Read Rae of Hope (The Chronicles of Kerrigan) for Free Online Page B

wasn’t sure the headmaster even noticed. She planned on having quite the conversation with her dear uncle next time she saw him.
    “Though your dad was a year older, they were best mates. From different ends of the country, your father from Manchester and Argyle from Edinburgh. Both started Guilder at the same time.” Lanford sighed. “School was very easy for your uncle, so we put him in a higher level. The two boys immediately became good friends. Both were extremely intelligent and promising young lads. The school couldn’t have been more excited.”
    “So they were buddies.” Big deal.
      “We were concerned about your father. He quickly grasped the concepts, but also argued with our ideals.” Lanford shifted and ironically, Rae didn’t feel the bench move. “He vehemently disagreed with the idea that we should be unvoiced about our gifts. However, most of us – I was a young professor at the time – felt he’d outgrow his rebellious stage when he received his ink.” The headmaster stared straight ahead, as if watching an old video replay.
    “What happened?” Rae spoke in a quiet voice. The curiosity began to turn into dread as it settled in the pit of her stomach. Not sure I want to hear what happens, but scared or not, I need to know.
    “Argyle influenced your father in a positive way. So it came as quite a shock when, a few months after Argyle’s fourteenth birthday, he informed us he’d be leaving.” Lanford smiled and patted Rae’s arm. “I remember him as a young boy, always a mess -- clothes, hair, room…everything except his thought process. That always remained in perfect order. Brilliant lad. I’m sure he still is.” Lanford cleared his throat. “Apparently, Argyle had an older sister who’d just turned sixteen and been gifted. His father wanted him back home to show her everything he’d learned.” The headmaster smacked his cane across his knees. “Damn it! Such a good lad, and it was a shame to have to let him go.”
    “My mom? But how? If Guilder gives you the tattoo, how’d she get it?”
    Lanford looked as surprised as Rae felt. “Guilder doesn’t give you the tatù. It’s inside of you and blossoms on your sixteenth birthday.”
    Her eyebrows shot up and she tilted her head. “Oh.” She didn’t know what else to say. So they just appear like magic? How does that work? But Lanford was already talking so she kept quiet.
      “Ink stamps tend to be patrilineal; passed down to the men of the family. Most gifted also will only have one child. It may sound silly to you at the moment, but with this power comes responsibility. It’s simply easier this way. Some will try for a second child if their first offspring is a girl. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”
    “I th-think so.” Rae nodded. “Males are usually marked, but instead of Uncle Argyle, my mother got it.” You put the girl child out in the wilderness to be eaten by wolves . Rae bit her tongue to keep from saying her thoughts out loud.
    “Correct. Your grandfather had been such an asset to this country during the Second World War, we high hopes for Argyle. At the time, Guilder didn’t allow girls into the school, so we were never able to work with your mother.”
    Rae couldn’t believe her mom had a superpower…or her dad. Oh yeah, Dad… “What about my dad?”
    “Your father, Simon, turned sixteen and received his ink – a unique one. Unfortunately, he continued to fight against the teachings of the school. It seemed that without Argyle here, he became more self-absorbed.” The headmaster paused. “The summer Simon’s father passed away, he went to stay with Argyle. He planned on returning to Guilder for his final year, but he met your mother, Bethney. I guess they fell in love. The school, your grandfather and your uncle all opposed their dating.”
    “Why?”
    “It’s…well…it is believed to be dangerous.” Lanford fidgeted with his cane. “That’s one of the reasons Guilder