by Ivy Clyde
A single cry of rage escaped him he called out her name.
Black fog skidded across the mirror’s surface through which I watched the story unfold. I waited for it to clear away, but the mirror remained black.
“How did I end up in Linmoor?” I asked but the mirror remained blank.
Stepping away from it, I closed my eyes, willing myself to return to the present world. Next moment, I felt my body lying on a sheet. As my lashes blinked open, I found myself back in the underground chamber of the temple.
“You’re finally awake, Daria,” said a voice from beside me. Turning towards it, I saw Norvin looking down at me with anxious eyes.
24
The fabric of my skirt rustled between my legs as I got to my feet. Norvin had dressed me while I lay unconscious, watching the memories replay in my mind. It was unnerving to think how long I’d suppressed them.
“There’s a spring flowing through these chambers,” he said, handing me a gold goblet. “The water tastes quite fresh. Have some.”
“Thank you,” I said, accepting it. The water was cool and refreshing, soothing the crackling dryness in my throat.
He watched me closely. “You were out for hours, Daria,” he said slowly. “I was close to waking you up or carrying you back to the palace.”
“I am glad you didn’t.”
His gaze narrowed a fraction. “Did you get back your memories?”
I nodded.
“Wow…so were you a spoiled fat little child of the Fire Clan?” he asked in a mocking, excited tone but I could easily sense the underlying tension in his voice.
“You’re right about me being fat and spoiled,” I said with a bitter smile, remembering how chubby I was as a child. “I was so spoiled I couldn’t take what happened to my parents. A part of me wishes I didn’t know.”
Norvin drew me to his chest, hugging me warmly. “No matter what happened, at least we got to meet each other in this lifetime. I am sorry about what happened to you, Daria, but those events led me to you.”
“We met before it all happened,” I said, resting my head against his chest. “I met all three of you as a child.”
“How is that possible?” He stepped away to look at me.
“I never told you my name back then…and the world has probably forgotten the name of Drakhaven’s princess. But…I was always Daria.”
He stared at me, his gaze so intense it felt like he was trying to look past my physical body and into my soul. “You’re saying you are the princess of Drakhaven?”
I nodded. “Do you remember meeting a young child on the day of the massacre?”
He was silent for a moment. “The moment we were all told to go back to our chambers by the royal guards. It was a royal command and we couldn’t disobey. It was right then we came across a cute little servant girl.”
I nodded. “That was me.”
A wild chuckle escaped him as he ran his fingers through the long lengths of his henna-dyed hair. “I never forgot her…that wild child saying she wanted to peek into the royal banquet. I always thought of her and what happened to her after all the chaos ended.” He glanced at me, swiping his hand at my neck to move away a stray strand. “I’m glad you’re safe, little princess.” He drew me into another warming hug. When I continued to look glum, he said, “What is bothering you?”
“Being in these sacred chambers is opening blocks to both my memories and powers. I am both the child of a dragonborn and a blessed woman of the Fire Clan. My ability to withstand heat should have manifested as soon as I was born. I was keeping my memories suppressed but what about the other thing?”
Norvin looked thoughtful for a moment. “Cain and Adal said Lady Elga could suppress their powers. Each time they visited her, the fire in their bloods would turn cold.”
A shudder went through me. So, it had been my master who locked away my abilities, leaving me to suffer a horrendous accident. Even though I was the daughter of a dragon, I was scared of fire. However, if she truly wished to incapacitate me, why teach me air and fire magic?
A frustrated noise escaped me as I pulled at my hair. My past was complicated enough and Elga added her own convoluted touches to it.
“How about we go back to the palace and get something to eat?” said Norvin, giving me a hesitant smile. “You can tell us everything you remember. Adal and Cain would want to hear it as well.”
I gave a nod. “We’ve been down here far too long. Adal must be worried by now.”
Taking my hand in his, he led the way back to the upper levels of the temple.
The temple over the sacred chambers was dark by now. He let blue flames erupt onto his palm as we walked through the empty hallways to reach the exit doorway.
I breathed in the cool, fresh breeze deeply the moment we stepped out into the courtyard outside. We’d barely left the building when a dark figure approached us. Norvin put off the flames quickly, drowning us in darkness.
“Don’t worry,” said a familiar voice. “It’s me.” It was Cain’s voice.
“You gave us a fright, mate,” said Norvin, striding forward to meet him. “Why are you here?”
“Adal sent me to relay a message to you both,” said Cain. His voice was heavy with concern. “Right after you left, Zane called for Adal. He demanded to own you, Daria.”
“What?”
“Adal agreed, of course, knowing Zane wouldn’t be able to get to you immediately. He told us to wait for him at the same shack we stayed before entering the palace.”
“Adal wants to leave the palace behind?” I asked, baffled. The present reality seemed too much at the moment. Minutes ago I and Norvin were talking about food and a good night’s rest and now we were being told to flee Baledonia.
“We are all marching to Drakhaven,” said Cain. He glanced at Norvin. “Did it happen, brother?”
“It did,” said Norvin. They were talking about the mating ritual and his shifting into his true dragon form.
“I waited for hours for you two to show up,” said Cain. “What were you both up to?”
“Daria needed time,” said Norvin. He glanced down at me. “I was really hoping for a big meal tonight but I suppose we improvise on that?”
I shook my head. “You and Cain go ahead without me. I still need to talk to someone in the palace.”
“What are you talking about?” said Norvin, gripping my upper arm. “You can’t go back there. Zane and his men must be waiting to capture you. That’s the reason Adal wants to flee as well.”
I moved his hand away. “I have to do this. I have to know how I ended up in Linmoor.”
“What are you talking about, Daria?” asked Cain. He stood close to me and with Norvin at my side, I felt walled in.
“I know who I am,” I said. “My past memories came back to me. I just need to know how I ended up under Elga. Jifa’s maid has the answer to that question. I must see her before leaving Baledonia.”
“It will be very dangerous, Daria,” said Cain. “You will implicate both Adal and his mother.”
“Won’t they be implicated when he leaves with us? Zane won’t forgive him for that.” Norvin and Cain swore under their breaths. “I can take care of myself,” I added. “You know I can. Wait for me at the shack and I’ll come back to you.”
“We should be staying together,” said Cain. “I can’t just let you go in the wolf’s den by yourself.”
“I’ll be fine,” I said. “Zane will be watching out for me and Adal. I don’t want him to come across you or Norvin. It’s the best chance for both of you to get out of the palace. If you get caught, the royal family will be punished. As far as I know, Adal wants his nephews and nieces safe.”
“We’ll both be dying with worry until you return. You understand that, right?” Norvin sounded angry.
I exhaled a long breath. “Have you thought about what I told you? Do you understand how my fate is linked to you and the assassination of Ivan? I have survived this long just for this. My whole life has
been the journey towards this one goal. I am going to kill him no matter what. I promise not to die before that.”
“Daria…can you at least tell me what you saw in your old memories?”
“I saw my parents being murdered by Ivan,” I said, glancing up at him. “I am the rightful heir to the throne of Drakhaven, not Ivan.”
“Your parents…” Cain glanced at Norvin and then back at me. “You are King Helmut’s daughter?”
“I am,” I said bitterly. “I saw it all happen before my eyes. My mother killed herself after what Ivan did to her. As her daughter, as a woman…I can never forgive him.”
“She even remembers meeting us, Cain,” said Norvin. “And I remember her too. I just had no idea she was the little princess.”
“What are you on about now?”
“You were there too, Cain,” said Norvin. “In fact, the three of us were together when we met Daria the first time in Drakhaven.”
With a sudden move, Cain pulled me towards him. Stumbling forward, I crashed into his chest. Holding me there, he said, “Promise me you’ll find us at the shack.”
“I promise. There’s no way I’ll die before I’ve accomplished my mission. That’s my vow as an assassin and as the princess of Drakhaven.”
Cain took a step back and glanced at Norvin. “We should get going.”
“Don’t make us wait too long, Daria.”
“I won’t,” I promised.
I watched the two men cross the deserted courtyard and melt into the shadows outside the gates. Taking a deep breath, I marched towards the palace. A kind of energy mixed together with rage and curiosity surged through me.
Did Elga know who I was from the very beginning?
“Your blood is too strong to be wasted.” Elga’s voice floated into my mind.
She insisted I trained with elements of fire and air. Over the years, she even let me become proficient in martial arts and potions. No other assassin in Linmoor could boast as many talents as me. Elga was relentless, not even caring I hated the very notion of using my skills to kill. Somehow, she managed to beat that out of me until I was killing men without questioning their names and backgrounds. She commanded and I killed.
Was I being trained to kill Ivan from the very beginning?
Did she taint my hands with blood so I wouldn’t hesitate when the time came?
It was farfetched to think Elga knew about my origins, but when it came to the old hag, one could never be sure of anything.
My steps took me back to the palace and I entered through the gates opening to the woods. It was a less guarded area than the front gates. I needed to reach Jifa and Kora before Zane’s men captured me.
Adal’s seal got me through the gates without any questions. Once inside the palace, I hurried up the stairs to reach Jifa’s quarters. In my haste, I began cursing the vastness of the palace. Everything seemed too far away and I was panting by the time I slipped through the doorway of her parlor room.
Adal’s mother was seated in a corner with Kora. They both looked subdued and neither spoke.
They both looked up at the sound of my approach.
“Daria, what are you doing here?” asked Jifa, getting to her feet and running towards me. She looked worried and her face was too pale for my liking.
“I came to speak to Kora,” I said, glancing at the older woman behind Jifa. “I remember you. You were my mother’s maid.”
Jifa gasped, her hands rising to cover her wide open mouth. “Oh, my goddess! You remember, Princess!”
It was odd to hear her calling me princess and knowing she wasn’t being endearing or mocking me. I really was the princess of Drakhaven.
Silent tears poured down Kora’s weathered cheeks.
“The last thing I remember about my past is the moment my mother took her life. I was frozen with fear when it happened. Everything is a blank after that until I found myself as a servant girl in Linmoor.”
“I will tell you everything honestly, Your Highness,” said Kora, dipping into a low bow and almost sinking into the floor. “I will accept whichever way you want to punish me after hearing it.”
“Tell me.”
Taking my hand, Jifa led me to the plush sofa in the corner. Once I was seated, she sat beside me and gestured for Kora to talk.
“It was chaos when everyone found out what happened that evening in the banquet hall. Ivan’s guards stopped anyone from finding out and whatever rebellion or clashes occurred in the aftermath, he was able to subdue them all with sheer power.”
I gave a nod. I’d expected as much from the power-hungry bastard. It was sickening to think of him as my uncle.
“I found you passed out behind a vase in the queen’s chambers. You were the only person I was searching throughout the castle. I knew that once Ivan’s mind was freed from the immediate retaliation of the people, he would look for you. So I had to use the time to rescue you, Your Highness.”
“You saved me from him?”
Kora looked uncomfortable. She evaded looking at me directly. “Yes, I saved you from him. Yes. But…” She swallowed hard. “I took off all your clothes and jewels, dressed you in rags and took you out of the palace. There were soldiers looking for you everywhere.”
“That was a smart move,” I said. “You don’t have to be worried about that, Kora.”
She shook her head. “That’s not the worst of it, Your Highness.”
“You went completely silent, My Princess,” said Kora, her voice thick with tears. “I was so worried. You wouldn’t eat. You wouldn’t cry. You won’t even talk to me. You looked at me like I was a stranger.” She burst into tears, hiding her face in her sleeves while I and Jifa stared at her with pity.
“I thought you would die if you stayed with me. It was the last thing I wanted after my precious mistress passed away. So, when I met a wise woman on the road, and she insisted you were born for great things, I opened up about you. I told her who you were.”
“A wise woman?” I asked, narrowing my gaze. “Gray hair, wrinkled face like a raisin and eyes as calm as a lake on a summer’s day?”
Kora nodded. “She said her name was Elga. I don’t trust people easily but there was no doubt she was someone extremely powerful. She promised to be your warden. She promised to look after you and make you strong. She said you would overthrow the tyrant who snatched everything from you. I…in my moment of desperation, I believed her.”
She sank lower to the ground until her forehead touched the floor. “I didn’t know what else to do, Your Highness. It seemed the best way to keep you safe.”
“Rise up, Kora,” I said. My hands clutched onto my skirt as they shook with emotion. Swallowing, I tried to keep my voice level. “You were successful in your attempt to keep me safe. If you took me anywhere else with you, Ivan was sure to capture and kill me. Linmoor Valley was truly the only place in the four kingdoms where you could’ve hidden me.” A long sigh escaped me as I thought about the merciless ways Elga used to prepare me for the things she promised Kora.
However, could I really blame Elga for all my misfortunes? It was my uncle, Ivan, who snatched away my family and home, leaving me no choice but to hide and grow up in a place like Linmoor Valley.
Elga must have suppressed my abilities to keep my identity a secret from the rest of the assassins. She did teach me to use air and fire magic, so it wasn’t like she wanted to keep me powerless. No, the woman kept her promise to keep me safe and make me strong enough to go up against Emperor Ivan.
“Your Highness,” said Kora, trembling from head to foot. “I deserve to die for abandoning you.”
“You had no choice, Kora,” I said in a strict tone. There was nothing she could do to help a child who’d gone into complete shock. “You were merely a maid with your own life at risk. I don’t blame you, Kora.” Heck! It was getting harder to blame Elga too. The old hag had plenty of reasons to drive me as hard as she did. Taking a deep breath, I shoved away my feelings about Elga. It would always be too
complicated when it came to her and now wasn’t the time to delve into them.
“How did you come to live here?” I asked.
“Her Highness,” she said, gesturing at Jifa. “used to be Queen Eibhlin’s handmaiden. After she left to marry the king of Baledonia, I was given her position. So when I was at my wit’s end without a place to go, I chose to come here. Her Highness protected me all these years. No one knows of my past identity as Queen Eibhlin’s maid.”
Surprised, I stared at the woman beside me. “Thank you, Your Highness.”
“The queen would have wanted me to do it. She was the most magnanimous person I’d ever met. She let me leave her side so I could marry the man I fell in love with. When I came to Baledonia after the marriage, I had so much gold and fine clothes, no one even remembered my humble roots. Your mother was truly a great queen.” Jifa got to her feet and bowed before me. “It is an honor to meet you, Princess Daria.”
“The honor is all mine,” I whispered, overwhelmed by the threads of destiny connecting me to every person I cared about…as well as the people I hated the most in the world.
I moved forward to make Jifa stand up. If things went the way I wanted to, she might as well be my mother-in-law! Her hands came to grasp at the front of my dress so she could steady herself. I was about to ask her if she was all right when the doors to the parlor were suddenly thrown open.
Jifa and Kora hurriedly swiped at their eyes, struggling to wipe away the emotions still etched onto their faces. A group of soldiers marched inside to surround me from all sides. Behind them, came Zane, his cold dark eyes fixed on me.
“You’ve been very troublesome to find, my pretty butterfly,” he said in a low, soft voice. His thin lips stretched into a grin as he stepped closer to me. I stood frozen, debating whether to fight or submit. I didn’t want to implicate Jifa. While Adal could flee the palace, it would be too much for an aging woman like her and Kora.
“I wasn’t aware you were looking for me, Your Highness,” I said, tilting my head and lowering my lashes. “Forgive this little maid.”
