Daughter of Alvar (Redemption Saga, Book 2)

Chapter 13

"Why would your mother kill those men?" I ask Rift as we ride the elafont with the stolen arlite back to the palace. "You said you thought she'd had them killed."

"My mother likes to control things. They did a deal under the table," Rift says, "She brought me up to do what she does."

"I thought you said she's an herbalist?" I say.

"She is an herbalist who creates toxins for unscrupulous buyers, among other things."

"You can't help who your mother is, but you can change, you can stop doing what she wants," I murmur, "So when you said she's horrible, you meant in more ways than just disliking and being rude to me?"

"Yep," Rift nods. "She's not someone you want to cross. She sells tainted arlite to rogue gobli and nixies, especially. Nixies still have a lot of resentment toward humans since Saul's reign. Your father practically wiped them out while he was under Saul's control."

"When did you figure out you had the—uh—abilities?" I ask him to change the subject from my father's dark past as we enter Underland City. I knew his past was something that possibly affected his functioning as a normal human now.

"I have no memories of when I didn't have them," Rift says, his brow furrows in a troubled kind of way as if thinking back on his childhood is difficult. He pauses for a moment, but then the expression is gone, and he looks at me, "How about you?"

"I've always known. The wings set me apart from the beginning. I am told the first time I took on my monster form was when I was two."

"It must have been rough growing up like that, under everyone's scrutiny," Rift says thoughtfully. "No one really notices my differences. I'm good at hiding them. And if someone finds out that I don't want to know, I tell them to forget it, and they do."

"Have you ever killed anyone, Rift? For your mother or yourself?" I can't believe my boldness in asking, and yet it's nagging on my mind.

"Yes, all bad men you'd never wish to meet," Rift says stonily, and he doesn't say anything more.

We are almost to the gates of the palace. The elafont halts and I unload the arlite with Rift. The elafont's trunk rests on Rift's shoulder, and he pats the beast. "Thanks for letting me keep her."

"I still think I'm making the wrong choice in that," I grumble and shake my head.

"Darling, you keep being a good girl to a fault, but you can comfort yourself knowing the elafont isn't stolen from the palace," Rift says, "it's from those two crooks, Loper and Dundin."

"You're probably right. We use mytonirs," I sigh.

"I really hope you'll see me again, Kyla," Rift says, taking my hand and kissing it.

"You've got me in a difficult place here, and I have a ton of questions," I begin, pulling my hand from him, "First, why shouldn't I send people into investigating your scary criminal boss mother?"

"Go ahead, princess," Rift answers as if it doesn't bother him at all. "It won't do any good for anyone, but it may make her uncomfortable, and that would be great." He quiets thoughtfully and adds, "Before you ask anything else of me, know that there are some things you're probably better off never knowing. There is a certain luxury in that. Your father sounds like one who might also understand this... Some bad things in this world persist even among the good. Yes, they can be weakened, but you can never really destroy evil. Trust me when I say that evil will continue to suck blood like a mosquito no matter how many times you swat it away. I learned this from my mother at a young age."

"Ok-ay," I draw out the word, unable to think of anything else as all my questions have been cut at the heels with Rift's cryptic statement.

"Till next time, Princess," Rift says, dipping his head in respect and hoisting himself back up on the elafont. "Thanks for the elafont, and I do hope you change your mind about being available to romance. It's probably impossible for a princess like you to want a criminal like me, but a man can dream."

I don't say anything and watch him leave. I'm exhausted, and my beast is clawing to roam free with all the stress the mysterious Rift brings. Part of me never wants to see him again, but part of me can't let go of my attraction to him or my curiosity about him. I can't forget how when he looks at me. He sees the princess rather than the Cursed. He's not perfect, but at least he speaks to me with no prejudice or fear.

Then I realize the only person in the world I want to talk about this situation with is my father. Tears well up in my eyes.

My Father, Alvar, understood me like no other being in this world. We share the Curse, and with that, he knows what it is like always to have that second self, the beast self, moments from controlling me. To be unable to discuss Rift with Father makes me anxious.

Father knows what it is like. He also has warned me about being manipulated by others to use the Curse for their own gains. I shudder thinking of the tyrant king Saul's story and how he used manipulation to put a Fe collar on my father. Saul controlled him and took over Underland and terrorized the rest of Axus. What if Rift is like Saul, and I already see warning signs? Is this just history repeating itself an evil mother and a handsome individual who seems to not care about my condition?

I leave the arlite in the palace courtyard, someone will find it there, and I won't have to explain unless asked. I'm too tired to talk to anyone about it now. I fly up to my room but realize I need to shift forms if I'm to remain sane, so I do so and fall asleep on the roof of the palace.

*

"Your brother requests you in the great hall," Maybelle tells me, waking me up.

It's two days after my strange evening with Rift, and I still haven't decided if I wish to see him again.

"You can tell my brother that I have a life and am not to be ordered around," I grumble sleepily, turning over in my bed and blinking into the morning light. "He's going to be the next king. Let him deal with it."

"Have you forgotten that today Sylvia of Erlund arrives?" Maybelle scolds. "You must be present." She pulls out a royal gown of bright purple and silver. "It wouldn't do to have the princess not there for her arrival. I've got the perfect cloak to help cover those wings up for you."

I begrudgingly get out of bed and let Maybelle help me into the clothes. As Maybelle fastens the ties in the gown's back to cover my wings, I remember mother telling me she was to leave after Sylvia's arrival. I close my eyes and think of Father's last letter. In the letter, he'd mentioned a mage who supposedly had created a blade capable of killing a Cursed and how I needed to be careful with whom I became close. Is Rift the mage father mentioned? Is that why Rift wants to be close to me? Is this all a ruse to kill me?

Then why hasn't he killed me yet?

"My word, are you alright, Princess?" Maybelle asks, worry furrowing her brow. "You're shaking."

"I'm sorry I'm not well. I don't really want to see anyone," I admit. "I should probably stay up here for Princess Sylvia's arrival."

"You truly believe you're sick?" Maybelle persists in questioning me. "I thought you couldn't fall ill because..." her voice trails, and she ducks her gaze down.

"Because I'm Cursed?" I ask. Suddenly I'm filled with irritation. I'm tired of everyone skirting around this subject. It's my reality, and everyone acts as if it's so terrible they can't even say it aloud. "It's not a bad word, you know."

"I'm sorry, your highness," Maybelle hurriedly says, actual fear flooding her expression. "I didn't mean to make you upset or remind you of the shame you bear for our kingdom."

"Remind me?" I practically splutter. "You didn't mean to remind me that I'm a Cursed? Don't you think I'm quite aware?" Suddenly my skin is tightening, and my bones are cracking painfully.

"You're scaring me," Maybelle says, her eyes wide, and she backs away from, "Calm down. I know you are apt to lose your temper because of the—."

"The Curse?" I shout, willing myself not to take my monster form with all the strength I have. "My Curse wouldn't be such a big deal if you didn't all make it out to be so!"

Maybelle shrieks and runs from the room, screaming, "I'm done with her! She's a monster!"

Those words are enough to cause me to lose my humanity completely. I run to my window and jump off the ledge.