On Wicked Ground (Solsti Prophecy Book 4) (8 page)

“So, did you get a hold of your dad?” Ashina’s tone was light and casual, but the glance she flicked at Alina was full of curiosity.

“Yep. He’s worried, but I told him I’m fine. I told him I was here.”

Ashina handed her a glass. “Can I ask you about your parents?”

“Um, sure. But it’s just me and my dad. I never had a mom.” She took a long sip.

The healer’s face looked stricken for a second, then the look passed. “Oh. I’m sorry.”

Alina shrugged but eyed the other woman warily, wondering what was up with her. “It’s okay. I was adopted.”

“Oh.” Shoulders sagging, Ashina sank into a chair next to the bed.

“Are you okay?”

Ashina swallowed. “Can I speak frankly with you?”

“Is this about me and my dad?” Warning bells rang in her head. Maybe Caine had told them about her pickpocketing and cloaking after all. Did they care? Would they keep her here against her will?

“No, just about you.”

“Um, okay.” Alina chewed the inside of her cheek. She didn’t have to tell the whole truth, just enough to keep her and her dad safe.

“Are you familiar with the legend of the Solsti?”

What?
Alina froze. Whatever she had thought the healer would say, it wasn’t that. Cold panic spread through her arms. She tried to act nonchalant. “Well, yeah. Everyone knows that story.”

“Yes, everyone does.” Ashina paused and pressed her lips together. “Rumors have been circulating that the Solsti have returned. Have you heard this?”

Thump. Thump. Thump
. Alina’s heart crashed against her ribs like a giant wrecking ball. “Yes.” That was true. She’d just overheard some chatter at the party she’d worked last week.

“Okay, good.” Ashina let out a breath, seeming relieved. “So, the rumors we’ve been hearing are that there are only three, although the legend tells of four.”

The thumping of her heart turned into violent slams that made it hard to breathe. The ice rattled in her glass from the trembling of her hand. “Yes, I heard that too.”
One is missing
.

“This may sound crazy…” Ashina took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’ve met the three.”

“What?” Alina shrieked. She gaped at the woman, unable to kick start her thoughts into logical words. “No. You have? Wait. I mean, how—”

“I know it must sound insane.” Ashina’s eyes radiated calm and absolute certainty.

Excitement lit up her heart like a firework at the thought that this woman might have the answers she’d been searching for. Alina paused and studied the healer’s body language. It seemed she had a lot more to say, but was weighing each sentence before speaking, gauging Alina’s reaction. “Where are they?”

“On Earth.” Ashina leaned forward. “They’re sisters.”

“Sisters,” Alina whispered. Time seemed to freeze as her mouth formed the two syllables that created a storm of hope and longing in her heart, so intense it was beyond words.
Thump, thump.
Her heart kept up its thundering as if it could pound words out of her deepest emotions.

“They only recently realized their destiny. They were raised on Earth, by humans, so they didn’t know Torth or its creatures existed.”

They didn’t know?
Alina blinked, letting the thought digest. She’d grown up hearing the stories. It was one of the most common folklore tales in the realm, and the idea of not hearing it was as foreign as the idea of only one moon. But if they hadn’t known, then they wouldn’t know to look for their counterpart. The fourth one. “What abilities do they have?”

“They have affinity with air, water, and fire.”

Prickles ran down the back of her neck.
Not earth
. “How did they figure it out?”

“Two of them ran into a Watcher one night, in their home town. He realized they were different, and their Elder discerned their lineage.”

“Ran into a Watcher? I’m guessing there’s more to that story.” Alina took a slow drink, knowing she needed it but barely able to register its cool slide down her throat.

“Yes, a lot more. But I’ll let them tell you.”

“Them? They’re here? You said they were on Earth.” Alina couldn’t suppress another jaw drop.

“Not here at the moment, but between you and me, I think they’ll come soon.”

“Why?”

Ashina held her gaze. “To meet you.”

“Me?” Alina squeaked. “Why?”

“Have you ever noticed any abilities you couldn’t explain?”

Alina closed her eyes and drew a shaking breath.
Yes
. But she couldn’t bring herself to say that one little three-letter word. “Am I in some kind of trouble?”

“No, not at all. But there’s something you need to know.”

Trepidation screeched in her mind as she stared at the other woman. “What?”

“The three are my blood. They’re the children of the daughter I had with Raniero.”

The children of her daughter…Alina blinked as she grasped a larger piece of the puzzle. “You-you’re their
hota?”

“Yes. And I couldn’t be more proud of them.” Ashina’s face lit with love. “But, my daughter gave birth to four daughters. The fourth one was born with a heart defect and died when she was very small.”

“D-Died? I’m so sorry.” Alina felt like she was having an out of body experience. Did that mean that she wasn’t a Solsti? Had something else moved the ground to get her out of that ravine? Her skin tingled. Something about this was making her very soul scream, like she wanted to run a marathon, climb a mountain, and absorb every detail about this healer and the Solsti at the same time.

“Elders have confirmed that all four Solsti exist, so we’ve all been wondering who she is. And where she is.” Ashina set her glass down and twisted her hands together. “When I touched each of them, I felt a connection. Like a strong, loving bond, not like the one I share with Raniero, but more of a family, relatives-through-thick-and-thin type of thing.”

Alina waited, riveted, knowing there was more. “And?”

“And,” Ashina took a deep breath, “I felt that same bond when I touched you tonight.”

“Oh my god—” Anticipation shot like a lightning bolt up her spine.
Is it me?

“And, the fourth daughter’s name was Alina.”

“What?”
Alina sat upright and covered her mouth with her hands, rocking forward. Her breath wouldn’t come fast enough, her lungs felt too small.
Oh my gods, oh my gods. How can this be? How had this happened?
It repeated like a mantra.
How?
“But-but,” she gulped, unable to get enough air. “Y-you said the fourth sister died.”

“That’s what the girls said. They even have her death certificate.” Ashina swallowed. “But we knew the fourth was out there, somewhere. What we didn’t know was exactly who she was. If maybe the girls had a distant relative they didn’t know about, or if…” She paused and shook her head. “It was a big mystery.”

“And you think I’m…” Alina’s voice cracked.

Yet she knew the answer, didn’t she.

I am the fourth
.

I died?

“I don’t just think it,” Ashina leaned forward. “I
feel
it. I’m certain.”

The women in the mirror are really my sisters?
Receiving confirmation of her family was what she had longed for, but with it came the confirmation of her true nature. The weight of reality, delivered with such certainty, settled heavily on her shoulders.

Solsti. Legend. Power.
She’d carried the kernel of possibility of who she might truly be, hardly daring to speak of it, and now it exploded into something far more vast than she could’ve dreamed.

The memory rushed back of being trapped in a ravine, wedged under a tree and boulders…which she had somehow moved with the power of her mind. That’s when the questions had started, incessantly. And that’s why she had been compelled to look in that mirror. Which was why she was here right now. “Th-this is too much. I don’t know what to say.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t know any other way to say this.” Ashina’s voice sounded like it was coming from far away. “If it makes you feel better, I know the girls will be dying to meet you. They’re sweet, caring, and tough.”

“I-I need a minute. Or maybe longer.” Alina dropped her hands and lay back down. Her muscles were sapped of all strength. “I don’t believe this.”
I do, but I don’t
.

“Neither do I,” Ashina murmured. “I can’t believe you just…came through the door.”

“I-I don’t know what to say.” A hundred thoughts, memories, and possibilities zipped through Alina’s mind.
I have family. I have a purpose.

“The girls all said they felt the connection too—it wasn’t just on my end. Would you…would you mind if I held your hand, and you can see if you feel it too?”

“Um…” Alina bit her lip. “Will it hurt?”

“No. My enhanced powers are in the healing arts—they can’t harm anyone.”

“Okay.” Alina turned her head toward the healer.
Why not?
Ever since Mulvari’s party, her life had spiraled from one heart-stopping situation to the next. Holding this woman’s hand couldn’t be any weirder than anything else she’d gone through.

Ashina wrapped her smooth fingers around Alina’s. Instantly, Alina felt warm, soothing reassurance that resonated to her very soul. Like the woman was a source of guidance and comfort. Loving and accepting, like she’d known her all her life. Her lips parted. “I feel it. Oh, my gods.”

Ashina smiled, her wide eyes brimming with tears. “My
khali.”

Alina sat up and Ashina leaned in to embrace her. Though hugging her felt like home, more questions hammered at Alina’s mind. What about Sebastian? And how did this all happen? “I have so many questions,” she mumbled into Ashina’s shoulder.

“Me too.” Ashina stroked her hair. “But we’ll do our best to figure it out. Between me, the witch staff, your sisters, and your dad, I hope we can put the pieces together.” She pulled back and grabbed a tissue. “Can your dad come here? I’d like to talk to him. I don’t even know where you guys live.”

“Oh, um, we move around a lot.” Alina bit her lip. What would her newfound grandmother think of her being a thief? Would the Watchers punish him for teaching a Solsti to live a life of crime? “I’d like to talk to him first, before he—that is—
if
he comes here.” She glanced around. “I don’t even know the coordinates for this place.”

“Not many do. The only civilians that come in are escorted by Watchers.”

“That might freak him out.”
I know that will freak him out.

“I understand. But he would be escorted, not harmed.”

“I’ll talk to him.” Alina looked down at her clothing. She still wore her heeled boots, leather pants, and bustier, which were all covered in grime. Her arms too, and her fingernails looked like she’d been digging in the dirt. “Is there anywhere I can shower?”

“Sure, right through that door.” Ashina pointed to the right side of the room. “I’ll bring you some clean clothes.” She disappeared, and Alina climbed off the table. She walked to the bathroom, and flipped on the light. It was a basic hospital bathroom. Tile floor and shower…wait. She had to crane her neck to see the showerhead. Wow. Then again, Watchers were all so tall, it made sense for the showerhead to be eight feet off the ground.

“Here you go. I hope something in here fits. We don’t usually have patients at all, let alone ones as petite as you.” Ashina set the clothes on a chair.

“Thank you.”

“Give a yell when you’re done. I can get you some food or whatever you want.” Ashina backed out of the room and closed the door.

Alone, Alina stared at her pale reflection in the bathroom mirror. She looked as filthy as Caine, except for the left side of her forehead, which had been cleaned and bandaged. Gingerly, she patted the skin around the bandage, relieved that the numbing cream was still going strong.

She cranked the water in the shower and the room filled with steam as she stripped off her clothes. Stepping under the spray, she sighed as the water fell around her like a liquid cocoon, wrapping her up in her thoughts.

I’m a thief.

I’m a Solsti.

I should be dead. Twice.

Both when she was little, and again tonight. She didn’t know who or what had saved her the first time, but she would never forget the demon who’d saved her tonight.

Though he’d dragged her into a tiny dark room, backed her up against a wall and kissed her senseless, she trusted him. They were virtually strangers, yet he’d taken her from the rubble and into a safe place. His
home.

She peered up at the rainfall showerhead installed three feet above her head and scrunched her nose. Maybe more of a fortress than a home, but still, this was where he slept.

The urge to go to him hastened her movements. When she got cleaned up, finding him would be her first priority.

C
HAPTER
S
IX

C
AINE
BEE
-
LINED
FOR
THE
medical wing, drawn by the scent of moonflower and the need to lay eyes on Alina again, to make sure she was real.

Solsti.

Holy hell. That was the last thing he’d expected.

The debriefing had gone on for hours, during which time he’d given his account of  the night’s events and learned about the Raniero-Ashina-Solsti connection.

Another thing he wouldn’t have imagined. The tough Watcher he’d fought alongside was technically a grandfather? Caine could almost smile at the idea, if the reality wasn’t so sobering.

He pushed into the emergency room and found it heavy with Alina’s scent but empty. Turning to scope out Ashina’s office, he stopped when the healer rounded the corner.

“I took her to the north balcony.” She bustled past with a clear plastic bin full of assorted bandages. “Said she wanted some fresh air. I told her if you came looking for her, I’d send you up there.”

“Thank you.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “She okay?”