Unbeknownst to the maid, her father and any of the other freaks who made Suki’s life hell, Suki continuously, and without rhyme or reason, swung her dagger at one of the mannequins that her father stored in her room. Her arms and legs bleeding from Raphael knocking her down in the courtyard. Raphael gloated as he kicked her to the ground whenever she did not attack him first.

There is a reason he survived the genocide of his species. It is not his charisma.

Raphael assaulted the child until she gave up and laid on the dirt. Phillip sighed audibly and walked away to squeal on the broken Halfling to the maid who would fix her. Suki clenched her fists so hard at the memory that her fingers drew blood from the palms of her tiny, pale hands. Once Suki vented her frustration on the mannequin, she swiped tears from her eyes. She was startled by a knock on the door. She approached slowly, hoping it was not Raphael looking to even the score or something even worse.

“Come in!”

A large, pale hand lurched out of the darkness and clamped around Suki’s wrist.

“Let go of me! No! It hurts!” Suki grunted as someone, or something pressed against her. The eight-year-old lurched and strained as the owner of the hand spoke. Suki jumped on the spot. She was supposed to be alone in this dreadful castle. The wounded Halfling was in danger.

“I have...something...to show you.” A deep and familiar voice rasped. “Come...Suki…Come.”

Its nails cut into her skin. The hand tugged the Halfling off her feet and into the darkness.

“What is it, daddy?”

“You are finally old enough.” He ignored her question. “This will change your life!”

Down we go! Suki thought with each foreboding step. Down to my grave. There are hundreds of passages in this stupid castle. If he abandons me, I will never find my way out.

The darkness was more suffocating than the night. At night, there was moonlight. The child kicked, pulled, and dug her heels in. Elliot pulled his daughter along the cold, dark, narrow hallway, his strength doubled by alcohol. The stench churned Suki’s stomach. She swallowed the bile. Her father stopped to steady himself. His free, bony hand pressed against the brick wall. He doubled over, dry retching. Suki could not see him, but the noises and smells were enough for the child to reach for her Magi. After frantically patting parts of her body, the wounded Halfling realized that her Magi was back in her room. Even if Suki had her Magi, she was still injured from her fight with that smug angel. Her father could not hurt her, despite their size difference, but if she killed him, she would have to fight that smug bastard with wings.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Pathetic! How come she died instead of you? She would never be seen like this!

Suki admired strength above all else, but the bitter child wondered how things would have been if her mother was still with her. Did she kill her own mother to come into this world she hated? Suki could not trust the words of anyone in this castle. She had never seen her father this excited. Elliot spent his days where the Pantheon only knew and his nights drinking while Raphael and Phillip infested this dreadful castle with their twisted experiments.

What have they found? What did they create? Are these my final breaths? Am I next?

“Dad?” Suki asked to break the silence. “Where are you taking me?”

“Shut up! It will be over soon.”

Suki could not think of anything to retort with. She was not used to her father speaking.

The father and daughter stopped at the bottom of a flight of stairs. The door creaked open, and torchlight flooded into the hallway. Elliot ushered Suki through the doorway, bouncing from one foot to the other. Suki’s father was as frail as a corpse, but his body filled the doorway. Suki took a couple of steps back, trying to read the perverted look on his face. The wounded Halfling half expected that psychopathic angel to jump out and stab her for cutting off his hand, blowing up his potion, stealing food from the kitchen and any other number of minor indiscretions.

The room looked normal to the child. Except for the lack of glass on the floor. Wherever her father inhabited, he left glass bottles, in various states of disrepair, in his wake.

Is this the room he locked himself in for all these years? No wonder he’s nuts.

In the centre of the room sat two chairs. One was occupied… Suki reached out. Her hand closed around the fabric. She sighed with relief. The chair was occupied by another creepy mannequin. Not a living fairy or a corpse. The skin on the back of the child’s neck crawled.

“Dad?” Suki turned slowly, trying to keep her voice from shaking. “What is this about?”

Suki’s gaze landed on a figure about her height behind the chair.

Another creepy mannequin?

The figure swirled around, her pink dress billowing, and smiled at Suki. Suki screamed.

No! This is much worse. The maid who is forced to heal me. What is she doing here?

“Say hello to Genevieve.”

“Dad? Why does she…look like mum?”

Oh no. That's fucked up! She is…my age?

“This is your sister. She is much better behaved than you. She doesn’t kick, punch, or scream at us like you do. She obediently sings, cooks and cleans like your mother used to.” Elliot boasted.

Gee, tell me how you really feel.

“Why do I HAVE to be here?”

“This little lady is an example of what you should look and behave like. This is your last chance, Suki. If you don’t listen, I’ll have to send you away with Tarzali or Tranter to learn the hard way.”

The hard way? This has been all sweet grass and milk root to you?

“Father.” Genevieve sighed, grabbing his arm. “Please don’t look down on my sister. I’m sure we can learn plenty from each other. Given some time. In fact, I can start now if you’d like?”

Her words, as sweet as nectar, charmed their father enough that he left the room without a bottle clasped in his hand. Elliot did not pitch a bottle at Suki for the look she gave the brunette in a pink dress that added her to the list of people in this hellhole that Suki wanted to murder.