Protector (Little Death Bringer, #2)

by Banks, Catherine

  She laughed. “I was about to ask you the same thing. It bothers me that as a mother I cannot tell my two children apart.”

  I groaned. “The only difference I can see is that Sebastian’s eyes are a slightly lighter shade of grey, but Favian’s look like that when he is excited about something so there truly isn’t anything except their voice.”

  “And that won’t help if you are the first one to talk,” Father said.

  I sighed and let my head fall onto the table with a thunk. “I’m doomed.”

  “It isn’t that bad,” Mother said, “I’m sure you will think of something.”

  “You think they would let me write their names on their foreheads until I figured it out?” I asked somewhat seriously.

  Mother and Father laughed and I knew that I was truly in trouble and needed to figure something out. Perhaps I could find some juiceberries and smear some onto Sebastian’s face. The juiceberries’ juice left a red stain that took a month to get out. That had to be enough time to find a difference.

  “Food is served,” Chef said as he walked into the room with a cart of trays. I could smell the bacon and my mouth instantly filled with drool. He set a tray on top of my plate and whispered, “The eggs lacked a chick so they are essentially not a live animal.” My shock was evident to everyone and the Chef smiled. “I have been trying for years to find ways to cook you the food you truly love and it wasn’t until Sebastian came to me and talked with me that I learned of this information.”

  “Sebastian?” I asked.

  “Yes?” he asked me back as he returned and sat in the chair across from me.

  I looked at him and then at the Chef in confusion. Why would Sebastian be discussing these things? Chef set another tray onto Sebastian’s plate and I watched in shock as he lifted the lid to reveal eggs, bacon and toast. “It looks perfect,” He said with a happy smile to the Chef.

  “You eat meat?!” I asked in absolute shock.

  He nodded his head. “Yes. I was raised with humans who ate meat. They knew that elves didn’t kill animals and so they found ways to obtain meat and eggs, ways that I have been teaching Chef.”

  It was so strange and yet I benefited greatly from it and it made me like Sebastian just a little bit more. It was nice not to have Favian watching me eat with disapproving eyes.

  “So you are an elf raised by humans and she is a human raised by elves?” Chef asked with a laugh. “That is quite interesting indeed.”

  I would have laughed had I not still been uneasy about the fact that I was something other than human. What was my father that gave me this incredible power?

  “Let’s eat,” Father said as he and Mother spooned oatmeal from a large bowl.

  I removed the lid from my tray and ate every piece of food despite the sour feeling in my stomach now. I stood once I was finished and said, “I shall see you for lunch.”

  Mother dipped her head at me in acknowledgement and I walked from the ballroom, down the hallway and out the back door to the fields. The first part of the fields were low grass and wild flowers, but the further you went, the higher the grasses grew and if you walked far enough you could disappear within their green heights. I made my way in until I found my favorite spot and sat down. Over the years I had been clearing out a small circle, just big enough for two people to lie down in. Favian and I had often hidden here after stealing cake from the kitchen or after getting in trouble. So far none had found it, not even Kato.

  Now I hid here to think. There weren’t too many races that existed in the world. There were humans, elves, ogres, goblins, fey, Pegasus, dwarves, and shape shifters. I gasped and stared at the ground in shock. Could I be a shapeshifter? I laughed. No, that wasn’t possible. So what could I be? A thought crossed my mind and it was truly frightening and instantly chilled me. Could I have a demon living inside of me? That would explain the time I acted and didn’t remember it. I talked and yet it wasn’t me, right?

  “Marin are you alright?” Sebastian asked as he sat down across from me.

  I jumped, startled by his sudden and silent appearance and had to release my grip from my swords. “You shouldn’t sneak up on people,” I said as I tried to regain my composure.

  “I’m sorry. I thought you had heard me,” he said as he watched me. “Would you like me to leave?”

  I wasn’t sure what I wanted him to do, but I knew I had to be nice despite my true feelings at the moment. “No, it’s alright. You just caught me on an off moment.”

  “So, what are you thinking about that has such a terrified look on your face?” he asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

  I could have talked with him, but I hardly knew him and this was something very personal. If he had been Favian I would have talked with him, but he was not and I did not want to open myself up so much. “Nothing,” I answered, “So, how are you liking the Elven Kingdom?”

  He smiled. “I love it. Everyone here is so kind and it is so different from living with the humans.”

  “Where were you living?” I asked him.

  He smiled. “You tell me your secret and I’ll tell you mine.”

  I shook my head and tried to give him a smile. “Perhaps another day.”

  “Then you shall wait for mine as well,” he said and then leaned back onto his elbows looking up at the sky. “It is beautiful here,” he whispered, “How can you stand to leave it?”

  “I love it here, but if I stay here too long Mother insists on turning me into a proper lady,” I said with a loving smile. Mother was the most kind and loving female I had ever met and I loved her despite her not being my blood mother.

  “I think you would make a great lady. You are beautiful and look amazing in a dress,” he said as he gazed at me.

  It was strange to have him flirt with me because my mind wanted to believe it was Favian while I knew it wasn’t. “You are an awful flirt,” I said with a smile as I pulled a piece of the long grass from the ground.

  He shook his head and looked at me seriously. “I am only speaking the truth.”

  I had to look away from his eyes to tame my hormones. Was it possible that because he had grown up around humans that he would be more inclined to court one? That thought was chilling and I stood up, needing to distance myself from him. Why would I even think such a thing? I didn’t know him and just because he looked like Favian, didn’t mean he was him.

  He stood up with me, not seeming to notice why I stood up. “Favian!” A familiar female voice called. I watched Sebastian’s face as Amile stepped into the clearing, but his eyes never left mine. “Oh, I should have guessed you would be with him,” she said bitterly towards me.

  “I don’t believe we’ve met,” Sebastian said as he stepped forward, closer to her and I. “I’m Sebastian.”

  Her mouth opened in a petite circle that was incredibly cute and made me hate her a little more. “Oh, dear. I’m so sorry. I had heard that you were here, but I didn’t think that you would look so much like Prince Favian.” She curtsied low to the ground and said, “It is an honor to meet you, Sir.”

  Sebastian picked her hand up and kissed the back of it. “The honor is mine.”

  I turned away from them, heading off into the fields. “I’ll see you later,” I called over my shoulder as I moved through the tall grass towards the smaller grass and the stables. Why was I jealous that he was flirting with Amile? I knew that she was more beautiful than I. And I knew that he was not Favian. So why did it anger me so much? I needed a job to do to keep my mind off of things and I was sure that Alex would have something for me to do.

  I stepped into the barn and found him brushing Fire’s tail. “Alex, you don’t have to do that,” I said as I walked towards him.

  He smiled at me and continued to brush the tangles out. “It’s alright. I enjoy it.”

  I stopped at the stall door and pet Fire’s nose. “Do you need any help around here?” I asked.

  He looked at me and laughed. “Sebastian issues?”

  How
did he keep doing that? “No, just need to blow off some steam since Favian isn’t here for me to practice with.”

  “Well in that case you can muck out the stalls if you want.”

  I nodded my head and grabbed the pick and the wheelbarrow and headed towards the stalls on the right. The horses on the right were all used to having their stalls cleaned and each one moved over obediently as I cleaned out the poop and pee soaked straw from the stalls and put it in the wheelbarrow. I pet each horse when I entered and when I left and moved the wheelbarrow which was getting heavier to each stall. I finished the right side and moved to the back stalls where Ice’s empty stall was. I inspected it just to be sure it was clean and then opened the door of Fire’s stall. She moved over to the left and Alex stayed behind her as he continued to work on her tail. I mucked out the stall on the right and then flung some straw at Alex’s leg. He laughed at me and I moved around him to clean behind Fire. He bumped my hip with his and I bumped him back. We laughed and I moved around to the left side, clucking to Fire so she would move to the right. It was nice to be able to do something helpful and be able to goof off with a friend at the same time. I needed to do this type of thing more often to take my mind off of Favian. I was surprised at how easy it was to be around Alex, but then again he had to be a calm, easy to get along with person to be the horse master.

  I worked on the stalls on the left and then I moved to the last stall to clean, which was the first stall on the left where a very large warhorse stood with a shiny black coat and eyes that shown with intelligence. “Hello there, boy. Move over so I can clean you out.”

  The horse stamped his hoof and held his ground. “Careful of him,” Alex said from Fire’s stall, “He’s temperamental.”

  I met the horse’s eyes and put my hands on my hips. “I don’t take guff from horses. You’re going to listen,” I said as I opened the stall door and pushed on his shoulder. He whipped his head around and tried to bite me, but I dodged his bite and smacked his nose. “Knock it off,” I told him as I pushed his shoulder again.

  He snorted angrily and pushed back against me. I stumbled back a step and he stamped his hoof again, right on top of my foot and pinned it to the ground. I grunted in pain and pushed at his shoulder, but he held his ground and snapped his teeth at me with his ears pinned against the top of his head. “Alex!” I called, “I need help.”

  Alex hopped over Fire’s door and ran to me. He took in my situation and said, “I told you to be careful.”

  “I didn’t think he’d pin my foot to the floor,” I said as tears built in my eyes. I was pretty sure my foot was broken and the pain was building the longer he stood on it. “Get him off.”

  Alex grabbed the horse’s face and stared into his eyes. “Pick up your hoof.”

  The horse apparently had a sense of humor because he picked up one of his back ones and not the one on my foot.

  “What’s going on?” Sebastian asked as he walked into the barn.

  “Your assistance is required apparently,” Alex said, “He seems not to like her and is hurting her.”

  I hid my face, not wanting him to see the tears leaking down it as he approached and continued to push at the horse’s shoulder. I hated the fact that I was crying, especially since there were other people around.

  “Hoof up,” Sebastian ordered the horse. The horse lifted his back hoof again and Sebastian walked into the stall and stared into his horse’s eye. “You are being stubborn and I do not care for it.”

  The horse nickered softly and Sebastian placed his hand flat against the horse’s shoulder and pushed. The horse lifted his hoof from my foot and moved over three steps. I moved backwards away from him, but sure enough my foot was broken and it made me cry out in pain when I put pressure on it.

  “You need to get to the healer,” Alex said seriously.

  “I’ll take her. It was my ass of a horse that hurt her anyways,” Sebastian said as he grabbed me and picked me up. I gasped in shock and looked at him. He glared at his horse and said something in the old dialect of Elvish that I did not understand. The horse lowered its head and nickered sadly as though he felt ashamed. Sebastian turned and walked from the stable, carrying me easily. All elves were strong and carrying me was a simple task, but I still felt bad.

  “You don’t have to carry me,” I said as I wiped at my face.

  He shook his head. “I’m sorry that he did that. He is very stubborn at times. I guess I need to work on his people skills.” I laughed despite my pain and Sebastian smiled. “Why did you leave when Amile came?” he asked me.

  “You’re supposed to be meeting everyone and she and I don’t get along so I left to keep from biasing you,” I answered truthfully. Also, I didn’t want to see her flirting with Sebastian.

  “Why don’t you two get along?” he asked.

  “There are quite a few reasons,” I said as I tried to dodge his question.

  “Like?”

  I sighed. “I’d rather not discuss it. It brings up things I can’t change and makes me sad and angry at the same time.”

  “You can trust me, you know? I know it’s difficult for you to deal with the fact that I look exactly like Favian, but I’m not the evil twin,” he said with a smile.

  “I don’t think that,” I said honestly, “but it is difficult dealing with how similar you two look. I have to remind myself that you’re Sebastian and not Favian.”

  “Oh I see,” he said softly as he opened the door of the castle and walked to the healer’s room.

  The healer smiled at me and asked, “What did you do this time?”

  “His horse stomped on my foot and broke it,” I answered as he set me down on one of the beds.

  She tsked and pulled on my boot, but it wouldn’t come off. “It seems your foot has swollen already. We will have to cut the boot off.”

  “No!” I said seriously. The boots had been a gift from Favian and I didn’t want to destroy them.

  “We have to,” she said, “Your foot won’t come out otherwise.”

  “Can’t you just yank it off?” I asked.

  “That will hurt a lot,” Sebastian said in shock.

  The healer nodded her head. “He’s right and we still might not be able to get it off. Plus it may injure your foot more.”

  I warred with the decision in my head and then decided that I had to hope that Favian wouldn’t be too upset with me.

  “He will understand the need to cut it off,” the healer said quietly as she grabbed a pair of scissors.

  I looked at her and then remembered that she had been present when Favian had given me the boots on my last birthday. “I hope so,” I whispered.

  She smiled. “He would probably be cutting it off himself while restraining you if he were here.”

  I laughed at the image and knew she was right. “Okay, go ahead.” I closed my eyes and when the boot came off groaned in relief. She cut the sock off as well and I heard Sebastian whistle in shock. I opened my eyes and gasped at what used to be my foot. It was twice as big and already black and blue.

  “Lie down. I’m going to have to set the bones,” the healer said.

  I laid back and grabbed the stick which was beside the bed to bite down on for pain and put it in my mouth. She pushed on a bone and I screamed as I bit down on the stick. It was an incredible pain, one that I did not wish to deal with for a while. Unfortunately there was more than one bone in my foot and she went to work on the next ones. Fresh tears leaked down my face and Sebastian came to my side, holding my hand in his and letting me squeeze when I hurt.

  I didn’t want him to see me like this and yet I was glad that he was here. Why was he so nice to me when he hardly knew me, especially when he had treated me so coldly at first? Many of the elves here would have done the same for me, but they had known me almost my entire life. Sebastian had only known me a day and a half. Was it just in his personality to be nice?

  “What’s going on?” Father asked as he came into the room. “I heard he
r screams from down the hallway.” He looked at my foot and whistled. “That looks bad. How did you manage that?”

  “She was cleaning stalls and my horse stepped on her,” Sebastian said, “I’m sorry I should have trained him better than that.”

  I pulled the stick from my mouth. “Don’t apologize,” I said as she moved to a new bone and prepared to set it. “It’s not your fault.” She set the bone before I could put the stick in and I screamed in pain and then clamped a hand over my mouth to quiet myself. “Sorry,” I whispered before putting the stick back in my mouth.

  “There are lots of bones in human feet,” The healer said, “This is going to take a while. Would you rather I put you to sleep?”

  The idea sounded great, but I hated to be a baby. I shook my head, but Father nodded his. “Knock her out. She’s just trying to be tough.”

  “Father!” I gasped in shock.

  He smiled warmly at me. “I know you well, Marin. Don’t try to hide it. I know that you are trying to tough it out so that you do not appear weak.”

  I couldn’t answer him because he was right so I just set the stick down to take the cup of medicine from the healer’s hands. “I just want you to know that I’m only doing this because I know if I tried to refuse you would hold me down and force me to drink it.”

  Father smiled. “You know me too well.”

  I drank the medicine and immediately felt woozy. “Sebastian, thank you.”

  “For what?” he asked. “Owning an ornery horse?”

  “For pretending to care,” I whispered as my eyelids closed in heaviness.

  “Why would I be pretending?” he asked.

  “Because you don’t know me.”

  “You don’t have to know someone for years to care,” he said, “Now go to sleep so that the pain will go away.”

  “Goodnight and goodbye,” Father said as he left.

  “Bye,” I whispered and then fall into a deep sleep where I dreamed of slaying ogres with Favian and Sebastian both beside me.

  Chapter Three

  “Water,” I whispered as I woke up with a dry throat and mouth. I opened my eyes and was surprised to find Sebastian sitting beside me. He handed me a glass and I drank it all in two large gulps. “What are you doing here?” I asked as I looked around at the empty room.