Eda
"Oh you should have been there sister it was wonderful. Mother and father were so engaged in our conversations and they just simply adore Hunter," rejoiced Lily as she continued to pace back and forth across my living room for what felt like the one hundred time. "Did I tell you how much Hunter loved father's beard?"
"Yes. You did. About a thousand times," I complained but my annoyance was lost on my sister. She had been like this for hours boasting about the fantastic visit she had from our parents.
She just keeps going on and on about every single detail that now I felt like I was there too. Sure I'm happy that she was finally able to have a good moment with our parents, especially mom but I just wish she would stop talking. And as if that wasn't bad enough the kid learned a new word that made Hooty cry for like an hour. Now Hooty, Owlbert, and the kid won't stop hooting at each other. It was cute at first but now I just want to throw my ears out the window. This is the cruelest and most unusual punishment I have ever received and I didn't even break any laws to deserve it.
"So I have," muttered Lilith taking a small pause. For a moment I thought my punishment was finally over but then she started back up again. "It was just so perfect. You should have been there to see how happy dad was playing with Hunter. The two bonded so quickly that Hunter even started to cry when it was time for them to go."
"You don't say," I replied disinterestedly hoping my nightmare would come to end soon.
"You know maybe we could all get together and have a family dinner," suggested Lilith with the same level of obnoxious excitement she's had since she got here. "Maybe for Hunter's birthday instead of having something big we could all meet here.'
"Wow wow wow no. Let me stop you right there. It's cool and all that you had this great family reunion with mom and dad but leave me out of it. I don't want them here." I snapped. "Besides you know I can't be around dad not after what I did to him."
I raised my voice a bit too much causing the baby to start crying. Lilith nodded at Hooty who wrapped him up and took him to his room to try and calm him down. When she turned to look at me I saw what l could only describe as pity in her eyes. I didn't need this. Not in my own home. If I didn't want to talk to mom and dad that was my choice. Just because she could forget with one day didn't mean I could do the same. I stood up ready for a fight. "Lily I..."
"Edalyn," It was only my name but the way she said it made my whole body freeze. I don't know if this is the authoritarian voice that she learned as the leader of a coven or if it's just her mom voice but every time she uses it gives me chills. "Please listen to what I have to say first."
I did but not because of fear but because her entire demeanor had changed. The excitement and happiness she had been radiating since she got here were now completely gone. It was now replaced by a cold sternness that made the room feel a few degrees colder. She was being completely serious now and it was unsettling compared to how bubbly she had been just a moment ago.
"What I am about to tell you is extremely important so I need you to listen carefully, okay?" she said trying to be more gentle but the steel in her eyes did not waver. "There might come a day where I am no longer around and I wan... I need you to be able to watch over Hunter in my absence."
What was going on? How did we go from a conversation about our parents to her not being around? "Lilith are you in trouble? If someone is after you..." She raised her hand to stop me then continued calmly.
"As I said this is very important so please just...listen." I nodded my head and tried to relax but now I was on edge. Had someone threatened her? Was she sick? She came and took a seat next to me and took my hand in hers. "As my son, I want Hunter to experience all the joys of growing up in a loving home. I want him to feel like he is wanted. Like he matters. I want him to have the love of his grandparents and his cool aunt."
"Why are you talking like that?" I asked wanting to pull my hand away from hers but also wanting to hold on even tighter. "You sound like you think you're going to die." At my words, Lilith's eyes softened and I felt a sinking filling in the pit of my stomach. "Lily."
"Before mom and dad arrived I was already getting ready to come to visit you," she paused for a moment. I could see on her face that she was trying to search for the right words to say what came next. Now I was scared, not of my sister but for her. "You see I ran into someone..."
"Who? Who are they? Did they threaten you? Just point me at them and I'll make sure they'll think twice about messing with our family." Lilith gave my hand a light squeeze to get me to calm down. As soon as she saw that I was calm again she continued.
"The person I ran into was able to recognize Hunter at a single glance as the son of his old mentor." Hearing that made my blood turn to ice. How was this person able to recognize the kid by just looking at him? Was he one of the people who had been after his parents? Were they going to come after the kid? Did Lilith think they were coming after her next? It didn't make sense why would she be so worried? She's one of the strongest witches on the isles second only to myself. And even at that, I'm sure I wouldn't be able to beat her in a fight that involved the kid's safety.
Lilith waited for me to process what she had just said as if waiting for an outburst. As much as I wanted to bombard her with questions I knew there was much more that she needed to say so I held my tongue for now. I gave her a nod as a sign to keep on going.
"I know that this is a lot to take in. You're probably thinking that this person must have been somehow involved with the group that orchestrated the attack. I thought the exact same thing but I came to find out that wasn't the case. You see the way this person was able to recognize Hunter was because he is almost an exact copy of his father. He even showed me a picture and the resemblance is undeniable." she hesitated for a moment and I could tell that whatever she wanted to say next was very difficult for her. She took in a deep breath and then let it out slowly before continuing. "What I am about to say next is for your ears only. You can not tell anyone else bout this. Not even mom and dad can know about this. Do you understand?"
I nodded my head vigorously. I didn't understand what was going on but the anticipation was killing me. I needed to know what had my sister so on edge.
"When I first brought Hunter to you I didn't give you all the information I knew. I had given my word to the emperor that I would not share that information with anyone but thinking about it now I should have told you from the start." Her grip on my hand got tighter. "You see Hunter is Belos's nephew."
"What?!" I exclaimed not believing what I had just heard. The kid was related to that guy? How can someone so kind and sweet be related to someone so spoiled and rotten?
"Edalyn please I need you to listen to me," pleaded Lilith. There was a desperation in her voice that screamed that she needed to get this out or it would consume her. Now her previous bubbly behavior made sense she had been nervous. She had been trying to avoid talking about this for as long as she could and I didn't blame her. I held my tongue and mustered all my willpower to sit still and listen to what she had to say.
"The emperor asked me to take care of Hunter. He told me that he was his brother's only son and that he was afraid that if anyone found out he was related to him they would try to hurt him again. He gave me all the documents of the investigation into his brother's death but it was all useless. There wasn't even a picture of the man in it. I tried conducting my own investigation. I wanted to make sure nobody could ever hurt Hunter again but I found nothing and Belos started acting as if there was nothing to investigate." There was anger in her voice and in her eyes which I did not expect. The fact that she kept referring to him by only his name was a shock in itself but the added anger made all of this feel unreal. What was going on here? "After several months of searching and not finding anything I started to question Belos. He had given me a story that I was able to disprove easily. I convinced myself that he must have had his reasons but now...."
She closed her eyes to steady herself and the grip she had on my hand had now become like that of an iron clasp. My hand hurt but I didn't try to pull away. Whatever was going on with my sister it was hurting her a lot. I saw tears start rolling down her face as she tried holding them back but it was futile.
"I came to learn that Hunter's father was not only Belos's brother but the Golden Guard." I let out an involuntary gasp but didn't get to say much else as Lilith continued. "He died the same month Hunter was born. Do you understand what that means? Hunter was with Belos when he was hurt."
Lilith started to sob now as if saying the words out loud had made them real. She was clearly overwhelmed by all this and I was too stunned to say anything. Not that I couldn't imagine that guy hurting babies because I could believe that without a single doubt in my mind. But this was a lot to take in at once and I felt like I was missing some very important information.
I freed my hand from her grasp and grabbed her face to make her focus. "Okay Lily, I need you to calm down and explain everything to me from the start. Don't leave out anything."
She nodded with a hurt look in her eyes that turned to steel as she left my grasp. She cleared the tears in her eyes and started again. This time it was in a much more mechanical sort of way. She didn't display any emotions. It was as if she was giving a school report she had practiced hundreds of times. Her emotions were too much for her right now so she chose to detach herself from them to give me the information I needed.
She talked about talking to Darius and how he had mentioned the Golden Guard had been acting strangely on the days leading up to his death. How he had no idea that he had a family even though they were extremely close. How she and Darius came up with the theory that Belos was not happy with his brother having a family or trying to leave the coven to be with his partner. She even confessed she thought Belos had been the one to kill him. I wish I could say this was surprising but honestly, it made sense. Anyone who really paid attention to our oh-so-powerful ruler would know that he is a terrible person. There are plenty of scouts who deserted the coven after seeing firsthand how cruel Belos could be who will tell their story to anyone who will listen. But most dismissed them as the ramblings of drunks who need someone to blame for their own sad life. Then there are people like me who spend our time in a grey area. The outcasts, trouble makers, and weirdos who fall victim to his twisted sense of justice.
What was truly surprising was seeing Lily talk negatively about Belos. This is the first time in my life I have ever heard her talk this way about him. I mean she practically worshipped the guy growing up and even after joining the coven. So seeing her like this now made me feel really proud of my sister. But it also made me understand that she was dead serious about this. She now saw him as a threat to her and to the kid.
"And this is why I need you to promise me. If something were to ever happen to me you'll take Hunter into the human realm and hide. Promise me you will keep him safe in my absence." she said with pleading eyes. Seeing her like this hurt me.
She was no longer talking in her mechanical voice. She now had all of her emotions out in the open and I was uncertain about what to do. Now I understood the reason why she was so afraid. If there was one person on the isles you did not want as your enemy it was him. He had the power to send an entire army after Lilith if he wanted to. Even though Lilith was well respected as the head of the coven he could easily take that title from her. There is no guarantee that anyone but me would try to do anything if he tried to hurt her.
"I promise Lily but it's not going to come to that okay," I said with confidence trying to convince her as much as I was trying to convince myself. "You know why?"
She shook her head while wiping away tears. "Because nobody messes with a Clawthorne. I don't fully believe that kid is related to Belos but one thing is for sure. He is one hundred percent a Clawthorne and we take care of our own."
She let out a soft chuckle and I saw that some of her usual spirit had come back to her eyes. "You're right, thank you, Eda."
"Of course I'm right." I boasted proudly. I then got up and walked over to one of my chests filled with some of my favorite treasures from the human realm. "As the kid gets older I'll teach him about the human world and I'll even take him on trips with me. After all, he is going to need a place to escape to once you become the ruler of the Boiling Isles."
"Ru..ru..ler?" she stuttered looking horrified.
"Well yeah, there's only one way we can make sure that guy can't touch our family and that's by taking his power from him. And who better for the job than his second in command?" I explained.
Lilith had a look of panic on her face. Though I don't understand why. It's obvious enough that she had already thought about this herself. I just said it out loud. "Edalyn you can't just say such things...If anyone heard you saying that..."
"What? They'll arrest me? Sorry, Lily but the only one who might have a chance at that is you and well I have your baby being looked after by my house demon so that's not going to happen." I laughed. "Come on lighten up besides I'll be there with you every step of the way helping you out."
She didn't look too sure about it but she still smiled at me. "That's the spirit besides how hard could it be to overthrow a government?"
Lilith laughed a genuine laugh at my statement but it was soon caught short. "Wait why did you say Hunter would need a place to escape to after I become ruler?''
"Why else? To get away from his overbearing mother who pulls the "I am the empress" card whenever he doesn't agree with her." I snickered. She had a wonderful expression on her face that was a mixture of horror and offense that made me burst out laughing.
"I don't see why that's so funny. I would never be so overbearing and there's no reason why Hunter would want to run away from me," she grumbled though I could hardly hear her over the sound of my laughter.
I kept laughing until my sides hurt. Not long after the sound of the boys hooting could be heard as they made their way back into the living room. Hunter and Owlbert were riding on Hooty as all three Hooted in a singsongy way. Hunter's eyes were still puffy from when he had been crying but now he was back to being cheerful.
"Hey guys we heard you having a hoot so we decided to come join you," announced Hooty.
"Ugh," I groaned at the terrible joke while Lily laughed and grabbed Hunter from Hooty's back.
"Did you have fun on the Hoot train?" she asked with a big smile on her face. The kid hooted at her happily while bounding up and down.
"Uggghhhhh I need apple blood," I announced heading to the kitchen regretting pledging my alliance to my sister as I heard her and Hooty making more terrible puns.