Page 31 of Scars and Burns

I look down as he does. My head shoots up back to him. His eyes linger on my mark. How does he know about it? How does he know it’s there?

He looks back up at me. Gives me one more up and down look and pulls away. Releasing me from the tree and backing away.

I cover myself back up quickly. Holding my blades out again but not near as confident.

“I am truly sorry for your loss.” Then he vanishes in a cloud of black smoke.

So, Shadowlings can teleport. I’ve heard tales about their different abilities depending on the Fae. Their blue fire with black shadow magic that infects your minds. Presenting you with your deepest fears before it rips your soul apart. But I’ve never seen that one before.

Just as he vanishes I realize something. I chill settling over me again. A chill I had grown so used to I didn’t even realize was gone. Too enraptured with my adrenaline and the massive man pinning me to a tree. I didn’t notice the warmth spreading throughout my body.

All because of him.

21

Aeron

Iteleport to my Father’s study, after witnessing the death of Queen Freya. Knowing he would be there.

Enraged, I barrel toward him. He knew who I would find there. But led me to believe it would be the daughter.

He’s peering out the window when I approach. Grabbing him by the collar, spinning him around until he is pinned up against the glass. My blade at his throat. I’m seething with anger. Why couldn’t he have just told me? Been honest with me for once.

His face is as calm as ever. Not even surprised or off put by my anger and aggression.

Holding him there for a moment. Hate in my eyes. Breathing heavy through my teeth. He’s still just looking up at me. Knowing this aggression is not going to get me the answers I want, I relax. Releasing him and stepping away.

He rearranges himself again. Returning to the pristine appearance he had before. Clears his throat and asks, “Something you have to say?”

He doesn’t even look at me. Just returns his gaze out the window with his hands clasped behind his back.

“Why did you tell me I’d be killing King Elio’s ward?”

His tone is even. Absent of any sort of emotion, “I never said you’d be killing the ward. Though she is one you must kill. Since you let her get away that night. You came to the conclusion of her being the one to kill tonight all on your own.” He finally turns to me.

“Why allow me to continue to believe it was her?”

He smiles, “Because I wanted to see if you could go through with it. Either of them really.” He says, shrugging his shoulders.

My anger begins to rise again, “I could have done it!”

“But you didn’t! You failed! Again! You let the whore of a Queen live. Why? Because she showed you kindness once. I raised you better. Itrainedyou better.”

It’s unacceptable, I know. I avert my eyes from his. “She knew my Mother.” Hoping that will catch him off guard.

He lifts a brow, “Oh, did she now. Tell me Aeron, if she is so good and you trust her so very much. Did she tell you how your Mother abandoned us and fled to the Middle Kingdom?”

This indicates she is alive. But I already knew that. The last entry of the journal Queen Freya gave me that is supposedly from my Mother was this very day. I still have reservations regarding that as well. But my son-of-a-bitch Father doesn’t need to know. And he still allowed me to believe all my life she was dead.

I have to play this right. I can’t give anything away. “Why didn’t you?”

“Why didn’t you?” I ask again through gritted teeth. “You allowed me to believe she was dead! You told me she was dead!”

“Because you were weak! She made you soft. I rectified that.”

I shake my head, “How was I weak? I was five! I wasn’t even old enough to understand what you were putting me through!”

“That is not the point and holds no value here. It was not for you to understand. It was for you to comply and become what I neededyou to be.”

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