by Todd, E. L.
A knock on the door shattered Aleco’s thoughts, forcing Accacia to the back of his mind. Aleco finished the contents of his glass then returned it to the table. He hid his glass of whiskey behind his desk. He knew Natalia thought he was an alcoholic. “Come in,” he said from his seat.
The door opened and Penelope walked into the room with her son, Rhonian, in her arms. “I hope I’m not disturbing you, Rhonian.”
Aleco stood up. “No,” he said. “But you shouldn’t be walking around just yet. I will always come to you whenever you need me.” He advanced to her and helped her into the chair before his desk.
Penelope cringed as she lowered her body to the seat. The Nature Priest took the infant from her arms and held him in his hands, lessening the burden on Penny. Her health had improved over the past few weeks, but she was still weak. “I’m tired of lying in bed all day,” she said. “I’m not bed-ridden anymore.”
Aleco nodded. He understood her irritation. He would rather be dead than be confined to a bed because he was too weak to move. “Can I do something for you?” he asked. “Would you like some water?” He looked down into the child’s face and studied his features, checking that the child was healthy and well fed.
“No, thank you.” She smiled as she watched Aleco hold her son. “I was wondering if my husband had responded to your missive. He was so upset when I was sent away—I hope he received your message.”
“He did,” Aleco said as he sat in the chair next to her. “He is very happy—ecstatic. Art approves of the name you have chosen.”
Penny smiled. “I knew he would.” She looked into the blackness of Aleco’s hood and wondered why his face was always veiled. She hadn’t seen his features once. Even though she sat directly next to him, her gaze still couldn’t pierce through the darkness that disguised his features. “Why do you hide from the world, Rhonian?”
The child sighed from his arms while he slept, emitting a beautiful coo that touched the mother’s heart. She looked into his face then back at Aleco, waiting for him to answer her question. He was quiet for so long she assumed he hadn’t heard her.
Aleco had been asked a direct question. He couldn’t answer her query in any way but the truth. He had to either answer her truthfully, or not respond at all. The Nature Priest turned to her and met her gaze. Penelope was a strong and beautiful woman, one that he had immediately grown fond of. He didn’t think any other woman could have escaped from Paso Robles with a stomach so swollen with impending childbirth and he respected her for it. She had climbed the tall walls because she was motivated to protect her unborn child. “My identity needs to be kept a secret.”
Penelope watched him for a moment, saying nothing more. She didn’t press him for further information, and Aleco was relieved that she respected his privacy. Accacia would have pestered him until she got her answers. Now he liked Penelope even more.
Aleco pulled back his hood and looked into Penelope’s eyes, waiting for the terrified expression to cover her features and the high-pitched scream to escape her lips. But Penelope did nothing of the sort. She stared at him for a moment and examined his features passively.
“Aren’t you afraid?”
“Why would I be?” she asked as she smiled at him. Penelope cupped his cheek, and Aleco felt warm at her touch. He was relieved she had reacted in such a calm way, nothing like the way Accacia had.
“Do you understand that I’m Drake’s twin brother?”
I’m not an idiot,” she said with a laugh. “But you are wrong, Aleco. You aren’t related to that fiend at all. The only similarities you share are your features—nothing more.”
Aleco grabbed her hand and squeezed it. Her words meant everything to him. Aleco feared everyone would compare him to his brother, assuming he was a sick maniac just like him. He was glad that Penelope didn’t make the comparison. “Thank you,” he said.
She nodded. Lydia knocked on the door then walked into the study with the two children. She stared at them sitting together before the desk. The child was still sleeping in Aleco’s arms. Sadie ran into the room then walked over to Aleco, looking at baby Rhonian in his clutches. Vance followed behind her and stared at the infant as well. “I was worried about you, Penny,” Lydia said as she came further into the study. “You should be in bed.”
“I apologize for frightening you. I wanted to visit with Rhonian.”
Lydia finally looked at Aleco and her eyes widened in surprise. His face was unveiled. She hadn’t seen Drake since he was a small child, but she recognized his features immediately. Lydia remained calm as she looked at him. She knew who he was. “Hello, Aleco.”
Aleco nodded.
Lydia felt guilty for assuming he was the man responsible for the death of his parents. She realized how wrong she had been. Drake was the culprit, not Aleco. She smiled at him but said nothing more to him. She turned to Penny. “You should be in bed, dear.”
“I know,” she said with a sigh. “I just hate lying there. I feel well enough to move around.”
“You should listen to Rhonian’s advice about your health. He knows what’s best for you.
“It shouldn’t be a problem,” Aleco said to Lydia. The baby squirmed in his arms for a moment and he looked down at the child. “Just don’t be too strenuous in your movements—take it easy.”
“I will,” Penny said.
Sadie looked at the child in Aleco’s arms. “Can he play yet?”
“Not just yet.” He smiled. “One day he will. You just have to be patient.”
“Will you play with us until then?”
“Of course, Sadie.”
Lydia grabbed Sadie by the hand, pulling her away. “Leave him alone, Sadie. Aleco has more important things to worry about.” Vance frowned at her words, and Sadie pouted her lips.
Aleco felt his heart tug at the sight. He already loved these children like they were his own. “I don’t mind, Lydia,” he said as he looked at Sadie. “I enjoy my time with them.”
Lydia stared at him. “Are you sure?” she asked. “They can be brats at times.”
Aleco looked away. The reference stung his heart painfully. “They definitely aren’t brats,” he whispered. The room was crowded with the six of them, and for the first time, Aleco didn’t want to be alone. He wanted to be with them. The feeling of loneliness still ached in his body, but it had dimmed with their presence. He felt like he belonged somewhere. He had a family. “Would you like to see the forest?” he asked them all.
Sadie’s eyes lit up in delight. “Yes!” she cried.
Vance grabbed his arm and began to shake it excitedly. “Now?” he asked. “Really?”
Aleco laughed at their enthusiasm. He knew they needed him to protect them safe from the evil King of the Continent, but Aleco knew he needed them more. “Let’s go,” he said. He held Rhonian in one arm and grabbed Sadie in the other, rising to his feet from the chair. The six of them left the study and walked through the forest, enjoying the beautiful fall leaves that were drifting from the trees. The sunlight blanketed the forest floor with light but the tingle of the chill hung in the air, reminding them that winter was coming. It was the same sensation he felt when he traveled to Morkarh with Accacia, right before the snow fell to the ground. Aleco felt his heart ache when he thought of her. He wished she was here to share this day with them but he knew she would never be. Aleco would never see her again. The thought caused his face to fall as they walked through the glade. Penny caught the look but she didn’t comment on it. She would ask him about it later.
Orgoom Forest
41
Aleco said goodnight to Sadie, Vance, and Lydia before they retired in their upstairs bedroom. Sadie asked to sleep with Aleco, but Lydia wouldn’t allow it. The Nature Priest returned to his study, the place he spent most of his time, and deposited himself in the chair behind the desk. He reached for his liquor storage when Penelope came into the room, holding her son in her arms. Aleco poured himself a glass of brandy and set it on the desk
. He would have offered his guest a cup of the liquor, but he knew he couldn’t. She needed to breastfeed.
“You should get some sleep, Penelope.”
“Take your own advice, Aleco,” she said with a playful voice. She dropped into the chair before his desk and wrapped her child in a warm blanket. Baby Rhonian slept in her arms as she rocked him back and forth.
Aleco smiled. “I didn’t give birth to a child recently. Nor did I lose almost half of my blood.”
“I have a feeling you’ve suffered a lot more than that.”
Aleco drank from his glass but didn’t respond to her comment. He enjoyed her company and the time he spent with her. Her presence reminded him of his mother. She was strong, but gentle at the same time. Penelope filled a void in his chest in a way that Accacia never could. His eyes sagged in despair when he thought of her.
“You’re doing it again.”
“What?” he asked.
“Your thoughts depress you.”
“Yes,” he said. “They always do.”
“Is it Accacia?”
Aleco met her gaze. He wasn’t sure how she knew the subject of his thoughts. Penelope was practically a mind reader. She seemed to know when to press him for information and when to back off. She understood him well. “How do you know?”
“Your body stiffened and tightened when you told us about her. You are doing the same thing now. Also, your eyes look lost in despair. Only a woman could inflict so much pain.”
“You’re right.” He smiled.
“Where is she?”
Aleco thought about his answer before he spoke. He trusted Penelope more than anyone else, other than Accacia, and knew she would protect his secrets. “She is with her people—the Asquithians.”
“I didn’t know they still existed,” she said.
“Yes,” he said. “They do.”
“But why did she leave you? It’s obvious she has your heart.”
“She has everything,” he said. “Even my soul.” The day of her departure still stung his mind when he thought about it. His heart felt like it would burst into an inferno of despair. Aleco was lost without her. “I told her to go. It was the only way I could keep her safe.”
“From Drake?” she asked.
Aleco nodded. He didn’t understand how she knew that information. Aleco never revealed her horrific past to anyone. He would keep her secrets. “How did you know that?”
“I saw her with him,” she said sadly. “Every time I saw her face, I pitied her. Her features always begged for death. I’m glad she finally escaped his clutches—he’s a monster.”
“That’s an understatement.”
“I suppose,” she said. She looked into Aleco’s face and saw the depression fall over his features. Accacia’s absence caused him searing pain. “That’s very honorable of you. You gave her up so she would have a better life, even though it destroyed your own existence.”
Aleco said nothing. He would break down in tears if he decided to speak. The pain he carried in his heart was darker and more intense than any other feeling he had experienced. He felt like a dead man walking, hollow and empty, lifeless. He needed Accacia. A part of him wished he had never sent her away. That he had been selfish and took her to Severstein Sea to live their lives in secret while the Continent was destroyed around them.
“Can she ever return?” Penelope asked hopefully.
“No, Penny,” he whispered.
“So you will never see her again?”
“Probably not,” he said.
“Probably?”
“If I can overthrow Drake and kill the bastard, restoring the Continent to a rightful sovereign, then it will be safe for her to return. I will search the seas until I find her.”
“So, you are only helping the innocent people of the land so you can be with your lover?” She watched his gaze and waited for him to speak, knowing his answer would be honest. The Nature Priest couldn’t tell a lie, and she wondered how he dealt with a life of constant truthfulness. It wasn’t a convenient lifestyle.
Aleco was quiet for a moment. “No.”
Penelope nodded, pleased with his answer. She expected nothing less. “I will help you in whatever way I can. My husband rescued me, and now I need to rescue him.”
Aleco nodded. “He is safe, Penelope. Drake has no reason to punish him—he’s already hurt him enough.” He swallowed his glass of whiskey then poured another. “Artremian will only escape if I succeed in my endeavor. And I won’t fail, Penny.”
She understood the significance of his words. If he said it would happen, then it would have to. “How do you know that?”
“Because I can’t.”
Aleco advanced to his bedroom a few moments after Penelope returned to her own bedchamber. He walked into the room then deposited his cloak on the rack. He was about to remove his clothes when he heard the door creak open behind him.
Sadie was clutching a pillow in her hand and her eyes sagged in exhaustion. She walked toward him and hugged his legs, leaning her small weight against his body. She wrapped her arms around his thighs. Aleco was about to call for Lydia, but he changed his mind. Her blond hair glowed in the light of the fireplace and she looked so small. Aleco had never seen anything so fragile in his life. He grabbed her from the floor then placed her on the bed, pulling the sheets over her body. Aleco took off his shoes then crawled into bed alongside her, still wearing his clothes.
The golden curls of her hair cascaded over the pillow, and her eyes were closed tightly. She looked so small in his massive bed. She clutched the blankets around her, trying to stay warm from the chilling air. A small sigh escaped her lips as she fell further into sleep. Aleco watched her for a moment, mesmerized by her innocence.
Aleco wished Accacia was here with him, sleeping alongside their own child that they made together. He always thought of the love of his life when he looked at Sadie and Vance, wishing they were really his. Aleco knew the little ones would never be safe on the Continent if Drake continued to rule over it. Eventually they would be affected by it. Aleco wasn’t just fighting for his right to be with the woman he loved. He was fighting for the rights of everyone.
Aleco focused on the next phase of his plan. In order to thwart the despicable king, he needed more support in the undertaking. Some of the citizens of the nearby towns had fled to his woods, seeking asylum from the slave lottery that was approaching their city, and he sheltered them within his border. But Aleco still didn’t have enough supporters to challenge the king and his throne. He needed more men and weapons if he were to accomplish his goal.
Aleco closed his eyes in despair, dreading the next phase of his plan. He didn’t want to do it, but he knew he must. There was no other option.
Orgoom Forest
42
Aleco kneeled down and pointed to the leaves of the plant. “This is used to treat moderate anomalies, mainly nausea and headaches.”
Sadie touched the leaf with her small finger, and Vance stood behind his sister, staring. Aleco knew Vance already saw him as a role model. Vance wanted to spend all of this time with Aleco, even if he was just sitting in the study watching him work. Aleco caught the boy staring at the daggers and knives on his belt a few times. The attention didn’t bother Aleco. He was just as drawn to Vance as the boy was to him.
Vance’s eyes widened. “How did you know that?”
“Years of experience,” Aleco said.
Penelope placed her palm on Vance’s shoulder. “And I can attest to the effectiveness of this plant. Aleco has given it to me numerous times.” She looked at Aleco, smiling at him. “Which I am very grateful for.”
Aleco felt his cheeks redden. He always felt embarrassed when people expressed their gratitude. It wasn’t because he was humble, but because he knew he didn’t deserve any praise. After all, he had killed dozens of innocent people. That could never be erased.
Sadie grabbed Aleco’s hand. “Do you know all of the plants?”
He smile
d. “Yes.”
Her eyes widened. “Whoa.”
Vance jumped in place. “Can you teach me?”
“Of course,” Aleco said. “But it’s a lot of work. It will take time, commitment, and discipline.”
Vance nodded. “I want to learn.”
Just being around these children was enough to make Aleco forget his problems, even if it was for just a moment in time. He couldn’t believe that he used to detest children so much. Now he preferred their company over adults. Their innocence and naivety was refreshing.
“And I want to be a fearsome warrior like you, Aleco,” Vance said. “I want to be an assassin.”
Aleco nodded. “It’s not as great as you think it is.”
Vance stared at him. “What do you mean?”
“Being gifted in the blade comes with other responsibilities.”
“Like what?” Vance asked.
Aleco turned toward the young boy and looked him in the eye. “When you’re gifted with such abilities, you need to decide when to use them. Not everyone deserves to be put to the sword, so how do you decide which one? And you have to live with the guilt for the rest of your life.”
Vance looked down at the grass below his feet. Aleco didn’t know what the young boy was thinking, but he looked frightened. “Have you killed a lot of people?”
Aleco was quiet for a moment. “Too many,” he said. “And there is no honor in it, Vance. Now that I am teaching you to be a strong warrior, I expect you to use these skills in the right way. You must protect people, not kill them.”
Penelope looked uncomfortable. “This conversation is a little heavy, Aleco.”
He nodded his head. “I know, Penny. But since I’m imparting my skill to him, I also need him to understand the implications of this training.” He looked at Vance. “Do you understand what I am telling you?”
Vance was quiet for a moment. “But you’ve killed people.”
Aleco bowed his head. “I know,” he said. “And I will regret those deaths until my time comes. I do not want that fate for you.”