Page 168 of Kingdom of the Two Moons

“But I thought she was in the human world.”

“She was hiding there, yes. Though she planned on returning one day…”

“Once she sold me, you mean?” I feel strangely detached, as if we were talking about the wheather.

“Yes,” he says gravely.

I swallow hard. “Why… why did she want to sell me? And what did she want in return? Money?” I spit out the last word. Gods, I want to know what I’d been worth.

“It’s more complex than that. Your mother was an outcast, because of a few things she did in the past. You were her only chance to redeem herself. To buy back her freedom. Her safety.”

I don’t know what I’m feeling anymore. The woman I believedhad loved me. She would have sold me like some object. Like Lyrian.

“But it never got to that. Because Lyrian found her,” I add quietly.

Caryan says softly, “Not exactly. It was she who went to Lyrian when she found out she was pregnant with you. It was Lyrian who managed the negotiations for her.”

Negotiations… about me. About who’d buy me.

My throat feels dry, my heart too heavy. I take a deep breath, trying to somehow wrap my head around that. “Why Lyrian?” I whisper. “Of all people, why would anyone seek out Lyrian out of their own free will?”

“For one, because he was powerful enough to shield his existence from everyone through the magic he harvested. Even from me. And because he was not always that evil. The stolen magic corrupted his soul over time.”

I look down at my feet. “Who… who killed my parents?”

“Your grandfather, Regus. The right hand of the king of Palisandre.”

My head flies up. “What? He killed his own daughter? How? Why?”

“They weren’t exactly on the best terms. And as for how—your mother was negligent. Arrogant. She stepped out of Lyrian’s magic shields. That is when he found her. Lyrian fled with you while your grandfatherinterrogatedyour father and her,” Caryan explains somberly.

“How do you know?” I ask before I can take it back. The words fall almost soundlessly. I’m not sure I really want to know.

Caryan’s eyes glitter otherworldly as he says, “Because I found him afterward. But he could not give me the answer I was looking for.”

My mouth feels dry. “Is he… still alive? My grandfather?”Murderousgrandfather.

“He is. Although some people say he lost his mind.”

“Lost his mind after you… released him?” I ask, not knowing why.

“It depends on who you ask,”is all he retorts. I glance away, sucking in a deep breath while I try to detangle the mess of my thoughts. The mess of my feelings.

“So Lyrian kept me. But… at his house, he said he kept me foryou. Why?” I ask, my mind still reeling, confused. I know so little, and all I can do is puzzle together the pieces. Lyrian, not always a monster. My own mother, trying to sell me to save herself. And well… the rest.

Caryan keeps watching me through his long lashes, his eyes gray, unreadable again. “In this world, people are superstitious. As you already know, there are seers and other oracles who give prophecies all the time. He received one that said you were meant for me, and he was to hand you over if he wished to be kept alive.”

Meant for me.I don’t like the sound of it at all, but I don’t find the sharp response I wish to throw into his face. Telling him that I’m not meant for anyone, in any sense. Not after everything he just told me. I just look away instead, grinding my teeth so hard they hurt. My eyes probe through the room while I try to process everything he just revealed.

Caryan gives me time. Waiting. I know he’s watching me closely. Know he can hear the uneven beat of my heart.

After a long moment, I ask, “Did my mother… did she get pregnant on purpose?”

“Fae rarely get pregnant. It’s not a thing you can plan on.”

I nod, not knowing if that fact makes it any better. “But if she was going to sell me anyway, and already had bidders… why not to you?” I sure as hells can’t look at him while I say it.

“I wasn’t yet the king I am now. I could not offer her what so many others could.”

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