“The new queen, Dyani was her name, was always worried that
my mother would return and claim the throne with the support of the people.
Dyani tortured the Lady Syranne until she finally revealed the spell she used.
Dyani then assembled an army to send through the tunnel in search of my mother.
She needed to eliminate the threat of our bloodline. Because of the way the
spell was originally created, it can only be used on the night of the new moon.
“Yes, decades have passed and most likely the new queen
Dyani is dead and her heir sits on the throne. But the threat must still create
fear in the queen so she continues what her mother started. Someone o on the
island continues to send the army through the tunnel on the night of the new moon,
using a spell Dyani created to seek out anyone with a drop of royal blood in
them. They are taken back to the island and what happens to them there is not
for your ears.
“But your mother is a direct descendant of the royal
bloodline and the army would be able to detect that. They will take her back to
the queen and she will be locked away, but not killed. From what I have heard,
for I have ways of discovering things, the people of the island are still loyal
to my mother and her children. If they were to find out their current queen
executed Abryelle’s granddaughter she would not be queen for long. That is why
I believe your mother is not dead and why I believe you can save her, Kilynn.”
Kilynn looked up at the sound of her name and saw her
grandmother smiling at her. Her grandmother had always believed in her since
she was a tiny child. She knew there was more to the story than what her
grandmother had told her. She knew deep down inside her that Vanyssa was
waiting for her on that distant island, waiting for her daughter to arrive and
save her. And she would do her best not to let her mother down. She smiled back
at her grandmother and said, “I believe I can too, Grandmother. Where do we
start?”
Her grandmother started laughing. “Oh, you are so like your mother
and your great-grandmother, Kilynn. We start with you children going home and
getting some sleep. It is almost morning and your father will be worried about
you.”
“Father hates me, Grandmother,” Kilynn told her. Her
brothers protested this immediately but a wave of her grandmother’s hand
silenced them again. Kilynn wished she had that power over all her brothers,
not just her immediate siblings.
“Robbert does not hate you, child. He loves your mother very
much and his pain is very new. Yes, he is angry with you and rightfully so,
stubborn child. But he does not hate you. Go now, and come back to me here when
the sun sets on the morrow. We shall begin our plans then.” Kilynn’s
grandmother stood up and hugged each child in turn then disappeared off into
the woods, away from the town.
Kilynn always wondered where her grandmother
lived. Perhaps one day soon she would find out.
As their grandmother disappeared, Ryl took Tom’s reins and
Herry took Kilynn’s hand. The three siblings walked slowly back to the road and
then made the mile walk back to town in silence. Each was busy mulling over the
story their grandmother had told them. They passed through the small night gate
and made their way quietly through the town, trying hard not to awaken any of
the residents.
When they reached their house Ryl took the horse to the
stables and awakened a stable boy to tend to the horse. The triplets then
slipped silently into the house and up the back stairs. Kilynn, as the only
daughter, climbed an extra set up steps to her room in the attic. Her door,
normally closed while she was gone, stood ajar and Kilynn could see a faint
candle glow through the opening. She stopped and considered tiptoeing back down
the steps but stopped. She needed to face her father at some point. Better now than later, she thought to
herself.
Kilynn pushed the door open slowly, stopping before it gave
its customary squeak. She stepped quietly into the room and pushed the door
closed. Her father sat in her chair, his elbows on his knees and his head in
his hands. He seemed to sense her presence and looked up as she came in the
room.
Kilynn stopped, unsure of the look on his face. Her father stood up, his
hands at his side. Father and daughter stared silently at each other for a
minute. Then Robbert held out his arms to Kilynn. With a stifled sob, Kilynn
threw herself into her father’s arms. He hugged her tightly while the two cried
silently. After a time, Kilynn drew back a bit and looked up at her father.
“I’m so sorry, Father,” she whispered.
Her father pulled her back into the hug. “So am I, Kilynn.
So am I,” he replied. After another fatherly hug, he pulled back. “Now, off to
bed with you. We will talk tomorrow.”
