“Elinor?” I don’t understand the question. By my knowledge, he’s only had one wife, the Queen who had passed.
He shakes his head. “No, before her. Corvin was married briefly before Elinor, to Queen Dehlia. It was such a short marriage that most people don’t remember her. The marriage was behind closed doors, too, so some never even knew he had married. Anyways, long story short, I’m her son.”
I choke on my drink. “You’re a prince?!”
“Ah, no. I’m Queen Dehlia’s bastard. She was pregnant with me before she married the King. When I was born, the King was smart enough to realize that I wasn’t his when the timing didn’t add up. When Dehlia died in childbirth, the King wasn’t sure what to do with me so he allowed me to grow up here. Trained me to be the Hunter that I am.”
I let that sink in. “Wouldn’t people still suspect that you were the King’s son?”
“The few that knew about Dehlia didn’t know she was pregnant. The King said she died quickly of an illness, and no one the wiser knew there was a child involved. He married Elinor less than a year later and then had a real heir.”
“Wow,” I exhale.
“You’re one of us now,” Hanson threw his arm around my shoulder. “The ragtag group of misfits that no one wants. An orphan, a bastard, an ex-fiancee, and now you.”
“The Siren.” Callum’s eyes twinkle.
“Cheers to that!” Ginna yells, raising her empty cup.
Hanson and Ginna start bickering about something, and Callum meanwhile lifts his glass to mine. “Welcome to the family, Elia.” He’s not smiling, but his blue eyes are unsettling, like we’ve both laid our pasts on the table and are showing each other our rawest, realest selves.
As I join back into the conversation, and after another round of drinks, I realize that this is the most alive I’ve felt in my life. Being here, surrounded by the three of them, I can pretend that this can be my life forever. And for a rare moment, I’m finally somewhere I belong.
Chapter 12
Callum – Sixteen Years Ago
The sun has still yet to make an appearance over the horizon by the time I reach the training center. No one is here yet, and I take a second to enjoy the crisp morning air and the silence that surrounds me in the moonlight. Training doesn’t officially start until dawn, but I was too excited to sleep and decided to head over early to run through my drills to practice and warm up.
Now that I reached my thirteenth birthday, the King invited me to officially start training with his Hunters and soldiers. Rafe, although not quite at that age, has also been invited, and there’s no one else I’d want by my side through this. Ginna isn’t allowed to train with us as the King doesn’t think it proper for a noble-born woman, but Rafe and I promised that we’d teach her everything we learned later.
Since letting me stay in the Ashven palace, the King had generously hired a swordsmaster to start teaching me the basics. As soon as I could walk, I was practicing holding a wooden sword, learning the basic positioning and steps. The King was always very vocal that if I didn’t prove useful, I could be easily tossed out, orphaned and homeless. I would lose Ginna and Rafe, my life that I was working to build here in Ashven, and that threat hangs like a heavy stormcloud above my head. However, despite my age, I work harder than most trainees. I’m confident that I could hold my own against one of the other Hunters or soldiers and am eager to prove myself in training.
I’m in the middle of a parry when I hear someone call out to me.
“Rafael isn’t with you?”
I turn and see King Corvin and hastily drop into a bow. “Your Majesty, I didn’t see you there.”
“I wanted to check in on your progress on the first day, but I was hoping to see Rafael with you as well.” The King peers around sternly, as if Rafe is hiding somewhere in the shadows.
My pulse always races around King Corvin out of fear. He rules with an iron first, and I’ve felt firsthand how much that hurts. Because I grew up withRafe and we were close friends, I’ve also landed the role of being responsible for where he is at all hours of the day.
“He’s not late, sir, I’m early. Training starts at dawn. He’ll be here then.”
“Hmm…” He gives me a onceover, walking around me in a slow circle. “Walk me through those again.”
I do as he says, performing one drill after another and executing them near perfectly. I’m panting, adrenaline at a high. That was the best I’ve done the drills, and the naivety in me is waiting for the King’s praise on my performance.
The praise never comes. It never did with the King.
“You are too slow, Callum. Thrust harder! Move faster! You need to be as ruthless as our enemies are!” The King walks over to the rack of wooden training swords, picking up one after another, examining them all until landing on one of the heaviest.
“Yes, sir.”
“What was that? You mumble too much, boy.” He raises the wooden sword in my direction.
“Yes, sir!” I shout. My heart is threatening to jump out of my chest. I chose the lightest sword this morning – trying not to wear myself out before the actual training started. The sword the King selected could easily snap mine in half with one blow. I’m also not sure if I should be defending myself. Fighting against the King is a line that I’m not willing to cross to risk his wrath.
