Chapter Forty-Four

King Elros:

“Perfect father, perfect king, perfect everything.” Nambra spat in hatred as she paced in front of me. “You did such a terrific job in raising Iris that she didn’t even want to know me, her mother. I had to bring her back somehow, I needed her for this purpose. I specifically went after one of the council members to father her because of my vision. She had to be on faery for it to work.”

I froze, trying to comprehend what Nambra was saying. “Iris… is no mistake?”

Nambra snorted. “Even if I had told you that she was a mistake, you should have believed something else, for goodness’ sake, I am the queen of the light fae, you think that I would allow a child I did not want to be born to even conceive. I did not bear the ridicule and gossips for a mistake.”

“But you clearly said she was a mistake, faes don’t lie.”

“I said she was a mistake, I never said to who.” Nambra explained as I started pacing within the small space that the crystal could allow. “She was a mistake to you, you never planned on having a child when you came to my bed, but you got one anyways. And I got what I wanted. A powerful daughter, one with a strong enough bloodline that nourished her body for seventeen years, a bloodline that would be able to withstand the cleansing which I have planned for this world.”

“Iris is smarter than that, even if you hold me hostage, she will not let you use her…”

“I don’t plan on touching her powers as the darkest witch ever, that was just an extra bonus, all I needed was her bloodline and body, not her soul. And that is why the being who is going to be in control of Iris is already flexing his cage, he would soon be able to break out completely, then Iris will seize to exist, and I get to control the being inside of her.”

My mind races as I tried to think about what Nambra was not saying, she kept on mentioning the word ‘being’ as if she did not want to be the one to say what the being really was.

“Come on Elros, you are a smart man…” I jerked back to the present to see her close to me with her eyes looking diluted like she was on a drug, and she was moving unnatural.

I looked at her face to her movements, she was moving like she was facing the consequences of touching something which she should not have. She was not pretending to be something which she was not. That means she has been pretending for decades, trying to act normal. The only thing that has that long standing effect is if she dabbled in trying to free…

I scrambled away from her as I pressed into the other side of the barrier, trying to put as much space as possible between us. If she really did drabble in demonology then I wanted no part of being close to her.

“Demon… you place a demon in the body of our seventeen years old daughter?” I yelled.

She pushed aback, pouting. “I am disappointed that you seem to be full of disbelief, think about it, I should be capable of doing something like this in your eyes.”

Now that she mentioned it, I could totally see it. “You really are power hungry…”

“I am not, I am trying to clean this world, the population is too much, the land is dying, Faery and earth are dying. I would restore them back to their health stage, I would be the exalted and be the queen over all. Light fae would be the dominant race.”

“You are not trying to save the world; you are just being a delusional power-hungry bitch on a power trip that is too long. I can’t wait for others to hear your plans; they would drop you down so hard that you would not believe your eyes.” I chuckled. Sure, demons were bad news but that was because they tend to move in packs and Iris could only be strong for one demon possession. And the council and other top bodies take down rogue demons one at a time. This was just a threat from one. They would even save Iris life too. I had no cause for worry.

That was until I looked at Nambra. “What else do you have planned, that cannot be it, a demon will easily be defeated even if they are bad news.

“The demon inside of Iris is a seventh circle demon and the leader of his pack.” Nambra said as my stomach dropped. “During her blackouts, the demon has been taking over to crest its runes around ATI, runes for summoning its pack. They would be loyal to their leader, and he would in turn be loyal to me.”

“You are dooming your daughter…” I started, feeling desperate right now. If the demon does raise his pack, Iris is doomed. The demon would have enough hold on her to never let go.

“Yes I know what I am doing. Knowing that she would be wanted dead for summoning a pack through a portal… that will be enough for her to be broken. That will keep her with me forever and you want to know something Elros. She is one bad news away from letting go of the control which Finn has been training her to lower since. She would never be able to grasp it ever again.”

“No, please Nambra, that’s our daughter.” I begged the woman standing in front of me.

“Perfect king, perfect father, you will be on more perfect for me. Perfect news to push our daughter off the ledge.” With those words she laughed then walked out as the courtyard changed, instead it looked like a prison room where I am trapped in the center.

Illusion trick—Nambra has always been a master at it. I am so screwed.

**********************************

Iris:

People looked at me as I passed, when will I ever be old news in this school? My life has been a roller coaster since I arrived, and I cannot wait until I graduate so I can finally have some of that quiet.

“Iris!” Finn yelled as she rushed towards me.

“Hello…” I started to say only to have the breathe knocked out of me as Finn hugged me tightly.

“What is going on?” I asked, as Finn yanked my head out of his shirt, looked at me face then crushed me to his chest again.

“Let go of me you big oaf.” I pounded his chest, and he quickly did.

“Sorry, I am just glad to see that you are okay, and the news is not affecting you that much, I don’t know how but I am just glad that it isn’t.”

“What news?” I asked.

Finn frowned. “Wait you haven’t heard?”

“Heard what?” I repeated, tensed. Of course, just as usual, everybody knew what was happening in my life before me.

“Your father is missing, Iris. He is presumed dead.” And for the second time in five minutes, I felt the breath knocked out of me.