“I don’t know yet. I don’t know how it will affect our revolution. I think he still doesn’t know about us and I’d like to keep it that way. We must be very vigilant.”
All three of us nod.
Alaric looks from Sebastian to me. He clears his throat, his eyes pasted on me. “I suppose I should start at the beginning.” He takes a deep breath, then lets it out. “Not many know this, but King Sorenten is not the true king.”
“What do you—?” Sebastian starts, but Alaric holds up his hand.
“His parents, King Selferic and Queen Marah, ruled for many years before they died. After their deaths, the throne should have passed to their eldest son…Alaric. The true heir to the throne.”
“Alaric?” I say. “Does that mean you’re…?”
He nods slowly. “Please let me finish. “Selferic and Marah’s younger son, Sorenten, wanted the throne, but since he wasn’t the heir, he wouldn’t rule. His only choice was to murder his parents and his older brother. ” He pauses. “Alaric—I—wasn’t in Ortarus when Sorenten slaughtered the king and queen. That was to his advantage, because had I been there, I would have defeated him. As heir, my power was stronger than his.”
“Where were you?” Sebastian asks.
“I was on…Earth.” Alaric’s eyes meet mine.
“I thought Ortarians can’t survive on Earth.”
“You’re right, they can’t. But the royal family can. They have the most powerful magic in all Ortarus and can travel between both worlds.”
“What were you doing on Earth?” Sebastian asks.
He hesitates, his gaze still on mine. “I was curious about the human world and decided to go there for a little while. I went to college, got a job, and fell in love with a human female.”
Why is he still looking at me?
“Her name was Lauren and she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.”
Lauren? As in my mom? Does this mean this guy is…my dad?
He smiles sadly. “Yes, Lily. I’m your father.”
The room begins to sway. For years I have wondered who my father was, why he walked out on Mom, Daisy, and me. Now I know. He left us because he wasn’t part of my world.
Sebastian sandwiches my hand between his. I turn to him. “Did you know about this?”
He shakes his head.
“Your mother and I started a family,” Alaric continues. “I wished to remain on Earth and have a human life. As an Ortarian prince and heir to the throne, I knew I would have to eventually return to Ortarus, but I pushed that aside and enjoyed my two little girls.” He swallows. “One day, I learned that my parents were murdered and I knew I had to return to my home world. I didn’t tell your mother because I didn’t have time. I had to leave that second. I planned on returning once everything would settle down and explain everything to her. I thought we could figure something out, with my being king of Ortarus. But I was unable to return. Sorenten trapped me here.” He shakes his head. “He stole the throne from me.”
“How?” Sebastian asks.
Alaric looks at me. “Before I continue. Are you okay, Lily?”
I don’t know. Everything is so blurry and confusing. My throat is dry. I have a mix of emotions. Anger at this man—my dad—for abandoning me. A little relief, knowing he’s alive. Distrust—how do I know he’s telling the truth?
“Lily?” Sebastian asks, squeezing my hand between his.
I look at Alaric. “How do I know you’re not lying? How do I know you’re my dad? Anyone can claim to be the true king.”
Alaric winces, but nods. I didn’t mean to offend him, I just won’t, or can’t, or don’t want to believe that my father is an Ortarian. Does that make me half human? What exactly am I?
“I anticipated your reaction,” Alaric says. “You can ask me anything. A memory perhaps.”
“I hardly remember you. I was a baby when you left.” I can’t stop the anger from seeping into my voice. Assuming he’s telling me the truth, he did have a valid reason for not returning. But he shouldn’t have gotten involved with a human and had kids with her if he knew his duties belonged on Ortarus. It wasn’t fair for him to do that to me, Daisy, or to my mom.
His jaw clenches. “Lily.”
“You have no idea what we went through after you left. What my mom went through. She cried herself to sleep every night. Every single night.”
“Lily, there wasn’t anything I could do—”
“You were heir to the Ortarian throne. You knew you would have to return to your world. Why would you string my mom along when you knew you would abandon her one day?”
He rubs his hand down his face. “I loved her.”
“You used her.”
“No, I didn’t—”
I shoot to my feet. “I’m done listening to this.”
Sebastian’s at his feet and takes my hand. “Lily, I understand you’re upset, but please, let’s hear Alaric out.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “How do we know this guy is telling the truth? He’s wearing armor and your sister is wearing the palace guard uniform.” Renaya’s eyes move to me, but she doesn’t respond. She hasn’t said much since we sat down.
“How do we know they’re not working for the king?” I go on. “Sebastian, we need to get back home. My mom is probably worried sick about me. I would never abandon her.”
Alaric sighs, rubbing his temples. “I made a mistake, Lily.” He looks up at me. “I fell in love with your mother, something I had never experienced before. You love Sebastian. You would do anything for him. Being apart from him is like losing a vital organ, isn’t it?”
I don’t say anything.
“That’s how I felt about your mother.”
“I understand that,” I say. “But I can’t get over the fact that you knew you would eventually leave us. Why would you hurt us like that?”
Alaric stands up and reaches to pat my arm. I pull away. “Lily.”
“I don’t think you’re my dad. I think you’re using me and Sebastian—for whatever reason—and you’re going to hand me over to the king. Hell, maybe there’s a reward for capturing a human.”
“Harry Martin Richards,” Alaric says.
I stare at him.
“That was your father’s name, wasn’t it?”
“Anyone could know that.” Could they, though? I only learned of his name a few days ago when I asked Mom about him. Is it possible for an Ortarian to know his name? Not unless he’s…him. Oh, I don’t know.
I run my hands through my hair and plop down on the couch. Sebastian lowers himself next to me.
When I searched for Harry Martin Richards online, I couldn’t find anything. It was like he didn’t exit. I peer at Alaric who hasn’t taken his gaze off me. Is that why he didn’t exist? Because he’s not from Earth? He obviously had a job or else he wouldn’t have been able to support us. And he went to college. But all that information must have disappeared when he returned to Ortarus. It was like he vanished from the face of the planet, which he kind of did. Mom must have remembered him because she loved him.
“Okay,” I say my voice hoarse. I clear it. “Let’s say I believe you’re my dad. How do I know you’re the true king? Maybe you’re the evil brother.” It sounds silly coming out of my mouth. Alaric doesn’t seem evil at all. Actually, he’s being very patient with me and doesn’t seem one bit angry that I don’t believe him.
Without a word, Alaric removes his helmet and sets it on the chair near him. Locks of curly white hair slap against his cheeks and neck. Now that his helmet is off, I can see his face clearly. He’s much older than a thought, but his eyes are youthful. Eyes that are the same shade as mine. And his curly hair…no, maybe it’s a coincidence. Though a large part of me is starting to realize that this guy really is my dad. We have the same nose and mouth.
Alaric pulls at a curl. “They used to be red, just like yours.”
“My hair is auburn,” I blurt.
His eyebrows furrow. “Auburn, yes. We don’t have
varieties of colors here. Only the basic ones.”
I don’t say anything.
“I see you’re still not one hundred percent convinced,” Alaric says.
Again, I keep quiet.
Sebastian looks at me, then at Alaric. “I’m sorry,” he says. “While I do believe you’re Lily’s father, I’m not sure about your being the true king. King Sorenten doesn’t have a brother.”
Alaric shakes his head. “You have a right to be suspicious and cautious. I’ll convince you the same way I convinced your sister and everyone else here.” He takes off his armor to reveal a simple cotton shirt and pants. He unbuttons the shirt and pulls it off. Something is glowing on his chest. It’s a crown.
Sebastian’s eyes widen. He jumps to his feet and bows down. “Your Majesty.”
“What’s the crown mean?” I ask.
Alaric waves his hand, motioning for Sebastian to get to his feet. “There’s no need for that, Sebastian. We are all equal here.” Sebastian returns to his seat.
“What’s the crown mean?” I ask again.
“Only the true king has the crown marked on his chest,” Sebastian explains.
“Wouldn’t everyone see that the king—the fake one—doesn’t have it?”
Alaric nods. “He used his magic to create it.”
“How do I know you’re not using magic to create that?” I point to his chest. I guess I still don’t trust him. I still feel some anger toward him. I just can’t get over the fact that he pursued my mother after knowing he’d have to leave her.
“I don’t have magic anymore, at least not enough to conjure up something that powerful.”
Okay, maybe I do believe him. It’s hard not to. If he wanted to capture me and bring me to the king, why hasn’t he done so? And he seems to care about everyone here, especially the kids. An evil king wouldn’t do that.
“Can I continue with the history of what happened?” Alaric asks.
I nod.
“My brother, King Sorenten, stripped me of my power and trapped me on Ortarus. I was unable to return to my family on Earth.”
“How did Sorenten take your magic away?” I ask.
“Because I was on Earth, I had no magic. Sorenten killed my parents and his power grew. When I returned, I wasn’t accustomed to my magic, after being on the human world for a few years. We battled and he won, thus stripping me of my magic.” He slaps his thighs. “He transformed me into this old man. I’m much younger than the man you see sitting before you.”
“You couldn’t prove you’re the true king?” I ask. “You know, with that?” I point to his chest.
Alaric shakes his head. “This crown wasn’t always here. Once Sorenten took my magic from me, he took the throne from me as well. This crown disappeared and I was a regular Ortarian. The king used me as his adviser.”
“Why not kill you?” I ask.
“To rub it in my face. To make me feel what I was missing. He knew I had been on the human world and I begged him to allow me to return, but he wouldn’t. Ortarians can’t survive on Earth, unless you’re of royal blood. Since Sorenten stole my royal magic, I wouldn’t have been able to survive on Earth. Unless my brother granted me the ability.”
“He can do that to anyone?” Sebastian asks.
Alaric shakes his head. “It would consume a large amount of his magic. Magic he wouldn’t be able to get back. He would be less powerful.”
“Why is your crown tattoo glowing now?” I ask.
Alaric is quiet for a second or two. “I was the king’s adviser—which is just a fancy way of saying I was in the king’s eye all the time. He would ask my opinion on a law he wanted to pass. When I told him a positive, he changed it into a negative. For example, when he wanted to pass a new law to levy more tax, I told him to give the Inferiors a break. That only caused him to make things more difficult for them. Over the years, the king grew confident in his own abilities and had no need for me. I was stuck in the palace under his watchful eye, but I had more freedom. Now Sorenten is so self-absorbed with himself that he pays less attention to me. That’s why I’m able to come and go as I please, but I still need to be careful.”
“Okay, but what does this have to do with that?” I once again point to his glowing crown.
His gaze flits to Sebastian. “Sebastian returned to Ortarus and sought me out. When he told me everything that happened, that he had been a genie, met you, Lily Richards, that you absolved him of his crime and sent Sebastian back here, I knew it wasn’t a coincidence. What are the odds that Sebastian, an Ortarian, had met and fallen in love with my daughter? I didn’t tell him who I was or who you were. I knew it was a sign that things were about to change. My crown started to glow, which was another sign, telling me that I needed to get Sebastian back to you, Lily. The revolution was about to begin.”
“Why me?”
His eyes are intense as they bore into mine. “Because you are the key to everything.”
Chapter Five
“Key to everything? What are you talking about?”
Sebastian looks just as confused as me.
Alaric says, “I couldn’t bear the way Sorenten was running Ortarus and I needed to do something and save my people. But being that I barely have any magic, I was weak and helpless. I, along with Renaya and Sebastian, started to plan a rebellion—”
“I don’t remember such a thing,” Sebastian says.
Alaric holds up his hand. “Please let me continue. We wished to kill both King Sorenten and Prince Soren, because assassinating the king and not the prince would get us nowhere. Renaya was Soren’s personal maid and was able to gather information about him and his father. We had only just begun to plan the assassinations when Renaya suddenly murdered the prince.”
“It was self-defense.” Her eyes and mouth are hard.
“I couldn’t allow Renaya to be killed, so I helped her fake her death. We started gathering more Ortarians to join us. We didn’t know exactly how we were going to take down the king, but we weren’t going to allow our doubts to hinder us. Then one day, after Renaya’s ‘death’, Sebastian seemed to change. He had been here all along, but there was something different about him. He told me everything that had happened—that he was the one who murdered the prince originally and as punishment he was sent to Earth as a genie. Then he was absolved of his crime and returned to Ortarus.”
“I don’t understand,” I say. “Sebastian suddenly changed?”
“When Sebastian was absolved of his crime, Ortarus went back in time to after the prince was murdered. Sebastian came back as himself, with the memories of his years on Earth. He took the other Sebastian’s place. He was the same person, but had changed.” He turns to Sebastian. “Because you were on Earth all that time, you didn’t know about the revolution. I felt terrible to have to lie to you about your sister’s death, but I knew I couldn’t tell you the truth. I needed you back on Earth.”
“But why?” I ask. “You keep saying that Sebastian needed to return, but you’re not explaining why.”
Sebastian pats my arm. “He’s getting there. We’re very confused and curious, but we need to be patient and let him explain.”
I exhale through my nose. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” All this is driving me crazy. “Why did Sebastian need to return to Earth?”
“Because he needed to bring you to Ortarus.”
I’m about to ask why, but shut my mouth. Like Sebastian said, I need to be patient.
“I didn’t have much magic, and didn’t think I could send him back, but forces beyond my control sent him. Through what little magic I had, I suppose.”
“Forces?” Sebastian lifts an eyebrow.
Alaric nods. “Fate. Ortarian energy and willpower, if you will. It is what provides us with magic. It would appear as though you were meant to go back to Earth and bring Lily here to start the revolution.”
“Why me?” It feels like I keep asking the same question.
“Because you are the only one who can de
feat my brother, your uncle the king.”
Sebastian and I exchange a shocked glance.
“Me?” I ask, my voice hoarse yet again. I clear it, but it doesn’t seem to do anything. “Why?”
“You’ve done some magic since you got here, haven’t you?” Renaya asks. For a second, I completely forgot she’s sitting here. She’s been so quiet, probably giving Alaric time to explain it all without interruption.
I nod as I remember the lightning shooting out of my hands. “When the palace guards grabbed Sebastian, I freed him. But what does any of that have to do with the king?”
“Because you’re my daughter and are half Ortarian, you have magic. It doesn’t work on Earth, only here.”
I stare at my hands. “If I’m half Ortarian, why do I have such strong magic? Sebastian told me shooting lightning is strong magic.”
Alaric nods. “You’re my daughter and heir to the Ortarian throne. You’re the only one who has royal magic, other than King Sorenten. You’re the only one who can challenge him. The only one who can kill him.”
“Me?” I squeak. “I have to kill the king? You expect me to murder someone?” I can’t stand mystery thriller movies and TV shows. All that blood and murder makes my stomach churn. My…dad can’t be serious. “No way.”
“Lily—”
I’m on my feet. “You can’t bring me here against my will and demand I kill someone. That’s not only wrong. It’s immoral. Unethical. It’s crazy!”
Sebastian stands and rests his hand on my arm. He doesn’t say a word, and I have no idea what he’s thinking. I cross my arms over my chest. “I won’t do it.”
Renaya folds her arms, too, her eyes hard as she stares at me. If looks could kill, I would be six feet under by now. “You killed before,” she says. “The two palace guards.”
“But I didn’t know what I was doing! It’s not like I meant to kill them. I was just saving Sebastian. I had no control over my magic or even my brain.”
Alaric gets to his feet and steps toward me. Once again, he reaches for my hand, but I pull away. “I know you feel nothing for Ortarus or the people living here. You don’t understand the hardships we’ve been through. The pain. The anguish. Children have been torn from their parents’ arms, slaughtered before their eyes. That is all due to the king.” He steps closer. “Believe me, Lily, if I was able to do this myself, I would never ask you to murder anyone. But King Sorenten is not a man. He’s a monster. A ruthless ruler with no heart. He kills without reason. He murdered your grandparents, the king and queen, and many, many others. He must be stopped.” He turns to Sebastian. “You thought your sister had committed suicide. You must have been torn up about it, perhaps you felt guilty for having a good life on Earth.” His eyes move to me. “We’re trying to make Ortarus a good place to live. A place where we feel safe, protected. Cared for. Happy.” He rests his hands on my shoulders. “These Ortarians aren’t living. They’re not even surviving. They just exist. Now you can wonder why any of this is your problem. You’re human. You live on Earth. But what if you didn’t? What if you lived here? Would you be able to live day after day wondering if the love of your life will come home from work each night? Perhaps he made a small mistake and was ordered to be executed. How would you bear it if your daughter was ripped from your arms and forced into the palace, to be used? And I don’t mean for work. Ortarians live in terror. Each and every day. They are part of you and you are part of them. How could you stand there after knowing all of this and not want to do something about it?”
Keeping the Genie (Genie's Love, Book 3) Page 3
