Family Matters

The woman's green eyes differed from Cali's hazel ones. There seemed to be almost a glow about them that made the green unnatural and a bit unnerving. The slowly forming wrinkles under her eyes and around her mouth were the only things that even hinted at her age.

I turned to see Cali's gaping mouth. Her shock was written clearly across her face. Carrion's firm set jaw seemed to be clenched tighter as his lips turned white. His eyes squinted trying to find some reason for this trickery.

Past them, my eyes fell on Lord Bleddyn. His eyes seemed to water and his bottom lip quivered.

"Amaryllis? It cannot be," Lord Bleddyn's voice was barely above a whisper. Having never seen this formidable warrior soften before, I squirmed. I can only imagine all the thoughts going through his head.

"I found her body! This cannot be. What kind of cruelty is this?" The Swordsman from the clan of wolves cried out in anguish.

"You are right. Amaryllis is dead. Only Nyx remains," the fearsome Norad who held the same features as Cali stated plainly.

"You and I both know they are one and the same!" Lord Bleddyn drew his sword to further challenge the specter in front of him. His blotchy face set and determined to fight against his emotions.

"Maybe at one point," the woman looked as though she softened but only for a moment before her monotone facade was replaced. "But when you found that girl in the mountains, you named her after a flower. How was she supposed to grow powerful, emulating a defenseless weed?"

The silence in the room reigned. Was that not rhetorical? She seemed to be waiting for an answer. One that no one could provide, considering we had no idea what she was talking about. Well all of us save one.

"I couldn't. So when my sister allowed me to see my potential, I had to be free of the part of me that was once Amaryllis. Embrace my power, my destiny and return to my people," the woman finally continued.

So it was true. This woman before me was Cali and Carrion's mother. Not only was she alive, but she was fighting against us. My head spun. I can only hope that Cali and the rest of her family keep their loyalty to Ensis.

"But her body…" Lord Bleddyn trailed off, breathing to settle himself.

"A fresh grave that day was exhumed and received a new wardrobe, or rather my old dress, before being burned for you to find, Bleddyn," the woman spelled it out as if annoyed. The way she said Lord Bleddyn's name sounded like a nagging wife rather than the stranger the years had made her.

"How… how could you? I thought we were happy," Lord Bleddyn's blade dipped from his fighting stance. His blade was not one that many would dare cross. This fight was not one of steel and stone, but one of a different kind of fortitude.

"I was but why settle for that when you can have power?" There was something in this response that rang false. It seemed rehearsed. Almost as if the words were said time and time again to Nyx in order that she herself might believe them.

"The life I built for myself, for our children, was it all based on a lie?" Lord Bleddyn dropped to his knees, defeated by what was in front of him.

The Autarch perked up at the word 'children', seeming to put together a puzzle of her own. "Dear sister," the words themselves were sweet, but the tone stayed sharp and threatening. "Is there more than just this one child of yours I see before me?" She motioned toward Cali.

I foolishly nudged my way in front of Cali, drawing my sword in defense. Something inside me knew that my sword was probably as useful as Casimir's had been, but I did not like what I heard. I needed to protect what I could not lose!

The Autarch laughed at my motion. Both the Autarch and Nyx shared a knowing glance before my sword left my hand without my control. Somehow the weapon flung itself into the crest of Ensis that hung from the gallery railing.

I never saw magic like that before. I was not even sure which of the Norad sisters caused the feat to happen. How could Ensis ever defeat a foe so powerful?

"Nyx," Lord Bleddyn stood with sword in hand again, with a fire in his eyes that verged on the edge of insanity, "do not let this monster harm our children. Don't you remember what you told me on the mountain?" The Swordsman attempted to move closer to the woman he once called his wife.

"Enough!" Nyx screamed. She threw up her hands and Lord Bleddyn seemed frozen midstep. The only movement that seemed to not be stopped by the display of magic was the steady rising and falling of his breath.

"Nyx, you will tell me everything later. There is too much to do at the moment," the Autarch stated with more bite in her voice.

It baffled me how these women seemed to not notice that Carrion looked much like Lord Bleddyn. Maybe the ruler of the Norads was looking for a child of a different age or another female since Cali's features so exactly mirrored her mother's.

Catching Carrion's pained expression, I knew he was not about to volunteer the information to his new found aunt. His brow was sweating and his grip on his weapon, although still sheathed, seemed tense.

"Indeed there is, Autarch. How can we resolve this matter peacefully?" My father offered yet again.

"You dare speak to me again?" The Autarch's voice raged.

The entire room chilled. The stairs seemed to be instantly covered in ice. Icicles hung from sconces and railings. The floor seemed to become slick under my feet. My breath puffed in front of me. My father should not have angered the Autarch.