Fae Giveth, Fae Taketh #3
After what felt like several minutes, the corners of his mouth turned down in a frown, a deep line etching between his brows, but his brown eyes seemed to clear. “It killed me when your mom ran off, obsessed with that rebel bullshit,” was all he said.
A cold prickle crawled up my spine. I’d heard the rumors about a rebellion in Elyndor, rising up against our king, but I wasn’t sure they were true. If they were, if my mother had joined them…
He never talked about my mom except to torment me.
After Nella and Aemilia’s mom came into the picture, he acted like mine had never existed.
But Cassius and their mother never married, then she left, too.
I always wondered whether this was Cassius’s curse for being so cruel.
Since I had only been about five when she left, I barely remembered their mom.
I recalled her being here, but her face was blurry like my mind couldn’t bring back the details.
So here Cassius was, a lone father of three, clinging to the bottle and his love for only one of his children. I felt almost bad, but then I remembered the belt and my ever-empty stomach, and I didn’t feel bad at all.
“Rebel bullshit?” I breathed. He had never revealed this before. What did it mean? Were the rumors true? My heart raced as fast as my thoughts.
Cassius said nothing as his eyes glazed over once more. He slumped forward in his chair, letting out a deep snore.
Had that been a drunken dream, or a moment of clarity? It made little sense, but I swore his eyes had cleared of the stupor for the briefest of moments. And he had looked…sad.
I heard Nella creep through the front door with soft steps, just as I always did.
There was a good chance that Cassius wouldn’t remember this, so I grabbed the rest of the cheese and bread and followed Nella into our room and shut the door quietly behind us.
I breathed a sigh of relief at seeing her at home safe.
Any time she was out of my sight, I had a pit in my stomach that didn’t ease until we were together again.
It was now night outside, I noticed, as I plopped down on the bed and started picking at the bread, mulling over what Cassius had revealed. “Did you eat, little lamb?”
“I did. Keep that for yourself. As appetizing as it looks,” she teased, eyeing the less than stellar rations.
“Nella, I have to tell you something. I think Dad had some weird, I don’t know, moment of clarity or something. He mentioned my mom.”
She raised her eyebrows.
“He seemed to think my mom ran off to join the rebel movement when she left. I asked him what that meant, and he just passed out again. I’ve always held on to hope she was out there somewhere, but if there really is a rebellion and that’s where she went, maybe she is still out there.
” The words tumbled out, and Nella let me go on, watching me with rapt attention as I paced.
“Why would she leave me, though? Why not take me with her instead of leaving me with Cassius?”
At the thought, I frowned. Maybe Cassius was lying, or he was mistaken. But the idea of my mom being out there with the rebels had taken root in my brain and my heart, begging me to act.
“Naci, I wish with all my heart that she’s out there,” she said, reflecting my longing and desperation.
“Do you remember your mom at all?” I asked her. We rarely talked about her mother; it was a sensitive subject in this house for everyone.
“Not really. It’s kind of like how you remember your mother. I have these small, tiny memories of her that I’m not even sure are real.”
Just then, a rock hit our bedroom window, making us both jump. I made my way to the window and looked out to see Fadric grinning at me, indicating that I should open the window. I lifted the hazy glass and stuck my head out.
“Fadric, what are you doing here?” I whispered, so as not to draw attention to our conversation.
“It’s a riot at the tavern. Nobody can keep the king’s coin for more than a few minutes before someone else steals it or loses it in a card game.
If you hurry, we might get lucky with some master grand plan of yours and come away with it.
” He reached out a hand to me with a raised brow, awaiting my answer.
I contemplated his offer—by now, most of the tavern would be drunk and belligerent, and he had a point.
I could come up with the best plans on the fly.
And if I could somehow swipe the coin, I could get Nella and me out of here for good, find somewhere to lodge in the next town over while we figured out where to go.
Suddenly, I felt a wave of excitement…hope even.
It was a gamble sneaking out, though. If Cassius found out, I could be in serious trouble and get more than just a lick or two.
In the face of getting the hell out of Briarstead, though, I’d risk it all for Nella.
So I took his hand and let him help me out the window.
“Nella, you stay here,” I said as my feet hit solid ground below our window. “I’m gonna go get that coin. I’ll be back soon.”
“Naci, wait—”
“No time, I’ve got to go now. I love you, little lamb, I’ll be quick.”
Before she could say another word, I was running beside Fadric, my hand in his, an excited smile lighting up his features in the dark.