Leora stood motionless and unresponsive, staring blankly into space. She had known that her mother wasn’t affectionate or caring, but the vehemence of her reaction was a complete shock. Leora ran through the events of the afternoon over and over again. Was there a better way to tell them? Should she have lied? Should she have tried harder in the cave, attempted to get the god of light to forgive her, or at least pass on a message?

  It was completely dark before Leora broke free of her stupor and turned to head back home. She sat on her chair in the kitchen staring at the back of her hand. The blisters had calmed down, but she could see in between the damaged skin, that the ring had gone. The ring of blessing was no longer there.

  There was a gentle but insistent knock on the door. Leora ignored it at first, but it kept on going. Eventually she dragged herself up from the chair and went to open the front door.

  “Oh poppet, it’s alright, don’t cry!” Nana Clara pulled her into a warm embrace.

  “I’m not crying” sniffed Leora, but when she reached up to touch her cheek, she felt the tears.

  “Everything is going to be just fine poppet, don’t you worry.” Clara led Leora to the sofa and sat her down. “Now I am going to light the candles for you, and then I am going to make us some tea and you can tell me what happened.” Leora watched as Clara quickly lit the candles on the mantlepiece. The smallest candle, Leora’s candle, took two attempts to light. Leora watched the flickering flames quietly as Clara bustled around the empty house, before returning with a tea tray and a plate of sandwiches.

  Clara filled the silence with soft chatter about her day, her progress with a new knitting pattern, the books she had returned to the library, the antics of her neighbour’s dog, just normal things. This distraction helped Leora to feel more grounded, so that once she had finished her meal, she was able to share an overview of what had happened with Clara. When she had finished, Clara didn’t say anything.

  Oh no, is she going to hate me now too? Leora panicked internally; I don’t think I could take it if Nana Clara rejects me.

  “Leora,” began Clara, “I feel like you haven’t told me everything about what happened, and that is right. No matter what happened, your ceremony and status are your private business. But from what you have told me I can understand why the priests and your mother were upset. From their perspective, their expectations were not met. They believed that you would come with a direct message from the gods and would help lead them to victory. The fact that they placed that burden on you is entirely their fault. Prophecies are always unclear and open to interpretation, and we have no true understanding of the will of the gods. I have always thought that the pressure that was put on you as a young child was immensely unfair. I spoke to lady Elliana about it on several occasions. I am loath to criticise your mother, but she and I did not agree on the best way to raise a child.”

  She reached out and took both of Leora’s hands and squeezed them. “You are a precious child. You bring me and Josef so much joy, we love you like our own daughter. No matter what! I believe your mother loves you too, in her own way. The terrible things she said today were said in the heat of the moment and I am certain she regrets them already. I’m sure she will come back once she has calmed down and then the two of you can talk rationally about what happened.” She smiled reassuringly at Leora and wrapped an arm around her.

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  “Now, aside from all the drama, how are you feeling about your awakening? Do your titles and skills feel right for you?”

  Leora nodded slowly. “Yes, I suppose they do. I mean I was always much more interested in making things and working with you and grandad Josef and Sammy than the training I had to do at the shrine. So, I am happy that I received those skills, and I am excited to try them out. The demi dryad thing does confuse me though. I know that as an orphan it was impossible to tell what my birth parents were, but how can I be a demi dryad! What does that mean? Nobody knows anything about dryads except that they live in the great forest, and apparently can’t handle mana.”

  “Well, I don’t know about their mana, but people do know about dryads. In any of the cities and towns which abut the forest you will find demi dryads. I am pretty sure Josef has met some when he was younger. So the next time you come over, he can tell you all about them!” Clara hugged Leora closer. “And then in a year or so, you can travel up to Weide or even Eichen and find out more for yourself. You’ve awakened now so you are allowed to leave the city.”

  “That’s true!” Leora perked up, “Maybe I’ll find some members of my family! Maybe there are special dryad powers I can learn!” Clara chuckled. “I’m sure you will poppet. You will have all sorts of grand adventures, and then come back and tell me all your stories and show me the beautiful things you’ve made.”

  “Thank you, nana Clara, thank you so much!” Leora buried her face in Clara’s shoulder, overcome with love for the woman who had effectively raised her, “I don’t know what I’d do without you!”

  Clara stroked the tumble of mahogany curls down Leora’s back. “You are very welcome sweetheart; you deserve all the love in the world. Now you have had an exhausting day so off to bed with you. Tomorrow I’ll come by after breakfast and then we can go to the shrine together, alright?”

  Leora gave her another big hug and then obediently headed up to her bedroom.

  The next morning there was no sign of her mother, so they headed to the shrine. The lower ranked priests greeted her as usual, but the cold stares of the higher ranks made Leora deeply uncomfortable. Eventually they were brought to the bishop’s office where his assistant sat them down.

  “Leora, as you know, yesterday’s ceremony did not go as planned. The scholars have been up all night arguing about what has gone wrong, who or what could be to blame, and so on. It has been decided that since you did not receive a holy title, and in the light of the fact that your blessing mark seems to have been removed, you will no longer be able to enjoy preferential treatment here, in the shrine. The resources previously dedicated to your education and training can be put to better use. You are now barred from certain areas of the shrine, and in the future will only have access to the usual public spaces. Due to your age, you will not be punished for your failure, instead you will no longer be under the care of the shrine.” He looked up from the pile of papers in front of him and stared down his nose at Leora. “Do you understand?”

  Leora nodded nervously.

  He turned to Clara. “Mrs Clara Schutz, are you here today in the role of a guardian or do you have a separate issue?”

  No, I am here to support Leora in whatever she needs.” She responded with dignity.

  “Excellent, then we are finished here. Light protect you both.” He stood and moved around the desk to hold open the door and usher them out.

  “Erm…excuse me, do you know where my mother is?” asked Leora quickly.

  “Your mother? You mean Lady Elliana? Well, she should be on the road by now. She was hoping to catch up to the weapons delivery enroute.”

  “Enroute to where?” asked Clara incredulously.

  “Well to Aruen of course, to re-join her team.” He briskly closed the door in their faces.

  “She left. She just left.” Leora couldn’t believe it.

  “It’s alright poppet, let’s get out of here” Clara hurried her back through the shrine and out into the morning sunshine. “Come on, you’re coming home with me today. Everything is going to be fine. Trust me. You’re going to be just fine.”