45. Keelan

Chapter 45

Keelan

I t had taken four days of steady riding for me to make it back to the capital. I was tired, hungry, and covered in sweat and dust from the road. The last thing I wanted was to deal with the mass of people clogging the streets. I didn’t think it was a festival or market day, but who knew what days were special in the Kingdom? I reined in Dittler and picked my way carefully through the crowd.

As I passed the first handful of people, I thought an odd fear painted their eyes.

This definitely isn’t a festival crowd.

An old woman and her daughter scooted out of my way following an angry snort from Dittler. When the woman looked up, I nodded my head respectfully and asked, “What’s going on? Is there a market day today?”

The woman’s daughter tugged at her arm, urging her to ignore the large man in his dusty blue uniform—his foreign uniform— but the old woman stepped closer and stroked Dittler’s neck. The stallion allowed her touch without so much as a whinny.

“Everybody’s gathering at the Temple. The Gifted are asking the Priests for help.”

“Help? Why do the Gifted need help? Especially from the Priests?”

The woman shushed him, looking over her shoulder nervously. “Who else are they going to turn to when their Gifts are gone? The Queen can’t do nothin’ about magic. They need the Spirits now,” she whispered loudly so I could hear her atop my horse. Her daughter gave me a dark look and pulled the woman away.

I sat up straight and scanned the crowd. I had paid little attention before, but every good sense I possessed screamed for me to be on alert.

I passed another small group who were clustered around a small child who wore the Gifted gold. The girl was crying hysterically. I stopped and dismounted, then carefully made my way to the group. When they spotted my own golden collar, they parted to allow me to kneel before the girl.

“Are you all right? Don’t be afraid. I want to help if I can,” I said in as gentle a tone as I could muster.

She eyed me through wary, reddened eyes and wiped her tears with balled fists.

“I can’t hear Gretta anymore,” she managed before her sobs returned.

I waited, then gave a questioning look to the woman who held the girl.

“Gretta’s her cat. Her Gift lets her hear animal thoughts, or see their images, however it works. She’s the only one with a Gift in our family, so we don’t really understand it all.” Then she noticed my collar. “How are you being so strong without yours? All the others wearing gold are a wreck.”

I fingered my collar. I hadn’t even thought to test my own Gift.

“I am a Constable from far away, and my Gift is telling whether or not someone is being honest with me. Unlike your girl, I can’t make my Gift work; someone has to lie to me for it to trigger.” Then an idea struck. “Can you tell me something about yourself that is true, but throw in some false things? Just so I know if it’s working or not.”

The woman scrunched her nose as if smelling something rotten, then nodded. “My name is Macey Brie. I work as a weaver around the corner.” She paused, thinking. “Um . . . my girl here, Bess, takes that darn cat with her everywhere. At least she did before all this.”

I waited, but the woman remained silent.

“Well, anything?”

I cocked my head. “Are you done? I was waiting for you to tell me something false.”

She patted my arm with her weathered hand. “Son, this is my granddaughter. Her name is Jemma, and she hates that raggedy cat, even if its thoughts keep her company sometimes. Just about everything I told you was a lie, except for my name and where I work. Looks like your gold is just as tarnished as the rest of the Gifted.”

I stared at Macey.

My pulse quickened, and my breathing become shallow. I couldn’t believe what she was saying. My Gift had been my constant companion since its first manifestation. It wasn’t just some talent or learned skill—it was part of me. How could something woven into the fabric of my being simply vanish?

My legs grew numb from squatting so long, and I nearly toppled backward into Dittler.

Macey gripped my arm and helped me up.

“You might want to join those folks heading to the Temple. Maybe the Priests can help you, too.”

I shook my dazed head. “No, I need to get to the Palace.”

Without another word, I stood, mounted Dittler, and continued threading my way through the crowd.