“Father!” I stood so fast that my chair knocked over.
His eyes flew wide. I’d never yelled at him. I loved him. He was my favorite, though I knew it was awful to admit. He never treated me like a flower petal that would crush at the slightest touch.
“You will not enter that portal, Aribella. You will come with us to the Spring Court where Queen Gloria has graciously agreed to house us and our people,while Winter takes Summer refugees. Come winter solstice, Isolde will travel to Ethereum and bring back the heart, freeing us from the curse, and then we will return to the Fall Court and clean up what is left of it. It’s not ideal, but it’s for the best.”
My face felt hot, I was so angry it felt as if steam would come out my nose.
“You don’t think I can do it?” There was fury and hurt in my voice.
My father pulled his hand from my mother’s clutches and stood. Rounding the table to stand in front of me, he placed a hand on either of my shoulders and looked me right in the eye.
It was like looking in a mirror. His rich brown eyes stared back at me, reminding me so much of my own.
“Whether you can or not, it’s not worth the risk. You are our only heir, my precious daughter, and I would do anything to keep you alive. You will understand one day when you have children.”
“Because you will be alive to have children,” my mother reminded us both.
I knew then that I’d have to do the one thing I promised my father I would never do. Use my magic on him.
“We leave in the morning. So let’s enjoy our dinner and get some rest.” He sat down and I moved to my chair, picking it up from where I’d knocked it over and then fell into it as if it were a dark hole trying to swallow me up. A hole I willingly wanted to drown in right now.
“Yes, Father,” I told him.
Tomorrow I was going to have to use my powers on my own parents and run away. When I said that nothing would get in the way of me saving my people, I meant it. The history books would not write that Princess Aribella of the Fall Court was too weak or scared to go to Ethereum.
Chapter 4
Ibarely slept. I felt sick about what I knew I was going to have to do. My mother often suffered from bouts of anxiety and so with her consent I had used my power to calm her. But I’d never used my magic on my father because he’d explicitly asked me not to.
“All set?” my father asked as I approached the carriage with a giant fake smile plastered on my face.
I simply nodded so that he would get into the carriage and then my mother went in after him.
Our people had already begun the miles-long caravan toward the Spring Court and we were the last, bringing up the rear so no citizen was left behind. It was noble if you looked past the fact that we were all total cowards, fleeing danger. I didn’t blame my people, they should go to safety elsewhere, but my mother, father, and myself should stay with the land until the very last moment.
When I saw that Falana had jumped into the carriage ahead of ours, I leaned my head into the carriage and prepared to push the most complex magic I’d ever done over my mother and father. It would have to be multilayered.
“Father and mother,” I spoke softly. “I won’t be going. I need to stay back and help this little girl I found.”
Their faces melted with concern, but I pushed contentment into them and the concern washed away.
“What girl?” my mother asked, confused.
“A little orphan who needs me. I’ll take her to Spring Court by horseback and we will be a half-day behind you.”
I pushed the feeling of calmness throughout the both of them, and then a little confusion because I didn’t want them digging for all the details. It was better to make up a semi-believable story and then just nudge them to accept it.
“Isn’t that nice of me? Responsible? And loving?” I pushed emotions with each word.
My father’s eyes glazed over as he nodded first, then my mother. “Be safe,” he said almost dreamily, and guilt wormed its way through me. I hated that I had to do this.
I was pushing gratitude and pride and so many emotions into them I wasn’t even sure how to tease them apart now.
“Okay, I love you.” I tried not to let my voice catch. This would be the last time I would see either of them for a while. Or maybe ever.
“Love you, darling. You will make such a great mother one day.” My mother squeezed my hand and my face fell.
I knew she was just saying that because of my story of taking care of the orphan, but it stung. I wasn’t sure I would ever be a mother. I wasn’t sure I would survive the next forty-eight hours.
