Aletheia

Chapter 10: Claire

Claire gripped the edge of her seat, squeezing her eyes tight shut.

"Claire?" Will asked, his eyes wide and scared. Claire's eyes flew open, as if emerging from a deep sleep. She blinked her eyes rapidly, rubbing her face, trying to wake her tired body.

"Wha-what happened?" She asked, her worried confusion rising in the pit of her stomach.

"You just sort of... passed out..." Will said, his brow furrowed, "What were you doing earlier? You've been asleep for hours, and wouldn't wake up."

"I...I was?" Claire rubbed her eyes harder. Everything around her was swimming, she felt like she was trying to make her way out of a pool of molasses. Claire rolled over and fell off the couch, a gasp escaped her, aching pain flooding through her senses.

She reached out, feeling for the book-the ancient texts given to her by Florence-but all she felt was the cold wooden table. A tingle of panic ran through her fingertips, her hands desperately felt for the missing book, sweeping across the table.

"Will did you touch my book?" she asked, clumsily getting up.

Will's brow didn't move from its permanently stuck position above his nose.

"No. I didn't touch it, I just got here a bit ago," he said, looking around the room. Claire's head was whirling, who took her book? Or was she just panicking for no reason and it was just lying in her room.

"I'll be right back," Claire muttered, pushing past Will-who was still saying something about his day at work.

Claire made her way up the rickety stairs, half slipping on the top step. The step had been messed up ever since Claire and Will played pirates by jumping from their beds down to the step and back up again, a never ending battle for the kingdom. She stabilized herself on the railing before she could topple to the ground. Her eyes immediately moved up from the dusty ground to scan her surroundings.

Her bed stood crammed into the corner, much like most of her and Will's belongings. Ebony already had to sleep on the couch since they had run out of room after Claire was born.

Jumping from the precarious step Claire moved to the chest of drawers, also shared between her and her brother. The wood was slowly decaying through the termite infestation in the lower ends of the Terran. Any and all clothes in the drawers were constantly covered in wood dust and dust bunnies.

Luckily it was Claire and Will who shared the small space of the attic, not Ebony who had a terrible dust allergy. Ebony tried to sleep in there when she was little but, the cramped space just made everyone agitated and gave her a constant runny nose.

Claire could feel the terrible ache in her head worsen. Another look to the floor showed no sign of the ancient book.

Claire cursed, the only other people who knew she had that book were Florence, the governor, Will, and...Griffin... Claire felt her heart jump, what was he planning? Anything he did she was automatically be responsible for. Claire almost tripped over the step again, no matter how long it was there she would never remember.

"Claire, are you okay?" Will asked, poking his head into the stairwell just as Claire raced down. Their heads collided, sending them both sprawling to the floor groaning with pain and misery.

"Claire... What the hell are you racing down the stairs for?" he muttered. Claire got up and flung herself out the door before Will could stop her. She wasn't going to let Griffin jeopardize her life and her family.

She had a plan brewing to get them the evidence they needed. Something along the lines of getting the both of them outside the wall. All they needed was proof, anything that could show the people they had been lied to all these years.

Magic wasn't proof enough, they needed something more. The people had been brainwashed against magic for so many years, there was no turning that back, at least not in a day. They had lived in fear of magic too long; Claire and Griffin had to think of something else.

Claire's foot caught on a tree root, bringing her crashing to the ground. She'd had enough falling to the ground for one day. Dusting herself off she got up and kept running towards the town square, her mind in sync with Griffin.

She scanned the square, her breath coming out in ragged shakes. The stormy gray clouds hovering above the town reflected her emotions a little too well.

The dark gray cloak gave Griffin away a little too easily, he couldn't have possibly found a more suspicious looking outfit. He was shrouded in darkness, and looked just about ready to kill someone. Claire hoped that wasn't on his mind. The idiot was standing in the shadows of the tree, head bent down, shoulders shrugged up as if that would solve his whole "standing out" issue.

Had he completely forgotten that just two days ago he was thrown in jail and pronounced a felon? He obviously had since he wasn't making much of an effort to blend into the crowd or look like a normal human being.

He was already getting strange looks and stares by passersby. Someone was bound to recognize him, and he would be toast.

Coming up behind him Claire gave him a good moment before his eyes glanced over and met hers. She crossed her arms, looking down at the ancient book in his hands. She raised her eyebrow, sticking her hand out and gesturing for him to give it to her.

"Uhhh what you trying to do there buddy? You do realize dressing up like that and standing under a magical tree with a magical book kind of makes it look you're begging to be thrown back in jail right? Don't beg, it's a little sad," Claire said, more amused than truly angry.

Griffin's brown hair stuck out at odd angles from beneath the hood of his cloak. Anyone who knew his hair would instantly recognize him. Claire wasn't entirely sure if that was how his hair just naturally was, or he did it on purpose... Maybe it was some kind of "magic" thing. Griffin gripped the book tighter in his hands, bringing it closer to his chest and farther away from Claire.

"How is an old tattered book going to prove anything to them? The minute one of them recognizes you you'll be thrown in jail. How could they trust you? They won't listen to a word you'll say. That book means nothing without me, as does the tree. The book is mainly ceremonial and for me to get my 'knowledge' from, the tree is what holds it all. Those words mean nothing in your hands." Claire said, arching her eyebrow further up, her eye still firmly planted on the book. Griffin stayed silent, looking out into the surrounding crowd of people. They were running out of time, if he didn't move soon one of them would spot him.

"What's the point of you being the Reader if anyone can read it?" He finally said, his eyes darting back to hers, the confusion clear on his face.

"Now it's more of a formality, I settle decisions amongst the council and so forth, making sure they don't repeat any mistakes of the past. I have history, evidence, and proof on my side so my point is more valid than anyone's, including the governor's. I keep the people at bay, if times are tough. I can show them we've been through worse and we can get it again. And if that book disappears I'm the only one who has the power to read that tree and the only tie to remaining magic of this world-" Claire said before Griffin cut her off.

He coughed loudly, bringing his fingers before her face, the same fingers that had been engulfed in flames just the night before.

"-or so I thought..." she finished, looking carefully at the flameless fingers. She bit her lip, thinking through their options, "Come on, we gotta go."