The Exile and the Savior (The Memory Puller Series Book 2) by Kris K. Haines

Author:Kris K. Haines [Haines, Kris K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9798987940228
Publisher: KKH Publishing, LLC
Published: 2023-11-28T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

A sound as piercing as a child’s scream stole Xenia’s attention from her book.

She perked her head up and peered out of the open window next to her cushioned seat.

Lucy, the family’s black retriever, was sniffing something in the grass. The dog reared back, then bent down for another inspection and the screaming increased in frequency and volume.

Xenia threw her book down and rushed through the front door of the farmhouse.

“Shoo, SHOO,” she hissed at Lucy. “What did you do?”

Lucy sat back on her haunches, her pink tongue lolling out of the side of her mouth, and cocked her head—a portrait of canine innocence.

Xenia pushed Lucy away, then crouched down to find a small puff of tawny fur nestled in the grass. A baby rabbit.

And the source of the screaming.

Why the neighborhood rabbits insisted on making their nests in a yard that clearly smelled of retriever was beyond Xenia.

“Oh, no,” she choked out, reaching out her hands to pluck up the tiny baby.

Lucy approached, nosing at the injured animal, and Xenia swatted her. “Away, beast! You’ve done enough.”

Xenia cradled the kit in her hands and though its high-pitched screaming had ceased, its furry body palpitated in her palms, breathing fast, its heart jumping frantically.

She tucked the rabbit against her chest and scurried back into the house.

“Mama. MAMA!”

She dashed into the kitchen to find her mother peeling potatoes in front of the hearth.

Mama dropped the peeler and crouched in front of her daughter, whose face was bathed in frustrated tears. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

Xenia opened her palms. “Lucy got another one,” she sniffled.

“Stupid rabbits,” her mother grumbled, taking the ball of fluff from Xenia’s hands. Its breathing had slowed considerably and Xenia wondered if it now felt safe. Or, if it felt death approaching.

Death was a concept that Xenia, at eight years old, had learned of early. Chickens and pigs disappeared often. And then reappeared on the family dining table. Though it was a necessary part of life here on the farm, Xenia didn’t like to think about it.

Her mother grabbed a dish towel and laid the rabbit upon it, stroking its fur and cooing soft noises.

“What should we do?” Xenia asked, wiping at her nose.

Xenia dreamt of becoming a healer one day. Animals or humans, she didn’t yet have a preference. The thought of providing comfort, making living beings feel better, filled her with a sense of uncomplicated joy.

Her mother had already firmly, yet gently, quashed that dream. All of Ethyrios’s healers were Fae, the possession of magic being the number one job requirement.

Mama brushed her fingers through Xenia’s springy curls. “I’m sorry, my love. There’s nothing to be done for it now.”

Her mother returned to her dinner preparations and Xenia pulled out a chair, determined to watch over the dying baby in its final moments.

A helplessness gripped her as the baby rabbit’s blood-stained fur slowed, then stilled completely.

She let out a sob and buried her head on folded arms atop the table.

Her mother ambled over, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

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