Free Sinjin by H. P. Mallory Page A

about her all-mighty prophetess. Mercedes is very powerful. It’s better to have her on your side, than not. That’s for sure.
    Well, no one in this room is on my side, I reminded her.
    Jolie didn’t answer me but, instead, she turned to face Rand. I wasn’t sure if she planned to introduce him to me as well. Although he and I had never been formally presented to one another, I’d come into contact with him more than a handful of times so it seemed like introducing him would be a waste of time. Before my sister said anything, however, she was interrupted by a timid knock on the door.
    Mercedes approached the door and opened it , revealing a very old woman. “I apologize for my tardiness,” the old woman announced in a soft, high-pitched tone. Her gaze settled on Jolie after she smiled at Mercedes.
    “I am sure you had a good reason, Mathilda,” Jolie replied with a beaming grin that made it apparent she was very happy to see the old woman.
    The woman smiled lovingly at Jolie, almost the way a mother would look at her child. When her attention shifted to me, that same loving expression remained in her eyes. It was such a contrast to the suspicious and angry expressions I’d received from almost everyone else in the room, that it threw me for a moment or two.
    “Bryn,” the woman said. Her voice sounded like church bells ringing or the soft plucking of a harp. The way she said my name instantly put me at ease; although moments later, I was right back on edge again.
    You shouldn’t feel comfortable here! I railed at myself. You’re an outsider, you don’t belong here! You are surrounded by your sworn enemies, stupid!
    The old woman scrutinized me as if she knew me, and the knowing expression in her eyes was very unsettling. “Who are you?” I asked while experiencing incredibly strong feelings of déjà vu. The feelings perplexed me because I’d never seen this woman before. 
    “This is Mathilda,” Jolie answered. “Mathilda is of fae lineage and one of several people responsible for teaching me everything I know.” Jolie turned to Rand then and smiled at him affectionately, as if to say he was another person responsible for helping her hone her superior skills. He smiled back at her as he ran his fingers down the side of her cheek while I tried not to gag. I wasn’t accustomed to public displays of affection. In our training camps, any sign of outward affection was strictly prohibited and punished.
    I focused on the old woman again. She was very old, but strangely enough, very beautiful too. I sensed that the way I saw her wasn’t really how she appeared—well, not to everyone anyway. As a sensitive, I had no problem reading people easily—as long as their walls were down, and most of them were. With this woman, however, there was a trace of façade that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I didn’t know whether it was a feeling she was sending me, or just an opinion I’d formed on my own. One thing I could see, however, was the enormous amount of magic that flowed through her. It surrounded her in a whitish halo.
    Her eyes grasped mine and wouldn’t let go. They were faded green in color, but great depths of power emanated from them. Her hair cascaded about her small frame in silver waves that reached all the way down to her knees.
    “You are the spitting image of your sister,” the old woman said as she reached for my hand. Still feeling awestruck by her, I didn’t even flinch when she touched me. Instead, I allowed her to hold my hand between her much smaller ones. Instantly, a feeling of warmth and calm overtook me. “Welcome home, child.” She looked at me as if she’d known me my whole life.
    “This isn’t my home,” I said as soon as I remembered myself and my hostile surroundings. I pulled my hand away, but the old woman continued to smile at me, as if I hadn’t offended her in the least.
    “You have the courage of your mother and the will of your father,” she said softly.
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