“No, don’t apologize. What your parents did to you is unforgivable. You have the right to feel the way you do. I’m not exactly thrilled to see them, either.”
He nods, then slowly opens his eyes. “I can’t stand to look at them.” He rakes his hand through his hair. “Why are they helping us? It doesn’t make sense. They used Renaya and me to play nice with the king. How could we trust them?”
“I don’t know, but Alaric knows what he’s doing.”
He doesn’t say anything as his eyes move toward the ceiling. “This basement, this house.” He shakes his head. “Before Renaya and I were taken to work at the palace, we lived in a tiny shack. I remember how droplets of water would fall in through the ceiling when it rained.” He laughs sarcastically. “This place must have been given to them as a gift.” The bitter tone in his voice is heavy.
I squeeze his hand. He bangs the back of his head against the wall. “I don’t know why it hadn’t occurred to me that I would come across my parents. I guess I figured they were too busy playing nice with the king. I never expected this. I’m not ready to face them. I don’t want to face them.”
I keep quiet, giving him a chance to let all his emotions out. His hand that’s not holding mine fists. “Renaya knew about this,” he says. “You saw how she and Hastus looked at one another when we asked about the people protecting us. Why doesn’t she feel the way I do? Lily, am I wrong to feel this way?”
I stroke his cheek. “You can feel however you want to. There’s no right or wrong answer here. As for Renaya, I think I sensed some anger in her eyes.”
He says, “She was very young when we were taken to the palace. Maybe she doesn’t remember our parents as well as I do.” He shuts his eyes. “I remember the way she cried for our parents when the palace guards plucked us out of our home. Sometimes when I sleep, I can still hear her shouts.”
I rest my head on his chest. “Oh, Sebastian. I know telling you how sorry I am doesn’t help—”
“No.” His lips brush across my cheek. “It helps a lot. Thank you for caring so much about me and Renaya. About Ortarus.”
“Like I said earlier, you’ve all become my family. I feel such a connection to this place and the people in it.”
There’s a knock on the door. Both Sebastian and I look at it, waiting for the person to come on. He or she doesn’t.
“Who is it?” Sebastian asks. His presses his lips together and narrows his eyes, as though he’s expecting his parents to be behind the door.
“Renaya.”
“Come in,” Sebastian says.
The door opens and Renaya peeks her head in. “Am I interrupting something?”
Sebastian shakes his head and motions for her to enter. She nods to me before sitting in the chair near the bed. She has that same hard, cold look in her eyes.
“Are they still out there?” Sebastian asks, his tone clipped.
“Yes.”
“What do they want?” he nearly growls.
She shrugs. “To help us.”
“I don’t trust them!”
She doesn’t say anything.
“Do you?” he asks.
She shrugs again.
“How can you even look at them after what they’ve done?” His tone grows softer. “Renaya, they destroyed our lives.”
“You think I don’t know that? Those people…” She thrusts her finger toward the door. “Are allies helping us. Nothing more.” Her eyes darken. “I don’t have parents.”
Sebastian stands up and places his arm on her shoulder. She pushes it off. He sinks down on his bed. I remain on the floor, not sure I should get involved. It seems like a personal matter.
“Do you guys want me to leave so you can discuss things?” I ask.
They shake their heads. “There’s nothing to discuss,” Renaya says.
“How can you trust them, Renaya?” Sebastian asks. “They’re loyal to King Sorenten.”
“Alaric trusts them,” she says.
“Then he’s a fool.”
I join Sebastian on the bed and take his hand. “I know this might sound crazy, but what if they changed?”
He snorts.
“I’m serious. Your parents did terrible things, but maybe you should give them a chance to explain. It’s not my place to get involved or tell you what to do, but you have so many questions and so many emotions running through you. I just think it might be a good idea to talk to them. Maybe you can see for yourself what their agenda is. If they really aren’t trustworthy, we need to know.”
He’s quiet, keeping his gaze on the bedspread.
Renaya crosses her arms over her chest. “Lily’s right. I don’t understand why Alaric trusts them. If they’re up to something, we need to be careful. We need to protect everyone here.”
“How does Alaric know them, anyway?” I ask. “Are they the ones he went to school with?”
Renaya nods. “When we fled, Alaric took us to Candon and Merla’s house to hide us. Apparently, he thought we could trust them.”
“You escaped with Alaric?”
“Yes. I wanted to find the two of you, but three guards were after me and I had to get away. I couldn’t fight them on my own. I didn’t have weapons. It would have been suicide. I’m sorry. I hoped to come back for you, but I met Alaric and the others and he told me you were gone. I returned to the compound anyway, but he was right. You had left. Can you forgive me for abandoning you?”
I take her hand. “Of course. I’m glad you saved yourself. Three versus one, and with no magic? I can’t bear to think what would have happened to you had you tried to save us.”
She doesn’t say anything. Sebastian wraps his arm around her shoulder. “Lily’s right. Don’t feel guilty about that. We’re all here and well.” He twists his nose. “Everything would be fine if those two hadn’t dropped by.” He turns to me. “I’m sorry for my anger, Lily. I don’t think I can ever look at those people without all these negative emotions filling me. You’re right that we need to see what they’re truly after, but I think I need to calm down first.”
I nod. “I’m going to see what’s going on out there.” I bend forward and kiss him. “See you soon.”
The truth is, I want to give Sebastian and Renaya some privacy to talk. As I step into the common room, I find that things are how they were when I left. There is no tension in the air and Sebastian’s parents don’t seem to be here. Alaric is sitting at a table, drinking as he talks to Hastus. When he sees me, he waves me over.
“How is he doing?” he asks, motioning for me to take a seat.
I sit down. “He’s very upset.”
“That’s understandable. I didn’t mean to hurt or upset him, but he doesn’t understand how much they want to help.”
“But why do they, though? What do they gain? Sebastian told me they’re on the king’s side.”
Alaric shakes his head. “They have a lot they need to discuss with Sebastian and Renaya, and they feel terrible for what they’ve done.”
Even though I told Sebastian that they might have changed, we still need to be careful. These two people might be playing my dad. He might be too blind to see the truth. Someone needs to look out for him. For all of us.
“I don’t want to doubt you, but why do you think they can be trusted? What if they’re telling the king where we are?”
“They wouldn’t do that. Candon was my good friend when we were children. He forgot I existed, since the memory of who I was had been erased from every Ortarian’s mind when Sorenten took the throne. Candon and Merla remembered me once I showed them my glowing crown. I know what you’re thinking, that I’m letting friendship cloud my judgment.”
“I’m sorry. It’s just that after everything that happened, we need to be careful who we trust.”
“You’re right, we do. Candon and Merla are the most trustworthy Ortarians I know.”
I’m quiet, not sure if I should utter my next words. “It’s hard to believe that. I mean, they gave their kid
s away, just like that.”
“And it tore them apart.” He sighs. “They thought they could provide their children with a better life. Sorenten promised the poor he would give the children a good life, something Candon and Merla couldn’t do. When they learned the truth, it was too late. They couldn’t get their kids back.”
“But everyone knew he was a ruthless ruler. Why didn’t they suspect that would happen?”
Alaric shakes his head. “This was shortly after he rose to power. They didn’t know of his evil ways yet.” He rubs my arm. “It tore away at them. Every second. Merla cried herself to sleep for years and Candon hardly slept at all.”
I had no idea. Hearing all of this makes me feel for them. I can’t imagine what it was like.
“And their magic?”
“They have a nice amount of magic, though it’s limited. It’s enough to keep us safe here.”
“Why would Sorenten promise them magic?”
“To keep them in check, to have a hold over them. They thought Sorenten was giving them the magic so they could learn to use it and eventually get their children back. You have to understand, the lower class wouldn’t have been able to handle so much magic without proper training. Candon and Merla thought giving Sebastian and Renaya away was only temporary, a few years. Those few years were very vital, because it could mean the difference between life and death. Some of the poor were so sick.”
“Didn’t they wonder why Sorenten couldn’t help them? Why didn’t he make all the social classes into one class and everyone would be equal?”
He frowns. “He fed them lies, that they needed to fix themselves on their own, that he couldn’t help them. He told them the Ortarian magic was weak, because his parents were murdered and they needed to slowly rebuild. It was all BS, not a word of truth.”
“Couldn’t Sebastian’s parents learn magic and take care of their kids?”
“No. He told them they couldn’t. He basically fed them more and more lies. The poor things clung to his every word.”
What a messed up bastard. I can’t believe such a person like that exists. “So Sorenten is constantly checking up on them?” I ask.
“In the beginning he monitored them, but once he was sure he had their loyalty, he let them have some freedom. We can use that to our advantage now.”
“Won’t he suspect them because their kids are rebels?”
“He doesn’t know who their kids are. They lost their relationship when they gave Sebastian and Renaya up. He doesn’t care about details like that—it’s too much work for him. These are mistakes we can use to our advantage.”
I nod. “Sebastian needs to know about this, but I shouldn’t be the one to tell him. He’s just so angry with them.”
“He needs time. We don’t have a lot of it, I’m afraid. As much as it would be great for him to forgive them, we can’t worry about their family drama. We need to train and prepare to raid the palace.”
A chill passes over me. Raid the palace. A chance for my fellow rebels to get hurt, possibly die, a chance for the love of my life and his sister to be slaughtered before my eyes. The same with my father. I have no idea how things are going to turn out, but one thing is for sure: that bastard of a king is going down.
Chapter Twenty-Three
There isn’t a lot of room in this basement to train, but we don’t let that hold us back. Hastus is harsher than he was before we came here. The fact that the king is sending more guards to search for us means we need to get moving or else we won’t be ready to take on the guards. I’m glad he’s pushing us to the limit. Earlier, he told me I’ll have some one-on-one time with him. I’m grateful. I feel like I’m not at all ready to battle Sorenten. I can use all the help I can get.
Sebastian and I haven’t spoken much. After I talked with my dad, I went to Sebastian’s room. He was sitting on his bed, his mind seeming to be anywhere but in the room. I understood that he needed to be alone. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him the truth about his parents, but I stopped myself. The four of them should discuss it when they feel it’s right.
Now he’s standing before Hastus with his fists raised. Hastus is going to use magic to attack him, and Sebastian needs to defend himself with only his arms and legs. Renaya, Alaric, and some others are out scouting. They want to make sure the guards don’t come sniffing around. Sebastian doesn’t need to scavenge for food and supplies, since his parents have generously given us more than enough.
My opponent is Salia. When she first joined the others to train, I was surprised. She never seemed to be interested in learning to fight. She told me something changed inside her ever since the attack. She felt so helpless that she decided to train with everyone. This is only her second time, but from what I’ve seen of her so far, she’s really good.
I’m going to use my magic and my fists. Another advantage we have over the palace guards is that they rely solely on magic. We’ve got martial arts. Weapons, too, but those can always be snatched away from us.
Lifting my hand, I throw a bolt at her, only a tiny one, since I don’t want to hurt her. She quickly leaps behind me, causing me to turn around. She then jumps to my right, knocking me off guard and sending me crashing to the floor.
I smile up at her. “Nice. Good job.”
Her smile is wide. She does a small curtsey. “Thank you, Princess Lily.”
Yeah, the whole princess thing? I figure if she wants to call me that, I can handle it.
We train until late. After dinner, I have my private session with Hastus. Once I’m done, I’m sweaty and gross and all I need is a shower and to fall into bed.
The shower wakes me up a little and my body is still sore from all the training. I hope I’ll be stronger when I’m up against that bastard of a king.
“Hey.”
Sebastian is sitting on his bed. He smiles when he sees me. “How was training?”
I get into his bed and scoot over to him. “Grueling, but good. I actually feel my muscles getting stronger. Isn’t that crazy?”
His smile is strained.
“Are you okay? Still thinking about…?”
He puffs out his cheeks. “This morning, Alaric told me I should give them a chance. Hastus said the same to me during training.”
I slip my hand into his. “And now you’re going to hear it from me.”
His eyebrows knit. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that your parents have a lot they need to say to you. To you and Renaya.”
His eyebrows knit even more. “They spoke to you?”
“No, but Alaric did. Sebastian, I know you’re angry and hurt, but I think it would be a good idea to hear them out.”
His fists clench. “I want nothing to do with them.”
“Sebastian—”
“They’ve manipulated Alaric and now they’re manipulating you.”
“No one is manipulating anyone,” I say.
He laughs sarcastically.
“Why are you like this?” I ask. “I know your parents put you through hell, but don’t you think you should give them a chance to explain?”
“Explain what? That they were greedy for magic? That they preferred having a social status over their kids? Why should I speak to the people who made it perfectly clear that I wasn’t worth anything?”
“Because they were trying to provide you with a better life.” I press my lips together. I didn’t mean to say that. It just slipped out. I don’t want to be mad at him, but I am. The Sebastian I know would give his parents a chance to explain. He’d open his heart, no matter how much they hurt him.
His eyes are wide. “W—what?”
I swallow. It’s too late to take it back now. “Sorenten promised the poor that the palace would take their kids and give them everything they needed.” I rest my hand on his chest. “Your parents couldn’t provide for you so they gave you away to someone who could. They were promised to be taught magic. They never thought they wouldn’t see you again. They honestly thought they
were doing the right thing. What was best for you and Renaya. Sorenten promised them all these things, but of course they were lies. Once your parents learned the truth, it was too late. It ate away at them.”
Sebastian doesn’t say anything. His gaze is glued to the carpet, and I can’t exactly read the expression on his face. Shock, perhaps some guilt. I remain quiet to give him a chance to process everything. For years he thought his parents abandoned him. For years he resented them.
He swallows. “Does Renaya know this?”
I shake my head and lay it on his shoulder.
He strokes my arm. “Thank you for telling me.” His voice is low.
“Are you going to talk to them?”
He lets out a breath. “I don’t know. I know I should, but it’s hard.” He rubs his hand down his face. “How do I know they’re telling the truth?”
“That’s why you need to talk to them. From what I gathered after meeting them, it seems like it was the truth. I mean, the looks on their faces was just so heartbreaking. I didn’t realize it at first, but they looked like they were in so much pain.”
He nods slowly. “My parents were never horrible people, and when they were giving us away, that hurt me. They were so loving and caring.”
“I know they still are.”
“But the way I behaved yesterday…they won’t want to talk to me.”
“I’m sure they’ll forgive you for that. And yes, they do want to talk to you. I don’t think they blame you for being upset with them. It was just one huge misunderstanding.”
He clenches his jaw. “Sorenten is to blame for everything.”
“We’re going to make him pay for all the pain he caused.”
He smiles sadly and kisses my forehead. “I’ll talk to them in the morning. That is, if they’re still interested.”
“I know they are.” I caress his cheek. “I don’t think they’re going to give up on the chance of rekindling a relationship with you.”
He bends his head and places a gentle kiss on my lips. “To be honest, when you and Alaric were getting to know each other, I was a little jealous. I wanted to have what you have. A mother who loves you and a father willing to do anything to make up for lost time.”
Keeping the Genie (Genie's Love, Book 3) Page 13