Page 275 of Dawn of Chaos and Fury
“Bullshit,” Axel spat, and her head whipped to him, eyes narrowing.
“Language, Axel St. Orcas,” she snapped.
His eyes went wide, and he stumbled back a step. “Sorry,” he mumbled.
“The St. Orcas family challenged my brother for the seat. He was far older than me. Over a century. I was young, around the age you all are now,” she went on.
“Wait, I do know some of this,” Theon said, taking a tentative step towards her. “Valter’s father challenged for the seat nearly four centuries ago.”
She nodded, a bitter smile tilting on her lips. “And he won. My brother was killed, and he took the seat. I was allowed to remain a noble…until your father claimed his seat.”
“But…you’re a Fae. Not an Arius Legacy,” Theon said. “You have water magic.”
“Just like Penelope, right?” Caris asked.
“You’re saying it was never you?”
She nodded, raising her arms slightly. Two metal cuffs were at her biceps. He’d never seen her without them. In his formative years, they were just accessories. A part of her, but now that he was older and understood…
“She’s trapped,” Tessa repeated.
“He had them custom made,” the female said. “I was presented with them the evening of his lordship. He demanded I become his Match.”
“That’s forbidden. It upsets the balance of power in the realms,” Theon replied.
“Because the Lords and Ladies of Devram are so pious,” she deadpanned. “I declined, and he accepted that for a time.” She shifted on her feet, eyes suddenly darting around the room, looking anywhere but at them. “He and Rordan became close, forming the Augury. Every few months, Valter would approachme with his request, and every time I would deny him. I had found Pen by that time. She’d been assigned to Arius Kingdom, and…” She shrugged. “Things happen as things do. I loved her with my whole soul. Valter learned of the relationship and saw it as a betrayal in his twisted mind.
“Valter and Rordan had their falling out, and the Arius Kingdom was shunned more than ever,” she went on. “Of course, Valter wanted vengeance against everyone and everything. Kingdom alliances were being threatened, and the rulers held a conclave, agreeing to all attempt to have children the same age. Priestesses were brought in to help…better the odds.”
“Obviously it worked,” Axel muttered.
“It did,” she agreed. “But your father wouldn’t risk it. By that time, he’d taken a Match.”
“Cressida,” Theon said.
She nodded again. “But it wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted a child that would be more powerful than the others. A full Arius Legacy, through and through.”
“Are you saying… Theon is two Arius bloodlines?” Tessa asked.
“The next time he approached me, my rejection was not an option. I was brought here, and… Well, you were created,” she said, gesturing in Theon’s direction. “Cressida fell pregnant at the same time. Of course, her child was not fully Arius, and her child was a female.”
“Axel’s sister,” Theon said. Luka had told them all of this, filling them in on what Xan had told them. How his mother had taken the female and fled. How they’d been in hiding all this time in the Anala Kingdom.
“Yes,” she said, moving to the table. She rested her palm on the surface, taking a deep breath before she lifted her gaze to them once more. “You were born and passed off as her child. The Arius Heir. Of course, Cressida wanted nothing to do with you,and she was still pregnant at your birth. Her child wasn’t born for another six weeks. I was forced into an oath to never reveal the circumstances, but in exchange, I was allowed to be your caretaker and stay with Pen. No longer a noble Legacy, but a Fae in service to the kingdom.”
She smiled softly. “It was worth the sacrifice to get to be there. In a way, you were mine and Pen’s, even if you were his heir. I got to care for you, see your first steps, hear your first words. I got to…” She cleared her throat, eyes darting away once more. “And then Luka came shortly before Axel was born. Soon, there were three mischievous boys running amuck. You became my world, and I became your weakness. Although that day was my fault, not yours.”
Theon’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean? He was punishing us that day.”
She smiled sadly. “I’m sure he wanted you to think that, and I am told he used the moment to his advantage. But that day was about breaking me. He wanted more from me because even then, he was starting to fear you were going to turn on him. He is paranoid, and I can’t really blame him in this world. Everyone is always out for everyone. I refused to go through that again. I snuck out one night. I may have been passed off as a Fae, but I still remembered the secrets of the kingdom. Stealing coin, I found passage to the Underground where I paid off a Witch for these.” She gestured to the Marks across her collarbone.
“What do they do?” Theon asked.
“Take away my ability to have children.”
“Like a Curse Mark?” Tessa asked, and Theon glanced at her in confusion.
“It’s not a curse,” she replied. “I cannot even conceive a child. The day I returned and he saw them was the day I was tortured in front of you.”
