She takes note that Knot’s hair is disheveled and his face flush. “Was I interrupting something?”
“If you must know, my boyfriend was over,” Knot shrugs. Rowan is surprised by his bluntness.
“Blade?”
“Gods above, no!” Knot grimaces. He sits at the edge of his bed and pats the spot next to him, inviting her to sit. “What are you doing here? How did you know I live here?”
“Lucky guess,” she shrugs.
“It seems so. You must be moronic for coming here, only a half-wit would attempt what you did. You’re lucky this was my room and not…” he trails off.
“The Overseer?”
His eyes begin to widen. “How do you know about him?”
“Rumors. So, he is real?”
“You can’t be here to talk about him,” he changes the subject. “What are you really here for?”
“I’m worried about Shadow and you’re the last one I know who has seen him.”
Knot gives her a fools grin, wide and stupidly large. “Worried about your boyfriend?”
Rowan’s face goes red. “Shadow is not my boyfriend.”
“Then I can’t see why it would be any of your business,” he sasses.
Her frustration grows. “Because he’s my friend and I thought maybe you’d be kind enough to let me know where he’s gone, but I guess not,” she starts to stand.
Knot pulls her back down to the bed. “It’s not my place to say, he’ll be back soon. If he wants to share with you, he will, other than that I wouldn’t badger him on his whereabouts.”
“That’s it? That’s all you’re giving me?”
“I can give you a kiss, too,” he puckers his lips and Rowan shoves him away.
“Disgusting. Didn’t you say you have a boyfriend?” Rowan teases.
“I swing both ways,” he shrugs, “Not to mention, him and I aren’t exclusive to just each other.”
Rowan rolls her eyes and stands from his bed. In another few hours her tent-mates will be up for the morning and worrying about her whereabouts. Knot looks at her sad, like he doesn’t want her to go. She wonders if it is because he doesn’t like to sleep alone or if he has some unspoke questions or conversations he wants to have with her.
“I should get going. If they see I’m missing, they’ll have a search party.”
“You know where my window is, if you need anything…” he stares down at his hands in his lap. A heartbeat later he looks up and gives her a forced smile. “Just knock.”
“I thought you said sneaking around here was a stupid thing to do,” Rowan raises her eyebrow.
“It is,” he chuckles. “But if you get caught it’ll most likely be by Shadow and to see the look on his face of you sneaking into my room, would be the highlight of my life.”
Rowan smiles at him. She has never seen Knot seem so open, confident, or joking. The last time they talked was after he had beat her into unconsciousness. His conversation with her then was bitter and spiteful toward Cirvka. Rowan can’t believe she was right about him being here, but this building was only restricted for higher ups and Knot is only a performer.
Rowan starts to wonder. What kind of pull does he have around here to make him have this luxury room compared to a shared tent?
He must know The Overseer. He practically admitted to Rowan that he is real. If he knows him, then maybe his allegiance toward this authority figure bought him this room. Rowan wants to know what type of allegiance it is.
Good or bad?
“I’ll see you around,” Rowan says before climbing out of the window and landing with her feet on the ground. Knot looks down and watches as she scatters away from the compound and back toward her tent.
Rowan makes it back before sunrise and as she crawls into bed she thinks she made it without getting caught, but it is Pepper who whispers quietly into the darkness, “Where did you scurry off to?”
“I’ll tell you in the morning.”
* * *
Rowan is halfway through her meal when she realizes Lola isn’t showing up to breakfast. Along with Lola’s absence, Shadow still isn’t anywhere to be seen. This is the fifth meal he’s missing from. Rowan tries not to worry, it was Knot who told her he will show up, she has to have faith in that. She guesses she shouldn’t worry whether he’s dead now. He’s simply away.
Lola’s lack of attendance is particularly worrisome considering breakfast is her favorite meal. Solana and Pepper don’t seem to know where she is either and Lottie is just as clueless. Lottie suggests we bring a tray of food to her booth because that is most likely where she is now—working.
“She works too hard,” Pepper comments.
“She did mention that she felt she was on the verge of a breakthrough,” Solana notes.
“Really?” Rowan’s eyes begin to widen with hope.
“Lola has been working day and night reading up on all those books she got from Madame Tallulah,” Pepper points out.
They finish the rest of their meal and check to see if Lola is at her booth. They weren’t surprised to see that she is in fact sitting on the floor of her booth reading to herself. The sound of her muffled voice filling the room.
“Roe, come here,” she waves not taking her eyes off her book.
Rowan enters the booth and sits down next to her. Lola reaches down Rowan’s shirt and pulls out the amulet, analyzing it. “I knew it!”
She pulls out another book, small leather and inside it has handwritten text. She flips to a specific page and on the page is an exact drawing of her amulet with description of the stone and what function it serves.
“Do you know what this means?” Lola shouts excitedly. Rowan honestly has no clue. She stares at the page, there isn’t a passphrase so how can the meaning of her stone be helpful. “It means,” Lola stands and grabs Rowan’s hands helping her up. “Madame Tallulah is the one who created your necklace and if that is the case, she is likely the sorceress who put the curse and glamour on you!”
Rowan is too dumbstruck to talk. She can’t believe after days of trying and failing, this might finally be her solution. Lola doesn’t waste another moment of standing around, she tugs Rowan by the wrist and Pepper, Solana, and Lottie trail behind as Lola leads them to Madame Tallulah.
The booth for Madame Tallulah’s is hidden. So hidden that the only way anyone would stumble upon it is by chance. Rowan has never seen the booth since she arrived at Cirvka but she did see it many years ago when she was a child. It was the fortune telling booth she begged her mother to go to and her mother said no, dragging her along. The booth is made of decaying wood that used to be painted black, but is now warm and faded. Cobwebs are all over the booth window which tells her no one has bothered coming there in a long time.
Lola knocks happily at the back door calling for Madame Tallulah frantically. The female who opens the door is just as Rowan remembers. The same long frizzy white hair, wrinkled skin, and short posture.
“Rowan,” the old lady breathes out.
“You know my name?”
“Of course I do,” she walks toward Rowan and puts her hand on her cheek. “I was there when you were born. I knew your mother well.”
“My mother?” Rowan doesn’t know whether Madame Tallulah means her birth mother or the mother who raised her.
“Yes, she was so scared for you. She didn’t want to let you go, but knew it was the only way to keep you safe.”
“Why don’t we all head inside?” Lola suggests as they all pile into the small booth and sit on old wooden stools.
Rowan is buzzing for more information, unable to sit still as she rocks back and forth on the unleveled stool that has one leg shorter than the other three. Madame Tallulah sits across from Rowan marvling at her with a wide smile and tearful eyes. “I’ve been anticipating this moment for years.”
“Madame Tallulah,” Lola asks, “Her amulet, you created it, is that correct? From the journal you wrote, you have an exact drawing of it,” Lola opens up to the page
.
“Yes, I created the amulet and put the curse on Rowan,” Madame Tallulah admits. “You have to understand that I did it for your own safety.”
“What if I never found you again? I could’ve gone my whole life without magic,” Rowan argues.
Madame Tallulah shakes her head. “I would’ve found you. On your eighteenth birthday your powers will gain its full capability. Only then will you have control and have the power to restore what is right in the lands.”
“What are you talking about?” Rowan jerks her head back.
“I think it’s time to tell you everything,” the old lady walks to Rowan placing her hand over the amulet resting on her heart.
The sorceress says the passphrase in a language Rowan has never heard before. There’s a humming in her veins that grows stronger with each word Madame Tallulah says. Her amulet glows bright and her entire body begins to shake with indescribable power. Her necklace falls off her neck the moment she finishes the passphrase.
Rowan combusts into flames, her friends scream frantically but Madame Tallulah watches in amazement as the fire doesn’t burn her—but is controlled by her. The fire slowly extinguishes until the only thing burning is her fists and the tips of her hair.
“She has risen,” Madame Tallulah bows, “The Lost Heir.”
Rowan looks down at her hands flaming. She wills them to grow and her magic obeys. She wills them to stop and her magic obeys. Rowan, a girl who has dreamed of having power, can control the element of fire.
“The Lost Heir?” Rowan mumbles to herself.
“Your mother was Queen Etna. She found out she was pregnant with you a couple of months before her husband—your father—King Bren was attacked. No one knew except for a few close friends and trusted guards, they didn’t want to announce to the kingdom until you were born. There was always a threat from the Shevka and with Etna’s trouble conceiving, she feared she would miscarry. Still, news spread and after the war there was a rumor going around that King Bren had left an heir, but nobody could find her—you. He died before he had the chance to see you born.”
Rowan’s chest begins to hurt and her stomach feels hollow. She’s silent not knowing what to ask or what to say. The only thing she can do is listen.
“Etna escaped before the Shevka warriors could enter the castle. I helped Etna leave unseen and glamoured her for the next few months until she gave birth to you.”
“Where is my mother?” Rowan’s voice cracks as she asks.
“Gone. Shevka were attacking villages and killing Dakra. Knowing you would forever be a threat to the lands, she asked me to give you a better life than hiding ever could. The type of magic I put on you that day—the glamour and the amulet—it required a sacrifice. Your mother willingly gave up her life so she could keep you safe from King Syro and his army who were pillaging the lands.”
“How could I be a threat? I was just a baby,” Rowan is sobbing. “Why would she do that? I would’ve rather lived with her than anything!” She cries out at the unfairness.
Madame Tallulah shakes her head. “You see, I worked for your father. I was the royal sorceress. I have prophesied your future many times. You have always been destined for greatness. Since the moment you were born, Rowan, you were fated to change the lands. Your power will be twice what your father had and when you reach your eighteenth birthday,” she trails, “on that day there will be a shift. Only then will you gain full control of your powers.”
“Fated to change the lands? I don’t understand?” She stammering. Her mouth open and lungs burning to ask more questions and learn more. For once in her life things feel like they’re starting to make sense. And yet, it is all surreal.
“King Bren knew for a long time that the Shevka were unhappy with a Dakra ruler. Shevka have always believed they were the ones fated to rule. King Syro’s rule has been nothing but oppression for the low blooded creatures of this land. High bloods and low bloods are turning against one another, war is coming and soon. It is you who will change the course, it is you who will bring peace to this kingdom once again.”
“No,” Rowan stands. “No. No. No. I can’t be fated to do anything. No! I can’t rule a land. I don’t know anything about it!”
“Now is not the time. When the time is right you will know and saving your people and fulfilling your destiny will come naturally.”
“No,” Rowan whispers. “This is insane! Why? Why did my mother give me away? What purpose did I have in being adopted by the Greenfallow family that I apparently am fated to fight against!?”
“The village would have never been safe for you. King Syro already had his eight sons before you were born, but when you were a few months old, it was rumored Queen Harlow was struggling to conceive a baby girl she desperately wanted. I was the one who brought you to the queen. I told them that in due time you would be a powerful Shevka—”
“So, you lied?” Rowan interrupts.
“I told them you were going to be a powerful Shevka that could help restore balance to the lands. I told them they must keep you safe until the right time. The only lie I uttered was about your blood. The royal family kept you safe and I made sure of it. I was always there, watching from afar to make sure nothing happened. You were never in any danger.”
“Except for my brother Arlo trying to kill me and almost getting eaten by a Darkwraith.”
Madame Tallulah shakes her head. “No. All is as it should. You had to leave just before your eighteenth birthday. All is as it should,” she repeats.
“This doesn’t make sense,” Rowan runs her hands through her orange hair. Orange hair; the same color as her father’s. “He had orange hair and red eyes, too.” She remembers old portraits her tutors showed her of The Scorching King when she was a child. She looks just like him. “My eighteenth birthday is just short of a month away. I don’t understand, what makes things drastically change in such a short span of time?”
“You will see.”
“Can’t you tell me? Can’t you tell me so I can prepare myself?”
“There will be rulers who want a hierarchy. They want power and they want others to be completely submissive to their rule. You will come across someone who will be controlling and that upsets the balance of the land. You will see this and you will stop it because you have a purpose.”
“And what’s that?”
“Friendship, compassion, and a reason to fight.”
Rowan has had many questions she’s been asking herself every night since arriving at Cirvka. Finally she has answers and now it feels like too much. Her mind is severely overwhelmed. Her heart is heavy mourning her parents and a life she could have had if King Syro never attacked. Rowan doesn’t know what to think. She always thought she wasn’t loved but her entire existence is because of love. Her mother sacrificed her life for her.
Her friends rub her back letting her know they’re there for her. Madame Tallulah offers as much help as she can give and tells Rowan her booth is always open for her. Rowan walks back to Lola’s booth in a daze. She knows she’s walking, but it feels more like she’s just floating through life.
The only aspect of her old life she loved was being eighth in line because it meant the chance of ruling was slim. From what Rowan gathers from Madame Tallulah’s ambiguous fortune telling, she will rule and change the lands. Rowan doesn’t possess the power of a ruler. She doesn’t know how to lead or fight or even truly use the magic she’s gained moments ago.
Lottie starts braiding her hair, she gives Rowan a worried look and refuses to leave her alone. Her other friends also refuse to leave her by herself. It warms her heart and gives her comfort that they’re here with her. She wouldn’t be able to bear being alone right now.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Pepper offers.
“I wouldn’t know where to begin,” Rowan sighs. In a short span of time she went from being a Shevka princess to a Dakra nobody, to The Lost Heir of The Sorching King.
“We’re here for you,”
“Even if I have to be the one to rule an entire land?” Rowan adds.
“Even if we have to fight through an entire army,” Lola promises.
“I’ve always wanted to be a princess,” Lottie smiles and Rowan laughs.
Lola pulls all of them into a hug. Pepper squeezes them tight as Lottie giggles and Solana groans hating the personal contact. Rowan has never felt happier than she does at this moment. Even though her world has come crashing down and her destiny has completely changed its direction—she feels as though everything is going to be okay. As long as she has her friends by her side.
* * *
CHAPTER NINE
Shadow has been gone for four days before making an appearance at breakfast. The females are quick to bombard and badger him with questions of his whereabouts.
He is in no mood to tell them anything. He does what he normally does—keeps his head down and ignores them. It doesn’t take long for him to notice that something feels off amongst them. As he looks up, Roe isn’t sitting across from him. He looks around the dining tent and doesn’t see her anywhere. Pepper, Lola, Solana nor Lottie say a word about her—which is strange. These females love to talk about anything and everyone. Gossip is their favorite sport. He thought they would’ve mentioned something about her.
Shadow finds himself distracted by her absence. He can’t stop wondering where she is. It’s been days since he’s seen her. He wouldn’t ever admit that he was looking forward to seeing her though.
Lottie sits next to him and asks him all sorts of questions of where he went and how everyone has been worried sick about him—especially Roe. She tells him how one day she’s going to be a princess and live in the castle. Despite the reality of that coming true is slim, he hopes all her dreams come true anyways.
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