The Shadow Kingdom

Chapter 12 - Sheep's Clothing

The next morning, I wake up in Adrian's bed. Nothing happened last night; I just really like the bed. Adrian is already up when I open my eyes, and as I leave the bedroom, I am greeted with a big surprise. Adrian is cooking! Or at least, he's trying to.

His fantastically elegant kitchen, which probably never gets used, is being abused in a way that breaks my heart. I walk down the stairs, laughing at his incompetence. "You're going to burn the building down!" I shout as he tries to figure out how to use the stove. I intervene, turning the stove off and taking over the culinary duties.

"I tried." He frowns.

"A for effort." I stand on my tiptoes and kiss him. "But I can take it from here." I make us both an omelette, and we settle down at the kitchen table. "There's something I'm confused about."

"What is that?"

"House Shang controls East Asia, House Hassan controls South Asia, House Ortega controls South America, and House Ashcroft controls Europe. Right?" I ask, and Adrian nods. "What about the rest of the world?"

"The rest of the world is considered neutral territory. All spellbinders are allowed to live in these areas and do whatever they want, provided they obey the laws of the overseers. That's the reason why the Obsidian Castle is in New York City and the reason why I live here."

"So you are not allowed to travel to Europe?"

"Not without William Ashcroft's permission, no."

"What would happen to you if you did?"

"Considering that I am the Shang crown prince, he would probably just deport me and tell me very sternly to not come back without asking. But if I were a regular warlock who isn't sworn to him, he would probably torture and kill me."

I consider this question carefully before asking. "Does your father ever torture anyone?"

"He does when he has to, yes."

"Torture is like the single most obvious example of human rights abuse!" I suppress my indignation as much as possible. "I can understand why sometimes you have to kill people, but torture? When would he ever have to torture someone?"

"When they have committed a particularly heinous crime – treason, for example. If one of our vassal houses tries to rise up against us, they need to be made an example of. Remember, the Shadow Kingdom doesn't have jails. In our society, death is a relatively mild punishment."

That's unbelievable. "And one day when you become king, what would you do?

He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. A lot of our hard conversations take place over breakfast, I have noticed. "I don't want to be king; you know that. But if Tiberius were to succeed my father, then the Shang Empire would become a military dictatorship. Brutality and discipline would become a part of daily life. For the sake of the greater good, I cannot allow that to happen.

"I would outlaw torture completely. The death penalty would still have to be enforced, but death is a mercy compared to the unspeakable things my father does to his enemies." I smile at him. Each time I take a bite of my omelette, I wonder what it is that made Adrian so noble when everyone else in the Shadow Kingdom is so selfish and cruel.

"Scarlett, there is something I need to ask you." Adrian says. I put down my fork and give him my undivided attention. "You told me that you never knew your birth parents. But last night, you told William Ashcroft that your birth mother was a prostitute. Why would you lie to me?"

Now, I feel ashamed. Not because of whom my birth mother is, but because I lied to Adrian, the most trustworthy person I know. "At the time, you and I still didn't know each other that well. My mother isn't something I like to talk about. She is a living reminder of the disgusting way I came into the world. And I'm a living reminder to her of the horrific event she had to endure."