Cloak, Torn: Book 2 [ON HOLD]

Chapter 5

"Do you have any idea how worried I was? Of all the times you would choose to go into the forest, you chose night. When the wolves are active. When the woman who murdered three of your grandparents likes to come out. For goodness sake! The howling was enough and then when I heard you'd been out in it- Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, Mother. I just got a little scraped up. It's nothing, I promise."

We stood in the throne room, with Mother kneeling in front of me and Father standing just behind her. Father was barefoot as usual but had apparently conceded to a royal purple sash across his navy blue coat and slacks, which looked a bit odd, but then again he was the King. Mother had her hair tied up and wore one of her empire waisted gowns, this time in a seafoam green color. As for me, things took the turn of a maroon dress with black shoes. I would have had my cloak on too for good luck, but it was being mended. Although, if things went downhill here I might never see my cloak again and be wearing a burlap sack and chains for the rest of my life.

"What were you thinking?" Mother continued.

"She wasn't," Father said, a stony expression on his face. Mother continued as if she didn't notice the comment.

"What if there were three gravestones in the courtyard instead of two? How do you think that would make us feel, Scarlet?"

"Well technically there's more than that," I muttered. Father glared and I shut up.

Mother continued her ranting, but I had zoned out by that point. No mention of punishment yet, but Father was onto me. He knew what my glazed over expression meant. He was the real danger here. Mother would rant as long as she had the energy, but in the end she'd be hugging me, just grateful I was safe. Father was the one who laid down the law.

Father and I had our gazes locked, equally hard expressions on our faces. He should be proud of me. He taught me how to do this.

Seize the kingdom.

But I blinked.

"Anna, why don't you go rest?" Father said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Didn't you say you had a book you wanted to finish?"

"Yes, but-,"

She stopped at his expression which read: I'll take it from here. I narrowed my eyes.

Mother sighed.

"Yes, alright. But as soon as I have the baby I'm going to take a very long break from reading. It's all I ever do these days."

She got up and made her exit, muttering something about 'the sooner the better'.

The boom of the door closing echoed in the massive hall, and I was left alone to face judgement.

"So," Father began, taking a step closer so I had to tilt my head way back to meet his eyes, "what was it this time?"

So we're playing the power game, are we?

I folded my arms and gave him a half lidded gaze as though I couldn't care less, while pushing my heart rate down since I knew he could hear it. Another of his curse side-effects.

"I heard you talking to Captain Emerson last night. And I heard you give the kill order. So I thought it was only right to give the victim a fair warning, let him know he was being targeted."

"So you eavesdropped, then disobeyed your father, who also happens to be the King, kidnapped and endangered a girl's life, not to mention your own, and unnecessarily put the lives of several of my best men at risk to warn the enemy that we were coming after it. Which message, according to a traumatized Miss Lena, you managed to deliver."