The Iron Butterfly (Iron Butterfly #1)(14)

A servant led us to Adept Lorna’s office and I waited outside in the outer room while Joss and Darren went into the inner office with the Adept. Half a candle mark later, the door opened and a young woman wearing a rich, velvety cloak stepped from her office and was escorted down the hallway by no fewer than five guards. I couldn’t help but stare after her wondering who she was and why she needed so many guards. Someone cleared their throat and I got my first view of Adept Lorna. She was a tall woman in her mid-forties with glowing tan skin that spoke of a life used to being outdoors. Her pointed face was surrounded by short white cropped hair and ethereal blue eyes. Her stern gaze held mine as I heard Darren and Joss discuss me.

“I really think I should be in there for this,” Joss argued.

“Joss, we discussed this before, we brought her here and agreed that we would let Adept Lorna handle this situation. You agreed to come here to finish training and that’s what you are here to do. What happens to Thalia now is out of our hands. I’m leaving for home and you need to concentrate on your training. You promised your father.” Darren gave Joss a stern look.

Joss’ jaw clenched and he looked at the Adept Lorna. “Will she be allowed to stay?”

The Adept pursed her lips and then spoke up for the first time. “That is for the Adept Council to decide. I need to hear what she has to say and then I will speak with the other Adepts and Queen Lilyana. She’s a stranger and the farther she is from the Queen the better. We will do the best we can to find her family, but Darren is right. She is out of your hands. We need to discuss this and you need not worry anymore.” Her matter of fact tone didn’t leave room for argument.

My pulse jumped at the implications that I may not stay. I had nowhere else to go and this could be the last time I would ever see Joss or Darren. I started to feel dizzy and I sucked in my breath and held it, looking between the two other people that had been my lifelines since my escape. But I had a feeling that Joss would soon insult Adept Lorna by insisting to stay for the meeting and may ruin his chances for a good start at the Citadel. I wanted what was best for him and I decided right then and there that the best did not include me. Otherwise he would spend more time worrying about me rather than his own studies. What I was about to do to him was cruel, but it needed to be done.

“I don’t need a mother, Joss, so stop acting like one!” I said in the most offhanded, snotty voice I could. I stood and walked over to the silver-paned window. “Thank you for bringing me to the Citadel and to Adept Lorna.”

He made a motion as if to interrupt me but I went on. “Your services and friendship are longer needed or desired.” I turned my back on him and gazed out into the courtyard, willing myself to not flinch or turn around. The sound of loud footsteps, followed by a heavy door slamming was indication enough that Joss had left. What surprised me more was to see that Darren had slipped out as well. I about crumpled to the ground in despair.

“Well done, girl. It seems you do have a bit of a backbone after all.” Adept Lorna walked to her inner office door, opening it for me. “That one has the chance to become great and the potential to become a High Adept if he works hard. You were right to discourage him.”

She closed the door behind me and I took in the utilitarian gray features of her office with its high, vaulted ceiling surrounded by wide windows and simple white curtains. The floor was simple tiles in muted grays, black, tan and ivory. A black desk set in the middle of her office surrounded by a no-nonsense tan rug. There were no personal touches evident in the room, but it was grand in its simplicity. The walls were bare except for the sconces to bring in more light when needed. A set of stairs at the back of the room led up to another level to Lorna’s private living apartment. Each Adept lived above their offices so they would always be close by in case of emergencies.

I sat in one of the two uncomfortable, high-backed chairs that faced her desk. She went over to a table and poured me a drink from a decanter before coming and sitting on the edge of her desk and handing it to me. This was when I noticed that she wore gray clothes that were made for a man but tailored for a woman to show off her best features. Comfy and practical, I thought. I could definitely see her riding a horse and not being encumbered with skirts, and I was slightly envious.

I took a sip and swirled it on my tongue, tasting a sweet cinnamon and honey flavor, which covered an earthier ingredient I couldn’t identify. Taking another sip I tried with great difficulty to adjust myself in the uncomfortable chair. And then I realized, she probably bought these chairs for the sole purpose of intimidating students by making them uncomfortable. I wanted to dislike her just for her choice in furniture.

Leaning forward, Lorna watched me before placing her hand on her knee and addressing me. “I’ve heard quite the story from Darren Hamden and the ever-exuberant Joss. What I would like to hear now is the story from your own mouth.”

I started to speak but felt a fuzzy feeling in my head. She listened quietly while I told her everything, even the bits I refused to tell Joss and Darren, only pausing to collect my thoughts and feelings when it became too painful to tell. Partway through I felt a faint prickling at the back of my mind. When the question and answer session was over, Lorna paused in her thoughts.

“And you have no clue to the real identity of the leader of the Septori, this Raven?” She sounded frustrated.

I shook my head.

“What about the Septori, do you know what country they were from? How many there are in total? Were there any signs that they were alleged with the King of Sinnendor?” With another negative shrug from me, she stood up and began to pace in front of her desk, a slight wear pattern evident in the tan rug showing that this was a regular occurrence. Stopping abruptly mid stride she turned and began a new set of questions.