Page 86 of Valpar

My cheeks flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and awe, as I watched him bound around our makeshift ring, surrounded by amazed onlookers.

Uncle Osirus and Aunt Melina had eagerly joined me on the sidelines at the beginning of the events. Melina’s eyes sparkled with delight as she commented on the powerful muscles of the orcs, and playfully declared that my orc was undoubtedly the most handsome of them all.

I couldn’t help but feel like a princess, surrounded by these strong and attentive orcs who were competing for my favor. Their grunts and roars echoed in the courtyard, creating an exciting atmosphere that made me feel like I was at the center of a fierce battle for my favor.

I felt so utterly special.

Uncle Osirus leaned back in his plain chair. The servants tried to switch out the chair to a more comfortable one, but my uncle opted out to sit in the simple one.Hedidn’t want to bethecenter of attention.He said it was my day to shine.

I didn’t know if I really liked that. All eyes were on me, and some of them weren’t exactly happy.

“Ignore them, Calliope.” Osirus leaned closer to me. “If you don’t, I’ll have their wings plucked and they will be grounded the rest of their lives.”

Aunt Melina snorted. “Ha! That was good.” She pointed. “Do you get it, Calliope, grounded?”

I chuckled nervously and played with my fingers. The orcs that weren’t competing were clearing the area for the next event. We’d gone through so many challenges in a short amount of time, and I had lost count of who won what, but in my mind Valpar had already won.

“Why do they hate me?” I turned to ask Aunt Melina.

She frowned and shook her head. “What? Hate you?”

I nodded. “Yeah, no one has ever really liked me, but those creatures over there…” I nodded in the direction where Ivy, most likely with Karma, was hovering. “I usually play with the children. They are more fun anyway but the grown fae and pixies find me—I don’t know.” I shrugged my shoulders.

Osirus made to stand, but I grabbed his wrist and pulled him back down. I watched as a particular group of fae and pixies saw and gasped that I had pulled the king back to his seat. “Don’t,” I whispered, “it will just make it worse.”

“Does it make it worse?” Osirus pursed his lips. “Is that why you keep things from me, Calliope?”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I know you don’t tell me everything. You try to keep your battles to yourself, little one. But I have my own spies in the forests. I may not see everything that happens, but I see most.” He chuckled to himself as Valpar looked our way. “But I see enough. Karma still bothers you, and now you have Ivy. I intervene when I have to, but you can always come to us.”

I shook my head. “I can handle stuff on my own.” I crossed my arms in a huff.

“And I’ve let you.” Osirus nudged me. “But when it comes to your safety, I want to know about it. If things become threatening, I want to know.”

I settled back in my seat as Simon rested his head in my lap and let out a long snore. He has a long braid going down his back, and flowers and little beads of gold and silver were intertwined within the braid. He looked like a little Viking goat. The orcs had officially adopted him as one of their own.

Before I met Valpar I let things roll off my back. I knew people could be mean, so I’d skip to the next person to talk to and hang out with Simon. I didn’t really care why they didn’t like me, but now, for some reason, I cared.

I wanted to know why they hated me so much. Why they were upset I was so close to Osirus and Melina. Did they want his power? Did they not like me because I was human? I wanted to get along with everyone. I wanted everyone to smile and laugh and be happy.

“Your aura is worrisome, Calliope.” Uncle Osirus petted my head. “It isn’t your usual glowing, bright, beautiful sunshine. Do you want to talk about it?”

I pouted and played with Simon’s hair, pulling one of the flowers out of it and sticking it in my ear.

“I just want everyone to be happy,” I whispered. “I don’t want them to be mad. Or hate me.”

Osirus leaned closer and whispered in my ear. “No matter what you do, little one, there will always be someone who is never happy, no matter the circumstance. They will be jealous of who you are simply because they cannot be you. They will be angry because they think the world is against them. It is all in their head. They want someone to hate, they want someone to blame. They have decided to take their anger of the realm out on you, and there is nothing anyone can do about it. It will eat them alive until the day their bodies meet the soil.” Osirus’ usually opaque wings turned an ominous black.

My lip trembled. “That’s terrible.”

Uncle Osirus sighed heavily, his wings losing their blackness as he pushed back a tendril of my hair. “What’s terrible is that I can do nothing about those stupid souls, right now. But, if they ever touch a single hair on your head again, Calliope, you let me know.” My eyes grew wide when I heard the threat in his voice.

I blinked several times until it wasn’t my uncle I saw but that of a woman. She had dark hair and looked similar to mom, Theresa, but it wasn’t her. She had sunken eyes, thin hair and yellow-colored teeth. I could smell smoke and alcohol on her breath as her face came closer and closer to me.

I felt my throat squeeze when she came closer, and words that came out of her mouth were so horrible I thought my heart would stop at once. “I hate you,” she hissed. When I blinked again, it was Osirus who was in front of me.

I gasped, my hand on my chest.

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