by Amelia Shaw
So Tavlor was right. I was back to normal.
The locket at my neck burned with heat, but I ignored my mother. I wasn’t taking any more of her advice unless she was getting on board with our plan. Not only that, but I couldn’t allow myself to be distracted. I tried to remind myself that she was just worried about me—which was fair, all mothers worried—but I couldn’t have the stress of her on me when I already felt as though I had the weight of the world on my shoulders. I couldn’t exactly keep my head above water if she was going to add to it.
Tavlor gestured for me to walk forward, and he addressed the little blonde-haired receptionist. “Hello Nicole.”
I cleared my throat.
“I’m here to see the High Warlock,” I said. My voice echoed around the room and I tensed so I wouldn’t jump. I needed to appear calm and confident, like I belonged here. Like it was my right to be here. I couldn’t let her see that I was afraid of my own voice. “Can you let him know I’m here?”
The woman looked me over, her eyes bulging.
She looked at Tavlor. “Do they know she’s here?”
For the first time since I had known him, Tavlor was decided to be the lesser of two evils. Instead of talking to me, she’d resorted to talking to him.
He shook his head. “No,” he said, keeping his voice low. “I want the High Warlock to be the first to see her and decide what he wants to do now that she’s here.”
“Is she your prisoner?” she asked.
I inhaled sharply. Was I? Would that get us in the door? I would be whatever Tavlor thought was best. Whatever would get us the quickest access to the Council.
“Ava has come willingly, with the one condition that she speaks to the High Warlock before giving herself up to the Council,” Tavlor said, his voice firm.
The blonde stiffened. “She has no rights. She is a fugitive of the state...” She let her voice trail off, but the look she gave Tavlor seemed to indicate that he should know all of this because it was obvious.
Tavlor sighed. It seemed as though he wanted to roll his eyes, but instead, lifted his hand and spoke a few words that I didn’t understand. If I had to guess, I would put my money on him reciting some kind of Fae incantation.
The woman went mute, her eyes glazing back. She went rigid, but there didn’t seem to be any indication of pain across her features. She reached out and pressed a few buttons before opening a door to the next level.
“What did you do to her?” I asked in a low voice, trying to shield my face with my long blonde hair.
“I didn’t want to use my magic to get through this part, but they leave me no choice when they try and tell me that you don’t have a right to speak to someone they think is going to condemn you to death,” he said.
We stepped through the door and whooshed into the next realm.
We were confronted by multiple body guards. They looked from me to Tavlor. He used his magic on them as well and this time we were directed to a gold door that would take me straight to my father’s realm.
I inhaled quickly as my stomach did a jig alongside my tangled nerves. “Ah... why does your magic work in here?” I asked. I wasn’t trying to accuse him of anything, but I did want to know what was going on and why he was so effective. “I thought you said there were wards to stop such a thing?”
Or had I been wrong?
He smiled. “My Fae magic works, in part. In their arrogance, they only have wards up against Warlock magic. Of course, I never let them know their mistake just in case I needed to take advantage of it. Like now.”
“Ah... sneaky,” I said, giggling inappropriately with stress.
Tavlor put a finger to his lips. “Don’t tell anyone. They would change everything if they did.”
I nodded. “Our little secret.”
He walked over to the door and opened it.
“After you,” he said, gesturing for me to enter.
I blew out a breath and stepped forward. I was back, and I was about to see my father again after so long.
“Well, here goes everything,” I said, and then stepped into the inner sanctum of the High Warlock of all the realms.
Chapter 18.
I held my breath.
I stood inside my father’s office, but my father was not there. Instead, a man I’d never seen with beady black eyes, silver hair tied in a ponytail, and an air about him that made my skin crawl, stood in his place.
I couldn’t explain what it was about him that set my insides off. It could have been the narrowed eyes, the sneer on his old face, or the way he looked at me as though I was little more than dirt on his shoe.
“Who are you?” I asked, pulling up all my mental shields and placing my feet in a fighting stance in case I needed to get out of the way quickly.
My father had special wards in place to stop people doing magic within his inner sanctum, but my powers still worked because I was of his bloodline—the same way it worked with my mother’s magic—and I had no idea if the man in front of me had altered the original rules or not. If he was even powerful enough to do such a thing.
Best to be prepared, as Horlow always said.
I ignored the feeling of my heart squeezing painfully at the thought of my Fae trainer.
You’ll see him again, Ava. You just have to get through this first.
“Rasslor.” Tavlor said, sounding surprised, as he stepped into the room behind me and shut the door. “What are you doing here?”
Rasslor ignored the question. “Tavlor, it is good to see you back, and well,” he said. It was as though I was suddenly forgotten about. Which was fine with me. “We heard you had an altercation on Faerie with some wolf shifters.”
Tavlor stiffened but didn’t show any outwards signs of guilt. It was almost as though he hadn’t expected them to find out what had happened at all. What sort of reach did mages have if word got back to them from the Fae realm?
“I was attacked, and completely un-necessarily,” he replied.
“We were told that you were aiding Ava Melfi in her escape...” His eyes slid sideways to me, an evil glint in his dark gaze. Ice skittered along my spine. “But it seems like they were wrong.”
“Ava has come to speak to the High Warlock about the charges against her,” Tavlor said. It was some kind of talent, the way he danced around Rasslor’s insinuation without outright lying. I would have to get Tavlor to teach me how to do that—if we survived this, of course. “She does not wish to run and hide, although she was doing a very good job of it when I found her. She wants a fair trial and a chance to prove her innocence.”
“Her innocence?” He sneered. “I thought you cleverer than this, Tavlor? Or have you finally been breached by a pretty girl? I thought you were an immovable soldier, and yet you come here, actually believing there’s a chance that this girl is innocent? Is she not the illegitimate daughter of our High Warlock? Is she not a threat to everything we have built, everything this community stands for?” He spat on the floor and I flinched. “Hybrid fool. This is why your kind will never be taken seriously.”
I snarled. Tavlor did not look at me but he clenched his jaw. At least Rasslor’s words affected him negatively now, instead of just rolling off his shoulders like what he said had any sort of truth to it.
Suddenly, Rasslor’s words sank in. I knew I was a threat to the Council, but what did he mean by me being a threat to what the magic realm stands for?
“What are you talking about?” I demanded. “All I ever wanted was to know my father after being denied any access to him my whole life. I didn’t mean to threaten the very fabric of your life! I’m one person.”
I wanted to yell and scream and pull at my hair. I wanted to stomp my foot. I wanted to cry.
Why did everyone keep blaming me for my very existence?
I had to keep my composure, though. I had to show them that I was stronger than what they expected of me.
“Yes, you are,” he said. “And by all our laws and standards, you should not exis
t.”
There was more venom in his words than I’d ever heard anyone use before, even more than when people spoke about Tavlor. It was as though Tavlor was dirt under a shoe, and I something even worse, a squashed bug on a windshield. Disgusting to look at, difficult to wash away.
I stared at him, shocked. Was he serious?
Of course, he was.
This entire realm was based on bigoted laws.
I flicked my hair back and lifted my chin. I was not afraid of him. I would not let him intimidate me.
They’re afraid of you, Ava. Don’t let yourself forget that.
I nodded to the voice inside my head. Rasslor frowned, looking as though I had done something incomprehensible.
But that was the problem, wasn’t it? Their fear of me.
“I should not exist?” I repeated.
Rasslor’s mouth pulled down at the edges.
“Well, I suppose you need to blame my father then... No, wait, he’s the High Warlock, so you can’t possibly blame him.” It wasn’t hard to inject disgust into my tone as I threw that at him. I was still annoyed with my father.
My father, who had yet to show up. I didn’t need him to come save me by any means, but it would have been nice to have him by my side. To know without a doubt that he would support me—his own flesh and blood—rather than a corrupt institution who only cared about their own power.
“So, who’s left?” I snapped. I threw my arms out. “Me! The child of a union I didn’t choose, nor ask for. What the hell kind of logic is that?”
The same logic that made the witches hate Tavlor. The children of forbidden unions. It was insane.
I needed to change that. I couldn’t live in a world that thought this treatment of their people was acceptable. If I couldn’t do that, I would die trying. I refused to let others feel the pain I felt. Not anymore.
“You will be executed within the hour,” Rasslor said with a snarl, ignoring my arguments. “You disgusting filth.”
I gasped, then tried to stifle my reaction.
Rasslor beamed with a triumphant grin.
Shit! Never let a bully know they got to you. Never react. Then, they win.
I thrust my chin up again and tried to incline my head in a way that got rid of the tears that accumulated in my eyes. I would not let them fall, no matter what happened. I wouldn’t allow him to think he could hurt me.
“I want to speak to my father,” I said. My voice quivered and I hated myself for it, but there was nothing I could do about it now. I sucked in a breath. “Where is he?”
Rasslor didn’t answer.
Tavlor stepped forward. Our shoulders brushed and I was suddenly filled with a sensation of safety. Even though Rasslor posed an immediate threat to me, I would overcome it with Tavlor by my side.
“Where is the High Warlock, Rasslor?” Tavlor asked. “We need to speak to him. Immediately.”
I loved how strong and calm Tavlor’s voice sounded and I forced myself to focus on that, and not the anger boiling in my belly at the pure stupidity of the situation. Somehow, despite Rasslor’s insults, Tavlor rose above it. He did not let the words affect him.
At least, he didn’t show it. And that was something I desperately needed to work on.
Rasslor stuck his nose up like he was the most important person in the room. I wanted to laugh at his ignorance.
“Matlock is not here, nor will he be here while she is in the room.” He didn’t even find it in himself to acknowledge me.
He didn’t have to.
“Excuse me?” Why was he talking like I was some sort of disease that my father had to avoid?
Rasslor stepped closer to me, making sure he had my full attention. “Your... father...” he said, spitting the word as though it tasted foul, “wants nothing to do with you. He has relinquished all control over these matters to the Council and has agreed to step down until it is all resolved. As he should.”
It?
I looked over at Tavlor to check the validity of what was being said. He shook his head infinitesimally, but it didn’t stop the pain and grief descending and wrapping me up.
I needed to keep a clear head right now.
But how was I supposed to do that?
My father wanted nothing to do with me? No... Tavlor had said...
I took a few steps back, away from the intensity of the situation, reeling from the emotional blows. I didn’t want Rasslor to think anything he said had the capability of actually hurting me. I needed to be strong. I needed to remain focused.
“But... Tavlor...” I started.
He turned on Rasslor, his hands clenching into fists. “We demand to see Matlock. Now.”
Worry began to claw at my insides. Was Rasslor right? Had my father abandoned me to my fate? Had he turned everything over to the Council when he knew they wouldn’t give me a fair chance at proving myself?
Rasslor huffed as though he was amused. “Don’t raise your voice to me, you filthy half breed,” he said with a sneer. “We all know the only reason Matlock keeps you around is out of pity for you.”
But what about me?
I was still a threat. If Tavlor was an abomination, I was much, much worse.
“Pity?” I didn’t realize I was the one who spoke until my voice echoed off the walls.
Even so, I could not help but laugh at Rasslor’s words, breaking some of the tension within my body. I couldn’t seem to defend my own relationship with my father, but I knew why he kept Tavlor around. They all did, and for Rasslor to imply otherwise, it amused me more than it should.
“Yeah, right.” I scoffed. “None of you pity Tavlor—you fear him. He’s more powerful than all of you supposed pure bloods and you know if he turned on you, you wouldn’t have a chance. So, don’t go belittling him. I won’t stand for it.”
“You?” Rasslor said. He wrinkled his nose. “And what do you think you can do about it?”
“Considering I’m the High Warlock’s daughter and this hybrid has both magic abilities and Fae abilities, I would say we would give you a run for your money,” I snapped.
A strange smile spread across Rasslor’s face. “Oh, isn’t this sweet,” he said, clapping his hands together. “The dirty half breed and the illegitimate trash. You two make a perfect pair, don’t you?”
The slur hurt more than it should have, because it wasn’t true. But the amount of hatred pointed at us both was hard to handle. Especially since we had done nothing to this man, to anyone. Our only crime was being born, and that wasn’t exactly something we could help.
I squared off against him. At least I had a direction for my anger and didn’t need to keep it bottled up inside of me any longer. It felt good to spar with someone, especially if that someone deserved it, which Rasslor most assuredly did.
“Where is my father?” I said with a growl. “I’m not going with you, and I’m certainly not leaving this room until you get him. I have a right to speak to him. He would want to talk to me.”
Rasslor cocked his head to the side as though assessing me. “Your father doesn’t love you, Ava,” he said, his voice gentle. I wasn’t sure why he was speaking nicely to me unless he was doing his best to try to convince me that what he was saying was the truth. “He never has, and he never will. Surely, you know this. Look deep down inside yourself and the answers are there. Your father does not care about your existence. You are nothing to him except, perhaps, a nuisance.”
Each word hit me like a well-aimed knife, straight to the heart. It was suddenly hard to breathe, but my body tense.
It was my exact worse nightmare come true and I could feel the walls around my heart cracking and tumbling down around me.
How had he known?
Tears stung my eyes despite my efforts and if I didn’t do something to hide them, Rasslor would see. I turned away, holding my breath against the need to sob. I pushed my shoulders down. I couldn’t have him see them bob up and down as a sob threatened to rip out of me.
Tavlor wasn’
t saying anything. Part of me was upset, but the other part knew there wasn’t anything he could say.
If my father truly believed I was a nuisance, the last thing I wanted was it to be confirmed. And if it wasn’t—did we want Rasslor to know my father did care for me?
Where was my father anyway?
Where was the man who had loved my mother, conceived me, and turned his back on me when I’d asked for help? The man who claimed to know nothing about me, but who refused to help me when I asked him for it. Who refused to acknowledge me as his daughter even though that was what I was?
This was his office. Surely Tavlor would have contacted him to let him know we were coming. Surely, he knew we were here. He must know we needed him.
And yet, there was no trace of him. No sign that indicated he was coming at all.
So perhaps Rasslor was right.
My father doesn’t love me... Of course, he doesn’t love me.
How could I have been so stupid as to believe otherwise?
My father didn’t even know me. But to lose one parent and to be so spectacularly rejected by the other was making me want to crawl into a ball and die a slow, embarrassed death. This giant undertaking, I was arrogant enough to believe could be overcome just because I wanted it to was a farce from the beginning. I should have stayed home. I should have stayed with my sisters and ensured this hadn’t happened in the first place.
Arguing was going on behind me and I attempted to pull myself out of my melancholy. The voices grew louder and louder the more I focused on them. There was anger. More than that, there was spite.
What were Tavlor and Rasslor yelling about? I wanted to close my eyes, to see if that might help me figure it out. But I couldn’t. He was already winning, what with his cruel truth. I couldn’t let him break me.
“Get him. Get him now!” Tavlor was practically screaming.
“He is not here,” Rasslor said. “He wants nothing to do with this situation.”
“You’re lying.” Tavlor said. I didn’t know why Tavlor was so adamant about this, but he was.
“How would you know how the High Warlock stands on this matter, you great big mutt!” Rasslor roared. “Who do you think you are, to talk to me in such a way? You will mind yourself, Tavlor, before I put you out, just as I put out the rest of the garbage.”
