“So he killed them because he had an affair!” I screech, throwing my hands in the air.
“No,” Jacobi growls as Rose’s tears keep flowing, “he killed them because he had a son, Michael.”
My eyes meet Jacobi’s as he holds on to the scroll he was just reading.
“So this is all about putting his real son on the throne?” I shudder, suddenly feeling cold.
Jacobi wraps his arms around me, “I’m not going to try and put him before the council with evidence, Juni. I’m going to kill him.”
It’s a promise.
I leave Rose and Juniper safely reading the scrolls. They are formulating our next move, but something draws me away. A feeling. I’m learning to trust them as I discover more and more about my Guardian powers.
It calls loudly to me, and I have to follow it before we go after King Ambrose.
I transform myself into a Guardian and allow my wings to unfurl as I step into the large mansion my parents live in. I know they’re home; I can sense them. I’m not here as a Guardian, though, neither of them are injured. They don’t need me, but I just have to see them. There are a lot of unanswered questions.
“Mum?” I call and listen for a reply.
She pops her head around the door. “Jacobi? What are you doing here?” My mother is holding a cup of tea. When she sees my large wings the cup falls to the floor and smashes, sending china and tea everywhere. “You’ve got wings?”
“I have. I’m a Guardian,” I reply flatly.
“A G-Guardian…” she stammers in response.
My father appears behind my mother, he looks equally shocked but it’s the deathly paleness to his skin’s hue which tells me everything I need to know.
“You knew?” I address him as I prowl towards my parents. I push them into the lounge, and my father stumbles backwards into the corner of the room. My mother places a hand on my arm.
“Jacobi, what’s going on?” she questions.
A cold chill travels through my body. This explains the uneasy feeling I had whenever I was in my father’s presence. My father knew I was a Guardian, but what is his level of involvement in the King’s plan.
“Talk to me,” I shout, ignoring my mother’s attempts to placate me.
“It’s not what you think,” my father finally responds. “Let me explain.”
“Explain? What is going on?” my mother asks. I guide her to a chair and help her to sit down. She reaches out to touch my wings. “Jacobi, what is happening?”
I retract my wings, and putting them away, I take my mother’s hand in mine. “Please don’t worry. What I am is a good thing, even if people have tried to keep it from me.” I send a curt look towards my father. “I just need to ask Dad a few questions. I have to know all the facts.”
“Okay.” She nods her head and falls silent. I refocus my attention on my father, who still looks pale but is now pacing the room.
“Dad, please, tell me what you know.”
“It’s not what you think, I promise. I did it to try and help you. I was told that being a Guardian would be bad thing for you.” He stops pacing and lets out a long breath. “I remember the first time you came to me with your wings protruding from your back. I panicked. I took you to the King. You and Juniper were playing together while I spoke with him. It happened so quickly.” My father shakes his head and looks down at the ground. “He said the only way to save you was to bind your powers, to stop them from coming out again. He told me we couldn’t have a monster roaming the Earth, like the creature you’d become. It was too dangerous and would expose the magical world to humans eventually. You were too much of a risk.” My father stops. He silences himself and gets lost in his thoughts. I can only watch on as I will him to tell me what happened.
“Dad, please. I have to know everything. What I am, it’s not a bad thing. The King is the malicious one, not me,” I plead with my father to tell me more.
“Before I knew what was happening...” my father reluctantly continues. He slumps down into a nearby chair as he speaks, and when I look at my mother, she has tears streaming down her cheeks. I know, just by the look on her face, she really doesn’t have a clue about any of this. “The King was performing a spell on you. You whimpered in pain. Juniper took your hand and kissed you just at the moment the spell was completed. She said it would stop the pain and it did. I’m sorry my son, I thought it was the right thing to do. What the King told me would happen to you, I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.”
“It wasn’t your decision to make, Dad, but I understand why you did. The spell is broken now, and I have my full powers. I won’t give them up again, but I needed to know, to understand. I feel a settling inside me now. Thank you for telling me.”
My father gets to his feet and comes over to me. I’m angry at him, but I know he was doing what he believed was the best thing for me. It’s the King behind all of this. He’s the one who’s woven all the lies and magic together to disguise what a monster he really is.
“I’ve regretted my decision. I promise you, though, I honestly thought I was doing the right thing. Will you forgive?” my father questions.
Without hesitation, I bring him into my arms and embrace him, and for the first time, he’s dwarfed in my arms. He’s always been bigger than me, and the person I’ve looked up to, but I’ve grown so much over the last few years, and especially in the last few months since Juniper returned to Caspian.
My father continues, “I really am sorry, Jacobi. I’ve only ever wanted to do what’s best for you. You’re my son, and my first thought is always to protect you. I’ll do that every day until the day I die. I know when you’re on the wrong path, and I’ll protect you from making mistakes. You might not always agree with me, but I’m doing it for you and your mother.”
I smile at my father, a warmness filling my heart. Maybe he isn’t such a bad parent after all. We’ve never really been a family who spends much together, but to know he protects me is all I that matters.
I stumble forward.
What’s happening?
I can’t move.
“Dad?”
Magical tendrils of a binding rope emerge from the carpeted floor and wrap around my legs. They circle their way up until they encase me in a tight cocoon. I try to dispel them with a spell, but it doesn’t work. I’m not in control of my body. I’m bound tight like a prisoner.
“What’s happening?” my mum jumps to her feet and tries to touch the magical ropes, but they push her backwards.
“Don’t touch them,” my father orders, and my mother is magically transported back into the chair she was previously sitting in. My father stares at me, a look of anger on his face. “I promise you what I’m doing is for your own good. I can’t allow you to get mixed up with the wrong people. Mutiny against the power who governs our lands is treason, and I won’t see you executed as a result. This is all to protect you from the power that witch has put upon you. Juniper is the true evil here.”
My eyes goes wide. I can’t believe what I’m hearing out of my father’s mouth.