Seize the Day

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

I sighed, gazing at the rolling hills of blue. Lannie sat beside me, content to make strange figures out of the sand. Sunlight glittered in the waves of the ocean as a fresh smell of saltwater drifted toward us, making me smile. Today was such a beautiful day. It was a pity that it had to be ruined by one grievous error.

I had made the mistake of teaching Clarice, the eleven-year-old daughter of the duchess, how to ride a water horse. She had been so enthusiastic when I introduced her to Alvira. That mare could put up a fuss at times, but I did not regret teaching Clarice to ride her.

If only I had been more careful… I should have known Clarice would take Alvira out when I was distracted. She was angry with the prince for hurting her that day, so she took it upon herself to do something forbidden. That carelessness of mine led to the incident with the assassin. Clarice barely escaped unharmed—it was a miracle the arrow missed her. I suspected the assassin wasn’t shooting to kill; he was shooting to disable. To kidnap.

And to think he confused her with Titus… Though now I knew why the assassin would want to kidnap the young prince—and it wasn’t just because he was the heir to Aria’s throne. When he scratched Clarice, I thought Titus was different, but not this different. There was something more to him, something deeper than anyone could imagine. I knew the truth about the prince now. He was royal on both sides.

“Something wrong, Mother?” Lannie asked, pausing from her creations in the sand. The girl was only twelve, but she was so perceptive. Strange, too.

“Not at all, Lannie. Not at all.” I stroked the sand beneath my white dress. Nigel was at work now in the city square, entertaining the hordes of people that came for pleasure. He didn’t know that I had been fired from the castle today. After the assassin incident, Odelia threw a fit when she discovered Clarice’s secret riding lessons and demanded that I be stripped of my job. Philippa had no choice. I didn’t blame her for what she was forced to do.

I fingered the flower pendant attached to my blouse. I would give it to Philippa when I turned in my official resignation form tomorrow. I couldn’t bear to have it anymore—it was something magical. Something I wanted no part of. Even if it could protect Lannie one day, there was a strange aura about this piece of jewelry. If I passed on because of this curse, Philippa would give it to Lannie when she was older. Until then, I had no intention of revealing its purpose to her. It held memories, but that wasn’t all. Mayra hid many things from me; I was sure it did much more than hold memories.

Mayra…

That witch visited me again today. She continually asked for information on how the prince was doing, much to my confusion. I faithfully answered her questions, but she still harped on me about my curse, telling me that it wasn’t a curse. But I knew better than to think that. As a Harbinger, there was some sort of creature I was linked to, she said. Or rather, a being of a sort. Mayra chastised me for calling it a creature. It was neither human nor magical creature.

But it didn’t matter because I didn’t care. I did not have an obligation to save this world. I had an obligation to raise and protect my daughter from this curse. I would not have her be resigned to a fate she had no choice in choosing. If I had to extract myself from this world in order to destroy this curse, I would. What Mayra kept telling me… I would have no part in it.

Today, Mayra told me something that chilled my bones. I had been angry at the time—having just been fired from a job I dedicated eight years to—and I probably yelled at her more than she deserved. I felt guilty, but that guilt was nothing compared to the feeling that overcame me when she spoke to me today. My memory flitted back to that time in the square.