Chapter 13
Liv’s mind spun as Decelia’s revelation sunk in. She believed Rise was the rightful ruler of Umbraland. So, then, how was Grawl the current tyrant in charge?
“How is Grawl sitting on the throne then?” Liv’s confusion was tinged with hope.
Decelia turned her attention toward Liv. “Oh, your father’s rule will come to an end, and he certainly didn’t come by power easily. He found a way to manipulate the system and use it to his favor, but now that Rise is as powerful as he is and you and your siblings have returned, Grawl will fall.”
Liv wanted Decelia’s words to be true. Did she have a way to know whether Tavorius had come through the portal behind them? Liv had thought it could be true, but without him, they wouldn’t be able to break the curse.
As Liv focused on Rise, she saw the confusion in the tightness of his visage. He was still trying to figure out whether all of what Decelia said could be possible.
“If you’re my grandam, where have you been?
” Liv was not expecting the undertone of anger, but she knew from the little he’d revealed to her when they were in the pocket dimension that the nightmare of his childhood haunted him still.
With firsthand experience of the horrors of torture her father could create, she was sure Rise still held tight to the trauma he’d experienced, much like she did.
She was sure he felt abandoned by a people who should have rushed to save their king if they knew where he was.
“You and your mother were being held hostage. We made many attempts without success to rescue you both. Grawl seemed to know our plans before we made the first move. Turned out that he had a secret weapon.”
Rise’s face seemed to soften at Decelia’s revelation that they hadn’t just abandoned Rise and his mother.
But in the next moment, Liv felt her heart drop as Decelia explained, “Liverty, Valentina, and Tavorius’s mother was a powerful seer. She told him our every move.”
Liv looked back and forth between Decelia and Rise, both of them stared back at her. She stiffened her back, resisting the urge to apologize.
As if acknowledging her thoughts, Decelia said, “No one blames you for that time, Liv. We don’t even blame your mother.
She was led to believe that if she cooperated, Grawl would keep you and Valentina safe.
She had already begun to make plans to smuggle the baby she carried in her womb out of Umbraland.
She was trying anything she could to keep him from killing his children. ”
This was exactly what Liv had tried to explain to Rise. Would he believe her now?
His voice low, Rise asked, “How do you know that? How do you know any of this?”
Somehow, Liv kept her body from shaking as her mind drifted back to the torture she endured at the hands of her father. Safety had seemed so far away.
“We had sources inside the palace. Eventually, we lost too many people. We were weakened beyond what our defenses could withstand. With great reluctance, we retreated. We created this pocket dimension you are now in, and we found a way to regroup.”
“You left us?”
Her blue eyes took on a sorrowful glint.
“Not exactly. I know it took us far too long to help you escape, but the night you ran from the palace, we facilitated the distraction that took all the guards to the ramparts. That’s why the back tunnel was completely clear for you.
That’s why our inside-man, Thelatan, was able to finally get you out that night. ”
Rise stared for long moments of silence. “What about my mother?”
Decelia shook her head back and forth slowly. “We were actually able to extract her from the palace that same night, but she was never the same. Her mind was gone.”
Rise raised his gaze to the ceiling and let out a heavy breath. “I shouldn’t have left her.”
“It wouldn’t have mattered. By then, it was too late, Rise. There was nothing you could do. The things she endured in Grawl’s palace were horrific, but we were satisfied to have her back with us. We gave her all the love we could just to try to bring her back, but it really was too late.”
“What happened to her?” The words burst from Liv’s mouth before she could stop them.
Rise dropped his gaze back to Decelia, waiting for her answer to Liv’s question. Decelia looked down at the floor.
“I don’t know whether it’s a blessing or a curse, but two months later, she died in childbirth.” Decelia focused on Rise once more. “You have a brother, Rise. Atta is your brother.”
As if on cue, Atta burst inside the tent and ran to Decelia, his hands cupped in front of him. “You’ll never guess what I found, Grandam!”
“Something creepy and crawly, I suspect. You tend to be drawn to the creatures that are naturally harder to love.”
Her eyes bounced between Liv and Rise, and Liv couldn’t help but feel like there was a deeper meaning there.
Yet, she stopped analyzing the minute Atta opened his hands and a snake slithered out and up his arm, coming to rest on his shoulders.
It’s beady, black eyes seemed so lifeless, but the little thing kept flicking its tongue in and out in a disgusting reflex to try to sense any danger around it.
“Oh, my! We’re back to snakes now, are we? And what of your two friends who you left in Rise’s pocket dimension? Will they get along with your new friend here?”
Atta tilted his little head and looked up as if he were seriously thinking it through. “I think Spot will probably try to splash him, and Blazey will probably try to play with him, but he’s too hot. He’d burn him.”
“Likely you’re right. Maybe you should go find a nice sunny spot for your new friend to get warm.”
“Okay. I already thought up a great name for him.”
Decelia just smiled and asked, “What are you going to call him…or her?”
“Oh, it’s definitely a him. That’s why I’m going to call him Rise.” His blue gaze stared in worship at the snake’s namesake. “Just like you!”
Liv choked on a laugh. In utter confusion, Rise, the human, nodded and watched as Atta ran back outside, seemingly to continue his carefree exploration, leaving Rise to stare after him.
Liv didn’t know what he was thinking, but his eyes seemed to soften for just a moment before the hardness returned.
When Rise’s attention turned back to Decelia, he asked, “Why does he think his mother was taken?”
With a heavy sigh, Decelia said, “He and his adoptive mother were both kidnapped while we were traveling from portal to portal. I suspect the kidnapper is Atta’s real father, but apparently, Atta has an ability to charm some of the most monstrous creatures.
His squid friend and the heliskrat rescued him.
Unfortunately, they couldn’t free Esvie, the mother he knows. ”
Liv couldn’t stop the thought that she pushed toward Rise. It’s Lord Thrait!
Rise turned toward Liv sharply. “Do you believe Esvie is still alive?” His intense gaze started at her head, inched down, and back up again, causing her body to heat in an instant.
He gave a slight shake of his head, as if to clear it, and glanced back over toward Decelia once more, waiting for an answer.
“She definitely is. The man who took her, Lord Thrait, works for Grawl. They were trying to get their hands on Atta. They’ll keep Esvie alive to try to trap Atta.”
“How are you so sure they were after Atta?”
Decelia’s gaze switched from Rise’s to Liv’s. “Atta can find the thing you’re looking for. It’s not an object. It’s a creature that can break the curse that makes it impossible for you to kill Grawl. And only Atta can get close to it.”
“What will happen if they get their hands on Atta?” Liv asked.
“They’ll use him to locate and kill the one creature that can make Grawl vulnerable. Then, Grawl will kill the rest of us and rule forever.”
Liv felt Rise’s growled response in her chest. “Over my dead body will they ever get their fucking hands on my brother!”