Half Wylde | Book 1

Forty Three: Mila's Cabin

"Schula wasn't one of those things, was she?" I asked, panic seeping into my voice. "DuVarick doesn't have those, does he?"

"No, no, Schula was never a concubine," Thain growled in frustration. "I wish Eberon were here for this. Wren, Schula wasn't one of DuVarick's concubines, but she was the daughter of one. Do you understand?"

"DuVarick has a daughter?" Nassir hissed.

"What?" I squeaked. "She never said!"

"No, no. Well, no one is certain. Hold on, let me start this a different way," Thain leaned forward, elbows on the table and rubbing his temples. "DuVarick kept concubines, daughters given to him as gifts from the noble families of Icehold mostly, in order to produce an heir. With conception being so difficult, there is no guarantee that a monogamous relationship will grant you offspring. Even if it did, you could wait centuries for it. Concubines have been around since the courts began, it's no new concept to the Wyldes. So when DuVarick began collecting them no one batted an eye."

"How many does he have?" I asked, not sure I wanted to know the answer.

"Less than two dozen I think, and he doesn't have them anymore," Thain answered. "Anyway, Schula's mother was among them."

"So why would he hate her so much?" I asked.

"Schula's mother was particularly beautiful. She was known to be smart, and have a lovely singing voice. Of course many males in the court would covet her, so DuVarick began hiding all of his concubines away. They weren't allowed to be seen by anyone but him and his advisers. When she fell pregnant, DuVarick was suspicious that the child wouldn't be his. He treated her miserably until the birth, and when Schula came out looking just like her mother with no discernible likeness to DuVarick, he killed her."

Nassir and I gasped at the same time.

"How could he!" I cried.

"Some say she was already dying from the labor. I'm not as certain," Thain said. "And from what I no know of him, I wouldn't be surprised."

"As you shouldn't be," Nassir growled. "He's not who I once called friend. He hasn't been for a very long time."

"So, is Schula his child or not?" I asked.

"We can't really say. And with the only fae who would know the truth now dead, there will never be a way to know for sure. Of course no one stepped forward to claim her, that would be a death sentence. Instead, just in case she showed signs of being DuVarick's, she was kept in the inner holdings with the rest of the serving staff."

"But she could have been his heir!" I said.

"She grew up under his scrutinizing gaze, never able to please him and never able to fit in with the servants because of who she might be," Thain sighed. "One day, when she had truly displeased him, she ran off rather than face whatever punishment he had for her. I can't remember what she had even done anymore. But she ran. She explored the Wyldes, she came to Thanantholl, and she found us. Of course, there was no returning after that. She broke her bond with the Winter lands and joined us in Autumn."

"What did DuVarick do?" Nassir said, his voice low and angry.

Thain grimaced and scratched his jaw. "Banned her from Icehold."

"No!" I cried. "But, she came back because of me! And we weren't even at Icehold when Asher dragged her back. It wasn't her fault!"

"It doesn't matter," Thain said. "You have to understand the Wyldes, it doesn't matter what circumstances got you into a situation, it's up to your strength to get yourself out. What you've seen so far may seem peaceful, but we have a long and bloody history with no room for the weak in it."