Page 72 of Heir of the Beast

“That is why every firstborn is carefully looked after with the utmost care. Teaching them right from wrong, preparing them to overcome the darkness. Our Garthorn heritage depends on it.”

~Beauty and the beast, anyone?~

“Interesting,” I murmur. “So Apollo is next in line.”

“Yes,” he says, and looks at me.

I take a breath. “And he is not doing so well, I take it?”

“No.”

I look at him, feeling almost panicked. Now I understand why this ~world~ is in the red on the Fairy Godmother charts.

“It’s not Apollo’s fault, per se. I believe over the generations the teachings have become lazy, forgetting what we were founded on and what could be at stake. Now the King is sick, and I fear Apollo is not ready.

“For a long time, this legend was kept a secret, but I’m afraid not any longer. Every kingdom knows what it means when Apollo finally creates an heir.

“The child will be powerful, just as Apollo is. The child can either be good or evil, and unfortunately, there are a lot of unsavory people who would love his seed.”

“They want his child,” I say to myself.

“Correct. That is why I nearly fell off my chair when I heard of the engagement. This is huge, and everyone knows it. His wife must be pure of heart, without evil intentions, or this will be the downfall of Garthorn.”

I see now why this engagement is a big deal. “That’s a lot to take in.”

He tilts his head at me. “I would have thought this was common knowledge by now. I’m actually shocked you have not heard of this. Usually slaves know everything, despite their position.”

~Yeah.~ It would have been nice if Pierce had filled me in on this little tidbit. Mort is probably wondering where the hell I’m at.

“We have to stop the engagement,” I say, and glance up at him.

He looks at me. “We do?”

I try to think fast. “I do not get good vibes from the Queen of Galleon.”

“Queen Irena?” he asks. “She has always been lovely with me, but I am not around enough to know for sure.”

“Just a hunch. I think it’s worth looking into. I mean, this is serious!” I might be panicking. I do not want a poor, innocent child to be taken and created into a monster, especially not Apollo’s child.

The boy would probably have curly blonde hair and golden skin like his father. Innocent. My heart clenches at the thought.

He chuckles. “Yes, I agree, but I do like the House of Galleon. They have always been righteous and fair. I’m surprised you would find your newfound family not to your liking.”

The dad’s great. Not his whore of a wife.

“My father seems like a great man, but it’s just his wife that I am wary of. I am usually a really good judge of character.”

Actually, that’s a lie. I am the worst judge of character. I would probably let a rapist into my house because he just ~needed~ to use the phone. After all, his car broke down.

I would probably ignore his flannel shirt and blood-stained jeans. Who am I to judge?

He nods and stares at me. “Well, good thing he is not marrying her but your stepsister.”

I bite my lip. “True, but you know Irena can have much influence.” I dislike Laura, but I do not think she is evil. She just wants to win Apollo.

Technically we are all on the same team, but I fear that Laura will not be bold enough to stand up to Irena. Laura should turn her own mother in as a fraud for the good of Fairy Godmother Inc.

But Laura is vain, meaning she would no longer be a princess. I need to find Ivy. She might have an idea who Queen Irena is sweet on, being a spy and all.

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