Missing Pieces
Hazel glanced between Slaide and Magnus, the shock and horror written plainly on her face. Her mother? Other than Agnes, no one bothered to tell her about her real mother. No. It couldn’t be. Yet… the pieces were all falling into place.
And now she was supposed to come to terms with the fact that the one person she had slowly come to trust, the only person who routinely dragged her out of harm’s way, had been the cause of her mother’s death.
Slaide looked at her with eyes full of regret, and in his face, she knew it was true. He didn’t attempt to deny it. Hazel backed up slowly, looking between the two monstrous men. She needed to get away. Needed the safety and sanctity of her rooms. Her locket burned.
“Oh, now now. See what happens when you withhold the truth, Slaide?” Magnus teased. “You deceive people. And then when they find out the truth, it can be devastating. I recommend you don’t deceive people. Especially me.”
“Hazel, I can explain. I—” Slaide reached for her.
“What could there possibly be to explain, boy? Directly or indirectly—and I’d personally favor directly—you’re responsible for the fate of her mother. A mother who was never there to raise her because you got to her first.” The bastard smiled.
“You’ve said enough, Magnus. I think she gets it,” Slaide snapped.
“Do I need to remind you not to talk to your King in that tone?” His face grew a deep red.
“Hazel, please,” Slaide begged.
But Magnus went on, smiling at the chaos he’d sown.
“She whisked you away with her blasted portal magic and then somehow managed to hide you from me all these years. And for what? For you to end up at my gates? Don’t look so surprised.
Archmage Gammen was a tremendous help in acquiring a sample—just a strand of hair, don’t worry—for testing in the labs at Stormhold.
Imagine my surprise when the results came back.
The witch that got away delivered herself back to me. ”
Slaide blanched.
Had he known?
“And what’s even better,” Magnus continued, “is that Slaide had the nerve to approach me to strike a little bargain. Did he tell you about that? No? Well, then let me fill you in—”
“Magnus!” Slaide shouted.
“Quiet, boy, or I’ll have you thrown into the dungeons for insubordination!
” the King spat. “As I was saying, Slaide wanted a deal. You’d participate in the tournament, somehow manage to win, and Slaide would be free of his service to me.
Your life against his freedom. He was never your friend, my dear. ”
Hazel shook her head slowly as if fighting an internal battle.
She wanted to lash out. To scream. To punch something.
To run away. None of them, though, were viable options.
The walls were closing in, constricting.
She was trapped here, in a place where people like her were dealt horrible fates and none made it out alive.
But not her. She decided then and there she would make it out. For her mother. For herself.
She backed into the doors and felt for the latch behind her. She fumbled with it unsuccessfully and then knocked instead. Three raps on the wooden door and it was pulled open by an awaiting guard. Hazel ducked under his arm and into the hallway beyond.
Hazel didn’t slow down until she’d reached her rooms, at which point she slammed the bedroom door behind her and allowed her body to slink to the floor.
She pulled her legs in tight and tucked into herself, resting her head on her knees.
It started with a single tear running a ragged path down her cheek, and before she knew it, she was sobbing.
At some point, she’d drifted off, exhausted by the sadness. She was awoken by a light shuffle of feet outside the door, followed by a soft knock.
“Go away!” she scolded between sobs.
There was a pause before they spoke. “I am terribly sorry, mist—Hazel. I do not mean to disturb you. I will just slide this under the door. It came for you today.”
There was a scraping at the underside of the door, and then a piece of folded parchment poked out on her side. She eyed it suspiciously before grabbing it from the floor.
The seal on the letter was already broken, indicating the contents had been reviewed prior to it being delivered. She wiped her eyes as she unfolded it, then let her eyes drift to the bottom, curious who it was from. Connall Callahan. Her father had responded to her letter.
She was on her feet immediately, throwing the door open. “Phaedra! Wait!” But the angel was already gone. Not a trace of her in the corridor, as though she’d never been there.
Instead, she came face to face with Slaide. Her rage returned in an instant, and she slammed the heavy wooden door in his face. Or she would have, had Slaide not caught the door before it closed.
“Hazel.”
She leaned against the door, tears welling in her eyes again.
“Hazel, please,” he begged again.
“Get out of here. Leave me be, please.” Hazel choked back a sob.
“Please, just let me in. Let me explain.”
“I did let you in, Slaide. I trusted you, and it was the worst thing I’ve ever done in my entire life. Congratulations, asshole.”
“I deserve that. I do. But you deserve so much more. Starting with the whole story, not just the half-truth that Magnus regurgitated.”
“I’m done here, Slaide. I’m done complying. I’m done playing your games. I’m done. I’m not participating in this tournament any longer, and I’m most certainly not going to the stupid ball. You can find someone else.”
He recoiled. “Hazel, you… you have to. It’s not just because I want you there, which I do.
Truly. But if you don’t show up, you’ll be escorted away by knights of the Raven Blade and handed over to the Magistry.
They’ll take you to the Citadel, where you’ll become another test subject. Is that what you want?”
“It’s been proven time and time again that what I want here doesn’t matter.
What I want is to go home. And I can’t. At this point, I will go willingly into the arms of the mages, because at least I know what they’re all about.
They’re not going to act like something they aren’t.
” Her voice was full of vitriol and spite.
“Get out of my sight, Slaide. I never want to see or talk to you again.”
He stopped pressing against the door, allowing it to slam fully in his face.
She listened closely for any sign that he was still there and was met with the sound of his retreating footfalls. She breathed deeply, sinking back to the floor and closing her eyes.
The piece of parchment crinkled in her hand, reminding her it was there waiting to be read. She unfolded it and ran her eyes across the ink, written by her father’s own hand. Parts of it were nearly illegible, marred by what were likely dried tear stains.
My dearest Hazel Grace,
I am so relieved to have received your letter, and I hope this letter still finds you well.
I assume you’ve heard the news. Jonas returned, or what was left of him.
Something was wrong. He was out of his mind as though possessed.
He attacked neighbors in the street like a rabid dog, and I had no choice but to intervene.
I regret that I was unable to subdue him without lethal force.
I will live with his blood on my hands for the rest of my days, but I wanted you to have the truth of it from me.
Lastly, I owe you an apology. I am sure by now you have discovered the truth one way or another, and I am sorry that I did not tell you sooner.
I am sorry that I suppressed your powers and kept this a secret from you.
I understand if you feel let down or betrayed, and I do not blame you if you never want to speak with me again.
I did what I thought was best for you at the time, with Agnes’s guidance.
Though I must admit she did not know about the Witchbane.
That was my doing, and she was beyond cross with me when she found out.
I regret it with my entire being, all of it.
I thought I could get away with maintaining that you were mine and I was yours, and that was all we needed to be.
I now see it was selfish of me to hide you away as though I could cheat Fate. You were always destined to be more, and the world needs that now more than ever. Be the light in the darkness ahead.
Love forever,
Connall Callahan
By the end of it, the words blurred and Hazel’s tears joined the ones Connall had left.
She wanted nothing more than to hug him, to tell him there was nothing in this world that could turn her against him.
And yes, she was deeply hurt that so many around her knew she had magic-tainted blood, knew that she wasn’t his by blood and said nothing.
But that did not, could not, change the fact that he was everything a father should be. No blood relation could change that.
She reread the part about Jonas, and her heart sank.
She twirled the locket in her hands, knowing what he said was true.
Sure, Jonas was a pain in the ass at times and would fight at the slightest provocation.
But picking fights and outright attacking people were two different things. What Connall described wasn’t normal.
He was probably possessed, she thought. Possessed? Connall had suggested as much. With everything going on around her, it was fitting. She made a note to look into creatures with the ability to possess someone and control their actions.
Hazel strode over to the writing desk and set the letter down.
It was late, and the day had been physically and emotionally exhausting.
She didn’t even want to think about what the coming evening might bring.
She just knew she needed to get out of this god’s damned castle before anyone else could dig their claws into her.