Chapter 11

A fter the tense dinner, we shuffled into the hardly used grand great hall. The space was like night and day from the intimate dining room. Gold ceilings with a strip of skylight that ran vertically from one end of the hall to the next. The light moss-colored room was illuminated with the golden light fixtures that lined the walls while the moonlight bounced off the transparent crystals of the massive chandelier that hung in the center of the room. If you stood at a certain angle, the light would blind you. Maybe if I got everyone in the perfect angle. I could escape being the prize attraction of this circus for tonight.

My hand flew up to cover my mouth, but it wasn’t enough to cover the giggle I let out. Kato, one of the African heirs, stopped mid-sentence as soon as the sound fell from my mouth. He was handsome with thick black coily curls, a purple Kitenge, and perfect dimples. He was the only heir that was close to my age, at twenty. The tanzanite in his ring glittered whenever he leaned into me—well, he was until I giggled. He pulled back and glanced at me like I was going mad, which may very well be the case because I couldn’t stop giggling. The sound started out muffled until I couldn’t suppress it any longer as it turned into a full out hysterical laugh. My mind felt detached from my body as my hand flew to my mouth to stifle it, but nothing worked. I could hear myself shout “Stop” over the demented sound, but I couldn’t fulfill the demand.

Someone’s firm hand grabbed me by my shoulder, pulling me into the far back corner of the hall. I knew it was my mother’s touch before her magic seeped into me like medicinal tea, warming me from the inside out. My magic clawed at hers, fighting against the turbulent surge of my slow descent. I couldn’t see my mother’s magic, but I could feel it fight off the diseased dark cloud of the curse. Protecting me like she always has ever since I was born.

“Kaydian!” My mother yelled. “I’m right here with you, my emerald moon. Come back to me.”

Like seeing for the first time, my mind reconnected with my beloved brain. The inky black fog that muddled my brain was gone. Kato, Del, and the two heirs I have yet to meet stood before me. Disgust and pity marred their handsome faces. Del bit her lip and took a step toward me, but thought better of it, stopping in her tracks. Her wet eyes bounced between the small group that gathered in the back of the room.

Finally, finding my lost voice, I replied, “Del, I’m alright. I promise.”

But was I really, though? My mother was next as she wrapped me in her vanilla embrace. I plunged my nose into her neck, wishing I could hide right there forever, but now she knew the secret I had worked diligently to hide since the beginning of the year. My time is most definitely winding down…maybe even shorter than I thought. With my luck, I would slip into the demented curse when I went to sleep tonight. Then I would truly be alone.

“Hey, it’s going to be alright. We’ll figure this out together. I have a stash of Cliff Fieldcress. We will find a solution.”

And how long will that last? I wanted to ask, but I was afraid the ball in my throat would burst through me if I parted my lips.

I could deal with the madness alone, but now I had to live with being my mother’s worst potential nightmare. She waited there patiently while I tried several times to swallow my sob.

“I’m okay, Mom…” I looked around the area. We were alone in the back of the great hall. Del mother summoned back to the serving room while the others escaped. Luckily, the dancing royals ignored our situation in the back of the room. Probably too drunk to notice my outburst. Pulling away from my mother, I noticed her eyes were rimmed red as she quickly dabbed at them with her handkerchief. She folded the large cloth and wiped my wet face with the dry side.

“Remember, chin up, and don’t let anyone see your crown slip.” My mother fixed the crown that was pinned in my hair. “Literally.”

She chuckled.

“Why don’t you go upstairs…”

“It’s okay, Mom.” I took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “It’s going to be okay. I’m going to mingle with others.”

My mother opened her mouth, but I turned on my heels and walked away. With each step, the clawing in my stomach increased as I held my arms stiffly by my side. I walked over to the drink table and downed the pink Fae wine. The bubbles slid down my throat, slowly burning a path down to my turbulent stomach, but it did nothing to settle the nerves as I thought it would.

Kato and the heirs were gathered by the tiered Youna fountain in the nook garden outside of the great hall. The smile plastered on my face should be fake enough to get me through the night. When I pushed through the double white glass doors, the heirs turned toward me. Their eyes shifted as they looked at each other. Nervous twitches replaced the smile they once had. I felt exposed, and I hated the thought they could see the flaws beneath my cracks.

“Are you okay?” Kato asked. His voice seemed different from before.

He couldn’t even look me in my eye as he stared over my shoulders. Kato took a huge step back when I tried to get close enough to speak to him without the others listening. I winced at the action, not out of embarrassment, but out of anger. My nails dug into my soft palms. My right eye twitched, which was never a good sign. No one spoke a word. They just stared at the loose cannon that is Kaydian Thibodeaux…the cursed psycho. My fisted hands trembled as I recited my mother’s chant in my head.

Never let them see your crown fall.

My heart slowed as the words became easier to form. A hand slipped into mine as I turned to look to see who would have the gall to touch me without my consent. Victoria stood next to me. Her manic smile back on her deeply frostbitten colored skin as she hummed along with the music. She swayed with her hands still intertwined with mine.

“It’s okay, Princess Kaydian.” Her eyes fluttered close as she inhaled deeply. “When you’re deep into your madness, then maybe we can be together. Imagine living in a world all of your own. It’s not bad after a while ‘cause you make friends with the shadows.”

The moment the words left her chapped lips. My hand ripped away from her rough one. I won’t become like her, curse be damned! With my head held high. Pivoting on my heels, I hightailed it out of the garden. Not one heir tried to stop me. My legs ached from the way I stomped on the concrete floors.

Once I was back in the hall, the band had died down the music to a slow tempo as the Royals thinned out and go their separate ways. Several of them tried their hardest to gain my attention, but all I wanted was a minute to myself…to think and clear my turbulent thoughts of murder…and desolation.

I spotted my mother and my father behind the closed doors in the dining room. My mother was infamous for being able to cut you with her sharp tongue without blinking an eye, but as I looked through the glass door, the thick vein in her slender throat protruded while her dark red lips were pulled into a deep frown. My father’s leg shook as he spoke to my mother. Too bad I couldn’t read lips because every two seconds, my mother’s small hand closed into a fist, and I didn’t have to be in the room to know that her magic probably was stifling my father. He stood there, with his mouth in a thin line, as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“Princess Kaydian,” Ms. Kincaid called, breaking my focus from the heated conversation. “I have been looking for you. I was showing the guest rooms to some of the Royals who were staying overnight in the castle. Would you like me to fix your bath and bed for you now?”

Ms. Kincaid had the worst timing.

“No, that’s fine, Ms. Kincaid. I will be fine for the night.”

The last thing I wanted was for Ms. Kincaid to see me shred my room to pieces to get rid of some of the unwanted emotions brewing inside of me. Her dark brown eyes were drowning in light red, and the bags under her eyes told me today had worn on her more than she would like to let on. We were witches, not machines after all. She nodded and shuffled off to the Royals, who stood by the refreshment table waiting for her to return.

When I turned back to the dining room doors, my parents were gone. Rubbing the thick knot in my neck, I proceeded back to the door. Every nerve in my body screamed for me to just run into my room and lock out everything until the heaviness in my shoulders was gone.

But I was lucky in bad luck even when I was trying to do the right thing.

Funneling through the dining room, some of the staff were busy cleaning the large room and putting the room back in its normal state. Dishes and decorations were flying through the room, causing me to yelp as one almost collided with my head. The staff all turned and ducked their heads as they muttered, “Sorry, Your Highness,” as they redirected their magic. Their words fell on deaf ears though, as I plowed through the room into the dimly lit hallway.

It was all too quiet in the hall except for the one light that flickered and hummed down the hall. Chewing on my bruised bottom lip, I turned to go up the stairs. My feet hit the first step before I heard the muffled sound of a sniffle coming from the office hallway. Without a second thought, my feet moved of their own accord as I rounded the corner.

My mother’s office door was slightly ajar, and as I inched closer. My mother’s shrill voice could be heard. This beat the time she yelled at me when I broke my leg from showing off my horse riding tricks.

Go back to your room, Kaydian. Haven’t you had enough for the night?

But like the old saying goes, “Curiosity is like a drug. Once you start, it’s hard to stop,” and I was nothing but filled with misplaced curiosity.

Through the slit in the doorway, I could see my mother and father were continuing their heated conversation from the dining room. I pressed my hand against my mouth as I witnessed my mother. Her small hand in a fist, her once slick hairstyle, was now out of her bun, face filled with tears as she paced the sitting area. My father stood with his crystal tumbler in his hand with a hard pressed line on his face. My mother’s magic was thick and angry in the air, causing my father to wipe away the beads of sweat that formed on his head. She could have killed him with her magic if he wasn’t her mate. This I was sure of.

This had nothing to do with me, and I would rather not have to think about another thing that would cause me to wear a fake smile for the next couple of weeks.

That was easier said than done as I peered closer into the room.

“K-Kaydian will be ready to rule,” my mother declared as she blew into the little handkerchief.

My father drained the last of his drink and exhaled. “You just said she was laughing like a maniac in front of everyone.”

“I never said maniac! I said she might have lost a bit of control,” she said as she collapsed onto her desk chair. She dragged her hands over her tearful face, leaving thick black lines of mascara to paint her face.

“It’s the same thing, Cel,” my father replied by calling my mother by his nickname for her.

“It’s NOT!” My mother jumped up and marched over to my father. Her finger poked into his hard chest.

“It is!” My father spat back. “You’re just too blinded by love to see the truth. The faster you see reason, the quicker we can find a solution.”

My mother sobbed and turned her back on him. He placed a hand on my mother’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. I was too tired to cry anymore as my body lay limp against the wall next to the door. Many in the coven had most likely given up on me. Casting me aside as if I was an outcast witch, but to hear my father speak as if I were already lost to the curse was more than disheartening. It was as if someone had opened up my veins and poured cold water inside of them. My hand covered my mouth as I whimpered like a child behind them.

“She’ll be a great queen…she just needs more time to?—”

“You and I know that time is of the essence and although we can control lots of things. Time isn’t one of them. Plus, the people will never follow someone who is demented…no matter how many lessons we give her. I love our daughter with all of my heart, but it’s time to face the fact that the goddess has chosen for her to be alone. She’s a hopeless cause,” my father said as he rubbed his jaw. “Let’s state the facts, Cel. She will be mateless and follow the same path as your great-grandaunt. What can we do, Cel? She’s already gone.”

My father shrugged nonchalantly, as if he were speaking about the weather, leaning against my mother’s desk.

“I know what you want,” my mother’s voice dripped with disgust. Her upper lip curled over her teeth. “You just want that bastard to sit on the throne.”

Who is the bastard?

My father paused before saying, “Do we have a better option? She is our safer option to guarantee that my…your legacy lives on. Can you imagine if Kaydian took the throne? It would be worse than Angela. It’s a pity but Youna has made her choice. Our daughter is cursed to walk this earth alone and mad.”

Without warning, my mother summoned her magic, sending the metal vase she loved flying toward my father’s head. He ducked just before it could connect with him. They bickered again. I couldn’t hear anything over my father’s words. My breathing quickened, and my mind no longer wanted to be in my own shoes—or here in the castle anymore.

My face felt scorched, and I couldn’t keep control of my hand, let alone my legs. The trek back to my room felt stagnate as I passed the makeshift guest rooms, one by one, filled with Royals being pleasured. Their moans were barely above a whisper, but it was enough for me to hear them. When I reached the old stairs, my knees buckled as I stumbled up the stairs to my wing.

Hopeless cause…Already gone…Cursed to be alone.

I shouldn’t have been surprised that my father didn’t have faith in me. I’d long since suspected that he knew the little dark secret I tried to keep hidden from everyone, even myself. We are the helpless cause. It’s time to just give in. My heavy head hung low at my dark voice as I dragged my feet to my bedroom. When I opened my door, Del was perched on the edge of my bed. Her serving clothing was gone in place of her blue nightgown. Del perked up when she saw me, but when I lifted my head, her smile turned into a frown.

I didn’t give her a chance to speak as I collapsed on the bed and into Del’s arms. The tears I held in since…well, since the strange voice appeared, poured out of me. Del held me, allowing me to wet the cotton gown until it was drenched with my pitiful tears. Tremors rack my body as I open up, leaving me open and vulnerable.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay.”

Will it be? I thought as my best friend’s heart thumped slowly against my pounding one. In the back of my mind, my trip to the three sisters haunted me from behind my darkening vision as hard as I tried to push away the memory. It kept appearing, leaving me more confused than before.

Ten Years Ago

Stepping through the portal, the gust of wind had me tugging at the long black fur-trimmed coat as my teeth clattered, standing in the piercing weather. Looking around the foreign area, there was only one way to proceed to the massive cabin that sat on the rocky hill. The long pathway shrouded in trees as big as the buildings in Houston framed the pathway, making it daunting, especially when some of the pathway was drenched in darkness. Even though the snow was already piled high in the deserted area, the smell of more snow was in the air, which made me scurry down the narrow pathway so I wouldn’t get caught in the storm.

Contrary to their given name, the Three Sisters weren’t related, but were like Delphine and I. Kindred spirits born on the same day at the same time, destined to be together for all time. They were the wayward children of goddesses. Zadia, Goddess of Life and Death. Thetris, Goddess of War. Milmera, Goddess of the Moon.

My mother said the Three Sisters used their ancient magic to keep the secluded area in the far corner of Antarctica hidden. With the same eerie feeling as the otherworld before they burned it down, leaving only the fiery pits of the underworld for our dead. In fear, the sisters were cast out of the underworld before they were even allowed entrance. Casting them to the only available world left, ours. They decided that a life of seclusion away from humans, witches, and other supernaturals was the only way they could maintain their sanity. That caused their ancestor magic to become one with the land and into the gift of sight.

As I walked the snow-covered brick pathway, I wondered if my mother was right, that I would be okay because by the way my legs shook once I speed walked to the steep steps, I begged to differ. My heart lodged in my throat with each step closer to the old black gates. Why did I have to do this? But I knew the answer already. Every Royal must take this trip to see the Three Sisters. It was our birthright, being the goddesses’ descendants, to get a reading for our future—or should I say a brief glimpse.

I needed all the help I could get from the Three Sisters as I watched the few Royals who attended the Thibodeaux Royal Academy find their other half.. As I watched the few Royals who attended the Thibodeaux Royal Academy find their other half, I quickly realized that I was the only one left without a mate. Soon, I clung onto their stories of their dates like it was my last breath, as I pictured what it would be like to be loved and pinned over until their bonding ceremony at nineteen. My mother’s encouraging words of, “It will happen soon” and “Trust me, he or she is out there,” turned into just fruitless encouragement—for me…or her, I wasn’t so sure. It was pathetic to think about even now as I pictured my mother chewing her bottom lip after saying the same line every time the subject was brought up that something would indeed change.

With my luck, I was probably just meant to be the end of the Youna line, and maybe if I were lucky, I would have at least one good thing on my tombstone.

As I approached the large black door, my hands, despite the frigid weather, were damp. Maybe it was a sign that I should just go home and wait for the curse to set in and pray I can do one good thing for my coven before I go mad. Wiping my hands on my coat, I balled up my fist to knock on the door.

A gust of wind sent the feathers of my coat on a chaotic dance as the door opened before my knuckles had a chance to disturb the peace. There was no one at the door, so I took it as a cue to step inside. Myrrh and peppermint drifted out of the small living room of the home. A large brown wood-burning fireplace, wedged between two bookcases, warmed the home. A brown sofa, a couple of wooden chairs, and a table finished the room. In the middle of the table sat a small bowl with a small candle warming the yellow sap and the green leaves. It was as if the scent had control over my mind, drawing me closer to the bowl.

“If you’re not careful, you too will be added to the bowl,” the dead voice rang out, causing me to jump back from the bowl, almost knocking over the chair that was behind me.

“I’m sorry!” My voice is unrecognizable to even myself with my hand over my chaotic heart.

The Three Sisters stood before me in all of their dark glory. Long blood-red cloaks that were one size too big hung over their frame, and their hoods draped over their faces. If I hadn’t known any better, I would have said they were ghosts. Anaisha, Noor, and Ada—The Three Sisters of the Underworld. My mouth pulled into a nervous smile.

“Three Sisters, forgive me. I hadn’t meant to be nosy,” I said. My face warmed with shame. “I just got caught up in the fragrance's redolence ? —”

“You mean you got caught up in the trap we set? If you dip any part of your body in there, you will become numb, losing all of your control over your body.” The Sister closest to me said with a voice like syrup. Smooth and alluring.

“Then we can harvest your skin for our offering to the goddess,” the Sister, toward the end, spoke, her voice low and scratchy. I wondered if I heard her correctly.

With a shaky smile, I nodded, which was the most I could give them in return. I forgot they finished each other’s sentences. My mother had warned me the Three Sisters would scare the living daylights out of me with some of their practices, but that was putting it too nicely. Placing my hands behind my back, I stood tall. My back straightened even though my insides convulsed. Show no fear! Taking a deep breath as I pulled myself together.

“Come, young Princess. Let us not keep you waiting,” the middle sister said. The rough edges of her voice caused my eye to twitch.

Not bothering to wait for an answer, they turned and headed down the dim, narrow hallway. The further we went, the myrrh and peppermint faded away, and the more I relaxed. At least they would let me keep my skin. Don’t touch the walls! I reminded myself as I almost collided with the white walls from not paying attention. The walls in the sisters’ home were enchanted with a delirium spell. One touch, and you’ll be lost in the sister’s trap for eternity. The soft clacks of their shoes against the wooden floor made the hairs on my arm rise. Turning down the hall, this one equally longer than the last, I followed blindly until they stopped at a red door in the middle of the hallway with a gold metal medallion shaped in all eight goddesses. The tips of their oversized sleeves almost touched the floor as they recited, “Blessed be the goddess,” in the old tongue.

The door clicked open, and we funneled into the room as I ducked my head in respect to the goddess. The room was void of warmth or anything that suggested they occupied the quaint room. Nothing but a stand with the oversized book of the sisters, the forbidden book with every detail of the sisters’ lives and other secrets. My mother said I shouldn’t even think of touching the book or face a fate worse than death. I would be written in the book. My life would be brought to a couple of pages in the book, all for a greedy look.

No, thank you. I already had enough problems on my hands.

Anaisha, Noor, and Ada lined up behind the book’s altar. Their faces were shrouded in mystery. I couldn’t deny my curiosity to see what was beyond their hoods. I waited patiently as they stood there, and even though I couldn’t see their faces. Every sense in my body screamed they were staring at me. Assessing me. Judging me. Taunting me. Just the thought caused me to shift on my feet.

“Well, Princess Kaydian, we await your instructions.”

“You have the key to your destiny.”

“We are just vessels. Ask your questions, but remember, a riddle comes at no cost. The answer, however, is a different story.” The last sister said simultaneously. Their muttered agreements filled the room, causing my stomach to do somersaults.

“Of course! Right,” clearing my throat. “Anaisha, Noor, and Ada, the great sisters of the goddess. I would like to know what my future entails for me.”

The sisters cocked their heads, causing the acid in my stomach to creep up my throat. Two of the sisters chanted in the old Royal language, “Goddess reveal what’s hidden., Reveal what lies before us. Open our eyes to glimpse the future.” Gloved hands peeped out of the extra-long sleeves as the sister in the middle carefully removed the red glove from her right hand. The sight made me swallow the scream that bubbled in my throat. Her finger was blackened, pieces of the burnt skin hung off at different angles and places. The pungent stench of old rotten fruits and meat made tears rim my eyes, blinking rapidly as I focused on the middle sister.

Holding the singed hand over the book, the book cover flew open with a thud onto the altar. The sisters’ hoods fluttered as the pages flipped like a fan until the sister’s desired page was found. With the other two sisters still chanting, the middle sister took a piece of the charred skin that hung off the side of her hand between her two fingers and pulled back the skin until the blood bubbled and pooled out of the exposed flesh. Coloring the page with her blood as an offering, the fresh metallic scent mixed with the room’s putrid smell. Have Mercy! I thought I had become accustomed to death and all of the appalling things I’ve seen in the castle, but watching someone peel back their skin, without a sound, like a banana, was dreadful.

“Ah, yes, I see,” the middle sister said, causing my feet to tap the floor. “Patience, Princess, while I read.”

How she was bothered by my light tapping, but not by the howling of her sisters, was beyond me.

Signaling to the others, she stepped aside while they each read the bloodied book. Piercing a hole into me as she stood waiting…watching. It was worse than my mother’s penetrative glare. A cold pearl of sweat that formed on my neck crept down the curves of my spine, making the blue button-down shirt stick to my skin.

When the other sisters joined, they stood on either side of the middle sister in a uniformed line. Anaisha, Noor, and Ada nodded uniformly. The moment of truth, a quick glance into the future. Something to give me hope I won’t become another black sheep of the royals or, worse, a failure to my goddess ancestor. Holding my trembling hands behind me, I knew what to ask next, but would I like the answer? That was a different question.

“Anaisha, Noor, and Ada, will you grace me with a glimpse into my future?”

The middle sister turned to both her sisters and nodded.

“A riddle for your future,” one sister started.

“Comes at no charge,” another sister continued.

“Do you agree to these terms, young princess?” The last sister asked.

My mouth dried up at their question, and all I could do was nod. My mother had already forewarned me that being greedy would be my downfall. I was anything but greedy, so I would take what was given freely and ask for nothing more, even if a small part of me wanted to disobey that rule. I remembered my mother strictly telling me, “Don’t anger the sisters, or they will withhold your future, Kaydian.”

“Yes, I’m ready for my riddle.”

They clapped their glove cladded hands together, causing the book to shut.

“Princess Kaydian, descendant of our blessed and revered Youna.”

“Your future reads as this,” one sister started.

“Celestoria has four journeys,” another sister continued.

“But only three will survive,” the last sister said.

“The forth will meet a death by the sun.” The sister who started it finished.

Pausing, they stood watching me. The silence in the room is deafening. I dug my nails into my wrist to keep from screaming. What if this was a setup from the goddesses? A test of some sort to see if I would be loyal to the rules. Even as I stood there with their faceless gazes upon me, I knew I was just being inane. Just as I opened my mouth to ask a question, the middle sister spoke.

“We have a blessed gift from your Youna, young princess. She’s gifted you another riddle,” the middle sister said, her voice holding a menacing timbre. “Are you ready?”

Without hesitating, I said, “Yes, sisters, reveal my gift.”

“Fresh as snow,” one sister started.

“Blood will decorate the throne,” another sister continued.

“For power is never given but taken,” the last sister said.

Silence enveloped the room once more. They were done with the reading, and it was now my move to ask another question if I chose. Maybe I was a special case since I received two readings.

“Anaisha, Noor, and Ada, may I ask another question?”

They once again looked at each other, but this time, there was no nodding.

“Princess Kaydian,” one sister started.

“Knowing too much comes with a price,” another sister continued.

“Your mother knows all too well,” the last sister said.

“Despite your unique circumstances,” another sister spoke.

“You’re not above the rules,” one sister said.

“Would you like to proceed, young Princess of Youna?” They said in unison.

My tongue felt heavy in my mouth as my thoughts fell onto my mother. What had she given up? I wanted to ask a million questions, but what would I be deprived of if I did? My magic? My sanity?

“Anaisha, Noor, and Ada, I think you’ve given enough of my future. I will figure out the pieces as I go.”

With my decision made, the weight of my fate was just a little more bearable. Paying my respects to the Three Sisters by kneeling in submission. I left the tiny home with their words heavy on my mind. What journey lies ahead? I wasn’t sure, but there was no turning back now. Just before I closed the door to their home, I heard one sister say, “She’s smart…unlike her mother.”

When I arrived back home, my mother sat on my bed with her hair in her bonnet and a green cotton robe. We stared at each other until I went over and hugged her. I hated riddles, and this time was no different. A trip that was supposed to give me hope has left me grasping at air. And as for Celestoria’s three journeys, whatever that means, I would have to worry about that for another day. No words were needed as she fell asleep in my bed—well, she did, with her arms wrapped around me like a protective blanket. I laid awake pondering my mother’s decision, my fate, and what I should do next.