3. Esther #2
I’ve been told that, as a child, I resembled his daughter slightly.
After their deaths, it was rumored that Master Kain changed.
He pulled away from politics and warfare and gave in to belief and prayer for Neina.
He gave back more to his people, giving away portions of his fortune over the years.
On the outside, he’s ridiculed for having such ideologies.
Barbados side-eyes me. Despite my fiery-red hair and sharp features, my days working in the sunny fields don’t impact my porcelain skin.
My body is fit and lean, with long legs and strong arms. Greers depend on both their mental and physical strength.
Both have to be strong to harmonize magic with acute precision, like a sharp blade.
Although most favor and rely heavily on their magic, I train equally in hand-to-hand combat, with both Blaze and Barbados.
“How is your sister?” I ask. I once overheard from Blaze that Barbados has a younger sister who’s been privileged enough to travel the seas and go to one of the two academies that exist to train greers. I envy her for having such an opportunity.
“She fares well and still often sends letters,” he replies as we walk through the town center.
I admire the brick layout of homes and storefronts in the inner castle walls.
The most beautiful are the three cobblestone bridges that connect to the opposing cliff edge where the castle stands, and the ease with which the sea flows beneath us.
Four-winged birds fly above, early to rise and squawk as if to wake those who remain in slumber.
When we cross the cobblestone bridge, I look over the roped railing and down at the water that splashes against the cliff walls far below as the wind tangles my hair.
Across the bridge, the castle has five entry points and numerous towers. Beautiful colored-glass windows glisten in the sun on the two-level masterpiece.
In the center of town, a statue of the fair-haired god, Neina, is erected, where some already begin worshipping her for the day. A woman who is on all fours, praying, glances up from beneath her robes, her dark-brown eyes watching me as I walk past.
It always makes me uncomfortable the way so many pray to the gods who rarely appear.
Yet there’s something to be said about the ominous feeling that hangs in the air.
As if this woman sees me for what I really am.
A shudder runs down my spine at the thought of how those I’ve grown up around would turn on me in an instant if they knew what I was.
“He’s waiting for you inside,” Barbados says, pulling my attention away from the unfamiliar woman.
“Thank you, Barbados, and I hope last night didn’t get you into too much trouble.”
The man in his mid-fifties gives me a half smile. “I’ve been getting in trouble from the moment I started watching over you and Blaze. But those men were assholes and deserved it. Just don’t test their patience next time.”
I try to hide the smile, both of us knowing I can’t make that promise. I casually walk through the large wooden doors, basking in the delightful colors that stream through from where the sun hits the windows and streaks the floors.
I walk into the first drawing room on the ground floor, where Master Kain waits. I can tell by the bags under his eyes that he hasn’t slept much. But I’m not going to pry into the monsters that keep him awake, since he stopped asking about my own years ago.
I close the door and take a seat across from him. The drawing room is propped on top of the cliff edge, with floor-to-ceiling glass views of the ocean. It’s the most beautiful room in the castle.
“I heard that you put a blade to the throat of one of Dahlia’s soldiers.”
I swallow harshly. “Is that why I’m here?”
He takes his time to reply in an attempt to intimidate me. And it’s working. “Not this time. But really, must I lecture you about this again?”
Then he grows somber, and instead of replying with a smart-ass comment, I bite my tongue, conscious of today’s mourning.
“I’ve put much consideration into the future of this kingdom,” he begins. I sink into myself, not at all liking his tone. Maybe I actually will be punished for this. “I’ve decided to revoke my cousin Dahlia’s entitlement as next of kin and intend on adopting you as my legitimate daughter.”
Time seems to freeze in place, and blood drains from my face. “What?”
Surely, I didn’t hear him correctly. All the bright colors in the room suddenly turn bleak.
Of all the things he could have said. Granted, I despise Dahlia’s cruelty, and our only blessing on this continent is that Caldom is divided by three lands, and she’s stationed at the bottom, an entire kingdom between us.
But this could potentially start an inner war.
My throat burns as Grimace releases himself and comes to sit on my lap. He looks between Master Kain and me inquisitively as I numbly place my hand on his coarse back, stroking it to soothe myself.
“You will become my heir.”
“No.” I push out of my seat, holding Grimace carefully. “I can’t. That’s not right. That’s not my place, and—”
“I have already decided it.”
My mouth opens and then closes, going dry. “Are you out of your mind? No, I’m meant to become a soldier. I want to go beyond these walls. I—”
“You will still do all of those things.” His voice cracks roughly, and he begins to cough. I’m taken aback by the sudden ailment. And when he pulls his hand back, I see blood. My eyes grow wide.
“Are you… sick?” Something darker reminds me that if he were to die, it would be the start of my unbinding; it would break the limitations of my power that I cannot yet control.
It will serve only as a crack, until the next dies.
But even that first fissure can be enough to break me, and I’m not sure how my body will respond.
Even the slightest fracture might be enough for my power to consume me whole.
The instinct to survive fights with the pain of ensuring the man who has saved me survives as well.
He gives me a wary look as answer enough, and continues as if I hadn’t heard him clearly the first time. “You will still have all of those things. If you take my name, then even out there, the soldiers will prioritize your safety.”
“But it will also shine a beacon on me. Have you not taught me all this time to stay away from a keen eye? To hide in the dark and shadow myself? How could you ask this of me?”
His eyes soften, and it’s then I notice how quickly my chest rises and falls. When I look down at Grimace, he’s holding one of my fingers closely to his chest, as if to reassure me.
“I don’t want your authority or anything more than you’ve already given me,” I assure humbly.
“You are more than your bloodline, Esther. I know you’re scared of the power you harbor, which is why I’m asking you to look after my people when I’m gone.
I’m not getting any younger, and I’ve considered this for a long time.
You’re almost twenty. I want to show you what it means to look over these lands.
To protect these people. Dahlia and I have different opinions about…
”—he contemplates the right word—“direction. I don’t want her methods to grow within the walls of this kingdom.
I trust you. I believe that the Fates brought me to you on that day and—”
I scoff. “Fuck the Fates and the gods. You surely can’t believe in that still. After everything they’ve taken? Our lands are rotting. Disease has spread more than once with no reprieve, and—” I immediately close my mouth at the mention of disease on a day like this.
But he wears a sad smile. “You’re smart, Esther. You say you don’t like politics, and you do indeed have a warrior’s heart, but you also listen to the people. You know them and what they need.”
I shake my head. “How could I possibly know them when I live among them as a lie?”
He looks down, almost ashamed. “I’m sorry I’ve had you keep your identity hidden for so long.”
I’m confused as to why he’s apologizing because I understand the risk if people find out.
“I’ve only been able to give you a few stories of your ancestors and train you in only one element out of the six.
In many ways, I’ve failed you. But I do mean it when I say I’ve always seen you as my daughter.
So, as of today, you will be living in the castle.
I’ve had a room prepared for you, and we’ll have an audience this evening with my cousin, Dahlia.
As promised, on your twentieth birthday, I will still permit you to take the trial for the military.
However, this request from me is not up for debate.
I already have a lady-in-waiting for you. ”
“A lady-in-wait—”
Before I can finish my sentence, the doors open, and the apparent lady-in-waiting bows her head deeply. My mouth drops. What is she doing here?
“Please take Esther to her chambers and have her prepared for this evening.”
“Yes, sire,” she says, and when she looks up, her features hold a cool contempt.
Her dark-brown skin and coily, deep-umber hair reflect a beautiful shimmer in the sun.
Her orange eyes hold a cunning fierceness that first drew me toward her.
At her very core, hidden from anyone who knows her, my invisible chains can sense the restless water magic within her, buried deep in a past of hers I do not know, and I’ve never been so daring to ask, even though Selena’s a friend.