Spellweaver (23 page)

And then she had
sacrificed the love of her daughter, Felicity. Her mother had lived
with her secrets since before Felicity was born, and she was almost
fifteen now. That was a long time to stay hidden. Felicity had
often heard of the joys of having children and even contemplated
having some of her own in the future, but that was when she had
been young and foolish. Still, children seemed to be one of those
special things in life. How had her mother managed to have a baby
and keep it secret from everyone?

But she had also kept
secrets from the baby, even as she grew up and became a young
woman. Felicity pictured the others in their endless assault and
recalled the fear she had experienced as they attacked her magical
shield. That was what her mother had been protecting her from. She
had sacrificed that pure joy, the joy that comes with having
children, that myth that Felicity had heard so much about, so that
her daughter still stood a chance if the hunters finally caught up
to her - which they had.

Had her mother been
able to trust anyone at all? It must have been so lonely - but
then, Felicity knew how that felt, and now she would also share in
her mother’s responsibilities.

It was curious, she
thought, that she had spent her entire life feeling as though she
didn’t know her mother, and now she was closer to her than ever
before.

She barely even
noticed the tear escape from her left eye, leaving a moist trail
down her cheek.

And then her attention
was diverted, for her father was calling to her.

Dinner was
ready.