C hapter Four
A series of replies ran through my mind: "Right, and I'm a Sphinx"; "She's my blood sister, so am I the Queen's daughter too?"; and the stupidest one yet, "You're lying!" But instead of all those, I said quite dimly, "I'm not of royal descent!"
I turned to the new voice. A boy around ten years old came in, looking smug for a ten year old. He chuckled and said to Leon, "Grandfather, these are mortals?" Leon nodded. I glanced at Maree, who looked as baffled as I did. The boy turned back to me. "I am Theo, the grandson of Leon." he explained. His name sounded like "Thay-oh".
"I'm Nox, this is Maree." I said hastily, gesturing to Maree. She glared at me. Ignoring her nasty look, I asked, "So, I'm related to the Queen?" Theo laughed, but Leon frowned. "Please, Theo, explain the matter to the mortal properly or she will never understand." Maree rolled her eyes. "Isn't that the point?" she muttered, but Theo heard her. He smiled and said, "Yes, girl, that is the point."
While he said that, I noticed Theo too had neon green pupils. "Get on with it, boy!" Maree barked at him, her arms crossed. Theo looked solemn once more. "Nox is not the Queen's daughter." he said quietly, not looking at me. I stared at him. "But you said Nellie is the Queen's daughter, so shouldn't I be her daughter too?" I didn't understand why I felt so put-down.
Leon smiled sympathetically. "Yes, Nellie is the Queen's daughter. However, you are only half-sisters." he explained gently. "Your father is the same as Nellie's but you have different mothers." I continued to stare. "But-but Mrs. Hawke, our head, she said we are blood sisters!" I protested, feeling disappointed and a bit upset. Theo looked suspicious. "Sybil Hawke? The one assigned to-?"
"Theo!" Leon snapped, suddenly looking ice-cold. "Now is not the time!" He turned back to me. "Nox, your father and your mother are dead. Killed by the Queen herself." he said. "Why? And who's my mother?" I asked quickly. Other questions were spinning like a tornado in my head, but I felt too dizzy to ask Leon and Theo. Theo looked down at his feet as he spoke. "Nox, your father was a rebel, plotting to kill the Queen herself after you and Nellie were born." he said quietly. "The Queen decided he had to go away forever."
I felt my blood turn to ice. "And my mother?" I whispered, but everyone seemed to ignore me. Finally, frustrated by the silence, I asked instead, "What's the Queen's name anyway?" Leon suddenly looked stern. "We do not speak of it. The Queen thinks her name is of disgrace, considering the High Queen before her was that name." he said. "The High Queen before was peaceful, gentle, and loving. So unlike her Majesty now." His voice sounded so cold I recoiled slightly. "Can you write it down?" I offered. Theo shook his head. "You will be in grave danger if we do such thing too." he replied.
"Well, sorry to interrupt this quiet gathering, but I'm really hungry." Maree butted in. "Can I get something to eat if Noxzilla isn't?" I glared at her. "We're only guests!" I hissed, but Leon held up a hand. "It's quite alright, Nox." he said. To Theo, he added, "Go and get the pixie eggs ready." I could tell Maree blanched, but so did I. "Pixie eggs?" she demanded. "Are you joking? And are you insane?" I looked at her, eyes widened.
Theo raised an eyebrow. "But it is delicious. Mortals never tasted it?" he asked incredulously. I looked at the little boy apologetically. “Mortals don’t even have pixies.” I explained cautiously. Theo laughed. “Oh, then that explains it.” he said charmingly. He stood up and left the room. “Pixie eggs?” Maree croaked. “Isn’t that illegal here?” Leon smiled. “Of course not. It is like mortal caviar, only sweeter.” he replied. “I hate caviar.” Maree said at once.
“Big surprise.” I muttered under my breath. Out loud I said, “I would just like a drink, please.” Leon handed me a mug of steaming hot chocolate as Theo walked in clutching a wicker basket filled with eggs the size of my palm. He held out one to Maree and another to me. It was hard-boiled, so I bit into it carefully. It actually tasted like buttermilk biscuits. Maree looked at me somewhat longingly. “Is it good?” she demanded.
I smiled and handed the egg to her. “You try it.” I said mischievously. Maree took it and took a bite. And another. And another. And another. In five bites, she devoured the humongous egg. I smirked, and Theo smiled. “Would you like more?” Leon offered. “We have plenty to harvest.” Maree took another and I turned to Leon. “Can you tell me about my mother then?” I asked warily. Leon glanced at Theo, who shrugged. “Your mother is a forbidden topic in Sorriah.” he said slowly. “But you can break that can you?” I said eagerly. “Yes, I can, Nox.” Leon said in the same slow tone. “Let’s start with this: Your mother’s name was Narissa Maxinwell.”
“Narissa Maxinwell.” I whispered, savoring the words like my hot chocolate. Theo smiled. “That’s right, Nox.” he said. “She was a Sorrian. One of the beautifulest women in Sorriah. Even more beautiful than Andromeda, the Queen.” The effect on the Queen’s name was enormous. Theo clapped his hand to his mouth and Leon dropped his mug with a sickening crash. “Let’s go.” Leon said urgently. He stood up and leaned on his cane. “The Queen will have us hunted down for good.”
I didn’t need to be told once. But before I could stand up, a loud pounding made Maree choke on her pixie egg and I drop my mug. “Go! Hurry! She will murder us all.” Leon said. “Grandfather, they’ll kill you!” Theo insisted, his eyes wide in panic. “Let it be so. Theo, remember what I have told you the day Sienna died.” Leon replied with a determined tone.
“Open the door or we’ll blast it open!” a deep voice shouted.
Theo pulled me and Maree out the back door and into the woods. I was stumbling all over the place and Maree was shaking like mad. “Where are we going?” I asked urgently. “In the middle of the woods.”
Before I could ask why, the hair at the back of my head stood on end.
Leon’s blood-curdling scream echoed even this deep in the woods. And then the loud, clean swish of a sword.
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Well, get used to the shortness because I’m sooooo busy!
Hope you like it all the same. <333