Free The Broken Kingdom by Sarah Chapman Page A

better. But if you prefer, I can try.’
    ‘Let me,’ Aerlid said from where he had
gone, further up the beach. He approached them now that Riley had
left. ‘You’ll fix it wonky.’
    Vann watched him approach, suspicion in his
eyes.
    ‘I am here.’ Adila said. ‘You may not trust
him, and that is fair. But I am here.’
    Vann remained silent. The pain was intense.
He let Aerlid do what he could. After a few moments, Aerlid leant
back.
    Vann sighed in relief. He felt his nose, it
was right again. He went to wash his face in the ocean.
    And then he waited out on the beach, mostly
alone. Riley was with the gemengs, Zap Zap was gone. Aerlid and
Adila were further away.
    He didn’t mind. Riley was alive, and that
was enough.

 

    Chapter 16
    E veryone else had gone
now, they were alone.
    Adila gazed at Aerlid with pity. ‘You used
something to carry Seta and Onsa around between hosts. Where is
it?’
    ‘Just Seta, Adila. I only meant to save
Seta.’ But he pulled something from the neck of his shirt. It was a
necklace with a clear sphere hanging from it.
    Adila took it. She gazed at it for a moment.
Then she sung one word. It disappeared, faded away into the
sunlight. ‘Those other children, Aerlid, did you try this with them
as well?’
    Aerlid nodded. A flash of despair passed
across his face. ‘I tried so many times. Babies, pregnant women, it
never worked.’
    ‘What happened to them?’
    ‘I thought someone young would be better,
then she wouldn’t have to fight with the original owner of the
body. But Seta was so angry at being in a body that could barely
move. And I couldn’t explain to her in between. They all went mad,
none lived past a year.’ He spoke almost calmly, as if eager to
explain himself and prove that he had been right. Only a trembling
of his voice, the shaking of his hands, indicated anything was
wrong.
    ‘And the Queen’s daughter? When you offered
to look after her, take her somewhere she would not be an outcast?
When is it you did this to her?’
    ‘I waited, Adila. I waited til she was about
six. I thought that would be old enough, and she was part valkar,
none of the others had any valkar in them. She was very calm, I
hoped her mind would be a peaceful place for Seta to recover. She
never suffered, never showed any sign there was anyone but herself
there.’
    ‘She suffers now. And who knows what damage
could have been done, damage you never noticed?’
    ‘Seta, Onsa, both, have been dormant,
sleeping. They never harmed her. No, if she had not been so gravely
injured, or perhaps dying, when the mountain fell, they might never
have surfaced. They saved her life, Adila. Seta kept her body
alive, got her out of the mountain.’
    Adila’s eyes narrowed. ‘That does not redeem
you.’
    ‘I know I have done wrong, I know that. But
I had to save Seta first, bring her back. I didn’t kill her, Adila,
I didn’t .’ he was starting to sound panicky. He stopped
talking for a moment, calmed himself down. ‘I had to fix that
first. I don’t care what Seta does now, as long as she lives, as
long as I have undone what I did. I can fix everything else…
later.’ He wiped his hands over his eyes. ‘But my first debt is to
her.’
    Adila shook her head. The other children
were long dead now, for centuries. That could never be fixed. ‘Rose
will judge you.’ she said.
    ‘You know, I am not the only one at fault
here.’ his voice hardened. ‘Everyone was so eager to get rid of
Riley. You all knew where I was, but not once did anyone come to
check up on her. To make sure she was happy, or even alive!
Rilodana doesn’t even know her! She could have come visited, Adila.
And so could you. How can you claim to care about her now?’
    ‘You cannot put the blame for this on
Rilodana. She barely knows her own name.’ Anger flashed in Adila’s
eyes. ‘You took advantage of our discomfort around humans, around
mixed. You took advantage of my trust of you, Aerlid. I must bear
the blame for