Page 121 of In the Blood

All five of us raised our hands.

The memory faded to black and then I was back in Ophelia’s parlor. “Rafis a pooka. H-he’s the Chosen Heir? All alonghewas the one I was fated to find?”

I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. I needed to find him.

“Yes. He’s the one we’ve been waiting for.” My mother smiled. “Does he know?” I asked, covering my mouth in horror. I chugged my water, but my throat still felt like sandpaper.

Gods, if he knew… and I’d chosen his brother…

“I’m not sure… Randall knew that his brother was part of the Chosen Six. It’s possible he told Rafael.”

He would’ve told me. He wouldn’t have kept such important information from me.

“How did Astra die?" I asked. "She was Queen?"

I’d never met my grandmother. She’d been the last unicorn… beforeme. I’d never even heard her name spoken. Or perhaps I had… and Ophelia had erased the memory. I felt a stab of betrayal. It was my family that had exiled the faeries. And wewerefrom a royal blood line… I’d always been told that Ophelia had married into royalty. They’d lied abouteverything. Was I cursed to spend my life surrounded by liars?

“A group of faeries that stayed behind in Erador found out what we did, and who was responsible. I wiped as many minds as possible—I tried to make sure that the Chosen Six remained a secret, that the world walker stayed anonymous. But I failed; she was hunted from the moment she closed that portal. Eventually, she was cornered and butchered—her horn stolen. We’ve been waiting for someone to reveal themselves for almost two-hundred years, but there hasn’t even been a whisper of her horn. No sign of its power.” Ophelia’s face was drawn into a soft sadness.

“Her body was found… her heart and horn gone, so we know it exists somewhere. There’s a rebel group called theRuhn Rebellion. We think they’re the ones responsible. Their loyalty lies with King Randall and his descendants.” My mother’s face was distraught. I’d forgotten how she wore her heart on her sleeve, for the world to see.

“I’ve never been able to have children, so when Eliana became pregnant, we all prayed you’d be a Chosen—either a pooka or unicorn. And then you were born and became the biggest blessing of our lives. Keeping you alive has been our entire purpose. You’re the heir that was promised. And the gods led you to a Pooka. We can finally break the curse once the others come out of hiding. Please forgive us,” Ophelia whispered. All three of us were teary-eyed, squished together on the love seat. They had worked towards this moment for two-hundred years.

“I forgive you.” The words came out flat, because it wasn't completely true. “So… how long have you been on the throne? How many husbands have you gone through?”

She laughed. “You’re putting together the pieces quickly. Mind manipulation has come in handy over the years. I’ve been Queen since ourmother died almost two-hundred years ago. We moved the human Kingdom of Corinthia to Aurelius when faeries left to Nymera. It took time for people to move into the city, which allowed me to mold minds as they arrived. The magic capital of the world was flushed of all magic quite quickly, with the aid of wards, spells, and my gift.

“We gave humans a refuge here. Faeries had built the most advanced city in the world, and we capitalized on it once they left. We became a cultural and economical epicenter, which gave us the power we needed to keep our family safe—to keep humans that supported our reign safe. I control much of the power in the world, while hiding in plain sight. I let the humans guide our rule, even when their views differ from mine. The Chosen’s job is to protect humanity, not control it, which is why I let the council have so much say.”

“But I still don’t understand how you’ve gotten away with being the Queen of Aurelius for two centuries.”

“Women aren’t taken seriously in Aurelius. It’s been easier than you might think. People don’t care who sits on the throne in times of peace. As long as they have enough food on the table, they’re content. Over the centuries, I’ve manipulated Princes from different realms into thinking that they’re the rightful heir and I’m simply a consort… over and over. My inability to bear children made things less complicated. Fake portraits of false Queens hang in the gallery. This is the longest I’ve gone without a King. I won’t choose another now that I have an heir. It will be your turn to rule soon, Marigold.”

As Ophelia and my mother beamed down at me with hundreds of years of knowledge between them, I decided this was all the information I could handle today. I didn’t want to think about being Queen just now.

“Thank you for everything you’ve both sacrificed,” I said, meaning it. My heart was full of hope, and yet I felt a deep sadness for all that had happened and all that was to come. I needed to see Raf. I had so much to tell him. “I know there’s more, but I need to rest.” The sun would be rising in a few short hours. I hugged them goodbye, after insisting that I could make it back to my room on my own, even though that's not where I planned on going.

Before I could leave, my mother stopped me. "One more thing, sweetie," she said. Ophelia made a quick exit, seeming to understand that my mother wanted a moment alone.

My heart sped up as I turned to her. It was difficult to look directly into her eyes. She'd been nothing but a ghost for years—a figment of my imagination that I'd been desperate to have a few more minutes with. Now that she was here in the flesh, I'd lost the words that had hovered at the tip of my tongue for so long.

Trepidation flashed across my mother's face and I knew—I just knew—who she was about to bring up. "Is this about Father?" I asked, meeting her gaze. Her face crumbled and I patiently waited while she struggled to compose herself. She tucked her hair behind her ears and took a deep breath.

With a weak smile she asked, "How did you know?"

"I've been having dreams... and my childhood memories have been resurfacing." Memories that Ophelia had erased. "As things began to spiral in my relationship with Galen, you kept coming to me in a recurring dream. We were at our cottage, in the woods. You were running from something…someone.Eventually he appeared."

Mama nodded. "Ophelia thought it would be best if you didn't remember your father. For your safety and your… peace of mind. He was a nightmare. We had an arranged marriage that started out happy—passionate, even—but he became abusive.

“Your father was,is, very powerful. His entire family is. Leaving him wasn't an option, at least while I wasalive. He's not the reason I faked my death, but the silver-lining from this entire ordeal, was getting rid of him. I believe he's still around, but since he thinks I'm dead—since Ophelia erased his memories of you and I—he won't come looking for either of us."

I'd already deduced most of what she told me from the fragments I’d recovered. "What happened the night he found us in the loft?"

She put a hand on my shoulder and took a deep breath. "Im not surprised that you were haunted by that night. I am too. What do you remember?”

“He was hurting you. In my dream, he… he turned into Galen. I stabbed him and we ran.”

She gave a sad smile. “Unfortunately that’s not quite what happened. You didn’t stab anyone—you were only five. And… he knew I was a phoenix. He knew he could—" She swallowed hard. “That he could beat me…kill me. And I'd always come back. He was angry because I'd gone to the Oracle without telling him and left you with Ophelia. He couldn'tbe trusted to know what you are, so I hid the truth from him. When we returned home, he'd been stewing in his own drunken rage for quite some time, convinced I was leaving him and taking you with me, even though I promised we’d return. I planned to hide you in the loft while I faced him in the cottage, but he found us and took out his fury in front of you. You were never quite the same after that. You were wary of him, of men in general. I'm so sorry, Goldie. I wish I could’ve shielded you from that experience. It’s one of my deepest regrets—I should’ve found a way to leave him sooner."

---