Gormick’s eyes narrowed, and a fresh surge of shadows erupted, slamming into me and knocking me from my seat.My ass crashed onto the stone floor, and I glared up at him getting to my feet.
“She’s restless,” I snarled. “Maybe if you gave her an actual purpose, she wouldn’t run around trying to get your attention.” The words snapped from my tongue like a whip, and his eyes widened slightly.
“Get out.” Gormick’s voice hissed through the air, and Cynthia and Bubba took their cue, quickly slipping from the room. I glowered at him, refusing to back down.
Once the door closed behind them, my father closed his eyes and rubbed his hands over his face. He stood there in silence, his gaze trained on the floor, before he looked up at me again, a look of weary resignation in his eyes.
“What was she thinking?” he demanded, his voice softer than before.
My shoulders relaxed slightly, and I let out a sharp breath.
“I never know what she is thinking.”
He took a long inhale and growled, stomping toward the table. He reached over and poured himself a glass of wine, slipping into the chair Cynthia had been sitting in across from me.
Reclaiming my seat, I stared at him wearily as he continued to glare at the floor.
“She is reckless,” he spat, and my brows rose as I quickly responded.
“I wonder where she gets that from,” I chided sarcastically.
His head lifted, gaze meeting mine as his lips twitched upward. “She could have been killed. Could have ruined our plans.”
I snorted. “Jaxon was more likely to be killed than her.”
My father looked at me in confusion, and I shook my head again.
“You underestimate her.”
Lifting his glass to his lips, he scoffed. “I assure you I don’t.”
He did.
“Whatever you say,Your Majesty.”
Rolling my eyes yet again, I chucked a few more pieces of cheese into my mouth, swallowing them down with a sip of my wine.
My father lowered his glass and glared at me over the rim. We hadn’t been alone together, not like this since before my memories were taken. Before this plan was set into motion. He seemed to realize this at the same time and started to shift uncomfortably in his chair.
We stared at each other for a long moment, and then he whispered. “What she did with your mother’s face…” he shook his head. “That was cruel, even for her.”
I flinched, my mother’s face flashing through my mind, but I wasn’t supposed to know about that. He eyed me, his gaze daring me to suggest that I didn’t know what he was talking about. I rolled my shoulders.
My father didn’t do compassion or affection. The most he ever showed me was the occasional pat on the shoulder. Other than the rare softening of his eyes when he looked at me, he never spoke of things like this… ever.
Unease crept through me at the knowledge that he was aware I knew what my mother's face looked like. Did this mean my suspicions were right? That Morgana also knew? Was this his way of warning me? My chest tightened, and itonly solidified my decision to take Cynthia away tomorrow morning.
I nodded awkwardly, looking down into my glass and downing the contents. I refilled it, awkwardly offering to do so with my father's. He extended his hand, and I poured, his eyes never leaving my face. I placed the carafe back down onto the table, and suddenly his chair was screeching, and he was on his feet. His lips were pinched, and he seemed to be deep in thought. He tore his gaze from mine as he grabbed the pitcher and, without another word, left.
Chapter 13
Zara
The next morning, after shadowing a very pissed-off Cynthia to Territan, I shadowed to the outskirts of Amberwood. It was a small, central village in Velra, nestled deep within the Esberian Forest.
The village was built high within the massive trunks. The trees soared to nearly three hundred feet into the sky, their massive, fibrous trunks measuring close to twenty feet in diameter. Navigating the forest floor was challenging due to their interwoven roots, which was why they had built their village high within their branches.
Homes and shops were created within their hollowed-out trunks, and wooden structures were built between them, interconnecting with other shops through swaying wooden bridges.
