Dwarfslayer

39

Six years later, Catherine awoke to a familiar sound: her mother’s voice.

But there was something different.

She wasn’t screaming.

Catherine opened one eye to another strange sight: her mother smiling.

“Good morning,” she said. “It’s your birth date, and me and your father have a surprise. Now, hurry up, and get dressed. We’ll be outside.”

Her mother left, and Catherine stood. She dressed slowly, thinking about what was going on. As she slipped on a dress, she made sure to tuck her wings in, a skill she had recently mastered. It helped if she ever needed to leave the house in an emergency. If her parents wanted her outside, this was, most likely, one of those moments.

She left her room, walked downstairs, and out into the still-dark morning.

Her parents waited outside in a carriage.

She stopped, and looked around.

No one else was in the streets.

Her mother opened the door, and gestured inside. “Come on in.”

As she climbed up, her father smiled from his spot in the driver’s seat.

Her father never smiled.

She sat, and her mother did the same in the seat across.

The carriage started, and was on its way.

There was silence between the two for a half hour. The entire ride consisted of Catherine looking down at her lap, and Delia smiling more than she’d ever done before.

Finally, Catherine worked up the courage to speak. “Where are we going?”

“That’s not important. What is important is that our problems are over.”

“What?”

Delia ignored her. She, instead, closed her eyes, and leaned her head back. “Do you realize how long we’ve wanted to get rid of you? No, of course you don’t. But I’ve thought about it. Your father has, too. The problem is we couldn’t. What if someone found out? The king would have us killed for abandoning our child.” Delia opened her eyes, and smiled a satisfied smile. “But you’re not a child anymore.” She knocked on the wood behind her, and the carriage stopped.”

Catherine could barely comprehend what was going on.

Her mother reached down, and came up with a brick in her hand.

“Goodbye, my daughter,” she said. “I won’t miss you.”

She knocked the brick against Catherine’s head, and she fell, unconscious.