A Daughter's Love

Chapter Fourteen.

Malia. Vannes.

It was everyone’s day off and I was in the kitchen, peeling some potatoes when Ryker strolling down the stairs. He had worked late the previous day and hadn’t come home until after dark when I had gone to fetch him. He was so busy forging my armour that he’d insisted on making that he hadn’t even noticed the sun had gone down until I stood right beside him with a scolding scowl and my hands on my hips “Morning, dear” Rebecca greeted him, placing a kiss to his cheek as she danced her way toward the basket of eggs to help prepare breakfast. He muttered a quick ‘Morning’ past his yawn and stretched out his aching muscles, his torso still shirtless despite winter fast approaching. I stood in my black leggings and his white button up shirt, my brown boots tugged onto my feet and laced up to above my knees while my dirty blond hair was left down in a mess of curls that reached just below my shoulders “Hey, sleepy head” I teased, turning my head to glance back at him from over my shoulder, a small smile tugging at my lips that I tried to conceal but by then it was already too late. I hadn’t spent a single day away from Ryker in years and being away from him hurt so seeing him like that, close enough to touch if I wanted to, made me feel happy. He grinned like an i***t when he made his way across the kitchen to taunt me “Was that a smile?” he questioned as I tried to avoid his eyes, focusing all my efforts and attention on the potatoes that would be used later in the day for making lunch and supper. Rebecca eyed us as I turned to him and forced the widest smile that I could possibly muster up “What, you mean this?” he leaned back against the kitchen counter and reached up with his hand to pinch my cheek. I instantly slapped at his hand and glared at him for treating me like a child “No, it’s a fake” he obviously pointed out which had Rebecca feeling guilty since she had believed it to be genuine for so many years when her son was able to spot the fake from a mile away. I shook my head and frowned, going back to peeling the potatoes as my mother had taught me to from a young age “Two smiles in one week, that’s a new record” he continued to taunt, pushing off the counter before I could jab at him with the knife I was using to peel with so instead I shot him a glare and threw one of the potatoes at his head. It hit his chest but he managed to catch it, chuckling when he did so “Screw you” I playfully snapped then continued peeling as Ryker leaned across the counter to place the potato back in the pile, his chest rubbing up against my bare arm since the sleeves had been rolled up while I worked. Rebecca stood with stunned, wide eyes, watching us since she had never heard me swear before, never so I quickly whirled my head around to send her a forced smile and said “Sorry, force of habit” Ryker started laughing harder, sneaking carefully past me like a frightened dog would tiptoe around a hostile cat who had already taken a swing at them a few times prior. Once I’d finished peeling the potatoes I made sure to wash them in the sink before setting them aside in a large bowl “Where’s dad?” Ryker asked his mother while taking a seat at the kitchen table as I focused on what I was doing, every now and then glancing outside the window at the street where people passed by on their way to do their weekly shopping at the local market “He’s out back working on the clothes line” she responded from where she was in the bakery in search of something for us to eat. She eventually settled on an apple pie she had baked the night prior and placed it in the centre of the kitchen table “The blasted rope keeps sagging so I can’t hang up any of the washing” she continued to explain when my eyes caught sight of something outside the window. My back muscles tensed and my eyes went wide at the sight of the person who moved across the street toward the bakery door. He was tall, slightly older and his face was the face that haunted my dreams at night. I accidentally dropped a few of the potatoes and caught the attentions of both Ryker and Rebecca in the process “Bastian” the name escaped my lips in a low, almost inaudible mutter when Ryker hurried to my side, his eyebrows furrowed up in confusion and his hand pressing at the small of my back as he followed my gaze only for his blood to run cold at the sight of the man. Bastian was skinnier than Ryker despite being older and worked at the local tavern “What is he doing here?” the redheaded man questioned, turning his narrowed gaze onto his mother who stood on the tips of her toes to catch a glimpse at what we were staring at. When she saw Bastian, a smile lit up her features “He stopped by the other day to ask about his mother’s poppies so I invited him over for some pie” she explained without noticing the way I lowered my head to hide my face behind a curtain of curls, my hands trembling when I gripped the sink in front of me. Rebecca knew nothing of what Bastian had tried to do to me, she didn’t know about how I’d beat him half to death or how his hands touching me, tugging at my clothes had affected me mentally “Mom, you can’t just invite anyone over. It’s not-.” my hand shot out to grip Ryker’s forearm, stopping him before he could say anything else. I stepped away from the sink and dried my hands on my leggings before turning to head for the stairs “I’m supposed to be missing” I explained, using it as an excuse to not have to see Bastian. Rebecca’s eyes flickered with understanding, her mouth forming an ‘o’ as she realized what I’d meant. The amount of trouble I could get in if the town’s people were to discover that I was still in Vannes was great so it was better for me to stay in hiding “Excuse me” I quickly left, hurrying up the stairs and to the attic with Ryker hurrying after me, calling my name but I ignored him, coming to a stop in the middle of my room, eyes flickering from dull to glowing and back to dull as I shook my head, hands balling as an attempt to suppress the need to tear our Bastian’s throat with my bare hands “Lia!” Ryker’s hand gripped my shoulder, turning me to face him and I met his eyes with yet another forced smile spread across my lips. He was worried, frightened for my well-being “I’m fine” I reassured him to which his breath caught and he lowered his hand back down to his side, his jaw tightening when he realized what I was doing. Sometimes I tended to forget just how well he could see through my façade “No, you’re not” he declared, moving to touch me but I turned my back to him and started rolling down the sleeves of my shirt since I was no longer peeling potatoes. My shoulders shrugged and my eyes lingered on the nightstand beside the bed as I thought about the truth of my next words “Nothing happened, he didn’t do anything” he and his friends beat me, they pinned me down, tugged at my clothes and nearly got away with it but by some miracle Ryker appeared just long enough for me to see red and once that happened it was all over, Bastian never managed to do to me what he intended on doing that day and he’d never tried it again because I hadn’t faced him in person for well over three years “He didn’t do anything?” Ryker repeated, moving around me so that he could look me in the eyes when talking to me but I continued to stare at the bed side table, lost in my own thoughts and memories “You were thirteen, Lia, you couldn’t even look at your own reflection from how swollen shut your eyes were, you couldn’t breathe without wanting to cry because of the ribs he broke, you couldn’t even wash your own body because you didn’t want to see the bruises they left. You have every right to hate him, to wish him dead” so he washed my body for me. Rebecca and Nolan had only ever known about my bruised and swollen eyes, had been told that a group of girls had hit me and that Ryker saved me. She even went as far as to visit the girl’s parents and get them in trouble when really it had all been a lie. I remember her pleading with me to go see Doctor Dubois but I refused, insisting that I would be fine and putting on the perfect, innocent smile “He hurt me but he didn’t-.” what do I say? The very thought made me sick to my stomach. I dared glance up at Ryker, his concerned gaze telling me that I was doing a very poor job of concealing my emotions “Take me” I finished, trying to remind myself that Neptune had been there, that if I hadn’t snapped he would’ve stopped Bastian from doing anything but that didn’t ease the memories “And because of that he doesn’t deserve to die?” I had thought about killing Bastian, somewhere in between the murders and thefts I contemplated paying him a visit in the dead of night, I contemplated beating him until his heart stopped and the life drained from his eyes but I could never do it, I just couldn’t bring myself to kill him “He hasn’t hurt anyone else since, he’s done nothing wrong so, no, he doesn’t deserve to die” I responded which had Ryker falling silent, his face growing stern as he realized what I was getting at yet he still wanted to hear it come from my lips before assuming anything regardless of his assumptions was correct or not “How would you know that?” why was he doing that? Why was Ryker just standing there in nothing but a pair of trousers, arguing with me over something that happened a long time ago? I wanted to shove at his chest, to bang my fists into his shoulders and yell at the top of my lungs for him to leave me alone but was that what I really wanted? To be away from him? “Because I’ve been watching him. He’s changed, Ryk but memories don’t” yes, I hated him, yes, I wanted him dead more than anything but did he deserve to die after being such a good son to Amelie? Did he deserve death after worrying about his mother’s garden and taking the leftover food from the Inn down to the orphanage every day? No, he didn’t “All this time, you’ve been-and now you’re defending him?” Ryker muttered lowly and I could hear his voice trembling, his fists balling at his sides, the muscles across his back and chest rippling “Are you? Do you-?” I staggered back at his abrupt, uncompleted questions ‘Are you in love with him? Do you care about him?’ how could he ever even begin to assume that I could love someone who once almost stole my innocence from me? My eyes began to fog and I pushed my way past him, heading for the window when he reached for my wrist but I yanked it free “Malia!” he called out after me just as the door to my bedroom opened to reveal a confused and still half asleep Malik who had been awoken by our argument. He glanced from Ryker to me as I climbed onto my bed and began to slip out of my window like I had done many times before, climbing onto the roof of the building “What’s going on?” I sat on the roof for some time after that, listening as Malik kept questioning Ryker who stormed his way down the stairs of the attic and to his shared room with Malik, slamming the door shut behind him. My brother then ventured down stairs, muttering to himself as he went “That damned s-s-s-.” he cut himself off when he most likely noticed Bastian seated at the kitchen table, silent due to all the yelling and slamming doors. The man was trapped in an awkward state of silence along with Rebecca “Stupid Ryker!” my brother quickly corrected himself, having originally wanted to say ‘That damned sister of mine’ but instead choosing to make it look like he and Ryker were fighting to help conceal the fact that I hadn’t disappeared like the town believed. I huffed and fell back on the tiles of the roof, staring up at the dreary grey skies, frustrated, annoyed and heartbroken. I wished for Neptune to return soon, it had been a few days too many since the last time I’d killed someone and I was starting to become more agitated by the hour. I was too lazy to find someone to kill so I hoped that he would at least bring me a target, someone worthy of dying like the pirates I killed or the rest of the criminal men. I never killed innocent people, never. Sometime during my train of thoughts I had fallen fast asleep, turning onto my side with my arm tucked under my head as a makeshift pillow, the voices fading away until I woke up hours later, the darkness of night having fallen over Vannes when I sat up, glancing around at the streets below and the rooftops on either side of me. My gaze found the ocean in the distance, its waters gently kissing the shoreline, the crashing waves the only sound against the otherwise silent world around me. I got to my feet, walking toward the front of the bakery and stepping off the side. The wind ripped through my hair, on the way down and the soles of my feet burned from the impact for a brief moment before even it faded. I was in a low crouch, my arms dangling in between my legs with my elbows propped up on my knees. Standing, I glanced up and down the street, the lamps lit but there was no one there, not a single soul roamed the darkened roads for fear of the ‘serial killer’ that was out and about at those late hours. I breathed a laugh and shook my head as I ventured down the cobblestone street, knowing that I was the one they classified as a serial killer when really I was more of a hero, murdering the wicked for the sake of the innocent yet people never really thought of it that way, did they? The rich scent of the sea and Rebecca’s baked goods filled my nostrils, the cold of the approaching winter doing little to affect me due to my having awakened as a Heart. I sensed their presence long before the dagger was actually thrown, my steady pace coming to an abrupt stop, my muscles tensing as my ears perked and my fingers twitched at my sides in anticipation of their impending series of movements that were soon to follow the high pitches whistle of the blade as it pinpointed its target which just so happened to be my right shoulder blade. I took a single step to the left, the world moving in slow motion as I watched the blade moving past my shoulder, just barely missing the flesh there and aiming for the cobble stone below. My glowing eyes reflected in the surface of its blade along with a fast approaching shadow that wasn’t my own. I grip the hilt of the silver dagger and turned swiftly, aiming the weapon at the throat of my attacker who stood calm as she peered down at me with ivory eyes, void of all colour and missing their pupils. She wore a black floor length gown that had a low dipping neckline decorated with delicate lace, the same lace that her long sleeves were made of, sheer enough for you to see the milky, porcelain skin beneath it. Her hair hung down to her waist in wavy curls and was the colour of a raven’s wings, matching the ebony crescent moon shape in the centre of her forehead. Ruby lips parted in a smile when she tilted her chin upward to prevent me from cutting into her throat. There was a single, quick movement that managed to catch my attention from out of the corner of my eye and without thinking, I sent the dagger flying in that direction. Neptune’s hand shot up to grip the hilt before it could connect with his face, the tip just inches away from his forehead “You should know better than to sneak up on me like that” I warned him, shooting a glance in the unknown woman’s direction as if to insinuate that I was addressing her as well. She watched me with an empty, stoic gaze, hands clasped formally in her lap, emerald ring catching the flickering light of the flames that were lit inside the street lamps. Neptune studied the dagger that looked to be a simple piece with no true significance “I was merely testing your agility considering that you have been out of practice as of late” he declared, referring to my sudden decrease in murders. My gaze narrowed onto him, about to question him on whose fault it was exactly for my pent up frustration and anger, for my inability to kill and exercise my capabilities but was interrupted by the unknown women who spoke in a voice that sounded as old as time itself and just as wise “So it is true, you are as strong as his memories portray” my hands balled at my sides when I stopped myself from advancing on Neptune and stayed rooted in place, glaring eyes now studying her unique but strong features. She was referring to the sea god’s memories, causing my eyebrows to furrow slightly but I quickly fought against it, knowing that there were many things better left unanswered “At least, until your brother is to awaken” my body stiffened at her words, the way she suggested that Malik could possibly grow to become stronger than I was. He was weak, had never been in a fight before and preferred to keep to his books but there was still his ability to manipulate and control water which I had yet to observe for myself. Could my brother really surpass me? “He is half Heart-half god after all” she reminded me, a bored expression crossing her features as if the topic was one she was tired of discussing. Neptune approached us, tossing the dagger into the air and catching it on the tip of its blade, only to repeat the action and catch it by its handle while his left hand was stuffed into the pocket of his trousers, his coat deprived from his form “That reminds me-.” he began, tossing the dagger once more to offer its hilt to the woman. She held her ringed hand out, palm up for him to place the handle into as if she was too entitled to take it from him herself “In order for Malik to awaken as a god and reach his full potential as my son-.” he released the dagger and returned his hand to his pocket, the top three buttons of his black, silk shirt undone and left gaping to reveal ivory, smooth flesh beneath. It wasn’t as dark as Ryker’s or as covered in freckles and scars or dirt like I was used to seeing “He must first die by means of the water, in other words, he must drown, however-.” Neptune continued to explain as I caught myself in my thoughts and averted my eyes to rid myself of the embarrassment of having pictured Ryker’s bare chest. I was meant to be mad at him, meant to grit my teeth and huff at the thought of him but all it brought me were tinted cheeks and a rush of shame “Malik is unable to drown” I pushed my thoughts about the redhead to the back of my mind to focus on the topic at hand, glancing from Neptune to the unknown woman with confusion and furrowed brows. She returned her dagger to the ebony belt that was tied around her waist beneath her fur coat and spoke “That is where my ability to seal off memories is to be used so that he may temporarily forget about his control over the water long enough for him to drown and awaken” there was still no connection between me and what they were planning to do so I decided to remain silent, waiting expectantly for them to get to the point so that I could go find someone worthy of death to take my pent up anger out on, anger for Ryker “I wish for Malik to approve of his memories being sealed away, however I strongly doubt he will agree to do so-.” any sane human being would react in such a way, would protest and fight against having all of their memories taken from them. Perhaps if it was a specific memory, one of trauma or pain then mortals may agree but they would never sacrifice their times spent with loved ones “That’s why we have come to you-.” the woman explained, eyes flickering over my form once, quickly as if to scrutinize me, to judge me from the dirtied soles of my boots up to the mess that was my knotted and tangled hair, in need of brushing “You may be the only person capable of convincing him to agree to our terms” after having expected that Neptune may return with a name of a god for me to kill or some mythical monster to slay, the newly discovered instruction to persuade my brother seemed like a dull and boring affair “And what makes you think he’ll listen to me?” I questioned, thinking back on the years we had spent growing up together. He never listened to me nor did he care what I did as long as I was safe. I would destroy everything that stood in my way for Malik and he would do the same for me if need be but more often than not we butted heads and preferred to stay out of each other’s way “We need his approval at any means necessary” the woman informed and it didn’t take me long to realize what she was getting at. Torture. My head turned to assess Neptune, expecting him to protest considering that Malik was his only son but he merely stood there, his face set in stone “You can be, brutally persuasive when you need to be” he agreed, my gaze narrowing into slits as I crossed my arms over my chest. I had tortured a few men prior to that moment, having needed information regarding certain valuable items or objects but the torment always ended with them dead and me getting exactly what I want. Had Neptune been present during those moments as well? Had he witnessed me cutting off their fingers one at a time or carving symbols into their chest with my daggers? Had he seen the madness in my eyes whenever they would scream and beg for mercy? “With all due respect, he’s your son, what’s to stop him from fighting back?” it was a reasonable question to ask considering that they believed he would become stronger than I was if he awakened. His ability to control water was unknown to me, which meant that I had no idea what he was capable of or what extents he could go to in combat. It was like stepping into an arena, blindfolded with no clue as to what or who you were going up against “It is simple, you will use that which he holds dear against him” the woman explained and my head jerked around to look at her. There really were no lengths they wouldn’t go to in order to save my parents, was there? “He is particularly fond of the red head” adrenaline shot through my veins at Neptune’s words, my eyes glowing vibrantly when my arms dropped back down to my sides, claws digging into my clenched palms, causing blood to drip onto the cobblestone below. I clenched my teeth, fangs extended when I snapped “I will not harm, Ryker!” why was I so protective of him? Why did my anger toward him fade away the moment I thought him to be in danger? Neptune sighed heavily and closed his eyes before opening them again and looking to me, stood in a defensive stand, ready to attack if necessary “I figured as much since you too harbour feelings toward the boy-.” my spine stiffened at his words, caught off guard by his bold statement while he turned to the woman and motioned toward me with his hand, turning to retreat a few paces after he’d spoken “Aurella, I believe this is where you come in” the woman, Aurella, he had called her took a single step forward and I took one back, hissing when she approached. I didn’t trust her, nor did I particularly care to stay within her presence. The only thing keeping me rooted in place was the memories of my parents “I can temporarily link your life force with his so that he may heal as quickly as you do when injured-.” she offered, holding her hand out for me to take, palm facing upward to the moon that loomed overhead, accompanied by its army of flickering stars that blinked as they gazed down upon us “However if the spell is to be at its most powerful, it will require his blood, if not and you can only offer me something that once belonged to him, it will last only a few hours” she warned me, ivory palm still dangling in between us. If I took her offering, I would have to hurt Ryker to get Malik to agree to have his memories sealed away. I’d never hurt Ryker before, had never so much as slapped him yet there I was, being told to draw his blood and do whatever it took for Malik to surrender. Upon seeing my silent struggle, Neptune turned to glance back at me “You are doing this for your father, for your mother” he reminded me, the words as cold as ice water that had been poured onto me from above. I hid my eyes behind a curtain of hair and gritted my teeth at the difficult decision I had to make, the decision that sat on the table before me. Without thinking, I reached out and clasped Aurella’s hand in mine, causing a satisfied smile to stretch across her ruby lips “Good girl” she taunted then flipped my hand over so that it was faced palm up. Her clawed index finger ran down from my wrist, across my palm and to the tips of each of my fingers, cutting deep into the flesh with each, agonizingly slow movement as if she was enjoying my pain “The object?” she questioned, looking to me with her snow white eyes, expectation evident in their swirling, stormy depths like the eye of a storm out on the open ocean “I’m wearing his shirt” I said, motioning to the button up that I wore over my leggings. The fabric still smelt of sweat, metal and smoke, the scent that I associated with Ryker due to his work as a blacksmith. I wouldn’t even have noticed the smell still being there if it hadn’t been for my heightened and sensitive senses as a siren. The witch nodded and placed my wounded palm to my chest, soaking the material in crimson blood. I glanced down at the sight “I want you to think of a precious memory that you share with him, keep replaying it in your mind” she instructed and I did as she said, thinking back to a time when I had just turned sixteen. It was a perfect night but I was covered in blood and seated on the foot of my bed, blankly staring at the wall ahead of me with numbness in my veins. Ryker came to stand in front of me, blocking my view and reached for my hand to guide me to the bathroom where he would help me scrub the blood from my skin ‘Aren’t you afraid of me?’ I had asked, eyes empty and void of emotion like the true monster that I was. He gave a sad smile and let go of my hand to kneel in front of me so that we were face to face, his hand still clasped in mine ‘Why would I be?’ he responded with a question of my own as my free hand went up to touch my face, fingertips retracting, covered in a scarlet liquid that wasn’t my own. I had killed someone, another man, a man who tried to harass a young girl, she was just twelve years old. Was that why I couldn’t stop shaking or why I felt sick to my stomach? Because of what he’d tried to do or because I was disgusted with myself for killing? ‘I’m a monster’ I whispered, staring down at my fingertips until he took that hand too. My gaze travelled upward to meet his brown eyes and found a sad smile spread across is lips as he shook his head from side to side ‘No, you’re not, you’re Lia’ he declared then leaned up to press his lips to the centre of my forehead. My eyes widened and I stiffened at the feel of his kiss, his lips so warm and comforting, allowing me to relax for the first time since sneaking back into the house through my bedroom window ‘You’re my Lia’ he repeated once he’d pulled away and I had to fight the tears that threatened to escape my eyes, attempting to hold them back for fear of looking weak. I hid my face behind my long tangled hair and allowed a single tear to slip but quickly wiped it away so that I could head to the bathroom with Ryker trailing behind. As this memory replayed itself over and over again, the feel of his kiss, his smell so close, his tender gaze, free of judgement and his warmth all repetitive things that merged into one large image of him holding me, hugging me, his face buried in my shoulder as I wept, wept for the blood I had spilled, wept for my parents, for the horrors I had seen, for what happened on that day with Bastian “Mortus vectim, nogtilia fortex partiar-.” words, words that I didn’t understand played out around me, spoken by Aurella as she held her hands out toward me. I choked when it felt like there was another heartbeat thundering in my chest and throat then gasped as she met my gaze, her eyes glowing, hair dancing in the winds that had picked up, cold and biting as they circled around us. The ring on her right hand began to glow as well, a bright peridot that illuminated the world surrounding us on all sides. She smiled then spoke her last words “Sit vita tua erit alligatus” the words sounded almost Latin but I couldn’t be sure since I only spoke English and French. The world around us grew eerily silent, the winds coming to a sudden stop, the noise of the ocean in the distance fading away, the white of our breaths coming out as slow puffs of smoke that moved almost as if time had been slowed. The woman that stood before me, the witch was more powerful than anyone I had ever encountered before, she sent chills of fear through me and caused my heart rate to speed up at the mere thought of the true extent of her abilities. Was she the only one of her kind? And if not, how may more like her were out there? Did the gods really rule over them and did that mean that they were much stronger? When the spell was finished and time returned to normal, my hand fell away from my chest and I stared onward, past the witch down the cobblestone path as a single, dawning thought ran through my mind. I’d never really understood the extent of what I had gotten myself caught up in until then and the images that accompanied my realization terrified me. Was I to face a god in battle? If so, would I be strong enough to win? The fear was quickly replaced by excitement when I knew that they would prove to be a truly worthy opponent indeed, perhaps they would even be able to kill me? If they did, would I see my parents again?