Prios 6: Prios Extinction

10. The New Vessel

Hindi bago si Zephy sa Winglov. Mas madalas pa siya roon kaysa kay Edric kung tutuusin. Pero sa hapong iyon, kinailangan siyang pormal na ipakilala sa mga Vanderberg bilang mapapangasawa ng panganay ng Pulang Hari.

Pero hati ang desisyon ng pamilya ng mga bampira ukol sa kanya bilang mapapangasawa ni Edric. Ang iba ay nagdadalawang-isip sa kanya dahil isa siyang tao; pero para sa mga nagtatrabaho sa Prios, nagdadalawang-isip sila dahil si Edric ang mapapangasawa niya.

Hindi kaila sa kanilang lahat na matagal nang sira ang kapalaran ni Edric bilang orihinal na hinirang ng norte. Sa buong bahagi ng Prios, siya lang ang makailang beses na nawalan ng karapatan sa napakaraming tungkulin.

May idea si Zephy roon, kaya nga naisipan din siyang kausapin ni Alastor ukol sa pagpapakasal sa iresponsableng pamangkin nito.

"Edric is a huge pain in the back, but he knows his priorities."

Naglalakad-lakad sila sa malawak na red rose garden sa gilid ng kastilyo na natatakpan ng hile-hilerang kahoy na kisame.

"If this is not a family decision, we will not let you marry him. I hope you don't mind that," dugtong ni Alastor. "Not because we don't like you for him, but because we know you deserve someone better than my nephew."

Matipid na napangiti si Zephy dahil doon. "Kung may chance pa, Doc, kahit ako rin, tatanggi sa kasal. The Prios knew he'd surrendered himself to the numen. He's already taken before this wedding."

"Well . . . about that . . ." Napahinto sa paglalakad si Alastor at saglit na humarap kay Zephy. Nailagay niya ang magkasalikop na kamay sa likuran, sa bandang ibaba ng itim na vest at naniningkit ang mga matang nag-iisip.

Napahinto tuloy si Zephy at napatingin kay Alastor habang kunot na kunot ang noo. "May problema ba, Doc?"

"Edric admitted recently that he didn't love the numen."

"He's in denial, Doc. Kilala mo siya."

"That's exactly the point, Zephania. I knew my nephew, and if he was besotted with someone, he would pursue her."

"He once did. He did everything for Chancey. Alam ng lahat 'yon, Doc."

"Ah!" Nagwagayway si Alastor ng hintuturo para sabihing mali si Zephy. "The curse of the fae will take effect while the fae still lives. And they are meant to fake the emotions of their victims. They knew how to fake heartbeats. However, the numen has already died. The moment they lost their lives was the same moment their curse lost its effectiveness. When Edric said he didn't love the numen after the numen died . . ." Lumapit pa siya kay

Zephy at ngumiti nang matamis. " . . . he might be right. He can't lie, he was born to tell the truth."

At nagpatuloy na naman si Alastor sa paglalakad.

"What if nagsisinungaling lang si Edric?" pagpapatuloy ni Zephy. "Ginawa naman niya ang lahat kay Chancey. Nakita naman ng lahat 'yon, Doc."

"The Cursed Sword of the North chose him as its owner. Edric can't lie. The sword's power will take over his words. It knows how to identify his genuine emotions. If the numen's curse ended after she died, then everything Edric felt for her will not be the same as now. We're still arguing about that since the Dalcas were so powerful to control an entity's feelings toward them that even the sword couldn't recognize what's real and what's not."

"You think it's possible for Edric to fall for someone again?"

"Edric is a headheaded kid, Zephy. He loves to play every now and then. But when we talk about emotions, he can be transparent about whether he likes someone or not."