Broken Vows

I’m awoken to the sound of screaming echoing through the halls. I’m hurrying out of bed. Wrapping my robe over the thin nightgown as I begin to race down the hall to the sound of the screams. To my horror, the screaming is coming from the castle’s wing where my mother’s rooms are.

I can feel my heart pounding hard in my chest as I race faster to the sound of screaming. My ears are beginning to ring louder than the screams as I get closer to my mother’s room. Someone grabs me around the waist, and I start to struggle until I see it’s Rana’s father, Richard.

“Let me go!” I demand, but the man just holds me shaking his head. His deep blue eyes look so sad, and I burst into tears. Something truly terrible must have happened, and he won’t let me go and see my mother. Richard loosens his hold just enough that I push out of his arms. The screaming has stopped, and I bolt into the room before Richard can seize hold of me again.

I wish I hadn’t the moment I saw her lying there on the floor, the pool of blood shining like glass in the cold moonlight. The large balcony doors are open, and the curtains blow in the breeze. I will never forget the smell of blood and roses. I can hear the roar of a dragon in the distance, and my heart turns from sadness to hatred. He did this; in some crazy rage, Cadmus must have done this. I will never stop hating him. My tears turn from sadness to that anger and hatred as I rush to my mother’s cold body.

Before I can reach her sisters from the coven, stop me, and I know they want to search the area for traces of magic and find the one responsible. I already know it was Cadmus. The claw marks on the balcony and my mother’s mangled throat are all the evidence I need. I will make him pay for this.

“Willow,” Richard’s gentle voice calls to me from the door and a go-to him as he pulls me into a hug. Rana’s parents always treated me like their daughter, and when I lost my own father, Richard was sure to step in as much as he could to fill that role.

“How could he, Rich? How could Cadmus do this? I sob into the man’s chest.

“We don’t know for sure it was him, Willow.” Richard soothes, but I know it was Cadmus. I just don’t understand why he would kill her unless he has gone mad with rejection. “I want you to go with Rana while we investigate this, please.”

I feel Rana stroke my hair, and I turn to see her sad face. She has been crying as well, and we cling to each other as she leads me away from my mother’s body and back to my room.

“I won’t forgive him, Rana.” I sob as we walk back. Rana just stays silent, holding me closer to her as we walk.

When we returned to my room, she led me to my bed, and we both sat leaning on each other. I don’t know how I will go on without my mother. The loss is nearly too much.

Rana finally breaks the silence, “How do you know it was Camus? He loved her just as much as we do. How do you know it was him? Cadmus just wouldn’t do that.”

“He did it because I rejected him, and he’s probably gone mad because I rejected him.” I glare at the night sky, cursing Cadmus for his actions. Rana gasps in shock, and I know she doesn’t want to believe he could do something like this. But I heard the roar of his dragon, and I saw the claw marks. I know it was him. I grip the sapphire pendant as I sit on the edge of my bed, still staring out into the night. Cadmus must pay for what he has done.

***

I didn’t get time to even grieve for my mother. As soon as the sun came up, I had coven members requesting my presents and to be honest, I was too angry to stay in my room doing nothing. I dressed quickly, and Rana told me she would meet me in my mother’s study. I know she just wants to help me and O love her for it. I’m glad I still Have her and her parents to lean on.

I get to mothers study, and the few coven members that searched the room are waiting for me. I grip the sapphire pendant again, just trying to study my nerves and tap into everything my mother taught me. I don’t know if I’m really ready for what is coming, but I don’t have a choice in the matter either.

I walk into the large room and take my new place at the head of the table as the coven member stands to wait for me to sit in the oversized chair at the head of the table. Once I sit, they all return to their seats.

“What have you found?” I demand, looking at each of them; in turn, the two women and one man look are pesante for a moment hanging their heads slightly. Finally, one of the women I know as Ruby speaks.

“There is no sign of magic, and we found claw marks on the balcony.” Ruby sounds afraid of what it is she has to show me but from the pocket of her dress, she produced something that glints like gold and is about the size of her palm. She holds it up for me to see, and I reach for it.

“Cadmus.” I breathe as I take the all too familiar scale from Ruby. “I want him found and brought before me. Get in touch with the elders and do it now. He must be brought to justice.”

“That’s just it, my lady, we have.” The other woman, Sarah, interjects. “The elders say they will take care of the king as soon as they find him.

“You mean to tell me they don’t even know where he is?” I remark, shocked and trying to hide the fear and anger that are raging war inside of me. I was never afraid of Cadmus before, but now I don’t know what he might be capable of.

“No, my lady, and we have seers trying to find him as we speak. We must act if the dragon elders don’t help us locate him. We believe he will come back for you if we don’t stop him first.” Issacs speaks up now.

I stand from the table and pace the room, trying to think of what I should do. I hold tight to the pendent, hoping I could change some of my mother’s though it.

“He may come for me thinking that he can convince me or take me as his mate.” I sigh, just wishing for this nightmare to end. The door opens, and Rana slips in. I look at her as she sits at the table, and I hold the scale-up for her to see as well. She gasps and covers her mouth.

“No, he just couldn’t have.” Rana gasps out in shock.

“It seems he has.” I sigh, looking at the scale again and pushing aside all my emotions just looking at it.

“I want the seers to keep looking, and every coven member is to fortify the castle as well. I want guard searching the grounds, and I want to speak to the dragon elders myself before seeing if I should seek out other allies to look for Cadmus.” I declare with every ounce of supreme tone I can. “No one leaves or enters the grounds without my knowledge. I want him found.” I add As I toss the scale on the table and leave the room, I need air, and I need it now. I feel like the walls are closing in. I know the next order of business will be the formal ceremony to make me the new supreme, but I just can’t do that yet.

I make it to the gardens and collapse onto a bench as tears begin to fall again. The guards followed me out here, but I don’t care. I’m so tired, and I feel like screaming. The flutter of wings makes me look up, and the large black crow looks at me from the low wall with his bright eye. He catches his head and morphs into his human form, and I find myself leaping to my feet to throw myself into his waiting arms. The guards must have remembered Hadeon because they only stand watch.

“Princess tells me what has happened? Why are you crying? Are you hurt?” Hadeon’s concerned words ring out as he holds me close to him. When I don’t reply, he pulls away from me to look me over. “What has happened, Princess? Please tell me you are breaking my heart with your tears. I can’t stand to see you like this.”

“Cadmus has killed my mother.” I breathe out as more tears fall.

“What? How could this happen? The Supreme is dead?” Hadeon sounds angry and shocked as he pulls me to the bench to sit with him. “Princess, you must tell me everything that has happened. I had a feeling something like this would happen. I knew I should have stayed, but your mother insisted I go, but I just had to return to you.”

I’m confused by Hadeon’s words. My mother had said that he wanted to go, but when I tell him this, he looks more hurt than angry.

“That just isn’t true, Princess. She told me to go and that it would be better if I went and let her deal with the dragon king herself. I begged her not to send me away, but she was sure she could deal with it and that I should not be around. I didn’t want to leave you, Princess. I asked your mother if I could marry you, and she gave her blessing. She read my future and said that we were meant to be together. She also said that it would be better to not tell you that until you got over the shock of the Dragon king’s confessions. She felt you had been through too much in too short of a time. She wanted to get Cadmus to leave you alone and accept the rejection. Please, Princess let me be yours; let me help you through all of this. I only want to see you safe. Please let me keep you safe.” Hadeon looks deep into my eyes, and I do feel safe. He makes me feel safe. I just can’t believe my mother would lie to me and tell me she didn’t know his future when he says we are meant to be together. I believe him.

“I want that too,” I whisper, and he pulls me in to embrace me again. “That’s my good girl. I will protect you, I promise you. I only want to make you happy.” Hadeon says into my hair as he holds me close to him. I feel his thumb wipe away my tears as he leans down and kisses me softly, but soon the kiss grows more assertive, and we only break apart when the roar of a dragon rings out across the garden.