Free Fleeing Fate by Anya Richards Page B

the beings
around me—both human and the higher races—the love and anger, pain, fear and
kindness, all the various emotions they displayed. I even thought, on occasion,
I felt an echo of something within myself that vaguely matched what I saw.”
    “And you wanted to feel more.”
    It wasn’t a question, but she was compelled to answer, for
there was far more to it than that. Her earlier vow came to her, and it seemed
to encapsulate everything. “I wanted to be free.”
    He drew back slightly, tipped her chin up. “You said that
before. What do you want to be free from?”
    There was a hint of skepticism in his question, and her
anger stirred.
    “You said you’d never met a banshee. Did you wonder why?
It’s because we’re not allowed to go wherever we want, do anything not
prescribed by the Council. We live together when not on assignment, but never
develop friendships or outside interests because we feel nothing, care about
nothing. What other race is denied the ability to feel, told where to live,
segregated from all others?”
    Eyebrows lowered, gaze sharp, Jakuta searched her face,
although what he hoped to find, she couldn’t guess. “Perhaps it’s a way to
protect you from what you see?”
    She shook her head, silently willing him to believe her. “It
doesn’t make sense. Even the reapers are free to come and go as they wish,
develop relationships, have a life outside of their work. They have feelings,
and a job of importance. We’re not dangerous, our job is obsolete, but we’ve
been denied what all others, even the humans, take for granted. The more I
thought about it, the more I wanted to know the veracity of the lore. Were we
really created this way and, if so, why? And was there a way to be free of this
endless, emotionless cycle?”
    Understanding dawned, and his fingers tightened slightly on
her chin. “The rune. You found a rune that would give you back emotions.”
    “Yes.” Excitement made her suddenly want to laugh. “Little by
little I began to notice more, things I never saw before, because I didn’t care
enough to see them. There were areas of the council hall that were always
locked, although never guarded, for none of us were ever curious about
anything. Over the space of years, each time I returned to the hall, I would
carefully search a little at a time, not wanting anyone to notice anything
untoward. And then one night I found a small room, more heavily secured than
any other, even warded against other races. Inside was a wall fitted with
drawers—rows and rows of them. But I felt drawn to only one and, when I opened
it, there was the runestone. Once I saw it, I knew I had to have it, find a way
to keep it forever.”
    The thrill of that moment came back to her, heightened and
distinct, and she gave in to a moment of wild laughter. Jakuta’s eyes narrowed,
but he said nothing and finally she went on. “The longer I was there, the more
sensations flooded me, and I knew I’d found what I was looking for. But
something told me I had to find a way to take its power into me to truly be
free. With research I found out only the one who had created the rune could
bestow its power on another. But I also discovered rune magic can be applied to
the skin during tattooing, although it can be hazardous if the sigil is
incompatible to the spirit of the being tattooed. I don’t know who created the
rune, so I decided to try tattooing instead.”
    “Sweetness.” His voice was gentle, but there was steel in
his eyes. “You stole the rune? Don’t you know what can happen to you?”
    Of course she knew the penalty for theft of magical items,
considered the gravest of crimes, but didn’t care.
    “I’d give up my personal freedom for the ability to feel, to
experience every emotion, no matter how painful.”
    “Are you sure? Don’t you remember what happened earlier?”
Jakuta touched the side of her head, as though to remind her of how she’d
reacted to the slew of memories. “Even