by Anna Hill
Rhyion, on the other hand, was overly analytical. When I told him my dreams, he asked a ton of questions. He was constantly asking them, in fact! Tiny little details that I didn’t think mattered, he found meaning in.
And when he found meaning in something and questioned me, I found more meaning. More questions started coming to me. It was weird, I didn’t used to think you could teach someone to be analytical. It seemed like one of those things that either came naturally or it didn’t.
But he was definitely teaching me. And I was a better thinker because of him. It was incredible how different my thought processes had become.
I did tell him my dream in detail, and he soaked it all in. He asked questions here and there, but we didn’t really figure out anything new. It didn’t lead anywhere because Jacob had already told us this story, essentially. Now we knew he was telling the complete truth, which was good to know, but it still didn’t teach us much.
When I got to reading, I found myself constantly stopping to ask Rhyion a question. Sometimes it was once per page, sometimes it was multiple times per page.
He didn’t seem to mind. He never did. He loved questions, both asking and answering. He just had a passion for learning and teaching. I could tell he was genuinely having fun with this.
So even though I wasn’t, his excitement and enthusiasm rubbed off on me a bit. It was so nice to see him happy. He was fairly serious and stoic, not a super smiley person, but when he was teaching someone, he looked genuinely happy. It made me happy too.
And to my surprise, I actually didn’t hate learning about government as much as I thought I would. It took a little while of learning the basics for me to get into it, but when I did, I was totally surprised.
“You’re right, I really do like this,” I told him after a few hours. “A little bit.”
“I knew you would!” he said excitedly. “You were made for this!”
I flipped a page and skimmed it slowly. “You know, the security system with the shifters was kind of genius. The way they kept shifter identities secret so if they needed to bring their power to the forefront, perpetrators of crime never knew what to expect.”
“But shifters rarely used that power,” Rhyion added. “They were very careful about that. They never used more force than was necessary, which was easy for them because unlike humans or other species, shifters are less motivated by fear. We are rarely ever scared into violence. Violence is a conscious decision we make when we know we must.”
“Really? Shifters get scared less?” I supposed I could see that was true in my boys. They weren’t cowards, but I hadn’t really thought about it.
“Of course. Besides witches, who would never harm a shifter unnecessarily, no other species can hurt a shifter. We are second most powerful to witches. It’s natural that we have less fear. It’s also why it was in the humans’ best interest to take away our power as much as possible and disenfranchise us. We’re less likely to rise up if we’re oppressed.”
“Right… Well, not with me. I’m bringing this shifter force back. The cops that we have now are so often abusive, and it’s for the reason you just stated. They can be scared into violence easily. What happens when an ogre starts mouthing off to a tiny human cop? The cop gets scared, they overreact… It happens on a daily basis.”
Rhyion looked at me with an expression that said he disagreed.
“What?” I asked. “You don’t think the cops now are abusive?”
“No, it’s not that,” he said softly. “It’s just that I’m not sure it’s going to be that easy for you to reinstate a shifter security force.”
“Why not?” I asked. I was learning today just how clueless I truly was.
“Annabelle, the hate for shifters runs deep. It goes back one hundred years. It isn’t going to just disappear when you get into power. People hate us, they really do. And they’ll do a lot to keep us out of power. As sad as it is… people like having someone to hate. They like thinking of someone being below them. Especially in poverty-stricken states. Think about it: the poorest, weakest human is still better than the best shifter. This isn’t a dynamic that people are going to just let go.”
I could see actual pain in Rhyion’s face. Again, it was hard to read because he was Rhyion, but it was there. And my heart broke for him.
“I'm so sorry, Rhyion. For what your people have gone through, for what they’re still going through…”
And for what they might still suffer through even as I gain power.
He shook his head. “It doesn’t fall on your shoulders. I’m sure you’ll do everything you can to fight it. But it will likely take a long time, Annabelle. I just want you to be aware of that.”
And I hadn’t been aware. I was blissfully unaware, like I was about most things in government, apparently.
But I was going to learn. It may not have been as exciting as discovering all the magical abilities I had, but I was determined to be just as good at government as I was at magic.
Because that was what my people deserved, especially the shifters. After one hundred years of anguish, people deserved the absolute best leader they could get.
3
This scene was all too familiar. I knew immediately where I was…
At the hospital. The hospital I’d been taken to after I discovered my parents dead.
I turned to my mom. "This really isn't a moment I want to relive,” I told her.
I could feel my body begin to tremble as I thought about that day. It was the worst day of my life. And waking up in the hospital hoping it was all dream just to learn that what had happened was real… It re-traumatized me. And the whole memory made me nauseous.
I thought I was mostly past this. I was often able to think of the day I lost my parents without getting sick. I was even able to go back home to my old apartment and see the bloodstains on the carpet and keep myself in check.
But somehow, this was different. This put me right back in the thick of it. I hated it.
My mom put her hand gently on my shoulder. “I'm here this time. It’s just a memory. It’s the past. And things are different now. You know I’m still with you. You know that your father and I are still together and happy.”
That was true. I was never a big believer in the afterlife, so just the knowledge that my parents weren’t truly lost to the universe had been a great comfort to me… Especially with my dad who I still could not see.
I took a deep breath. I had to carry on. My mom brought me to this scene for a reason. It was a big day, and I was going to soak in anything I could learn.
We were outside of my hospital room, but we didn’t go inside. Instead, the door opened and out walked Jacob, who was looking at his cell phone and fidgeting nervously.
“Hey… you know, when I thought back on it, I did wonder how Jacob was able to seem so genuinely upset. I mean, I didn’t think he was that good of an actor. To be nearly trembling in sadness after he murdered you himself? Seems beyond his skills. But I suppose he never really was sad about your death, he was just terrified about defying King Robert.”
“Exactly. People have died for betraying him over far less. This was a huge risk on Jacob’s part. Frankly, I’m not sure why he did it. Most wouldn’t have. I can only assume that he felt like his life was over anyway if he didn’t have access to you and an important role in the cause, so he took a risk.”
Jacob’s phone began to buzz, and he answered anxiously. “Hello?”
We couldn’t hear who was on the other end, but Jacob’s face went white. “You’re… you’re here? Okay, okay, yes. I’ll be there in just a few minutes.”
Jacob hung up and started making his way down the hospital corridor.
My mother and I followed.
He walked down several halls until he came to a room labeled 407. He then opened the door, and I could see his hand trembling as he reached out.
We walked in behind him.
There he was, Robert, as well as two other men I didn’t recog
nize who sat beside him.
He was not the same Robert that we’d seen in the other memory. That Robert was calm, sitting behind a desk, waiting patiently to talk to Jacob about his loss of position.
But this Robert? He was a different beast. As soon as Jacob walked into the room, Robert leapt up and nailed him to the wall.
He had his hands around Jacob’s shirt collar, his knuckles dug into his neck.
“Was this you?” he bellowed.
“I-I don’t—”
“Don't try to lie to me!” Robert snapped. “You know damn well that if this was you, I will find out. And if I find out you lied to me, I will fucking murder you, I promise you that. Tell me!”
“Y-yes,” Jacob stuttered.
Robert immediately balled up his fist and punched him, right in the eye. Jacob went down.
“Why on earth would you do this? Was I unclear about what I wanted? You would go back and defy me?”
“I just… I just really thought this was the best plan. Her mom was going to find out about us no matter what we did—”
“Wrong! She was going to find out about you! I was the one who drank the pebblerot! I am the one who knows! We were safe, it was you that was compromised!”
“I’m sorry,” Jacob muttered as he laid in the fetal position on the floor.
“Sorry? You’re sorry? You’ve depleted a source of my magic! I needed her, you imbecile! I fucking needed her!”
"But you don’t!” Jacob argued. “You still have Annabelle. And with me, you’ll have her forever!”
"And what if she dies?” Robert growled. “If something happens to her by accident, that’s it! No more magic for me! Did you even consider that? Has it crossed your puny little mind that I can't control everything? She could get hit by a car tomorrow!”
“But she won't be the only one!” Jacob argued. “I’ll work on getting her pregnant. Trust me, I’ve thought this through. We’ll have kids as soon as possible, and you’ll have other little magic babies to leech from. And I’ll be their father—they’ll be in my custody forever."
“You fool!” Robert kicked him hard in the chest. It winded Jacob—he was gasping for air, both hands clutching his chest. “Witches aren’t fertile at this age! They’re most fertile when they’re forty years old! Occasionally they may be able to have kids in their twenties, but it’s rare, incredibly rare! It almost never happens.”
“I… I didn't know…” he muttered.
“No, you didn’t… because you didn't fucking ask me before you went on this idiotic mission. Now we have to keep her alive for another twenty years before we can have another witch or wizard to drain! Do you think you're capable of that? Watching her carefully enough to keep her alive?"
“Yes! Yes, I can! I promise I can! King Robert, I've shown you how dedicated I am to this cause. You know I’ll do this correctly. There's nothing else in my life I care about. I'll keep her safe, I promise!”
“You can’t be with her twenty-four hours a day, you idiot. She’s going to have a job, a life outside of you!”
“But will she?” Jacob asked, a hint of arrogance in his voice. “She just lost her parents. She has some friends at school, that’s true. But I have no doubt in the middle of this trauma, she’ll drop out of school. She’ll isolate herself from everyone else, and I’ll help to isolate her. It’ll be me that nurtures her, me that cares for her, me that is with her every minute. She is going to become insanely dependent on me, I know it. And I'm ready for it. I'm going to have more control over her than I ever did before.”
Robert didn’t look happy, but he didn’t make a move to punch or kick him again.
“Do you know I want to kill you right now?” Robert asked. “Do you realize that?”
“Yes…” Jacob said nervously. You could tell, the thought that he might die that night popped into his head for the very first time.
“And I would kill you. I would. If I could throw you away, I’d do it in a heartbeat and I wouldn't regret it. Never before have I dealt with such insolence. But luckily for you, I can’t kill you. Because as stupid as you are, you’re right. She will be more dependent on you than ever now. You are, to my great dismay, a huge key in keeping her around and keeping her safe. She's my only source of magic now, thanks to your idiocy, and I have to protect her as much as possible. I can't bring in another man to play your role now, she would never trust another man. She likely won’t trust anyone else ever again. I have to use somebody who is already in her life—someone who she already trusts—and that’s you.”
Jacob’s eyes widened in clear relief. “Th-thank you, Your Highness. Thank you. You have no idea what this means to me. I promise, I’ll never let you down."
“That’s the problem though, isn’t it?” Robert asked. “You already have let me down.” Robert took his cane, the one that he had used on me to utilize my magic, and put it to Jacob’s throat, who was still laid out on the ground. “But I swear, Jacob, if you disappoint me again, I will end you. If anything you did costs me the girl, I’ll end you. Do not let her out of your sight. Do not let her slip through your fingers. If you do, it will be the last of you.”
“Y-yes, of course. Of course.”
Robert looked at him with a stare that said ‘it’s taking everything in my power not to strangle you.’
“Go,” Robert told him. “Go back to her now. Be a damn good boyfriend to her. How you act now is vital to the future.”
“Yes, of course. I’ll go right now.” Jacob stumbled up off the ground, clearly still reeling from the beating Robert had given him.
“It’s weird,” I told my mom as he scurried past us and out the door. “I don’t remember him having a black eye or anything. Although I guess the weeks after your death were pretty fuzzy.”
“I imagine he would have covered it with makeup. It wouldn’t have helped to have you asking questions.”
As soon as Jacob left, one of the men I did not recognize turned to Robert.
“What if the police discover what he did? He may have been sloppy. If she finds out he’s a suspect—”
“I’ve taken care of that, Taylor. I’ve already redirected the police away from Jacob.”
“With magic?” the man who was apparently named Taylor asked.
“Of course with magic!” Robert snapped. “Why am I surrounded by such incompetence?”
“I’m so sorry.” Taylor flinched.
Robert stormed out the door, and the rest of the men looked at each other nervously before deciding to follow him.
“I don’t get it,” I told my mom. “Robert said he would end him if he ever fucked things up with me. But he did fuck things up. I left him. Why did Robert let him live?”
My mom smiled. “See, you’re learning! You’re asking the right questions now.”
“Do you know the answer?” I asked her.
“No, I don’t. Because I’ve never asked the question. That's what’s so vital to your training. You have to ask questions that lead to other answers. And the next time you dream, it’s going to be you that guides us,” she said confidently.
“What?” I laughed. “Uh, I don't think so. I’m not capable of that! I have no idea how to lead us into a dream.”
My mom smiled at me. “Okay. When you go to bed tonight, you need to think of this scene. You need to focus on Robert, on Jacob, and on your question. Why didn’t Robert kill Jacob? What could he have been thinking? What would drive Robert to allow Jacob to stay? You focus on that until you fall asleep, and I guarantee you’ll guide us there. I’m going to follow your lead. I won’t be taking us anywhere tonight. It'll all be you.”
It sounded simple enough. “Why didn’t you tell me to do this before?” I asked.
“You never asked the necessary questions… the questions that lead into other situations and other knowledge. That's why I’ve been harping on you so much to analyze. You're getting it now. I finally think you’ve got a question that’s going to lead us somewhere important. But it’s v
ital that these are your questions, your thoughts, your analysis. If I tell you, it won’t be enough. You have to be in control in order to control a dream.”
“Okay, well, I’ll do my best,” I assured her. I appreciated that she was so proud of me, so hopeful about my capabilities and what I would be able to do.
We were alone in the empty hospital room now. While this was actually incredibly interesting to see, I was grateful that we were by ourselves. This was the only time that my mother and I got to just chat.
“So, Rhyion’s teaching me about government,” I told her.
She smiled. “He is, huh?”
“Yeah. He said it’s just as important that I learn how to be a leader as it is that I become one. And he’s right, I have a lot of learning to do. It’s been incredibly interesting, too.”
“I'm sure it has been.” She gave me a cheeky smile.
“What's that supposed to mean?” I asked with a nervous laugh.
“Well, the more time you get to spend with Rhyion the better, right?” She shrugged.
“What? Why do you say that? I mean, yeah, I enjoy spending time with him, but—”
“The same way you enjoy spending time with Lio and Angelo?”
“Yeah, well… no…” I stumbled over my words. “It’s different with Lio and Angelo.”
“Is it?” she asked suspiciously.
“Yeah! Of course. I love Lio and Angelo. I mean, I love Rhyion too, but I’m in love with Angelo and Lio. It’s a different kind of love, it’s… it’s very different.”
“If you say so.” My mom shrugged.
“Mom, I'm serious!”
She raised an eyebrow. “Oh, I’m sure you are. But just because you’re serious doesn’t mean you’re right. I mean, there was a time you didn’t think you loved Angelo either. Look at you now.”
She was right about that. “Rhyion’s different, though. Rhyion has no interest in me—we’re just friends. He’s just a very important advisor to me. And I'm confident that’s all he ever wants to be.”
I wouldn’t deny that Rhyion was attractive. Of course he was. And in a way that was unique from Angelo and Lio.