Page 71 of Heir of the Beast

Tarren exhales and looks at me, and it seems like forever before he says, “Come with me.”

I’m sure I am breaking every good princess rule, but I follow him as curiosity overcomes me. He takes my hand and leads me out of the ballroom, through the royal gardens, and into the west wing of the castle.

“Where are we going?”

He looks back at me. “Just to the library.”

I frown.

Actually, I don’t think I have ever been to the royal library. As a slave, I was never permitted.

We walk through long, towering hallways, and the only sound I hear is the swishing of my extravagant skirts and my heels.

Finally, we walk into a three-story-high library, and I suck in a breath. Books as far as the eye can see, it seems like, and massive pillars accenting the brilliant architecture. This is a museum, not a library.

“Over here.” His voice echoes off the towering walls.

I follow, only to come face to face with a high wall full of massive portraits. They are amazing in detail and are clearly the family’s royal line on the display. “Oh wow,” I murmur.

Tarren nods. “This is the House of Garthorn royal family, and a few others.”

He points to a high picture of a man in a dark cloak with a sapphire crown in his hand. His eyes are a brilliant green and the long, snowy beard gives him a wizard’s appeal.

“Who is he?”

“He is the legend of Garthorn.”

I glance at him to expound.

Tarren takes a moment to stare at it. “He was the start of the rule of the Garthorn family centuries ago, a blessing and a curse.

“As legends have it, our Garthorn ancestor made a deal with a powerful warlock. Aloin Xadalf was said to be so powerful he could grant whatever the heart desired if you wanted it badly enough.

“So Hayden Garthorn, a mere peasant at the time, sought him out in the dark of the night. He pleaded with Xadalf to grant his family riches beyond imagination.

“He would do anything for this, and Xadalf saw his raw desire,” Tarren says, and glances at me.

“Is that true?”

“If it is,” he spreads his arms wide to showcase the castle, “it definitely worked, eh?

“But the legend also says that with this great gift came great responsibility—always a catch. Aloin Xadalf does nothing for free or without meaning.”

I swallow.

“Every firstborn will inherit the power of the beast, or so the legend states. Great power will run through the blood of this child and fester if not treated with care.

“Now this power will either be a blessing or a curse to the chosen king, the next in line. The child must overcome such darkness to keep this,” he waves his hands around again, “alive.

“Once the beast inside is tamed, it will blossom into the great power only a king should possess.”

I glance back up to the picture and note the sly grin on Aloin’s face. “So you’re saying every king up here has had the curse?”

Tarren shrugs. “That would be a correct assessment, seeing how we are all still here.”

“And they all had to overcome the beast within?” I’m trying to understand.

“Well, yes. Once the born leader transforms himself in a positive light, I guess it breaks the curse for that generation.

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