Inheritance

Chapter 27: Trust

While Pollyanna ran off ahead to her quarters within the Great Hall of the castle--saying that she was dying for the bath that the servants had prepared for her--Kori took Eory aside in the hall and requested of him, "Eory, promise me... Promise me you'll behave. Please."

Eory looked down at her silently with Gershom panting in his arms. His mind went blank with a foul cocktail of fear and anger.

"You don't trust me to behave?" He said with a little gulp.

Kori shook her head. "No, no. Of course I do. It's just that I don't trust Pollyanna... Eory, you must listen to me. I know I told you she was a hero before, but it was only because I wanted you to have somebody to look up to. I'm sorry I told you lies, but I need you to see her for who she is now and—"

"I understand." Eory cut her off while petting Gershom's head.

He was nearly on the verge of tears, but he hid it perfectly. Pollyanna was still his hero, but he didn't want Kori to know that; she would surely think he was evil if she did. Eory turned away from her and was going to continue down the hall, but Kori stopped him again.

"Eory..." She said quietly.

He looked at her over his shoulder as he waited for her to continue.

"Please tell me... Does Pollyanna have any weaknesses? Any at all?" Kori asked him desperately.

Eory froze and the warmth left his body as he spun around and stared at his caretaker in shock.

At first, he swallowed a lump in his throat and felt devastated at her words. His mind went blank for a moment and he was unable to think of anything to say in response. And then the woman brought him back to reality. I told you! This bitch doesn't trust us at all!

Eory gave the waif an icy-cold stare and said menacingly, "so you don't trust me at all? You think I'm keeping the secret to Pollyanna's immortality from you so I can use it against you and the king?"

Kori nervously clawed at her bright and fiery orange hair and took a step back from Eory. He had made the darkest and most frightening expression that she had ever seen dawn on his face. In a moment, however, she remembered she was his mother and she stood up straight and tall. "I am not accusing you of anything, Eory, and I don't appreciate your tone of voice! I just know that you... You seem to love this woman and it's largely my fault and that's why you're keeping her immortality a secret—because you love her; not because I suspect you of using her against me and the king."

There was silence between the two for a long moment with Gershom whistling worriedly.

In a moment, tears sprung from Eory's eyes and he sniffled. "You think I'm evil? Why don't you trust me...?"

Kori couldn't stand his crying, and, despite her fear of him just a moment before, she was overcome with the need to comfort him. She opened her arms and Eory knelt and set Gershom down for a moment so he could embrace her for comfort.

"I trust you. It's her I don't trust. Please Eory—why don't you order her to go away?" Kori asked. "It would make things so much simpler. I promise you that the king has no bad intentions toward you. He only has them toward Pollyanna."

Eory looked blankly over her shoulder and murmured, "it's foolish to step into a room full of people who hate you with no protection."

Kori hated it, but she knew he was right.

She continued leading him to his room and said good night to him before he shut the door.

It was brief, but there was a look of reticence and mistrust between them and it shattered Kori's frail and motherly heart.

Neither of them slept well that night.