Chapter Twelve
Serafina
“I did it! Leena, I did it!” I exclaimed as a small, self-inflicted, cut on my finger stitch itself back together.
We were sitting in my aunt’s attached room on the blue carpeted floor. It was a simple room, not even seeming to appear to belong to anyone with the exception of a large old trunk that sat at the foot of her bed. It always remained locked and I was never permitted to see its contents.
“Now do it again.” Leena ordered, handing me a sharp knife.
I winced as I made a small cut on the tip of my thumb. Licking the blood away to see the incision, I again focused on the particles of energy around me. The ring that Cato gave me made it easier to feel for the specks that appeared as golden lights as if dropped from the sun, and then to funnel them into the cut. Leena had said most could not see the specks, and those who could were most of the time one of our ancestors or not human.
Again the small cut sealed itself back together, leaving no trace that it had been there in the first place. A vibrating tingle spread through the entire finger before subsiding along with the cut. I let out a labored breath once it healed completely. I had been at it for a good hour and it was taking its toll on me.
“Good. Now make your nails a half an inch longer.” She commanded, not leaving me a moment to regain any energy lost.
Lifting up my fingers towards my line of sight, I imagined my nails slowly growing; and slowly they did. A half an inch longer, I looked up to see Leena give an approving nod before receding them back to their usual length.
She had been training me as best as she could without having abilities herself. I appreciated her for it as well, even if she seemed frustrated at times of not being able to show me herself.
With my usual weapons training put on hold while I had lessons with Regina, Leena sought to make up for it by honing in on my inherited abilities and expanding on them most nights and if there was any free time in the afternoons. It exhausted me just as much as being in the training room.
Leena then picked up the knife and made a small cut on her forefinger.
“Heal this.” She said, holding it out towards me.
I learned that healing someone else was more technical than myself, as I couldn’t feel the sensation of the tingle through their flesh. It has to be a gut feeling that I was doing it correctly. How the energy was funneled was also different. Although I did still use the specks of light, energy was pulled from my very being as well as I knitted the wound back together. My theory was that if it was on myself I wouldn’t feel the siphoning coming from within me, yet still feel the effects from the fatigue. However with another being, my energy had to travel to them and left me feeling more drained than if it had stayed within my own body and healing myself.
“That will be all for today.” Leena announced, voice strained.
I knew she was still upset with me about the other day. Part of me couldn’t blame her. She was over protective and that had always been her role in my life. To raise me and be my first line of defense. But I had to make my own choices and my own mistakes.
Without being told, I stood up and returned to my room, Leena remaining in hers. The Demarian royal family was due to arrive in the morning and she would have to come to terms with the fact that I had already made up my mind about returning with them to Demarcus. I just hadn’t mentioned it to anyone else.
When I walked through the door, I noticed my brother sitting in one of the armchairs, deep in conversation with Elisa about a new sword he would like to commission. He stopped abruptly when he noticed me and straightened himself.
“About time. What was so important that you had to do with Leena?” He asked, peering behind me as if waiting for the older woman to enter as well.
“Nothing that concerns you.” I said, taking some satisfaction when I saw him falter slightly. Served him right for keeping information from me when they were petitioning to add me to the succession.
Zander composed himself quickly and then stood.
“Let’s go for a walk.”
He didn’t wait for a response before he was already at the door and opening it. I guess it wasn’t a suggestion. What was more unnerving was that none of my companions came with us. We didn’t stop until we were in the garden, my garden. I looked up at the glass ceiling and then back down at the flowers. I wondered if they ever wished they could feel a natural breeze or if they even cared because they didn’t know the difference.
It was a beautiful room with flowers of all colors, benches, and a large water fountain in the center. No one tended the garden, as the fountain led to a complicated water system underneath, keeping the plants supplied with plenty filtered water. But, no matter how beautiful the flowers were, it was still a room with walls and a ceiling. There was no breeze, no birds, and only one access point. All for my safety, as always.
Zander turned to face me, steel eyes focused and his face set like granite.
“I’m not going to give hints or be vague about what I’m about to say.” He began and I started to wonder if I was in trouble.
“Anton will be arriving here soon.”
Okay, that wasn’t unusual. Laney’s brother visited a few times a year. Although it did cross paths with the Drakonis family coming.
“There will be many negotiations going on in the upcoming weeks between us and Demarcus, and possibly Silvania. Both of their kings have put in a request for you to be married to their sons.”
I scrunched up my face. These were things I already knew, and remembered frequently due to Dea’s reminders every time we crossed paths.
“Father doesn’t know that I’m talking to you about this, he is choosing to remain naive and ignorant of the implications that can occur if you had to be married off to either of those nations. They don’t get along, even with the treaty. So I want to take you off the table before I agree to anything. I want you to marry Anton and I want you to do it soon.”
I stared at him in disbelief.
“No.” I found myself saying, still in shock from his words. But the answer would remain the same even if I had thought about it. Absolutely not.
“This isn’t a request, Serafina.” His tone darkened and I inwardly scolded myself for a sprinkle of fear that trickled down my spine as he used my full name.
“I’m telling you because I don’t want you to feel blindsided again. But before we go into the negotiations I am going to tell Father that it is the best choice. They can’t try to bargain for you if you are already taken.”
“No.” I said again, with more bite behind it.
Anger that I had never felt before seeped out of my skin like ooze. Heat rose up from within and the more I thought of his assumption that he could just marry me off and not think twice about it had me grow more livid by the second.
“You and Father have done enough. You have controlled me enough. I’m going to decide for myself and without interference from anybody. Not you, or him, or Dea. It’s my turn to take my life into my own hands. Whether I want to marry any of them or none at all will be my choice.”
My fingers balled tightly, my nails cutting into my flesh.
“Gods dammit, Serafina! Don’t you know that I’m telling you this for your own good? You don’t need to be in the middle of an impending war and if you just marry Anton then you won’t be forced to. He has already agreed.” His usually smooth and soothing voice boomed with frustration.
Well, let him be frustrated. Let him scream and shout at me until the entire castle came to investigate. I was too far gone to care at that point.
“It’s always been for my own good, hasn’t it!”
Thunderous steps could be heard in the corridor behind us. Oh well. I wasn’t done.
“Let’s be a family, let’s move back to the castle. Stay in this one room for the rest of your life!” I was shrieking now, searing tears threatening to overflow, and from my peripheral I could make out an audience by the entrance.
“I refuse to be locked away anymore and I refuse to allow you to continue making decisions on my behalf. I will not marry Anton and you can’t force me too!”
Zander’s cheeks flared, his gaze turning lethal.
“I’m going to be your king for fuck’s sake! You will do as you’re told, even if I have to drag you to the altar! I’m not giving you up to someone as tyrannical as Elek Drakonis!”
That’s what this was really about, I realized. It wasn’t about keeping the peace but just because he had a personal vendetta on the matter. He was no different than our father, who shared ill views of Marek Drakonis. What’s more, how did this subject even evolve the way it had? Could Leena have…
“ENOUGH!” Bellowed the voice of our father from behind us. It took every fiber in my being to not jump out of my skin at the sound of his fury.
Zander’s eyes widened as I watched our father’s large hand come to grip him on the back of his neck. Then another hand grabbed a hold of my upper arm.
“What in Cato’s name has gotten into the two of you? I shouldn’t have to be drawn from a meeting with our generals because my two adult children are bickering so loudly that the entire city can hear them!” His oceans eyes went to Zander’s and then mine, demanding answers.
Zander remained silent, casting his gaze to the ground, face tinged red from either embarrassment or frustration. Fine, I thought. I’ll be the one to speak.
“Zander seems to believe that he has complete control over me and is commanding me to marry Anton before you go into the meetings with King Marek and King Oberron. He thinks that just because he is the next king that he is allowed to do whatever he wishes with me.”
My brother appeared to flinch at my words, giving up his childish behavior. Good.
Our father ‘s gaze hardened at him.
“Is this true?”
My brother’s gaze met my own instead of our father.
“Sending her to go and live with Anton, rather than having to negotiate her out of any future treaties between Demarcus and Silvania is what’s best. Marrying Anton takes her off the table completely.” His voice remained stoic as he continued to look at me.
Father’s grip visibly tightened on him before he said in a low tone.
“That’s not for you to decide, son. Your sister’s future is not to be your concern and from this point on, you will not bring up something like this again to her.”
Then he turned to me, eyes softening slightly.
“Sera, your brother means well, but he forgets that you cannot be seen as his responsibility. He has some learning to do. As for Anton, that’s up to you. But I will warn you that the Grand Council may make things difficult if an opportunity comes up that cannot be ignored. However, we will cross that bridge if it comes to it.”
“And if I decide that I do want to go to Silvania or Demarcus? If I decide that the offers are worth it and agree with the Grand Council, will you respect my choice?”
Zander’s eyes sharpened again as he peered at me with contempt. But his opinion didn’t matter and this would be a good opportunity to show him just that. The grip on my arm pulled back and I took in my father’s expression. He was conflicted. His face was set grimly but his eyes held sorrow as he took me in. Then he sighed.
“Sera, I didn’t want to add you to the line to use you in such a way. Please tell me that you know that.”
I nodded in acknowledgment. Of course I knew that he had well-meaning intentions, but that had nothing to do with why I had already decided to go with the Drakonis family when they arrived.
“However,” he continued, “if you want to take part in the negotiations and hear what is being offered then you are welcome to come and listen in.”
He then turned to see the dense group of guards that still crowded the doorway and cleared his throat loudly.
“Everyone go back to your posts.” He commanded and then turned to Zander.
“You will come with me and we will discuss how you should be conducting yourself.”
As they walked out the door, my father motioned for me to follow and escort me back to my room. I couldn’t help but feel a tinge of guilt in the pit of my stomach. It was irrational because I knew that I was in the right, but I also knew that Zander wasn’t trying to be malicious. It wouldn’t prevent me from finding the black dragon, but it did give me a better understanding of what he was feeling.
