Truth of the Whisper

Chapter Seventeen.

Saying goodbye to Mysla and Rhydomir was something I wasn't eager to do.

But it was the right thing to do.

Which made me almost sound like Nyshard.

Caaln and I would leave soon, and after Rhydomir brought us to Krisb, we would use the shards and the Ilryn to teleport us right to the castle of Ilyria.

I'd gone to my room to pack a few things, a few clothes and also the medallion with the shard. It was the first time for five days that I put it on, and it somehow felt familiar, but also strange. I didn't try to reach out for Nyshard, afraid, that he would shut me out, afraid, that I would say something out of anger.

But I would try to talk with him in person. Maybe, a part of me also wanted to see that he wasn't okay with what he had done. Maybe, it would make me feel a bit better – even though I had to admit, that I was handling this better than I had thought in the beginning. It was just like... I'd come to the bitter realisation, that my life would never be like it had once been.

When someone knocked at my door, I allowed them in, expecting it to be Caaln to pick me up.

But it was Mysla. The elder woman closed the door behind herself and walked over to me, pulling me in a hug. Something, she'd refrained from doing the last days, even though we'd spent quite some time together.

"You can always come back here.", she said, her voice a soft tone. "You are always welcomed here, you are part of our family, Adriyele."

Somehow, my eyes watered instantly.

She smiled down at me and gently wiped my tears away. "I know you might not see us as such, not yet. But there's a place for you here, if you choose to return."

"I'm only planning to go to Ilyria to get some sense into Nyshard, not because I'm leaving...", I said, but stopped when Mysla laughed lightly. "We'll see, Adriyele. Caaln told us, that he wouldn't have come if it wasn't urgent. They had wanted to give you more time to... get over what happened. The fact that he's here tells us how important this is."

I frowned slightly "It's been only a few days. How bad can it be?"

Mysla grimaced. "I've known Nysh for some time now. The war has changed him, killing your father changed him. But you have to understand, that a huge part of his life was about fulfilling his promise to your father. But by binding you, he might think that he failed. Because that way, you'll never be free of him and considering what's written in your Whisper..."
"Why does everyone know what's in our Whispers?", I murmured.
"Because Nyshard told us. He told Rhydomir and myself because he needed Rhydomir's help to protect you. Rhydomir wouldn't have agreed with anything if Nyshard hadn't told him his reasons."
I took a deep breath, and the medallion weighted heavily around my neck.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure.", Mysla smiled and sat onto my bed.

"It's about the claim. Nyshard told me, that it doesn't manipulate feelings, but that it intensifies them."

"That's correct, but that's no question, my dear", Mysla said.

Involuntarily, I smiled. "No, that wasn't my question. I just... was wondering, if the claim might cloud my judgement when it's about Nyshard. I'm not half as angry like last time when I was bound. And I was wondering, if it has something to do with the claim."
Mysla smiled and shook her head "No. I guess, you're just willing to believe that Nyshard didn't do it to hurt you. You are willing to believe, that he had no other choice – Caaln told us about his suspicion with the Whisperers – and you are willing to forgive him. You are beginning to understand that Nyshard is doing what is right – but simply not for him."
"What do you mean?", I asked, frowning at her choice of words.
"Nyshard is honourable. In the past, he had always done what had to be done, no matter what it meant for him. Killing your father, making Caaln bind your freedom, putting the claim on you – and the various other things he'd done for others... - he never puts himself and his wants first. He wasn't raised like this."