Alvarie closed her eyes, clearly this was her coping mechanism. She opened her eyes and was the calm woman again. “I know the mercenary you speak of, there is only one stupid enough to use a dremalian spike. I will deal with him, he will be lucky if he ever walks again.” She growled, her delicate eyebrows frowning over the blue of her eyes.
My mother had one hell of a menacing look, it was scary. I would not want to cross her, she looked like she could exact all kinds of crazy punishments.
“In regards to the witch and the lycan, what have you done?”
“The witch had tried to use a memory chant on her to erase me from her mind, she has been reprimanded by her own kind. The lycans have retreated from pursuing her, after the revelation that she was half fae and that your kind were sending a battalion here, they seemed to be… a little scared.” He chuckled.
“Good. Now these men posing as fae royals, have you sent word to my king?”
William nodded and reached for the sketches on the table in front of us, passing them to her. She looked through them, looking at them with a sharp and calculating assessment.
“These were transmitted to your world not so long ago with a detailed report on what happened. We are yet to receive word as to what, if anything, your king requires of us.”
“I can see that you have endeavoured to find the culprit and based on that I have no issues with…” She looked at us with a grin. “Whatever it is that's going on here. My king has no issue with Eliria, I told him the facts as they were and he accepted them. Soon you will be free to pass between the worlds with no issue, both of you are welcome in my land.”
The pictures were placed back onto the table and her eyes darted to the row of men who were standing like rigid poles, eyes firmly fixed straight ahead.
“William, I wish to speak about some delicate details from the past and I understand if you refuse but I would like for the guards to leave for it. I am protecting a person who needs to remain unknown. With all due respect, to have so many ears listening would be neglectful of my promise.”
“Who do wish to speak of that is so important to this conversation?”
She smiled, one that was filled with love and happiness, her cheeks became rosier as she bowed her head.
“Eliria's father.” She whispered so softly that I had to strain to hear her.
William flicked his hand and the men filed out of the room, closing the door behind her. “Do not try anything. You might be the mighty fae warrior but that does not mean that you will stand a chance.”
Alvarie shook her head, raising it with a continued soft smile. “You have mistaken me vampire, I have not come here to wage war, I have come here to reunite with my daughter. Word had slipped across my land that there was a half cast child in the human world, one that was supposedly linked to my line, to me. Under the king's instruction, I had momentarily denied it though we both knew it was pointless. Whispers were growing, my plan for keeping you safe was unravelling. As the whispers grew, questions were being asked. Mostly who was the father. Then when Hezekiah turned up looking for me, I knew I had to come here and make sure you were safe. The king sent me with the battalion, mostly for safety reasons. If the people found out that I had bedded an elf, the distrust and anger would mount. In recent years the tension had settled, we were on a path to finding a happy union between the two species but the king feared that this could cause problems. You were created in a time where there was intense civil unrest because of the negotiations for a truce. My battalion were the ones that protected the king when he met with the king of the elves, to begin the negotiations. It was held in secret, in an undisclosed location to ensure the safety of the two men from those in their own people that didn't agree with creating a truce. That was where I met your father, he was like no other man that I had ever come across.”
She smiled as she looked away like she was remembering him or maybe remembering that moment. “I wasn't the kind of person to believe in love at first sight but with your father I was smitten. He smiled at me from across the room and it felt like we were the only ones there. We agreed to meet in secret and uh, well you are the result.”
Alvarie chuckled as she crossed her leg, leaning back into the chair.
“Do you still see him?”
She nodded warily, though I could see the dirty smile hidden under it.
“Eliria, what I am going to tell you is the reason that we hid you. It was to protect you until the time came when our world was safe for a mixed breed child to live freely. There once was a time when the elves and the fae lived in harmony but greed and stupidity has gotten in the way. My king and the elf king are the sons of the old kings, the greedy ones are gone and the new ones seek a peaceful world. Neither care for the pettiness of the past and want to walk into a brighter future. When they talk of their future, they look to the half cast child that is the symbol of two people from different races putting their hatred aside and seeing the person they are inside. They look at you and they see their future, what they want for their world, unity. The treaty has been signed and the kings are making it public as we speak, the species are uniting together and with a little time the people will accept it. When that happens you will be free to come and go as you please. In the meantime, I would suggest remaining in the care of the vampires Eliria, it would be for the best. If the people were to see you, they would know who your father is. How much do you know of the elf world?”
Her gaze was at William who seemed to fluster under question which was the craziest thing I had seen since knowing him.
“Uh, three types and what their abilities are.”
“Do you know of their social structure?”
He shook his head, this was a treat. William didn't know something. I wished I could laugh, poke him in the ribs and all that nonsense but now was not the time.
“Well, let's see. Falst are generally working class as their abilities enable them to create many wonderful things making them ideal for jobs such as woodworkers, tailors and seamstresses, bakers. Any sort of manual labour really. The Liola can be found within this group of workers though then tend to be more of a leech and drain my society. No offence.” She grinned.
“None taken.” William grumbled.
“Liola can do pretty much anything they want to, that is if they want to. It is common to find that they don't have actual jobs, more likely to be socialites and the wealthy. Where the money has come from no one knows but they are some of the most richest elves there is. That is of course with exception for the royal family. Now the nornaya are a quiet lot, they keep to themselves and blend into their surroundings with little issue. It is rare to come across a nornaya because they are so good at becoming one of the other types that no one knows what they really are. Legend has it that all elves are actually nornaya but have somehow managed to evolve and create two sub species. It would certainly explain why things are the way they are in their species. They are feared because they are unknown, you could walk down the street and not know how many there are around you, if any at all. However, there is one nornaya family that is extremely well known. They have risen from the shadow of their world and rule with love and care. The elves are rather protective of their own, to have a family that is from a species that is rare, well they are even more protective. They look beyond their fear of the unknown side of the species and see the family for their true worth, the compassion they show for their subjects. They might have to pay taxes yet when you walk down the street, you can see where the money is spent. They do not line their own pockets with the riches of their people, they return it to them through public works, play parks, public amenities. When my battalion slipped our king into the secret location, we had to pass through one of the villages. We got to see how good this family are to their people.”
Alvarie smiled again, toying with the long plait of hair that laid over one side of her shoulder. The leathers she wore seemed like they could be far too manly but they shaped her body well, ensuring that she s
howed off her hour glass figure. The plait of hair was flicked away as she rose from her seat, sitting on the edge of the table in front of us. Her eyes were wild with happiness as she took my hands into hers, feeling the softness of our skin touching.
“The elves fear to lose their royal family, they fear the bloodline dying out. Their king whilst he might be young, he knows that death might seek him out at any moment. It is a fear that we all carry, even those of us who are supposedly immortal.”
She spied William with a sly grin, then turned back to me. Her hand warmed mine, silky soft skin that didn't seem possible for the warrior woman in front of me.
“He looks to his son as the way of the future, to carry the line into a grand era of unity and peace. The young prince holds the affection of his people, he is loved and respected. What do you think that the people would say if their beloved prince sired a child that was not a complete elf?”
I think the air was just sucked out of my lungs, I think my heart has just stopped beating and any second now, I am sure that I will fall over with shock. Surely she is not saying what I think she is saying? She grinned, nodding her head at me.
“Your father is Hemoi, son of the king of the elves. Prince of the people, one day to be ruler of their kind. You are his only child as he has not taken another lover, he does not want anyone other than me. When the land and the people are at ease with the new world, we will declare our love and unite our people when we marry. You never know, you might just get a sibling.” She winked at me.
“Oh my gawd.” I groaned. “My mother is talking about doing it. Blech.”
William chuckled as Alvarie grinned at me, clasping my hands tighter.
“Do you understand what I am saying to you Eliria? Think about my words, comprehend them and truly think about them. Your father is an elf royal, what does that make you?”
Crud balls. She was saying what I hoped she wasn't saying.
“This is the issue that we have. You are in direct line to the throne of their people, your father has no siblings. We worried that the world might not accept you but now that the king has moved beyond the age where he is able to create more children, we know that your father will always be an only child. The people will have to accept you or there will be no royal family, it will die out with your father. And if they object to us marrying, then it will die out with your grandfather because your father refuses to take the throne if his people cannot accept his love. They have discussed this at great length, there is no doubt as to the path ahead. If the people cannot accept it then everything will be passed to the king of the fae and your father and I will come to this world to live. Come, I want to show you something.”
Chapter Forty-nine
My mother lifted me to my feet, taking me to the bar area that sat to the side of the room. There was no alcohol here, just a lot of low line fridges that I figured held bags of blood. Behind the bench was a mirrored wall that was sectioned off with glass shelves that held lots of different glasses.
“Look into the mirror and look to your heart, look hard my child.”
I stared at the reflection, seeing myself looking a little gaunt, a little tired and the remnants of the bruises and scratches from the car accident. I was definitely a write off. But as I stared at myself, I saw nothing but our reflection. Alvarie held my shoulders, looking at us in the mirror with a wide grin. “Can you not see it?”
“No.” I mumbled.
“Concentrate.” She whispered into my ear. “Think about your heart, think about your father being an elf.”
I did as she said, closing my eyes in an attempt to ignore her crazy grin. The picture from the book had shown a cold woman, her stature seemed hardened by a life of war but this woman was the opposite. She was warm and sweet and I bet if I hugged her, she would be soft too. I thought about that for the briefest of moments, to be hugged. It was a simple gesture of affection but it was one that I had been deprived of. My heart hurt with the pain, I could feel the swell of the sting rising in me. I had spent my entire life thinking I was never worthy of a mothers love, that I might have been a one night stand that was instantly regretted and dumped, therefore never worthy of a fathers love either. The past few moments had lifted an almighty burden from my shoulders, I wasn't dumped, I was placed into care. They did love me, they loved me enough to protect me from their unsettled world. My heart throbbed with the pain, wishing that I could crumple into her arms.
“Open your eyes my child, see it now that it glows.”
Her voice was lyrical, soft and perfect as the words slipped over me. My eyes fluttered open, wet and blurry. But even in the blur of tears, I could see the glowing gold that shone from my chest. It was small but it was obvious, a glowing beacon of light.
“The mark of a royal elf, all elves can see this. In fact, the fae can see it too. This is why you were never going to be safe in our world until things had settled down.”
She turned me to face her, wiping the tears from under my eyes. “I am so sorry that you have endured this life, I can see that it is more than you have let on. Now is not the time for it, I do not wish to become enraged when I have duties to perform. And besides,” She grinned. “I'd rather have you by my side when I take them down. Sorry, when we take them down.”
My body tensed as she wrapped her arms around me, pulling me against her. Tears slid down my cheeks as she pressed my head to her chest. Her heart beat a steady rhythm, slowly lulling me into a greater sense of ease. She sighed happily when I finally sagged into the hug, wrapping my arms around her waist.
“If I had known what I was going to miss out on, I would have stayed. I would have given it all away but these people made me believe you would be well looked after, that they would take you in and raise you as their own. If only there was such a thing as a time machine.”
I pulled away from her even though it pained me to do so, I thought that I could probably spend several hours right there and not want to move. But that would be totally weird.
“If it's any consolation, I think that it might have been a hard life but it's a life that led me to now, to these people, to William.”
My voice lowered like I was embarrassed to admit to my mother that I had a boyfriend and was totally not doing dirty things with him.
“Aah yes, the vampire.” She said quietly. “You know they have exceptional hearing, right?”
I nodded with a giggle, wiping the tears away. She led us back to the lounge, William had just taken a call on his phone so she sat beside me on the lounge. Her eyes glanced at William and then to the cuffs around my wrists.
“I am going to give you gifts my love.”
She pulled out two small leather cuffs from under her much prettier leather cuffs. Hers were longer than these, they were a harder leather and had an intricate pattern of scrolls and what looked like an odd lion weaved into it. The ones she had pulled out were a soft leather, she folded them and discretely tucked them into my pocket.
“When you cover them, they cannot see, they cannot hear. They go into their trance, retreating to the shield.”
Her voice was low, watching William as he paced the floor near the doorway, talking to someone. He was coming into the technological age with leaps and bounds, grasping the concept of a mobile phone rather swiftly.
“I do not wish to instil distrust in you my sweet child but cuffing is a barbaric practice. This may just grant you a moment of privacy, should you need it.”
She then took my left arm and pulled it out, turning it over to the soft underside. “I am also going to give you another gift, this is the power to communicate.”
Her finger scratched along the underside, as her finger swirled with intricate movements, the scratches glowed. It weaved a pattern of gold along the skin, slowly seeping back into nothing as a raised lump appeared.
“When you miss me, give it a rub and I will know you are thinking of me. Give it a go.”
I rubbed the raised pattern, watching with awe as the same spot
on her arm glowed.
“Amazing.” I whispered rather shocked.
William ended the call, turning to us with a smile. I hadn't heard his side of the conversation so I had no clue what he was smiling about.
“When you are free to walk the land Eliria, I'd like for us to do something like normal mothers and daughters do. No killing or anything like that.”
She looked a little wistful as she pulled strands of my hair behind my ear, trailing over my jaw. “You look a little like him. You have his jaw structure, his girly frame.”
I chuckled at her little joke, she smiled back at me as she gripped my hands again.
“One day soon you will get to meet him, we spoke of you the last time we were together. He is desperate to see you again. The last time he saw you, you were…”
Her hands held out to the shape of a small bundle, tears welling in her eyes. I took her hands and squeezed them, trying to reassure her. It wasn't okay at all but there was nothing about it that could be changed. We all had to move forward and let the past go.
“He will be most jealous of me, getting to meet you first.” She sighed happily. “Well my sweet child, my time is up. Please stay the way you are, you do not need to fear the fae nor the elven army, they do not seek your demise. You do not need to become a vampire to survive. The nornaya in you will change you into his kind if you remain with him. I guess it's the bonus of your father's species, adaptability.”
Alvarie stood to her feet, taking my hands and lifting me to mine. She engulfed me in another hug, it was just as warm and loving as the last one. “I will return soon, I shall be seeking residence in this fair land so that I can visit more often.” She grinned. “And I suppose Hemoi will come too. Will you come and visit us?”
Deadly Beasts (The Curse of the Rose Book 1) Page 32
