Chapter 5
“Pateri?” I ask.
“Why did you agree to come, Nykander?” He asks in a rough voice.
My brows lift in question.
“You know why we are here. You heard us last night.”
“H-how…”
He grimaces.
“It was not by chance that you heard that,” he sighs as he takes a step closer. “I wanted you to.”
I blink. Now it makes sense why mother did not hear me at the door. He was shielding me from it.
“But…why?” I whisper.
“Because I do not want you to die.”
I stare at him.
“Did you really think I was going to kill you?” He shakes his head. “Of course you did,” he mutters under his breath. “You came here to die, did you not?”
I slowly nod.
“Damnation,” he curses.
“But I am dangerous,” I whisper.
“You are my son,” he grits out. “Do you think I care how dangerous you are? You are my boy and it is my job to protect you.”
“But materi said…”
“I do not care what your mother said. She is entitled to her opinion as I am mine.”
“I killed people. And I will continue to kill because I do not know how to stop this, how to…”
“We will get to the bottom of this,” he cuts me off.
“There is a carriage waiting for you at the other end of the forest, right where the territory of the House of Koras starts. A friend will take you in, give you a new identity and help you figure out everything.” He pauses.
“It is far better for the world to believe that Nykander, the male born under the eclipse is dead than for you to continue on living with the burden of that title.”
Shock envelops my features as I stare at him.
“You truly do not want to kill me?”
A semblance of a smile pulls at his lips.
“You are my boy, Nykander.”
Tears roll down my cheeks, and before I know it, I have dropped Upsila’s leash and I dash towards my father. His eyes are moist as he opens his arms for me, giving me the first real hug of my life.
“Pateri,” I whisper, my voice breaking on a sob.
“It will all be fine, Nykander. I promise you that,” he murmurs as he pats my back.
“Will I see you again?” I ask as I lean back.
His lips flatten.
“That, I cannot promise. But I will do my damned hardest to make it happen.”
I nod slowly.
“That is enough for me. Truly.” I give him a smile—one that is marred by tears of happiness, despite the circumstances. “I love you, pateri.”
He gulps down.
“I love you too, son. Now go.”
I take a step back, slowly backing away as I get one last look at him.
I will miss him dearly. Yet for the first time in my life, my heart is full, not empty.
“Come, Upsi,” I call out to my dog. She comes running towards me. But instead of coming by my side, she jumps in front of me.
It all happens in the blink of an eye.
A loud explosion erupts in front of me, and Upsila takes most of the hit, crumbling to the ground.
I wobble backwards, and I fall down.
My eyes are wide with shock, and blood slowly surrounds me. Yet it is not my own. I am not harmed. But if it is not mine then…
My lungs constrict and pure terror grips me. Dragging myself close to her body, I cradle her to my chest, unable to believe my eyes.
No. This cannot be true. She cannot be gone.
There are no tears, no words. There is only a gaping hole in my chest as I stare at the lifeless body of my faithful companion.
“I should have known you would never be able to do this, Hanth,” a sniggering voice adds.
My mother.
I slowly raise my gaze up. Residual energy clings to her hands—the source of the blast. That is when I experience another first. I look upon my mother with contempt and pure hatred.
“You killed her!” I yell.
She rolls her eyes.
“The dog was not the target.” She shrugs.
My father is as shocked as I am, but as he shakes off the initial dismay, his features harden with resolve.
“Inaria, stop. Now,” he says in a low, ominous voice.
“You are weak, Hanth. Weak and pathetic,” she mutters with disgust.
“Let the boy go, Inaria. You will never hear of him again and he will pose no danger to our family or the realm,” my father tells her.
“Oh, how touching. I did not realize you were foolish too, Hanth.” She narrows her eyes at him. “As long as he exists, the curse will exist too. I cannot let that happen.”
Before she finishes her words, she is already gathering her energy, ready to strike again.
I am rooted to the spot, helpless. The only thing I can do is to hold onto my Upsila closer as I await the pain to come, and eventually, death.
“Inaria!” My father’s roar echoes through the forest.
Birds flap their wings as they fly high into the sky to escape the growing conflict. Even terrestrial animals run away, their thudding steps making the ground shake.
My father teleports himself in front of me, shielding me with his body. He absorbs most of the shock from the blast, and his wounds start to mend immediately.
My mother’s features contort with rage as she channels more energy to hit us.
I am still rooted to the spot, holding onto Upsila’s still warm body.
Despite being ready to die today, I hadn’t envisioned that things would degenerate so badly.
My father and mother are engaged in a fierce battle that seemingly will not stop. While father keeps his attacks on the defensive, my mother’s blows become more and more vicious.
“Stop this, Inaria, or it will end badly.” My father comes to a stop to recover his breath.
“You either let me kill him, or I will kill you with him,” she grinds out.
“When did you become so radical? I do not understand why you are so obsessed with Nykander. What’s gotten into you?” He asks, exasperated.
My mother breathes harshly, her ribcage expanding with the effort.
“You have always been against him, and I never understood why,” my father continues.
Her eyes flash, and a hint of pain appears in her features.
“Right as he was being born, I had a vision. I was visited by one of the Old,” she mentions.
Father’s eyes widen.
One of the Old? What is that? I have never heard, nor read about them.
“I was told that he would bring ruin upon us, not just the realm. He will grow up to kill his father, his mother, and his brother. And that is just the beginning…”
“One of the Old, Inaria? Is that what you are using to excuse your actions now? You have become delusional. I fear this is my fault for I have let it go on for far too long. I should have done something when I noticed the first signs of your decline.”
“I am not crazy,” she yells. “Regardless of whether you believe in the curse of the eclipse or not, or if you don’t trust my memory of that vision, the deaths that have followed him since birth should be proof enough.
He is cursed, Hanth. And I will not die by his hand.
I will not let my child die by his hand. ”
“He is your child too!” Father exclaims.
“He is an abomination, that is what he is!” With a sharp cry, she flings herself forward, throwing blast after blast towards me. My father intercepts most of them, but as he places himself in front of me, I can tell even he can’t go on for much longer.
Mother is an elite warrior, and though she is not a match for my father’s strength, he does not want to use his power to hurt her. Despite everything, she’s still his wife.
“I’m sorry, Nykander,” he whispers to me as he creates a shield around us. “I should have protected you better. I should have seen the signs earlier, and I should have done something. This is all my fault.”
My cheeks are tearstained, my voice ragged from all the crying. But I find some hidden strength within myself to speak.
“It is not your fault, pateri. Please do not think that,” I beg him. “It is not your fault.”
He gives me a sad smile.
The energy around him crackles and the shield becomes strained under mother’s continuous attacks. Though I am not well versed in spiritual energy, even I can tell that father will not be able to keep going like this for much longer. And when he cannot defend me anymore…
“Let her do it,” I whisper. “Do not hurt yourself on my account. Let her kill me and be done with it. I was meant to die here today anyway. And…” I press my lips together. “Thank you. What you did today… Thank you.”
“No,” he shakes his head. “I will not allow this,” he states through gritted teeth.
Half-turning towards my mother, he stares at her with an expression I have not seen before on his face.
“You have gone too far, Inaria. I no longer recognize you,” he says in a low, sad voice. “Six thousands years we have been together, and I cannot find in you the female I fell in love with.”
“You are wrong, Hanth,” she spits out. “I have not gone far enough. But I will. If it means protecting my life and that of my son—my only son—then I will do anything.”
It does not escape me that she excluded father from this equation, and neither does it escape my father.
He takes a deep, disappointed breath. It is almost as if those words are breaking him from inside out, for he knows the meaning behind them.
To save herself and Baine, she would kill even her own husband. Yet I wonder how much Baine figures in this equation. He has always been mother’s favorite, but I do not think she loves anyone more than herself.
My father’s features harden. Straightening his back, he strengthens his shield as he conjures a sword in his hand.
Mother blinks in surprise. I do not think she expected him to strike back. And as he prepares to do so, I can see the shift in her countenance—the fear that seeps into her energy.
She was betting on the fact that he loved her too much to hurt her. But it is a bet she just lost.
Father swivels.
He takes a step towards her.