by S. J. West
Hesitantly, Coltan accepts it but doesn’t open it to read what it says. He waits patiently for an explanation about what’s going on from Maximus first.
“A long time ago,” Maximus begins, “your mother and I had a brief relationship before she and your father were married.”
Coltan leans back against the couch as he lets what my godfather said sink in. For me, Maximus’s revelation finally solves the mystery of the woman who stole his heart and made him leave his own people to live a human life. Yet, I know Maximus quite well. He wouldn’t be telling Coltan such a well-kept secret without a reason.
“After your mother married Edward, we decided it would be best to end our relationship so your mother could concentrate on her work and building a family with your father,” Maximus continues. “The first time your father strayed from their marriage bed, Sela came to me, because despite the fact that her father forced her into a marriage with Edward, she began to love him. What he did broke her heart, and she needed solace from someone she knew loved her.” Maximus clears his throat, which is a sure sign that what he has to say next makes him extremely uncomfortable. “One thing led to another, and we resumed our relationship for a short time.”
“Wait,” Coltan says, holding up a hand as if to stop anything Maximus might want to say next. “Are you telling me that you and my mother had an affair?”
“A short one.” Maximus doesn’t shy away from the truth. “It didn’t take us long to realize that what we were doing was wrong, and we both thought it would be better to end it and go back to the way things were.”
“Why are you telling me all of this?” Coltan asks with narrowed eyes. I feel sure he’s figured out the reason behind Maximus’s synopsis of his life with Coltan’s mother. I certainly have, but I wait for my godfather to confirm it.
“I’m telling you this because your mother wrote us both letters which were to be sent to me in the event of her death,” Maximus says. “She wanted us to know the truth so neither of us would feel alone.”
Coltan leans forward in his seat. “What truth?”
Maximus studies Coltan’s inquisitive face in silence for a few moments.
“I’m your biological father,” he finally says. “I don’t believe your mother expected you to take my word about that, so she sent both of us letters to explain it.”
Now I understand what Sela Prince said to me at her funeral. She told me that she had left information with Coltan’s father that he should know and that Coltan would need to lean on my strength after he heard it. At the time, I assumed she was talking about Edward. It never even occurred to me that Maximus is actually Coltan’s father. Is that why Anwen has always felt comfortable around him, and why she says he smells sweet to her? I simply took it as her being in tune with Coltan’s personality, but maybe she was really sensing the fae part of him.
Coltan unfolds the letter in his hands and reads what his mother wrote to him before her illness placed her in a coma. It must be a short letter, because a few seconds later, Coltan refolds it and holds it between his hands.
“Earlier when you were speaking to Gus, you told him that you knew most of what was in the letter my mother sent you before reading it and that you had guessed it a few years back,” Coltan says slowly. “If she didn’t tell you I am your son, how did you figure it out?”
“It was right after you and Cin first met,” Maximus says.
“What does that have to do with this?” I ask, not expecting my name to be brought up in this conversation.
“When you told me about the way you felt toward Coltan, I knew that he had inherited at least one trait from me.” Maximus pauses, but I don’t believe it’s for dramatic effect. “Some would even call it a curse.”
“A curse?” Coltan asks, baffled by Maximus’s words. “How can a curse be inherited?”
“If the magic is powerful enough, anything can happen,” my godfather answers. “A long time ago, when the world was new and things were still being discovered, the fae ventured into the sea and encountered the merfolk for the first time. We befriended them, and our people grew close to one another, but there was one mermaid who detested her people becoming friends with mine.” Maximus looks over at me and says, “Darcy wasn’t the first one to discover that eating the heart of a magical creature would bestow powers on her.”
“Are you saying that this mermaid did the same thing to the fae who befriended her people?” I ask as my heart sinks at merely the thought of such a thing.
“Yes,” he answers. “She figured it out and is known today as the sea witch.”
“The same one who cursed Ari?” I ask.
“There’s only one sea witch,” he tells me. “And now you know how she became so powerful. After she harvested all of the fae hearts she could get her hands on, she cast a spell on my people to make it impossible for them to fall in love.”
“Is this the curse you mentioned?” Coltan asks.
Maximus looks down at the floor. “Yes.”
“That doesn’t make sense to me,” Coltan replies, briefly glancing my way before returning his attention to Maximus.
“That’s because I’ve only told you half the story,” my godfather replies. “After the sea witch cursed my people, they immediately began to search for a way to counteract it. Without having the ability to fall in love, the fae population dwindled because no one was having babies. It soon became clear that this was what the sea witch had intended all along, but a very clever fae figured out how to counteract her spell enough to make it possible for us to fall in love with one person within our lifetime. She also made it possible for us to recognize that person when we touch them.”
Involuntarily, I clasp my hands over my mouth because the connection between Coltan and me finally has an explanation.
“When your mother announced her pregnancy with you,” Maximus continues, “I wondered if you were my child and not Edward’s, but I never asked her. I figured if she wanted me to know the truth, she would tell me in her own good time. Then when Cin described how she felt about you after your first encounter with her in the library, I knew you had to be my son, but it was clear your mother wasn’t ready for me to know. I chose to keep my distance and help you as much as I could. That’s when I started recruiting people to work inside your home and keep tabs on you for me.”
“You’ve been spying on me all these years?” Coltan asks. His face shows how weirded out he is by such a possibility, and I can’t say I blame him.
“I wouldn’t call it spying,” Maximus says in his own defense. “I simply wanted to make sure you didn’t want for anything that I could provide. I also knew that you would need my help forgetting Cin until you reached an age when you could handle such intense feelings for her. One of the people who worked for me made sure you drank a potion I created to counteract the effect of the spell, at least for a time. Now that the two of you are together, I suppose you feel that connection once again.”
Coltan instantly nods his head, but I don’t. I need more answers first.
“So this spell or curse or whatever you want to call it, is it only supposed to alert the fae to the person they are meant to fall in love with?” I ask.
“If you’re asking me why you feel the connection too, I do have a theory about that, but I’m not sure you’re ready to hear it.”
A jolt of anger courses through my body after hearing his words because I have a feeling I know what he’s referring to.
“Are you talking about the fact that my mother was an angel?” I ask him a little more brusquely than I intended to.
Maximus’s slack-jawed expression answers my question without him having to say anything.
“Who told you that?” he asks me.
“A lot has happened since the supernova,” I say. “Do you remember that happening?”
Maximus looks out over the city and the reconstruction still happening. “Yes. I remember my car being flipped over by its force. I think it shielded me from the brunt of the
blast.”
“The dark mage, Suri, that you were keeping locked up in the basement of the asylum was released from her cell by it,” I tell him.
“I feared that might happen,” he tells me. “That’s why I was rushing over there, so I could have Darcy moved to a safer location. Where is Suri now? What has she done since her escape?”
“You might want to sit down,” I tell him. “It’s a long story.”
Coltan walks over to the chair by the hospital bed and picks it up. He carries it over to Maximus and sets it down beside him. Once my godfather is settled in his new seat, I tell him everything I’ve learned since he’s been in a coma. After my story is finished, I ask the one question that’s been plaguing me.
“Did my mother try to kill me?” I ask him.
Maximus has taken everything I told him in stride until now. He briefly closes his eyes as if the question I asked him is the one that he’s been dreading for quite some time.
“Yes,” he tells me, even though I can see how much it pains him to do so.
“Did you kill her to stop her?” I ask.
Maximus opens his eyes like I just shot him in the heart.
“Did Suri tell you that?” he asks.
“Yes,” I reply. “Is it true?”
“I did what I had to in order to stop her, Cin,” he tells me. “I hope you can forgive me for that because your father never did.”
Having Maximus confirm what my mother tried to do breaks the last string of hope I had that Suri told me a lie. How could the woman who gave me life try to end it? As warm tears slide over my cheeks, I wipe them away impatiently because the truth isn’t something I should be crying about. What my mother did was something only a monster would do to her own child. Coltan lays a warm hand on my shoulder in an attempt to bring me succor, but I promptly stand up from the couch because the last thing I want is to have him pity me.
Maximus stands from his chair, and without even thinking about it, I walk up to him, wrap my arms around his waist, and lay my head on his chest.
“Thank you for saving me,” I say as tears continue to spill from my eyes as my heart breaks.
Maximus wraps his arms around my shoulders and whispers, “There isn’t anything in this world that I wouldn’t do for you, Cin.”
I only wish he could say the same thing about my father. Oliver d’Rella never forgave Maximus for killing my mother in order to save my life and that fact troubles me more than I want to admit right now. How could the man I’ve idolized since I was a child hold a grudge against Maximus for preventing my death? The truth strikes a mighty blow to the shining armor I always thought my father wore when it came to me.
I release my hold on Maximus and wipe away my fresh tears as I look between the two men in the room. Both of them appear worried for me, and I wish I could change their expressions, but in all honesty, I’m having a hard enough time holding myself together.
“I need a moment alone,” I tell them as I feel a desperate urge to find a quiet place to let everything that’s been said sink in.
“Take all the time you need,” Maximus says understandingly.
“I’ll stay here and wait for you to return,” Coltan tells me.
“Thanks,” I tell them both, feeling somewhat guilty for leaving them like this. I understand they only want to help me, but I feel like I’m suffocating in pity. I’m not used to people feeling sorry for me, and I’m definitely not used to feeling sorry for myself.
I walk out of the room only to be met by Gus, Marlene, and Thorn Grace. I don’t want to get involved in a conversation about what happened with them, so I give the trio a half truth.
“I need to go outside for some fresh air,” I tell them as I push the button for the elevator.
“Do you want some company?” Gus offers. He obviously senses the despair in my mood.
I shake my head as the elevator doors open and I step in.
“No, I’ll be back in a minute,” I tell them as I reach over and push the button for the lobby on the control panel. Thankfully, the door closes, and I’m finally left alone to sort through my thoughts. Once I reach the bottom floor of the hospital, I realize I have no idea where it is I’m going.
I step out into the corridor and look both ways. I spot an exit at one end leading out to the hospital’s inner courtyard, and I walk in that direction since getting some fresh air sounds like as good a plan as any. When I walk out the door, the fragrant scent of the flowers soothes my mind and soul. By now, the world has revolved around our sun enough for night to have found our corner of Faloria. Thankfully, the area is devoid of people at this hour, which works out perfectly for me. I have no interest in making chitchat with anyone or saying polite hellos to strangers. I want to be left alone with my thoughts and not have to worry about someone else’s too. I need time to adjust to the new reality of my life, and the only way I can do that is by accepting what I’ve learned about not only my mother, but also my father. I take a seat on the bench in the center of the courtyard underneath a maple tree and allow my thoughts to run their natural course.
As a child, I thought the sun rose and set for the only person I had in my life. My dad always kept me by his side, but now I wonder if he did that to protect me or to protect others from me. Did he agree with my mother that I was something that should have never been born? Was he afraid I would hurt someone because of what I am? Or did he actually love me as much as I thought he did? It seems like every time I learn something new, more questions arise from the newfound knowledge.
After a while, I realize how selfish I’m being because I’m not the only one going through a lot right now. Coltan just learned that Maximus is his biological father and that he’s half fae. I’m not sure what that means to him, but I’m finding it a little odd that the man who has been more of a father to me during my life than my real one is, in fact, Coltan’s dad. That discovery also worries me because I’m not sure what Edward Prince will do when he finds out. Will he feel relieved that the son who chose to defect to our side of this fight isn’t connected to him by blood? Or will he view it as a betrayal by not only Coltan, but also Sela Prince?
It seems like both of our lives are in turmoil and neither of us have any control over them. One thing becomes crystal clear to me though. Coltan’s mother was right. Her son and I do need to lean on one another because only together will we find the strength to make it through all of this. I stand from the bench to return to Coltan’s side, but just as I step forward, something heavy slams into the back of my skull, sending my world into darkness.
The cawing of seagulls pierces the fog my mind is trapped in, urging me to awaken. I hear the sound of waves crashing onto shore. When I open my eyes, I immediately raise a hand to shield them from the glare of a midday sun. I sit up and see that I’m on a caramel-colored beach facing a turbulent, blue-green ocean. I look to my left and only see more shoreline, which doesn’t help me out at all. When I look to my right, fear strangles my throat like a physical hand because what I’ve spotted tells me exactly where I am and the mortal danger that I’m in. Standing tall on a point of the island is a black-and-white-striped lighthouse. There’s only one place that has such a structure built on it: Sparrow Island.
I scramble to my feet and look behind me to make sure no one is there. If the prisoners trapped on this island see me, it won’t take them long to figure out I don’t belong here. It’ll take them even less time to figure out I’m a Thorn, since I’m still wearing my jacket. I dart toward the wooded area in front of me to get myself out of the open. Once I’m there, I pull off my jacket because it would act more like a bull’s-eye than protection in this prison colony. I roll it up tightly and spot a large hollow tree trunk laying along the ground a couple of yards away. I use the trunk as a seat for a moment so I can take inventory of what I have to defend myself with. I check my boots first and search for my daggers, but they aren’t there anymore. It was wishful thinking on my part anyways. Whoever brought me here probably took an
ything I had that might be useful to me. I try to remember what happened, but my last memory is being knocked unconscious by an unseen force while I was sitting in the hospital’s courtyard.
Who knocked me out and brought me here? The reason they did is evident. The only way to leave Sparrow Island is by dying, but who would want to kill me? Did Suri somehow make it back to Briardale and trap me here? She does want me dead, but why not kill me when she had me at her mercy? That line of logic tends to rule her involvement in my abduction out. Who else would like nothing more than to see me dead? Vivian? Perhaps she learned about Darcy’s death and blames me for it. I’m quite aware how vindictive she can be and can picture her involvement in this quite clearly.
Other than who brought me here, the next most important question is: how will I get off an island that’s built to keep people stranded on it? As I survey the forest I’m in, I know I’ll need to find a way to survive until one of my friends notices that I’m missing and by some miracle discovers where I am. Until they rescue me, I have to figure out a way to defend myself from the lawless inhabitants of this island.
I look out toward the stormy sea and listen to the rhythmic sounds of the waves as they crash against the shore. Normally, the sights and sounds of the ocean would be soothing, but they end up having the opposite effect. Never in my life have I felt so scared, confused, and utterly on my own.
To be Continued…
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Thank you so much for reading Cin D’Rella and the Golden Apple, book 2 in The Circle of the Rose Chronicles. If you have enjoyed this book, please take a moment to leave a review.
Please visit: Cin D’Rella and the Golden Apple