The Shadow Kingdom

Chapter 6 - Upended

It is 6:50 am when I get out of bed. Alex is still sound asleep, and I want her to stay that way for a while, at least until I've spoken to Adrian. I rise out of bed and get dressed. We slept in one of the smaller bedrooms last night, one that doesn't have an ensuite bathroom, so I quietly exit the door to use the main bathroom outside.

God, what I would give to rewind time a few months. I would love to go back to a time before I knew Adrian, before I knew the truth about myself, and when nobody wanted to kill me – a time when the world made sense.

After I finish freshening up, I head downstairs. Adrian is nowhere to be found, but I hear some loud noises from the exercise room. Diana is inside, and she is practicing martial arts on a wooden dummy. It's immediately obvious that she is very skilled; she has probably been training most of her life. Her movements are beautifully swift almost as though she is dancing. I would hate to be her dancing partner.

As I watch from a distance, her blows become faster and faster, eventually reaching an impossible speed. She is moving faster than my eyes can keep up with! She delivers a killing blow to the dummy, and ice appears where her fist impacted the wood. It disappears just as quickly as she pulls away. She is a waterweaver too although clearly much more powerful than me.

"Wow, that was impressive," I say as I walk towards her. After taking a drink of water, she wipes her forehead, and the sweat adheres to her palm. With a flick of her hand, the water falls to the floor in one drop. "How long have you been training?"

"Since I was six. Adrian's dad wanted me to be an enforcer. That's what I've been doing my whole life."

"Adrian's dad? I thought you two were siblings."

She just stares at me blankly.

Before she can explain, Adrian comes home. "Scarlett, good morning." He smiles at me in the way that I love. I can't help but smile back.

Diana grabs her backpack. "I'll be back by seven tonight," she says to Adrian. "I should be out of your hair by next week."

She is about to leave, but Adrian grabs her arm to stop her. "You are welcome here for as long as you like." He points a finger at her in emphasis. "Don't ever forget that." Diana places her hand on his left cheek and gently strokes it with her thumb. She kisses his other cheek softly before leaving. "Be careful," he whispers.

Adrian then turns his attention to me. "Come, I bought some breakfast." He leads me to the kitchen.

"This is the second time you've brought me take out food. You don't keep any groceries in the house?"

"Yeah... I don't know how to cook." He confesses.

"You have two Ph.D.'s, and you don't know how to cook?" I giggle a little.

He shrugs. "Nobody's perfect."

We settle down at the round glass table, and he hands me a bagel. "Did you tell Diana to keep an eye on me?" I ask. "Is that the reason why she was able to rescue Alex and me last night?"

He nods. "She is the best at what she does, and she is a very loyal soldier. I knew she would keep you safe."

"The fact that you thought I needed protection means that you knew those guys might come after me." Once again, he just nods. "Why didn't you tell me? You threw me out of your life, knowing that I was in danger?"

Adrian sighs. His expression is patently sorrowful, maybe even heartbroken. "I had my suspicions about to which house you might belong. I knew that once I reported what I knew to the overseers and the information became public, there was a chance that the person whom I suspect is your father would... intervene. I had to test that theory."