A Slip Of Darkness

Chapter IV

I watched as Father impatiently answered the slew of questions that followed, waving people away one after the other. Soon they were all gone, leaving only me and Father in the huge hall. Our voices echoed eerily in the silence.

"Why are you sending me there?" I probe. I already know the answer, but I still want to hear what he'll say.

"I've lost their respect," he says simply.

I look at him, dumbfounded. "So you're sending your youngest daughter into Xeoria to assassinate the prince, just so you can gain their respect back?"

He shoots me a sharp look. "No, and you know that perfectly well. I'm sending you there because your black blood protects you better than any enchantment or glamour can protect anyone else."

"You do realize that the odds of them discovering me are quite high, right?" i argue.

"No, they're not. It's quite simple, really. You're protected under Malcolm's guard. He holds a prestigious title there, so no one will suspect him of foul play. You go in, make friends with the prince, gain his trust, then one night, pour a couple drops of ammionis into his drink and there, he's dead, just like Genevive. You come back home before anyone catches you, and you're done."

"Who's this Malcolm guy anyway?" I huff.

"Our best spy in xeoria. He was sent in when he was really little, and he's been working his way up the rankings ever since. Right now, he's a member of the court of shadows." father explains. "He sends us information about xeoria, and when you go in, you'll act as his younger sister.'

"If i go in," i correct. "And if he's your best spy and knows so much, then why didn't he warn you about Genevive?" i retort, raising an eyebrow.

"They don't tell him everything." His tone makes it seem like he's talking to a cumbersome child. "And I'm pretty sure you're going to want to go. Unless, of course, you don't mind all of Eoria knowing about your Xeorian features."

I don't flinch. "You wouldn't do that. You'd just be exposing yourself too. How are you planning to explain away the fact that your child has black blood without acknowledging that you were the traitor?"

" No, no, no. That's not how it would go down. You see, your birth was quite suspicious. Baby born in secret, no ceremony. It would be too easy to convince everyone that Eleanor switched the Eorian baby out with a Xeorian one when no one was looking, at that you're the real spy."

I clench my teeth in frustration. "Don't drag Eleanor into this." As much as I hate how she never gives me privacy, I still care for her. She's always been there for me, no matter what.

"It's not like she can do anything about it, she's taken an oath of silence. She must do whatever I tell her to."

He strolls over to the doors before I can say anything, and walks out into the hallway. I briefly hear him talking to someone, and then he returns.