Chapter 07- Prisioner

— Rowen — Soren's low voice sounded like a threat.

— King Soren. — The blond man, now known to me as Rowen, turns to face the king and bows.

But I can't handle Rowen's insinuations the way I handle Soren.

— I didn't do it. — My voice unexpectedly firm. — I'm not seducing the King of Eldoria. I've been in Eldoria for only fifteen days, seven of which I spent unconscious. I've seen the King only twice. I haven't done anything wrong!

But they know. I know they all know what happened between Soren and me.

Rowen approaches once again.

— You are a chimera, miss. Is there any mermaid blood in you? They are known for their seductive abilities.

— I can't say, Mr. Rowen. I don't know my origins. I was stolen from my family and don't know who I am.

— It's a great story, isn't it? — Rowen mocks. — An adult chimera with great abilities and conveniently attractive, with no past and in the company of a wanted criminal. And who seeks refuge in the king's protection.

— When did I ask for protection? Weren't you the ones who came to me? Weren't you the ones who brought me here? I didn't even know this place existed. You tell me I'm powerful and that I have a great future. I don't even know why!

I realize that in the heat of emotion, I have stood up and am facing Rowen closely. He looks at me with a surprised expression.

Twyla appears by my side and makes me sit. Rowen steps back. The phoenix sorceress stands in front of Soren.

— King, I believe Thalassa and Yvonne were indeed prisoners of Malachai. I see no evidence to treat them as criminals. — Twyla argues.

— I disagree. We know nothing about them. As far as we know, they are the daughters of a man who committed heinous crimes, who betrayed the magical society. We don't know their intentions. — Rowen counters.

— Rudolph? — Soren questions the lycanthrope.

Rudolph stands up and stands next to the other two.

— It's too early, my lord. We need to investigate the matter and put their version, Malachai's, and the prophecy to the test.

Prophecy?

— Draven? — Soren calls, and the warrior also stands in front of the King.

— I agree with Twyla. I think Thalassa and Yvonne are telling the truth. They fled from Malachai when we arrived at their house.

— From Malachai or from you? — Rowen resumed his venomous tone. — My advice is to keep them as prisoners, Lord King. Away from this palace, for the king's safety.

Son of a...

Soren seems to reflect for some time.

— Thalassa and Yvonne will continue to receive magical education under Twyla's supervision while investigations continue. — Soren determines. — Draven must provide a security plan to keep them safe and contained, always within the palace limits, from where they should not leave under any circumstances.

My jaw drops as I see Soren turn me into a prisoner in his castle.

---

After that, my routine became heavy. Every day I wake up before sunrise for my classes. I hardly saw Twyla, Draven, or Yvonne anymore. I was introduced to various teachers sent by Twyla, who teach me fascinating things about plants and animals, types of magical people, potion-making, and learning the history and territory of Eldoria. Ironically, even though I live in Eldoria, I haven't seen an inch of the country beyond the castle.

In fact, they don't even allow me to explore the castle. I am accompanied by guards and a tutor every step I take outside my room. And I can never decide where to go.

After two months, my reading has improved, and I can make some notes about what I learn. I have devoted myself entirely to learning.

I haven't seen Soren even once. Many nights I cried thinking about him. Sometimes I dreamed of him, of that afternoon in the garden, before Twyla summoned the council. I don't know how I could become attached to someone I barely know.

Soren, on the other hand, seems to have forgotten my existence. Lumina and Veridian have become the closest people to me. They are the only ones I can spend some time with, and as I got to know them, I grew to like them a lot.

One day, Veridian let slip that Obsidian was one of Soren's lovers. That hurt. But it makes sense. After all, Soren is 35 years old and has no wife. It was expected that he would have some romances. But I can't stop thinking that while I'm living the lonely life of a prisoner he condemned me to, Soren sleeps with Obsidian every night.

I fight this thought once again as I walk with Sylavana, my tutor, and the guards who are my jailers. They are escorting me back to my room because Aria and Phyrus Aetherius, the alchemists who teach me about potions, canceled my afternoon classes. It seems they were urgently summoned to attend to the King.

Entering the room, I find Lumina and Veridian organizing and cleaning. I throw my bag of books on the bed and go to the window. I enjoy the gray afternoon. Winter is approaching, and I was told it will be severe. Eldoria has very cold winters and very hot summers. Only in autumn and spring is it balanced and pleasant.

Outside, it's windy, and dark, heavy clouds approach. This has happened every day this week, but the first rain of the season has not yet come. After some time, Veridian brings hot chocolate mugs for the three of us.

Lumina comes in with a tin of cat cookies. That's what I call the delicious cookies made by Mrs. Aprenttice, their mother. They are cat-shaped spice cookies. Since they found out I like them, they always have some in stock for our moments together. I grab a cinnamon and chocolate-striped 'cat' and dip it in the hot chocolate before taking a big bite.

I do this in part because I know Veridian disapproves of this kind of behavior. According to her, you should bite the cookie and then drink the chocolate. She watches me with a grimace, which always makes me laugh. Then she bites the cookie as if to show me how it's done. We laugh, but the laughter doesn't last long. In fact, Lumina and Veridian seem a bit awkward.

— What's wrong with you two? — I ask, putting my chocolate mug down and looking closely at them.

They exchange glances. Then Lumina decides to tell me.

— At lunchtime, we heard some gossip among the servants.

— We don't have many details. — Veridian warns.

— But we heard that King Soren was seriously injured.

I feel my body freeze. Soren seriously injured?

— But how? Where? — I ask desperately.

— We don't know. — They both respond in unison.

— I'm friends with one of the guards who brought him to the castle. — Lumina whispers. — He said the King suffered a magic backlash while trying to undo a spell. But don't tell anyone, or I'll be fired.

Magic backlash? I have no idea what that means, but I know who can tell me. I grab two pieces of parchment and a quill. I write two notes, one to Twyla and another to Draven. I just ask them to come see me because I need to talk to them. Lumina takes the notes to a messenger.

But it would still take many hours for either of them to respond. The afternoon passed, and night came, and Lumina and Veridian went to their rooms. At four in the morning, I'm startled by the door of my room being opened, and I see Twyla enter. I quickly get out of bed and go to her. But I don't know how to ask.

— You heard, didn't you? — She looks at me, and I realize how tired her face looks. — Don't worry. The news is good.

— Isn't he seriously injured?

— Yes, he is. But he will recover. Besides, he managed to break the spell he was trying to undo. — Twyla sits down and points to the water pitcher; I rush to fill a glass for her. — And that's great news for you.

For me?

— What do you mean, Twyla? — I hand her the water glass and sit in front of her.

— As you know, Malachai is imprisoned in Eldoria. But he refuses to say anything. We didn't know the extent of the use he made of his powers. In fact, we didn't even know if he used his powers. But since you started using your own magic, we started tracking it.

Track who? — I ask, trying to follow her reasoning.

— Your magic.

— And how do you do that?

— Not just anyone can do it. In fact, it took summoning the most powerful wizards in the kingdom, including all the councilors. — She explains patiently. — We spent weeks on this. We managed to find every magical action coming from you since you arrived here, including the most recent ones.

— But I didn't notice anything; shouldn't I have felt or something? — I feel invaded.

— Maybe because of your lack of experience or maybe because of the wizard who enchanted you, you couldn't perceive it.

— Who did this? — I still can't accept this.

— Soren, of course.