The Twin Who Got The Ring And The One Who Got The Altar Chapter 08
No one spoke.
The drums had stopped–I hadn’t even noticed when.
The whole hall felt like someone had hit pause on time.
Elder Granger turned his pipe in his hands, over and over.
Then he asked, “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“You know some in the hollow won’t agree.”
“I know.”
“You know no one’s walked this road before. You might come up empty. Waste all these years.”
“I know.”
Elder Granger’s gaze shifted–something in it changing. “And your parents?”
“Their opinion,” I said, “I’ll consider. But I don’t answer to it.”
Someone in the crowd made a sound–like they were startled by that.
But Elder Granger smiled.
It was the first time I’d ever seen him smile. His
wrinkled face cracked like dry bark splitting open.
“Alright,” he said. “We won’t hold the Rite. I’ll
give you one year. In that year, I want to see this hollow change. If you do that, we’ll revisit the rules. If you
don’t…”
“If I don’t,” I said, “I take the oath. No going back.”
He nodded.
Then he raised his hand and waved. “Everyone out.”
The crowd started to break, shuffling toward the doors.
Mom and Dad pushed over. Mom grabbed my arm.
“Willa, what are you doing? You disrupted the Elder’s ceremony-
“Mom.” I said. “He agreed.”
She blinked.
“He gave me a year,” I said. “A year to prove that a Keeper doesn’t have to be locked away to protect this place.”
Mom stared, at a loss for words.
Dad put out his cigarette, said quietly, “Willa, just make sure you know what you’re doing.”
I nodded.
Then I looked up at the Keeper’s portrait hanging in the center of Granger Hall. The woman in the
painting wore white, her face calm and unreadable.
I looked into her eyes for a while. Then I turned and walked out.