The rest of her first day back in Quickrivers was mainly spent with her little sisters. Chana was sure Sofi could hear them, so they read her stories and talked to her. Kitera told them about Bryani, how he was doing. The girls were very fond of their big brother.
Kitera only slipped away so she could run an errand in town. Then she stayed with her sisters throughout the evening. When she asked Chana why she wasn't in school today, she answered, "Dad's teaching tomorrow. I like it better when it's him, so I'll go." Which actually worked perfectly for Kitera's plan. Her hand stroked the newly purchased vial in her pocket.
At a late hour, Cassi brought two meagre portions of stew. Kitera eyed the chain dangling from her mother's neck as she set the bowls on the nightstand. Attached to that chain was the key she needed.
"Sorry girls, I know it isn't much. It's not easy feeding everyone."
Chana grabbed her bowl and started to eat while Kitera gave her mother an incredulous look. "What? They all stayed for dinner?"
"No," her mother replied warily, "thank the goddesses, not all of them. But still . . ." She glanced at Sofi on the bed. "Oh, I wish she would wake up, it's been days."
"She'll wake up," Chana said between two bites. "Then she'll need a big meal. She can have my portion."
"Sweet girl." Cassi smiled, though she looked exhausted.
"Good night, mom," Kitera said.
"Sleep well, girls," her mother said before leaving.
Once the moon shone high and bright, Mikael took his followers outside. A depressing procession of people eager to please a charismatic cult leader. Kitera watched from the window as they disappeared into the woods, the last lantern glowing like a firefly in the distance.
She turned back to Chana, who sat cross-legged on their makeshift mattress of piled up blankets.
"It's wrong, what he's doing?"
Kitera sat on the blankets next to her, propping up her knees. "Yeah, it's wrong."
"But you have Red," Chana argued.
"Let's just say I didn't have all the information about dark magic when I was fifteen, and I really don't think they do either."
Chana looked confused. "But Red is great, right?"
Kitera chuckled. "Yeah, he's pretty great."
Excitement brightened her little sister's eyes. "Could I see him?"
"Maybe later. He's delivering a message to Bryani right now."
"Oh." Chana seemed to think of something. "Hey, when Noah was here, I asked if I could see his demon, and he showed me a cute black spider with a green stripe on its back."
"Ugh, only you would think spiders are cute."
Chana laughed. "That's not the point! I think he's lying."
"Why?"
"Because it's never the same spider! Bryani's snake is always the same, big and green with yellow eyes. Red's always the same hawk too. Maybe Noah doesn't want us to see his demon? Just like dad."
"Noah is not like him," Kitera said, maybe too harshly. "Sorry, I just . . . I think Noah's demon is more powerful than mine or Bryani's, and I'm sure he has a good reason for being secretive about it. He'll tell us when he's ready, yeah?"
"He tried to heal her." Chana glanced over her shoulder at Sofi. "But it didn't work. He was really upset."
Kitera's chest tightened. "I'm sure he did the best he could."
". . . Hey, do you know if Noah has a girlfriend?" Chana's big brown eyes were hopeful.
Kitera laughed. "Aren't you a bit too young for him?"
"I can be patient. In ten years, he'll be thirty and I'll be twenty-one."
"Fair enough."
Chana fell asleep soon after. Kitera didn't. Her mind wouldn't stop with conjectures of what was going on in the woods, and the bigger picture of her father's plotting.
The morning welcomed them with a shining sun and brisk wind. Kitera helped her mother with chores, avoiding her father as best she could – the feeling seemed mutual anyway. His followers were resting in the basement and were not to be bothered, or so she heard him say to Cassi before he left for school with Chana.
With the house finally peaceful and quiet, Kitera and Cassi took a break from the laundry room to prepare some tea.
"Please sit down," Kitera insisted as they crossed the living room. "Let me take care of it."
Her mother settled in the old rocking chair by the hearth, a small smile playing over her lips. "I'm not used to it . . . But, well, 'tis true you work as a maid now."
Kitera cringed. Sometimes she forgot that her parents still thought she was a maid at the Veicira Castle. And a spy. Even though she hadn't sent a single piece of intelligence. Her father must think her a lousy spy.
She put the kettle on the stove, and plucked the vial of sleeper's fix from her pocket, heart hammering. I'm sorry, mom, but I need answers and I know you won't give them to me.
Around Cassi's neck was the key to her father's safe. Mikael wasn't known for trusting many people, but he did trust his wife with a double of that key, in case something happened to him, maybe.
Mikael loved to write. When Kitera was a kid, she would often poke her head in his study as he scribbled away. As soon as she could read, she wanted to read his writing. But he always refused, securing his precious scrolls in the safe whenever he left the room.
She returned to the living room with two steaming mugs, offering one to her mother.
"Lemongrass, my favorite."
"I know." Kitera sat in a nearby chair. Now more than ever, she was troubled by her mother's appearance. She seemed to be in her late thirties, with the odd grey hair in her dark mane. The problem was that her mother had always looked exactly like this, for as long as Kitera had been around anyway. There were changes though, in the way she moved, the way she sat, the way she cast her gaze about. A certain slowness to it all. She was aging, except her face wasn't.
"Mom, how old are you now? I forgot."
A shadow crossed her eyes, and there was a slight pause in the rocking of her chair.
"Oh, you know, after so many years you lose count." She pursed her lips after tasting the tea. "This isn't ideal. You should learn to make better tea, my dear, otherwise you might get kicked out of the castle!"
Kitera shifted uneasily in her chair. "I hope it's still to your liking?"
Her mother took another sip. "Yes, it's not that bad, don't worry, dear."
"So . . . did Mikael tell you why he's suddenly recruiting so many people?"
"Well," Cassi said, "the queen is hunting us down, we need to be prepared." From the way she avoided Kitera's gaze, it was obvious she was hiding something.
"We have a king now," Kitera pointed out.
Cassi's voice turned gossipy. "The bastard?"
"He's legitimate, actually."
Cassi waved it off. "People say it won't last. I heard the ones who organized the coup got lucky. Tessa Nightvale will come back. She'll want her throne back. I saw a painting of her recently, she's very beautiful." Her mother yawned.
"Even more beautiful in person," said Kitera. "But beauty can hide many ugly secrets. I'd choose her brother over her in a heartbeat."
Her mother's tired eyes glinted. "Oh, you have a thing for him, then?"
Kitera laughed. "Oh gods no, it's not like that. Besides, I'm already with someone, mom."
Cassi was having trouble keeping her eyes open. "I don't like Dharkan much. A king, now, that would be something."
"Well, you're in luck," Kitera said. "I think Bryani's into him. And he's way more charming than I am, so who knows?"
"Oh, don't don't say things like that, Kitera. You know I worry about your brother. In Azuria, he'd get the stoning . . ." She yawned again, and her eyes lidded.
"Good thing we don't live in Azuria."
Kitera leapt to her mother's side to catch her mug before it dropped to the floor. She set both mugs aside and waved a hand in front of her mother's eyes to make sure she was asleep. Heart thumping, she carefully reached around her neck to unclasp the chain. Cassi didn't wake up. Kitera palmed the key and hurried upstairs, chain dangling from her fist.
In her father's study, she opened the window shutters to let in the sunlight. Then she kneeled behind the desk and probed the floor until she found the loose wooden plank. She yanked it away and hefted up the safe, setting it on the desk. After looking up to make sure she'd locked the door, she inserted the key and turned. The safe clicked open.
Heart leaping, Kitera dug out scrolls at random, examining the dates and titles. She resisted the curiosity to read the ones about herself. Also, she breathed out in relief when she saw that most of them were written in Felleran. That made her life easier.
One was titled Finding Cassi, dated in the year 1000. Four years before Kitera's birth, and also the year of her parents' wedding. Kitera unfurled the scroll completely.
On the occasion of my upcoming wedding to Cassi, I realize I've never written the tale of how we met, and find myself wishing to add it to my ever growing memoir.
The year was 976, and for the first time in three decades, I decided to return home to Azuria. I would later find out it did not feel like home anymore, not with Dylani gone.
Of course, I had heard the rumors in 965. Emperor Dylani had died of illness. Some said it was his own son, Vitaly, who had poisoned him, though no one could prove it.
I was deeply upset by his demise, and kept making excuses to delay my return to Azuria. I realized I was pathetic. Even Seraph told me as much, I recall. 'Some friend you are.' Of course, he was right. I had made excuses whilst Dylani was alive. I was still making excuses after his death.
After long weeks of travel, I arrived to Azuria and found it even more breathtaking than I remembered. My memory hadn't done it credit. A city of gleaming marble and wondrous architecture, with so many people thronging the intricate streets that led to the central palace.
There, I learned of Amara's death – Dylani's first wife, and my friend. I had hoped she might still live. On that day, I realized how old I was – or should be.
I spoke with Kyra, daughter of Amara and Dylani. She looked like both her parents, and she was so lovely. She didn't have his eerie blue eyes, though. None of his children or grandchildren ever did.
Kyra trusted me because her sweet mother Amara had told her about me. Of course, Kyra's half-brother Vitaly was a monster. The whole world suspected it by now. Here at the palace, everyone knew it for a fact. I wanted to take Kyra away, to save her from this life. Vitaly had paid mercenaries to murder Kyra's husband, and he raped her frequently. More than anything, though, Kyra feared for her thirteen-year-old daughter Cassi, her only child with the man Vitaly had murdered.
Vitaly threatened to offer Cassi as a sacrifice to the gods and goddesses. Upon hearing this, I offered to take both Kyra and Cassi away. I was too late to save Dylani, but I could still save his daughter and granddaughter.
But Kyra was pregnant with Vitaly's child. Now I realize she was pregnant with Shezenos. Kyra wished to stay and raise the child to be a better man than his father. Knowing what I know now of Shezenos, I'm not sure she succeeded.
She did, however, want me to take Cassi away. So I did, saving the girl from the torment Vitaly would've inflicted. We traveled together all the way to Fellera, where we settled on a farm, for Cassi wished to live with animals. I taught her many things, and for years our relationship was that of a tutor and student. I believe she harbored feelings for me at a young age, after all I did look like a man in his prime and she had yet to learn the truth.
At first, I worried Seraph would disapprove, the same way he had disapproved of my apprentice Roguen. But he didn't seem to mind, in fact he was often absent. Several days would pass without my feeling his presence.
Of course, I was keen for him to reassure me, and he did. 'A deal is a deal.' I would keep my immortality. Years later, when Cassi turned eighteen and I started returning her feelings, Seraph offered to keep her young as well.
I set up a cult again, in time. For protection for my family, for companionship, for a sense of purpose, I suppose. Wherever I go, there are people intrigued by dark magic, reminding me of myself as a youth. Finding a few recruits here and there has never been difficult. And Cassi didn't mind, she always accepted that this was my life, though she never wished for a demon of her own.
I'm indulging her now, with this wedding. She wants children, too. I've fought her long and hard on this, and she knows why. I can't stop thinking about my young daughter dying of severe burns after the coup on the Azurian Palace, even though it feels like so many lifetimes ago. And then there's little Shaela, slaughtered as a baby by my enemies after I fled the assassin life in Laethi. I don't know how I would feel, if Cassi gave me a daughter. I fear that I might be too afraid to love her.
I suppose, if we do have children, they will be Dylani's great-grandchildren. I wonder if one of them will have his blue eyes.
The scroll fell from Kitera's trembling hands. Gods' sakes. She'd suspected her parents were older than they seemed, but this . . . Her thoughts struggled to make sense. Emperor Dylani's great-granddaughter? That meant Kitera was Emperor Shezenos' niece. Myzian's bloody cousin! It sounded insane.
And this Seraph . . . Her father's demon? A demon that could speak. Perhaps manipulate him. She pushed the rest of her thoughts away and fumbled through the scrolls until she found one titled Seraph. And she read.
***
About an hour later, Kitera put everything back the way it was. Her mother slept through it all, even when Kitera reattached the chain around her neck.
Some of Mikael's followers had gone outside to train. Kitera snuck after them, hiding in the trees. First she observed a cloaked man as he sat on the ground, intently staring at a flower until it twitched and withered. Charming.
A few paces away, a girl with wild, hay-colored hair summoned her demon – some sort of feline, a mix of cat and lynx. For a time, the young woman stared at the cat like she didn't know what to do with it. Then she raised her hand and pointed . . . straight towards Kitera. The cat dashed.
Kitera reached for her sword, only to remember she wasn't wearing it. Cursing, she rolled sideways, long claws not missing her by much. Kitera leapt to her feet and jumped back as the cat lashed out again. She met the demon's third attempt with a hard kick in the ribs. It hissed and snarled at her. Kitera stepped back slowly, knees bent low, but then the cat vanished.
"Hey!" The wild-haired girl came to lean against a tree beside Kitera. "Why didn't you make your demon fight for you?"
Before she could answer, the girl winced and pulled up her sleeve. A black mark slithered up from wrist to elbow.
"I think that speaks for itself," said Kitera.
The girl dropped her sleeve with a slight frown. She glanced at the dozen others who trained nearby, then back at Kitera.
"I'm sorry I made Claws attack you. You're the chief's daughter, I wanted to see what you could do."
"Claws," Kitera said. "It suits him."
"Her," she corrected.
"Right, sorry. What's your name?"
"Lenny. And you're Kitera T'Sherazee."
"Unfortunately."
Lenny angled her head, wild hair dancing in the wind. "Why don't you like your father? He's great."
"You have low standards for greatness. Can I ask you something, Lenny?"
"Sure."
"What is he telling you? What is it you're training for?"
She smirked. "We're building an army."
"What the hell for?"
"A revolution," Lenny said. "We don't believe in the northern gods. We don't believe in monarchy. We can build a better world."
Kitera arched an eyebrow. "With demons?"
"At least we know demons are real. Ever seen a god walking around, Kitera?"
"Just because someone doesn't believe in the gods doesn't mean they should sell their soul to a demon. That's crazy."
"Crazy?" Lenny laughed. "I'd be crazy not to! I've been hurt a lot by men, in the past. Now, I have Claws. Next arsehole who tries to hurt me will regret he was ever born."
Kitera sighed. "I get it. You want to feel strong and safe. But there are other ways. You don't have to have marks all over your body."
"Who cares about that? Our army will grow. Maybe one day it's people without marks that will look weird, ever think about that?"
When Kitera didn't answer, Lenny shrugged and walked away.
A revolution. That didn't sound like her father. He'd never wanted an army – hell, he'd never even wanted a big cult! He was being controlled by his demon somehow, she was sure of it now.
In the evening, Erikson and Laura came back with ten new recruits, all eager to be introduced to Mikael. Kitera watched this unfold from upstairs with Chana snug at her side.
Kitera was sick and tired of being the only one who questioned Mikael. Sending Laura and Erikson to find more recruits. Sending Dharkan and Noah to find some stupid catalyst that may not even be real. And then what?
"Tomorrow night," her father announced to the new recruits, "we will perform the ceremony."
No, she wouldn't let him do this to more people. With any luck, she wouldn't be alone to confront him this time. Red had returned with Bryani's message, saying he might reach Quickrivers by tomorrow night. It was a long shot, considering her brother's poor riding skills, but a girl could hope.