Daughter of Alvar (Redemption Saga, Book 2)

Chapter 4

The bastard! Rift played me. But why? Maybe Elle has her information wrong.

Ava stomps over to Elle before we can discuss Rift further.

"Is it true, Elle?" she asks in her thick Westerly accent.

"What do you mean, dear?" Elle asks.

"That you are having a baby?" Ava rolls her eyes at Elle's gentle answer as if it were an offense. "What else do you think?"

"Yes," Elle says, and this news snaps me from my annoyance at my flirtatious interaction with a lying stranger.

Screw him. I hope I never see him again.

"Elle! Congratulations!" I exclaim, "Why didn't you tell me earlier in the courtyard?"

"Of course, you'd go and have a baby before me!" Ava scoffs, ignoring me like she always does, "I'm the first wife, and yet you decide to get pregnant!"

"That doesn't really matter here in Underland, Ava," Elle informs her without any malice.

"It does in Westerly! When my father hears of this, he may declare my marriage to Kal null and have my younger sister marry him instead," Ava says, throwing up her hands.

"Oh, honey, that's not going to happen!" Elle assures her, reaching out towards her.

"Do not 'oh, honey' me," Ava snorts, flinching away from Elle and turning on her heel into the direction of Kalvar.

"I'm so happy for you," I cheer for Elle, trying to dismiss Ava's jealousy from my friend's mind. "How far along are you?"

"Eight weeks. I wasn't going to tell anyone until I was past ten, but I think Kalvar must have told Ava because she's our family," Elle informs me, and I can tell by the way she twists a strand of her hair how agitated she is. "What am I going to do about Ava, Kyla? I try to make her feel welcome in the family, but she never accepts any of my kindness! I'm about ready to give up. And I have no idea how this Sylvia will be." Elle is tearing up now. "Oh, Kyla, why must Kalvar marry again? I don't need another Ava."

"Do you feel like it wasn't worth it?" I ask her quietly so no one can hear, "Being with him now even though he has Ava and soon, Sylvia?"

"Oh, of course, it's worth it! I couldn't picture myself with anyone else," Elle says. "I love Kalvar."

"Then I think you made the right choice," I smile at her sympathetically, "And maybe Sylvia will be great. Has Kalvar met her yet?"

"Yes," Elle says, "Kalvar said she is a sweet woman and that we'll all get along. There will be time before the wedding to get to know her."

The music stops playing, and Elle and I notice Kalvar stepping up on the stand, he raises his hands, and everyone quiets.

"Good evening, friends, family, and my esteemed guests," Kalvar begins.

Everyone claps thunderously, and a some shout out, "Long live, Prince Kalvar!"

I note a couple of the women screaming during the applause, "We love you, Prince Kalvar!"

Kalvar motions his hands humbly for them to quiet, but his infectious smile is huge with glee at the attention.

I notice Elle clapping along with everyone else, but she giggles and rolls her eyes at the star-crazed women. Yes, Kalvar is ridiculously good-looking, and it has always been this way with women and Kalvar, for he is charismatic and charming. Kalvar has dark hair from our father, the same lightly tanned skin of our mother, is tall, beautifully muscled, and wherever he goes, the women can't get enough.

"As you know, this is the night that holds great triumph for all of us, and it wouldn't have been possible without your queen, my mother. I want to invite her up here now to say a few words."

Mother walks up the steps to the stand and hugs Kalvar with a smile plastered on her face.

Yep, she's still annoyed with him.

"Thank you, Prince Kalvar," Mother says, "And thank you, my people, who are like family to me. When I first came to Axus, I had no idea how dear all of you would become to me. Those of you who still remember the tyrant king's days all lost something during that time, a family member or your own freedom. We celebrate today because Underland has not needed to fear for almost thirty years. Today, our lands are united in harmony and—"

A loud bell sounds, cutting off my Mother, and disconcerting screams and shouts from outside echo into the hall.

"A great flying beast was spotted from the north tower!" Mom's head guard, a Stog male, named Lark, shouts. "Hurry, my queen, we must flee to the sanctuary beneath the palace."

"Please, remain calm!" Mother shouts to the people from her place as panic begins to ensue.

Kalvar rushes toward Elle and me. He grasps Elle's hand. "Come, my love! Come, Kyla! Let's get into the sanctuary."

"Kalvar, if it's a Cursed, it could be Father! I'm going to meet it!"

"No!" Kalvar grabs my hand, and although I could find strength beyond him, I don't and let him drag me toward the sanctuary with the crowds.

"Kyla!" Fletch, my father's oldest friend, a gobli, grasps my hand in his claws. "Never mind, Kalvar. It would be best if you investigated this. You're the only one who can do it! It could be the king."

The beast within me is impatient and curious about the situation, a dragon in her territory!

I look around the room and see Mother's gaze on me.

"Get my mother and the others safe, Fletch," I say while meeting Mother's gaze, knowing she hopes that her beloved, my father, has returned.

Mother nods her head solemnly at me.

My wings struggle out of my dress and spread wide, catching air as I run in the opposite direction of the crowds, away from Kalvar and the rest of them.

I carefully wait until my feet leave the ground and are clear of the people to take my beast form. My beast eyesight is keen in the dark, and I easily navigate toward the north tower.

In the distance, the form of something that could either be a Cursed or a dragon swoops closer to the palace. If it's not my father returning, I hope it's a dragon.

The dragon can be killed by normal weapons, unlike a Cursed, but a dragon's body is covered in heavy scaling difficult to penetrate. Dragons are no easy kill unless you're like me and can't be killed by anything save magical weaponry long forgotten.

My jaws stretch, and I roar a warning in the direction of the flying creature. I curl around the north tower's spindle and raise my wings, making myself appear bigger and more threatening.

A roar answers me back.

It's not the friendly kind.