Armageddon's Children - Terry Brooks [90]
He knew that he was going to have to find out. But that meant getting the truth out of Erisha without having her run to her father. He took a deep breath.
He had no idea how he was going to do that.
He continued with his work, trying unsuccessfully to come up with a plan.
He was still trying when she suddenly appeared at his elbow.
“What happened with my father?” she asked perfunctorily, kneeling next to him. She brushed back her long, dusky hair. “What did he say when you told him about the tree?”
Something in the way she asked it set his teeth on edge, and as quickly as that, he made his decision. He looked up at her so that he could watch her face.
“He already knew all about it,” he said.
Her fine, delicate features tightened, and she flushed. Her gaze dropped, and then lifted again to meet his. “What do you mean?”
He knew instantly that he had been right in his suspicions. The Ellcrys had spoken to her before this morning, and instead of confiding in the other Chosen she had gone to her father. Both of them had been hiding the truth ever since.
“You know what I mean,” he said quietly, his eyes locked on hers. He could see the mix of anger and fear mirrored there; she was visibly distraught. “The Ellcrys spoke to you before today and you told your father about it, but you didn’t tell us.”
“That’s not true.” She tried to look away.
“Then how did your father know what I was going to say before I said it?
He knew all about the Loden and the Elfstones and the histories. He knew about everything, Erisha.” He paused. “What is this all about?”
Her lips tightened, and she looked as if she might cry. He thought for just a moment that she was going to tell him what he wanted to know. But then she regained her composure, and her face closed down.
“You imagine things, Kirisin,” she whispered furiously. “You make up stories to suit your own purposes. You have a talent for it. I think you had better go back to your work and let me do the same.”
She scrambled to her feet. “You better keep these wild stories to yourself, too, or I won’t be responsible for what happens to you!”
She stalked away, arms stiff at her sides, shoulders rigid, long hair swaying. She did not look back. Kirisin waited until she had knelt down again to continue her work, then quit watching. So much for not acting precipitously. He wondered how long it would take for her to tell her father. He wondered what would happen to him then. It didn’t bear thinking on too closely. If the King determined to keep what the Ellcrys had revealed a secret, he would do whatever he felt was necessary to keep Kirisin from interfering.
It was a very long day after that. He worked in the gardens all morning, then spent the afternoon studying lessons on caring for plants and trees with old Willum. He was close enough to Erisha the entire time for either to call over to the other, but he never said one word to her, nor she to him. He tried to think of what he should do next, but couldn’t come up with anything. It seemed he had burned all his bridges by telling her what he knew. If he now told anyone else, she would deny everything. Would the other Chosen back him up?
Maybe, but he couldn’t be sure. They hadn’t been too eager to back him up so far. They were uncertain of him and would not be quick to want to take a stand.
He could talk to Biat, he decided. Of all of them, Biat was the one most likely to support him.
But when the day ended, he didn’t say anything to Biat. He left alone and walked home through the trees without a word to any of them. He found he didn’t know exactly what he wanted to say or how he wanted to say it. He wasn’t sure what he should do, and he needed time to think it over. So he walked out to one of his favorite places, a promontory overlooking the River Orish, and sat down with his back to one of the old-growth cedars.
He wished Simralin were home. She would know what to do. Or at least she would have an opinion. He could talk to his parents, but they might decide to confront Arissen