A Dangerous Destiny: The Pure One Book I

Chapter Sixty-Three

So, another new POV to add to the mix. Some of you may know already that Caleb is one of my personal favorite characters( prob top 3, though the order switches a lot depending on who I am writing;-)). Until this point in the story though we haven't yet gotten his point of view. I hope you like it. I find Caleb to be a very interesting character and you will be seeing a lot more of him through the end of this book. Hope you enjoy the chapter:-)

*Note there are a lot of jumps in place/time throughout the day in this one. Wonder how that works for you. Also, the first half of this chapter is highly revised so there may be more typos ;-)

Caleb

The sun rose bright and shining the morning they buried Fiona, its cheerful rays almost obscene given the sombre nature of the day. Caleb woke early, having tossed and turned through most of  the night. Closing his eyes he'd been unable to erase the image of Fiona's bloody corpse from his mind, the agony of Manna's pain as she'd stared at the coffin.  Rolling over in his bed he stared at Karina where she lay, peacefully sleeping on the pallet he'd set out for her by the hearth.

When he'd brought her to his home the girl had said little, her normally bubbly nature damped to an unusual solemnity, no doubt out of respect for her teacher's loss. He imagined she was as worried about Manna as he was. Still Caleb wondered how the girl felt about Fiona's passing herself. The Nita had played a sizable role in Karina's life, though largely as a critical observer. He was certain Fiona's death had affected her in some way, and yet it had not caused her as much sorrow as he knew it should have. Karina had lost her mother, and she had no idea. That fact alone made it nearly unbearable to be in the girl's presence, not to mention the uncanny resemblance he had begun to notice in the child's face.

As she'd helped him preparing dinner the night before, he found himself unable to look her in the eye. Each time he did he could practically feel Fiona peering through the child's intense gaze. Never before had the resemblance seemed so clear. It was if, with Fiona's death, Karina had somehow suddenly taken on some part of her mother's spirit. He was glad he'd removed her from Manna's home. As difficult as it was for him to be with the girl, he knew the pain Manna would have felt in Karina's presence would have been unbearable.

As Caleb dressed in the still of the early morning, he left his student in slumber. Better that she rest. Karina had no place at Fiona's graveside and would have to remain behind. In the eyes of their people, the child had been an orphan since birth after all, though the Seven knew differently. Besides, Caleb knew well that Manna wished to keep her student from the Council as long as possible.

The Council. It was not a subject he wanted to think on yet, but once the Nita was buried he knew that there would be no choice but to face the consequences of Fiona and Manna's plan. It was not hard to imagine that his fellow councilmen would not react favorably to the Elder Nita's choice of Fiona's successor.

But those worries were for tomorrow. For today he just needed to make sure he remained on his feet. That he stayed strong for Manna and Karina's sake, keeping his grief in check. Making himself a strong cup of coffee, Caleb sat at his table, staring straight ahead at nothing as he waited for the time to pass before he could set out for the grave sight.

At some point Karina awoke, moving about the cabin quietly, clearly trying not to disturb him as she washed up and set a pot to boil on the stove. She joined him at the table, a bowl of porridge in her hand.

"Are you hungry?" she asked, offering the dish. Caleb shook his head, not able to look her in the eye. Still, he saw Karina nod as she sat and began to eat her meal in silence. It was too much. He knew couldn't remain in her presence and so he rose from his seat and donned his coat.