finally squeak out, and an understanding smile breaks out over his face.
“You, of course, don’t have to go now that Adriel isn’t a threat to you, but if you want to, I’d be honored to show you the way.”
I activate the runes on my ring finger, and Siah jerks a little from the jolt it gives him. I shoot him an apologetic smile and realize we need to start working with him right away on his runes. In less than a minute, I’m surrounded by the rest of my Chosen. They loom over us, looking at me and my still shocked face, and wait patiently to be filled in on whatever is going on. I clear my throat and look up at each of them.
“If everyone is cool with it, I’d like to leave first thing tomorrow and follow Sorik to the city of Sentinels that he found.”
Their faces light up with surprise and they look from me to Sorik and back. There’s a moment of pause, and then emotion makes my chest tight as they swallow down the millions of questions I see in their eyes and each of them voice a resounding, “We’ll follow you anywhere.”
The End of Book 3