Free Elam by Kathi S. Barton Page B
Authors: Kathi S. Barton
men like these. They’re immortal. They have to have their heads removed to be killed.”
“Most of the time, yes. But I was wearing the blue rose.... Let me start at the first. King Anthony was upset that night. I think he was stressed out. I know that his lady wife had just given birth that morning, and perhaps he was a little on edge. When he spoke to me, he told me that he had a favor for me to do. And I, of course, wanted answers before I would agree and.... Well, you understand.”
“Yes. I think I do. He was in a hurry as well, I would bet. It’s my understanding, from the timeline you have mentioned that they were close to being murdered. And they knew it.” Ariannona said it was three days later that the castle came down. “And this favor, it was to come and give this whatever to Casdon, and they set you up as his and Elam’s mate.”
“The mate part I wasn’t aware of. I’m pretty sure they might have, but they didn’t tell me anything about it. More than likely because they thought I’d not do as they asked. But when they touched me, the two of them at the same time, I got a little more than they meant to give me, I think. Not only did I know where the children were, but I knew that Sally and Jacob would have six sons, and that Jacob would be brought from his entombment to be with his boys. Sally is there too…I’m not sure how, but she’s dimmer in my thoughts about them, like maybe they weren’t quite sure what part she played later in their lives. I’m not sure how, but I knew it.” Essie asked if Sally was going to be freed from the grave. “I don’t know for sure.”
“Okay, they gave you magic, and a great deal of it.” Ariannona said that they’d not given her all of it, but she’d grown into some of it as well. “Much like Caroline did, with age and experience grows more magic.”
“Yes. That’s it. But unlike Caroline, I’m not either white or black, so I wasn’t able to take from the ones that I killed. And I did have to kill a great many witches to survive.” Ariannona had no idea why, but she’d expected Essie to be horrified at what she’d said. But instead, she asked her to go on, like it had not been that big of a revelation. “The blue rose. It was the only colored flower that I wanted to feel on my person. The royal chambers where we were that night were of the richest blues and purples. That might have been the reason. Really after all this time, I’m not sure anymore.”
“And you’re telling me that this flower is the thing that felled these two men.” Ariannona nodded, then shook her head. “Yes, that is very helpful.”
“After I left the castle that night, I ran into Helena. She was evil, even then, but there was something about her that made me more than fearful. It made my skin crawl. When she saw me coming from the castle keep that night, she asked me what I had been doing there. I told her, stupidly, I now see, that it was none of her business. She hit me, with a cane that she sometimes used when she was trying to make people see things her way. And with the power of the king and queen still buzzing along my skin, I wanted to kill her. My anger was so strong that it was everything I could do not to use my newfound power and end her miserable life. But I’d been told, several times, not to interfere. And I had a feeling that something she was doing or about to do would be why I was asked to come to see them.” Ariannona looked at the two men, then back out the window. She’d caused this, the men in her life to be so ill. “The flower was...I would guess you’d think it was vanity on my part. They had changed me, you see. Given me a great deal, but I knew even then that they’d taken as well. And when she saw it, the only color on my body, she....”
She remembered it like it had only just happened. That she’d been hurt not just by her cane, but by her magic as well. But she’d done nothing. Held onto her temper because she had an idea
“Most of the time, yes. But I was wearing the blue rose.... Let me start at the first. King Anthony was upset that night. I think he was stressed out. I know that his lady wife had just given birth that morning, and perhaps he was a little on edge. When he spoke to me, he told me that he had a favor for me to do. And I, of course, wanted answers before I would agree and.... Well, you understand.”
“Yes. I think I do. He was in a hurry as well, I would bet. It’s my understanding, from the timeline you have mentioned that they were close to being murdered. And they knew it.” Ariannona said it was three days later that the castle came down. “And this favor, it was to come and give this whatever to Casdon, and they set you up as his and Elam’s mate.”
“The mate part I wasn’t aware of. I’m pretty sure they might have, but they didn’t tell me anything about it. More than likely because they thought I’d not do as they asked. But when they touched me, the two of them at the same time, I got a little more than they meant to give me, I think. Not only did I know where the children were, but I knew that Sally and Jacob would have six sons, and that Jacob would be brought from his entombment to be with his boys. Sally is there too…I’m not sure how, but she’s dimmer in my thoughts about them, like maybe they weren’t quite sure what part she played later in their lives. I’m not sure how, but I knew it.” Essie asked if Sally was going to be freed from the grave. “I don’t know for sure.”
“Okay, they gave you magic, and a great deal of it.” Ariannona said that they’d not given her all of it, but she’d grown into some of it as well. “Much like Caroline did, with age and experience grows more magic.”
“Yes. That’s it. But unlike Caroline, I’m not either white or black, so I wasn’t able to take from the ones that I killed. And I did have to kill a great many witches to survive.” Ariannona had no idea why, but she’d expected Essie to be horrified at what she’d said. But instead, she asked her to go on, like it had not been that big of a revelation. “The blue rose. It was the only colored flower that I wanted to feel on my person. The royal chambers where we were that night were of the richest blues and purples. That might have been the reason. Really after all this time, I’m not sure anymore.”
“And you’re telling me that this flower is the thing that felled these two men.” Ariannona nodded, then shook her head. “Yes, that is very helpful.”
“After I left the castle that night, I ran into Helena. She was evil, even then, but there was something about her that made me more than fearful. It made my skin crawl. When she saw me coming from the castle keep that night, she asked me what I had been doing there. I told her, stupidly, I now see, that it was none of her business. She hit me, with a cane that she sometimes used when she was trying to make people see things her way. And with the power of the king and queen still buzzing along my skin, I wanted to kill her. My anger was so strong that it was everything I could do not to use my newfound power and end her miserable life. But I’d been told, several times, not to interfere. And I had a feeling that something she was doing or about to do would be why I was asked to come to see them.” Ariannona looked at the two men, then back out the window. She’d caused this, the men in her life to be so ill. “The flower was...I would guess you’d think it was vanity on my part. They had changed me, you see. Given me a great deal, but I knew even then that they’d taken as well. And when she saw it, the only color on my body, she....”
She remembered it like it had only just happened. That she’d been hurt not just by her cane, but by her magic as well. But she’d done nothing. Held onto her temper because she had an idea