Thief of the Eclipse Short Story – Part 3: Heart of the Decision

The story continues with part 3. Click here to start reading at the beginning. And here is a brief refresher on the story up to now (contains spoilers):

Zelena has been offered a mission by Lazaro, a mysterious diseased man.  He will tell her the truth about her father’s death if she steals memories from Father Remiel, her superior in the Eclipse Guard. Zelena has a day to decide before the caravan with the memory-copying artifact leaves Osage Grove on a caravan.

And now, part 3.

Thief of the Eclipse Short Story – Part 3: Heart of the Decision

Night had converged with the purple-orange brilliance of pre-dawn by the time Zelena climbed the tree outside her room, walked through the closed window, and collapsed into bed. Someone always stood guard in the first floor orphanage to protect the youngsters from bogles while they slept, and she didn’t feel like explaining her secret late-night excursion. Her ability had its blessings.

As soon as her head hit her pillow, she slept.

Zelena woke with a start when the breakfast gong rang a couple of hours later. Dressing in light robes, she hurried to the mess hall on the ground floor. RaDorian jumped up from the bench when he saw her, almost spilling his porridge. “Zelena!” he shouted and ran to her.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her tightly. He was fierce, but small for a ten-year-old. She was almost afraid of breaking him with each hug.

“He will break you yet,” Usha whispered in her head. “They always do. It’s human nature to hurt others – especially those you love most.”

Zelena blocked out her sister’s voice. “You seem overly excited to see me considering we ate dinner together last night,” she said under her breath to RaDorian. He dropped his arms and his face grew red.

“I was worried. I didn’t feel your dreams while I slept,” he whispered.

“I’m fine, Ra.” She mushed his dark hair. He squirmed away, but smiled.

“Tell me about the mission. Pleeeease?”

“There is no mission.”

He placed his hands on his hips, raised his eyebrows, and looked at her like she were the child and he the adult.

“Stop it,” Zelena said. “You’re drawing attention.”

He raised his right eyebrow a bit higher.

“Fine,” she said, giggling at the absurdity. “Go wait for me.” She pointed to the table. A grin spread across his face and he ran back to his abandoned bowl of porridge. She joined him at the isolated table with her own bowl warm between her hands a few minutes later. Thankfully only young orphans ate in the mess hall this early. The Eclipse Guard typically slept later, especially after a night of missions.

“Why couldn’t I feel your dreams?” RaDorian asked, leaning toward her.

“I didn’t dream. I stayed out late…thinking.”

“What happened?”

Zelena explained her dilemma in a hushed voice. She didn’t want to involve him, but he was already involved and deserved to know the truth. And he would have pestered her until she told him.

“You have to do it,” he said when she finished. “I would do anything to learn why my family left me at the orphanage when I was a baby. Anything.”

“Not everything has a good explanation, and not everyone speaks the truth.”

“But what if he does know the truth? You could lose your only chance to learn about your father.” RaDorian had always been old for his age. Maybe it was because he spent most of his life following her around after she found him crying on the doorstep of the monastery all those years ago. He was the child and the brother she’d never have. But if Lazaro was telling the truth, her father’s memory was only a mission from her grasp.

“You’re right,” she said. “I have to know.” A feeling of dread settled in her gut as all of the possible complications of this mission suddenly weighed heavy upon her. But they didn’t matter. Nothing else mattered. She had to know the truth, even if it cost her position in the Eclipse Guard.

— to be continued —

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