Rhaize’s captives. Even if her father had to use ransom to get them back, it was still a golden opportunity.
But she couldn’t help but to think about Rhaize’s motives. She knew why Rhaize wanted Drake back so desperately; practically
everyone
knew why. Rhaize wanted a chance to kill Drake before he got older and matured into his powers. A black-blooded Demon was a threat to Rhaize, especially if he couldn’t be controlled. Rhaize had never tried to hide that, and had even put a bounty on Drake a couple years ago. Wanted alive, of course. Rhaize wanted to be the one to personally kill him.
Allai shuddered at the thought, and instantly regretted it. She should want Drake dead. Shouldn’t she? That’s what the Warriors in the Sentinel were always talking about; an eye for an eye, blood for blood.
But Drake hadn’t actually killed her. She was still alive. Was it fair that he should die?
“Luke, what do you think happened to the third Caedes Mage?” she asked. She needed to change the topic, and needed to change it quickly.
He shrugged. “I don’t know, darling. No one knows. Why do you ask?”
“Jareth and the new guy were talking about the Caedes. And it just kind of hit me that people can… disappear. I mean, even powerful people like Matthias. He was about to destroy all of the Sentinel, and then he just went poof.” She took a deep breath. “He has to be dead, doesn’t he? People can’t just disappear like that… Can they?”
Luke didn’t answer her questions. Instead, he just sighed and dropped his head back. “You’ve been thinking about your parents again, haven’t you?”
“I only have one parent,” she snapped.
“Fine. Your
biological
parents. Whatever you want to call them, you’ve been thinking about them.”
“Yeah,” she whispered.
Luke went quiet for a moment, and then said, “Allai, I can’t tell you why they abandoned you. I don’t know. And I don’t know why they left you in such bad condition, or why they left you on Sentinel territory.”
A smile slowly worked its way across his lips. He ruffled her hair again, this time a little more gently. “But I’m glad they did, darling. I wouldn’t know you if they hadn’t.”
Allai smiled back at him. But her expression slowly faded as she thought back to all the details Shieldak had reluctantly told her about her abandonment. She’d been mute, and had remained that way for months afterwards. She had been covered in bruises and half-starved. It’d nearly been too late for her when a Warrior had discovered her unconscious on the very edge of the Manor’s border.
That had been eleven years ago. Allai had no memory of being found, or of the year that followed. She was pretty sure her mind had just blocked that time-frame out of her memory for self-preservation.
Her memories started back up the day Luke arrived at the Sentinel. The first image she could recall after the blocked-out time was of Luke crouched in front of her, looking at her eye-to-eye. She remembered thinking she liked his eyes, even if the clouded white covered most of them. They were different. Understanding.
Luke had handed her a candy-bar, ruffled her hair, and told her he’d like to be her friend. She’d nodded and asked if she could give him a hug, because she liked him. That was when Shieldak had barged into the room and roared at Luke to get away from her, threatening his life in all sorts of ways if he didn’t stay a safe distance from Allai.
The threats had never ended up working.
Luke broke into her thoughts with another sigh. “Try not to think about your parents too much, Allai-bird.”
“I want to find them someday,” Allai said. “You know, ask them what went wrong and stuff.”
“That’s probably not a very good idea,” Luke said.
“You’re not going to talk me out of it,” she muttered.
Luke chuckled and shook his head a little. “Of course not. I’ve given up trying to do that, darling.”
Chapter Seven
Allai
But she couldn’t help but to think about Rhaize’s motives. She knew why Rhaize wanted Drake back so desperately; practically
everyone
knew why. Rhaize wanted a chance to kill Drake before he got older and matured into his powers. A black-blooded Demon was a threat to Rhaize, especially if he couldn’t be controlled. Rhaize had never tried to hide that, and had even put a bounty on Drake a couple years ago. Wanted alive, of course. Rhaize wanted to be the one to personally kill him.
Allai shuddered at the thought, and instantly regretted it. She should want Drake dead. Shouldn’t she? That’s what the Warriors in the Sentinel were always talking about; an eye for an eye, blood for blood.
But Drake hadn’t actually killed her. She was still alive. Was it fair that he should die?
“Luke, what do you think happened to the third Caedes Mage?” she asked. She needed to change the topic, and needed to change it quickly.
He shrugged. “I don’t know, darling. No one knows. Why do you ask?”
“Jareth and the new guy were talking about the Caedes. And it just kind of hit me that people can… disappear. I mean, even powerful people like Matthias. He was about to destroy all of the Sentinel, and then he just went poof.” She took a deep breath. “He has to be dead, doesn’t he? People can’t just disappear like that… Can they?”
Luke didn’t answer her questions. Instead, he just sighed and dropped his head back. “You’ve been thinking about your parents again, haven’t you?”
“I only have one parent,” she snapped.
“Fine. Your
biological
parents. Whatever you want to call them, you’ve been thinking about them.”
“Yeah,” she whispered.
Luke went quiet for a moment, and then said, “Allai, I can’t tell you why they abandoned you. I don’t know. And I don’t know why they left you in such bad condition, or why they left you on Sentinel territory.”
A smile slowly worked its way across his lips. He ruffled her hair again, this time a little more gently. “But I’m glad they did, darling. I wouldn’t know you if they hadn’t.”
Allai smiled back at him. But her expression slowly faded as she thought back to all the details Shieldak had reluctantly told her about her abandonment. She’d been mute, and had remained that way for months afterwards. She had been covered in bruises and half-starved. It’d nearly been too late for her when a Warrior had discovered her unconscious on the very edge of the Manor’s border.
That had been eleven years ago. Allai had no memory of being found, or of the year that followed. She was pretty sure her mind had just blocked that time-frame out of her memory for self-preservation.
Her memories started back up the day Luke arrived at the Sentinel. The first image she could recall after the blocked-out time was of Luke crouched in front of her, looking at her eye-to-eye. She remembered thinking she liked his eyes, even if the clouded white covered most of them. They were different. Understanding.
Luke had handed her a candy-bar, ruffled her hair, and told her he’d like to be her friend. She’d nodded and asked if she could give him a hug, because she liked him. That was when Shieldak had barged into the room and roared at Luke to get away from her, threatening his life in all sorts of ways if he didn’t stay a safe distance from Allai.
The threats had never ended up working.
Luke broke into her thoughts with another sigh. “Try not to think about your parents too much, Allai-bird.”
“I want to find them someday,” Allai said. “You know, ask them what went wrong and stuff.”
“That’s probably not a very good idea,” Luke said.
“You’re not going to talk me out of it,” she muttered.
Luke chuckled and shook his head a little. “Of course not. I’ve given up trying to do that, darling.”
Chapter Seven
Allai
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