Tamlin's Daughter

Chapter 8

I knocked on Odette's door before I opened it, Clara was sat next to her on the edge of the bed, I pulled a dinning chair from downstairs and set it next to the bed, Clara smiled at me in thanks. I grabbed the stool from the vanity and set it next to her.

"Thank you for saving her," she said quietly.

"She only asked us to save you, in her note, she told us to use her death as a distraction to get you out." I told her and she shook her head.

"Of course, she did, she has never thought that her life is worth anything, did she tell you what Tamlin does to her?" She asked, looking back to Odette's sleeping form.

"I healed some bruises that she told us Tamlin gave her, but we didn't get to talk to her much." I replied, wondering how bad this was going to get.

"He beat her every day, telling her how worthless she was, he would tell her how weak her mother was and then just leave again. She never left that tiny room either, not until her eighteenth, every day I would go in twice, once in the morning and once in the afternoon, each time she would tell me all she wanted to do was escape, even when she was little, she would stare out of the window." She told me and tears slipped down.

"What happened isn't your fault," I told her, and she shook her head.

"It is, I should have pretended Odette didn't survive, got her out before he could take her, I could have raised her in the Day Court." She shook her head, as if getting rid of that thought process.

"Is that where you are from, Day?" I asked.

"Yes, so was her mother, she was a shapeshifter too, she wasn't overly powerful, only able to shift every now and again, she was better at shifting one part of her body. Odette is a very powerful shifter; she can shift between forms as easily as turning a page in a book, but she doesn't know that yet." She replied.

"Do you still have family in Day?" I asked, maybe I could reunite them.

"I'm Helion's great niece, he's the only family I have left, I used to live in the palace with him, but I got bored, I explored all of the courts with Odette's mother before we settled in Spring, even though we didn't come here, we just went south." She said and I nodded, it made sense.

"I could tell Helion you are here, if you would like," I offered, and she looked at me in shock.

"You would really do that?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'll go and talk to Rhys, ask if I can go over." I said as I stood.

"Thank you," she said with a smile before she turned to look at Odette.

I walked out of the room and went down to see Rhys.

"Can I go and see Helion?" I asked.

"Any particular reason?" He asked, brow raised.

"Clara is his great niece," I replied.

"Ok, I'll ask him," Rhys said, and I smiled at him, going back up to sit with Clara and Odette.

A couple of days later Helion approved my visit to his court, I winnowed over, ready to surprise him.

"Morrigan, what a lovely surprise," he said, arms open.

I let him embrace me before I got straight to business.

"Your great niece, Clara, is in out care at the moment after we rescued her from spring," I told him, and he paled.

"She's alive?" He whispered.

"Yes, we rescued her from being executed because Tamlin got a little pissy with Odette." I told him softly.

"Can I see her?" He asked, I smiled.

"I had a feeling you would ask that, Rhys has already approved it," I said as I extended my hand.

He took it and I winnowed to the manor.

"She doesn't know you are coming," I told him, and he nodded as he followed me upstairs.

I gestured for Helion to wait outside.

"Clara, there is someone here who would like to see you, I can sit with Odette if you would like," I said round the door.

"Who is it?" She asked quietly, a breaking female sat before me.

I beckoned for Helion to come in and he did, standing next to me in the doorway.

Clara covered her mouth with her hand as tears filled her eyes. She ran for him, and they hugged tightly.

"I missed you too," he whispered.

I pointed to a room they could talk in privately and Helion thanked me silently before leading Clara away while I sat with Odette.

I had only been there for an hour before she began to stir.