Not All Heroes Are Guiltless

Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Aela's POV

“You let him into our garden! What if he wanted to hurt my daughter?” I quickly cover my ears and try to run from the screaming. Something seems so familiar with the voice, and I’m scared to know why she is so angry.

“My brother will never harm her.” A man with a deep voice growls lowly, and I’m petrified in my spot as the haze around me disperses. Eventually, I can make out the speakers while they are in an argument in the secluded palace garden of my childhood.

“You can trust him? Oh wait, you can trust him to m******e an entire city, but he will never harm my daughter.” My mother crosses her arms. Her entire face was red and angry. “We should hang you for your treason to allow him access to the palace, Nell!”

“I didn’t welcome him here. Why do you think he even came?” Nell shouts at my mother. Their fight is so vivid and volatile that I can't stop my shivers. I never wanted to see them fight. My mother goes to answer him, but her words about only wanting to kill more lupines are cut off by my father, “Because he warned me about another m******e that was about to happen. He thinks I’m being targeted.”

“Of course, he wants you to run away from anything that monster plans. You were the only thing that creature loved.” My mother hisses. The evident disgust on her face is frightening and ugly. I’ve never known my mother to speak like that to anyone or about anyone.

“That’s not true. He loves more than me.” My father, Nell, looks so lost and hurt. I know who he is talking about. He’s talking about my mate. His brother? My mate is my uncle? How could it be possible for him to be Lana’s son and my father’s brother?

My mother snaps her head to the side and then taunts with an evil gleam in her eye, “So, the bastard has a mate? Who and can we get her to help us trap the fiend?”

Nell shakes his head slowly, and his face drops. My mother huffs in frustration, and then seething growls when she realizes who my father is referring to, “She’s his mate? How is that even possible? He’s a feind and she is my daughter!”

My mother completely loathes my mate. I place my hand over my heart. She would approve of me at all if she was still alive.

“She’s our daughter. And he nearly didn’t leave fast enough because he didn’t want to leave without her. He only came because he knew I was in danger. He wanted me to go with him, but he didn’t even try to talk me out of it when I said I was staying for her.” Nell says almost in a plea. “Punish me if you want, but yes, I do trust him more than I do, DeLana. I can’t scarcely believe he was kidnapped and presumed dead when you originally told me he fell ill and died. An abrupt change of story when her mysterious child randomly appears as my adopted brother. How do I trust she didn’t toss the child to a demon who tortured him nearly to death!” Nell screams louder, my mother went to protest. “No, I’ll tell you this. You were not there, I was. He was malnourished, bruised, more broken bones never set right, and he’d been bled for reasons he never knew. What person would do that to a six-year-old child.”

“Yes, and now that child has a sick way of gaining revenge. Killing the lupines isn’t the way to regain your birthright in this country.” My mother growls lowly.

Nell just shakes his head, “You did all that investigation in the city and found him the conspirator, but I never told you. I am his alibi. I found him before the ceremony searching for something. He said something bad was about to happen, and he couldn’t figure out how to stop it. When the wolves went mad, he saved me and got me past the city walls.”

“That’s not the story the spirits told. I am more inclined to believe them than you. All you want to do is protect that demon.” My mother growls and turns away. “Don’t follow me. You might want to find another room to sleep in.”

“You know. Eaves dropping isn’t ladylike.” A voice whispers in my ear, and I jump up startled. I twirl around to find the speaker, and my jaw drops. A regal woman with dark black hair intricate woven with leather stripes down her braids looped into their own crown on the top of her head. Her eyes, though, were captivating hazel. The same eyes as my mate and Lana. “Come, you don’t have a lot of time, and the spirits aren’t too thrilled that you are here. To many of them are still strung to the descendant of Neith’s labyrinth.”

“Who are you?” I say almost refusing to trust this spirit. Something tells me she is everything I would hate if we met in another time and place. She seems arrogant and conceited through her quick brush movements. Personality would obviously clash with my own.

“Delia, like you I’m a crown princess. You want access to my swords; you have the blood to call them out, but you’ve lost the connection to them. I’ll help guide you to that connection.” She grabs my hand and starts to run. I can barely keep on my two feet as she runs through the fog. I can’t see anything, and I’m gratefully able to stay on my own two feet.

“Wait, how did you know?” I ask cautiously.

“Titan doesn’t want to leave your world. He asked me to help you because he can see multiple futures, and in each one, you are one of the few keys that are required to keep the balance. I will show you how I connected to my swords, and they will come out as your own in the other realm. However, if the descendant of Neith finds how to summon between the realms, then the world you know will be fed to the devourer.” She says and makes me shiver. Everything she is talking about, I can only fathom the knowledge she holds. Too much information I’m so overwhelmed to try to comprehend, but a devourer of worlds? I must protect the world.

The mist became clear, and we were standing in a totally different location then when my parents were arguing. I glance around, and it looks like a large stone tomb. Ancient symbols who I’m certain have deep meanings are engraved into granite. Delia rushes up to the wall and searches until she finds a secret handhold, and the wall begins to move with the grind of rock on rock. This must be a physical place somewhere.

Astonished at the sight before me, I see a treasury of armor and weapons and other magical artifacts. Some are encased in their own containers; others are laid out on different tables and shelves. “Where is this?”

“You’ve never seen this place before? It must be a memory you have forgotten, then it must be something he was looking for. Of course, the best defense is derived by knowing more about the weapons against you. The demon must have wanted access to the Redland’s Secrets.” Delia says with a little laugh.

She leads me to an altar with a golden chest. She urges me to open it, and I cautiously walk closer. I can feel a hum and purr in the air, and I’m almost calmed by its vibrations. I touch the chest and lift the lid back and stare at two stone crystals with swirling colors within them. I let my hand touch the smooth surface, and then I have to act quickly because they turn into two swords within my hands promptly.

I can feel them drawing power out of me, and I also will see how much they can gain. I look up, and Delia has disappeared, but I’m still within the vault. I take a look around and try touching some of the other weapons and artifacts, but nothing happens. The stones must have existed in my realm but only accessible through bloodline. That’s the only way I would be able to explain how my mate could access them.

Not wanting to waste any more time and maybe one day I will find this place when I unlock my memories. I walked out of the vault and directly into the mist. I’m not scared of it and keep my head held high. When I can see a red trail in the mist and I nearly run in glee through the mist back over the arch way portal.