A Kelpie of Rowan

Chapter 13

Rowan slides off the bed, her voice becoming demanding. "So who would know?"

"The elders, I think. Why?"

"Because we're going to find out."

"Ro-" Rowan turns back to glare at him. "I need to know this. I don't know why, but it feels really, really important. So please, take me to them."

Andrian sighs. "All right, come on."

Rowan grins and slides of the bed, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Andrian smiles at her when he sees her actions. Then he rises as well, his movements as fluid as water. He slips the object into his pocket and steps toward the door. Rowan hesitates for a moment, unsure, before she follows him out. Andrian's brothers are in the same place they were before, albeit they are now sitting. Cáel jumps to his feet first, grinning at Rowan.

"So he told you everything?"

Andrian answers the question before Rowan can even open her mouth. "I told her everything I could, everything I know. She wants more answers, so we're going to see the elders."

Camden frowns from his chair. "Will they even speak to her?"

"They'll have to. As my cridhe, she is an honorary kelpie now, and the elders must speak to all the kelpies who request it."

"Well, I wish you luck with speaking to the elders, and welcome to the family, Ro."

Rowan flushes. "Thank you."

Cáel makes a shooing motion at them and Andrain laughs, tugging Rowan out the door. Rowan follows him through the clearings, heading deeper and deeper into the forest. Andrian had said that there were about a thousand kelpies, but these clearings just keep going on and on. How many of them are there? At last, he stops.

The building before them is old, really old. It's larger than all the others, but why? Is it because the people inside it are supposed to be more important or because it actually needs more room? In a moment of desperation and nervousness, Rowan reaches out to grab Andrain's hand. He glances down at their clasped hands for a moment, shocked, before he relaxes. He murmurs in Rowan's ear, his voice soft.

"Don't be afraid."

"I'm not."

He raises an eyebrow at her. "Really?"

"Really. I'm not afraid, just . . . nervous."

"We don't have to go in there, Ro."

Rowan sighs. "We may not have to, but I do."

"Very well. Whenever you're ready."

Rowan takes a deep breath and steps across the threshold. The room is warmly lit and full of people. Some of them are about her grandmother's age, she thinks, but some of them appear to be even older than that. As Rowan and Andrian step inside, they all turn to look at the pair. One of the elders steps forward to stand just in front of Andrian. His blue eyes are hard as chips of ice, but Rowan can see that they aren't normally this way. The way his eyes crinkle at the corners tells her that he is normally a happy person, not the stern one he is trying to come across as.

"What do you need, Andrian? And who have you brought with you?"

Rowan takes a quick breath, the sound of air rushing into her lungs as sharp as shattered glass. "My name is Ro. Andrian is my cridhe. I had questions about the curse that he couldn't answer, so we came to you."

The man scowls. "And why do you think we would give you that knowledge? Most of our own people don't know it."

Rowan gapes at him. "Are you serious?" Andrian's hand squeezes hers in warning, but Rowan won't be deterred. "There is a curse on your people and you think they shouldn't know about it? Really?" The elder opens his mouth, but Rowan continues on. "Did you even think about how if people know about the curse, you might be able to figure out how to break it? Stop hiding it away. If it impacts them, let them know about it! Or you're just being cruel."

From the corner of her eye, Rowan can see Andrian gaping at her in astonishment. But her focus is on the elder before her. He sighs. He is trying to make it seem like her words didn't impact him, but his eyes have softened.

"I can see your point. My people should know about it. But why should you?"

"Andrian's here. If you think your people should know about it, then he should. He might decide to tell me anyways. And if he wasn't here, you're right, that would be your decision to tell me or not. But ever since he told me that it existed, I feel like it is extremely important for me to know more. I don't know why, but that feeling is there. I'm going to listen to it. Besides, as Andrian's cridhe I'm supposed to be an honorary kelpie, yes?" The elder nods, stunned. "So that means I am part of your people now, which means I should know."

The elder bursts into laughter. "You're a smart one, aren't you. I can't argue with that." He pauses. "Come inside, will you? It will be easier to talk about this somewhere a bit more comfortable."
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What do you think of Rowan breaking the elder down until he agreed to tell her, and everyone else too? Should she have done it a different way? Tell me your thoughts!

Happy reading and I'll see you next chapter!

~Goddess of Fate, signing out.