A barked laugh came from one of the men standing behind Bearen. Bearen spun and gave him a dangerous look. The laughter stopped and Bearen turned back to the Adepts and Council and waited patiently.
Adept Cirrus leaned over and spoke to Adept Pax. “Very well,” Cirrus went on. “You may take your seats. But be forewarned for next time that you will come in appropriate attire and be on time.”
Bearen then did the most amazing feat. He bent his large form into a deep and mocking bow. My eyes widened in awe and apparent horror at the disdain he showed to the Council Members. Walking past me to his seat, his men following close behind, Bearen caught me staring at him. Stopping abruptly, his lip lifted in an obvious attempt at another smile, but came out a sneer, before heading into his assigned box seats. My palms started to sweat as I felt his continued stare long after I looked away.
“It seems to me,” Adept Kambel said and stood up, looking over his notes, “that someone has been stolen or kidnapped or ran away from every large Clan, except for…” Dropping his parchment, Kambel stooped down and tried to pick it back up and in the process, knocked his glasses askew. Placing them back stubbornly on his nose, he looked at his parchment one last time before going on. “Except for Valdyrstal.” He looked pointedly at Bearen, who was leaning back in his chair at that moment with his large boots stretched out before him and resting on a chair in front.
“Do you have anything you would like to add?” Adept Cirrus asked.
Bearen slowly stood up, lifted one foot off of the chair and turned to address the council. His deep voice rumbled in the room. “Ay, we have only lost one child, my daughter, but unlike you, we have actually found her.” Turning his hawk-like nose and deep blue eyes toward me, his next words dragged out into eternity, searing into my memory. “Hello, Thalia.”
Chapter 30
My hands started to shake and I grabbed the banister in front of me to steady myself in case I should faint. I stared at the man across from me who seemed familiar, yet at the same time, was a stranger. The family resemblance in our hair and eyes was undeniable. The joy that I thought would surround me at the thought of finding my family turned into trepidation.
All of the Adepts stood up at once and began talking. Tydus reached over a hand and slapped me on the back, making a joke about pretending to not know the strongest clan in Calandry and then being the Clan leader’s daughter. My eyes never left Bearen, who grinned at me in triumph as he walked down into the center of the room.
“Brothers!” his deep voice rang out. “I have been looking for Thalia for months and had only recently heard rumors that my daughter had shown up in Haven. I came to the Citadel not to participate in this year’s Council Session, but to retrieve my daughter.” Pointing a finger at me, he beckoned. “Come daughter, we shall return home.” Moving toward the exit, all of Bearen’s men stood up in formation behind him.
Pax Baton’s voice roared after him, “Stop! What do you think you are doing, taking one of our students and leaving?” Pax leapt from his box and strode toward Bearen and his men.
Bearen Valdyrstal turned on him in a flash and placed one large hand on Pax’s chest as a small knife appeared in his other. “Don’t come any nearer,” Bearen spat. “You know my viewpoint on Denai and your training program. How dare you take my daughter and bring her here into this filth!” Turning, Bearen spat onto the ground. “Now she must return home and be cleansed. She doesn’t belong here with your kind; she belongs with us, her family.”
The word family brought my head up in surprise. Maybe I had brothers and sisters, a mother. The urge to follow Bearen to find my family became overbearingly strong.
Pax lifted his hands in an unthreateningly manner. “Forgive us, we did not know that she was your daughter. There are quite a few things that have happened in the last months with your daughter that you should be made aware of.”
All of the Denai in the room could take out my father if they wanted too, but Bearen kept the knife far enough away from Adept Pax to not warrant an attack. I saw that despite his anger, he did possess wisdom.
“Ay, nonetheless I will be informed. But this is a family matter. She’s underage, and must come home with me.” Pushing Pax and sheathing his knife, he looked to me. “Let’s go, Thalia.” He turned, holding out his large hand to me.