Hunting Royalty

35. Decapitation and Dates

I'm a stalker.

Each evening I sit in my window seat and watch Nate furiously beat the life out of the training dummies. It seems he is doing the same thing Kayden does; working out his emotions with his weapons. Marie still hasn't said who Kayden's father is, hell, maybe it is the king. She could be lying and they really are brothers. I've decided to call her Marie, I don't feel comfortable calling her mother yet.

I watch Nate some more, in my heart I know she was telling the truth, I saw her face when she was talking about being raped. I feel so sorry for her and that doesn't even cover it. I tried to imagine what it would have been like to go through everything she did. 

When I was younger I used to imagine all these elaborate reasons that she had to leave us; saving the world, running from pirates, that kind of thing. When I was older I and I needed her to be there for me, I started to resent her for missing all the most important parts of my life.

Now that I know the situation she was in, I honestly have no idea what I would've done in her place but I feel like she could have done better. Even if she had just signed her notes 'Mother' it would have made all the difference. Why did it have to be a secret from those closest to her, did she not trust us to know the truth? I mean, she let Carol know that she was still alive; why not us?

Then she drops random hints about my future but she doesn't really tell me anything significant. What the hell do I need dual transmorphing spell for? If I'm ever able to cast it. It is beyond complex and as far as I know, only one other High Priestess has ever cast it; the one who invented it. Most of the other High Priestesses use a regular morphing spell like the one Marie used to become Fiona.

A dual transmorphing spell allows you to permanently switch appearances with someone else, unlike my current disguise spell it doesn't require any magic to maintain. The appearance will stay until the counter spell is cast. Who would ever allow me to switch places with them? It makes no sense. Nonetheless I've begun reading up on it; it's more than just changing appearances, you change voice, blood type, pretty much everything except your gifts and magic ability.

Dink!

I'm startled out of my thoughts by something hitting the widow next to me. I look out and notice a figure standing half hidden in the shadows below me. Two more stones hit my window in quick succession.

Dink! Dink!

I find the latch and swing open the window, it groans in protest. "What?" I hiss out into the darkness. The figure moves towards the wall and begins climbing, using the elaborate stone molding for grip. "What are you doing?" I exclaim, my bedroom is on the fourth floor, if he falls from that height he could really hurt himself.

I look across the courtyard to see if anyone else is witnessing this idiocy. I see Nate staring daggers at the man climbing up to my window. I catch his attention for a second before he spins and decapitates a training dummy in a fluid motion.

A head rises in front of me obscuring my view of Nate. Sam's bright green eyes stare into mine. "Move over before I fall to my death," he commands

"Why didn't you just portal in here?" I swing my legs down from the window seat and stand giving him room to climb in. In a move more impressive than leaping over the sofa one handed; his grip on the sides of the window tightens and he hoists himself through neatly landing on my seat feet first.

"It's considered rude and I've always wanted to climb up to a window all prince charming like," he says flashing me a childlike smile.

"Are you sure you just don't have a death wish?" I say closing the window behind him.