The moment Olivia hugged Silas, she wanted to tell him, and everyone around, that she had changed her mind, and they would continue their journey together until the end. The only thing that prevented her from doing so was the fear that she herself might become a hindrance rather than a help. If she were an experienced wizard things would be different.

But no, she was a witch who had not yet awakened her powers, and to him she should be nothing more than a nuisance.

Now that she thought about it, they had barely spoken that night, and he hadn't even said goodbye to her. It was true that he had stood between the girl and her father, but Olivia feared it was more about the animosity he felt towards the Count.

She watched the lights of the sirenians in the water grow dimmer and dimmer as they moved away to shore.

Her mission had been accomplished. She could take satisfaction in that.

“Olivia, sweetheart” her father put a hand on her shoulder, and she jumped as if he had burned her.

“Don't touch me!”

Pain and indignation mingled in the Count's eyes.

“I've been looking for you for almost a month! There was no trace of you! It was as if you had vanished into thin air! Put yourself in my place!”

“In your place? Really? When have you ever put yourself in mine? And as worried as you were... you still took the time to come to the lake and visit your other daughter!”

Olivia pointed with an accusatory gesture at Numi, standing between Mantok and Yaritza. The young Sirenian lowered her eyes.

The Count rubbed his forehead as if making an effort not to lose his temper, and then his voice softened.

“I hadn't seen Numi in months... I had to...”

Olivia felt a fire rise in the very center of her chest that threatened to spread, and burn her whole.

“She always knew! Always! Don't you realize how cruel you've been? A year ago I found out that my mother was alive, and even that she wasn't the one I thought. Now it turns out that I have a sister!”

“It was all to protect you!”

“How long? How long were you going to protect me? What were you waiting for? What has to happen before you let me live? How many more years? Until the royal family disappeared? Until the kingdom collapsed? Until the chimeras return to repopulate this lands?”

“I wasn't planning on waiting that long. Everything changed when the king demanded that you marry the prince. I'm sure he suspects... and that's why he wants you.”

“You could just have told me, you had no reason not to! You just didn't trust me. I'm probably a monster to you. Daughter of the woman you detest the most.”

“No, never! Never doubt about my love! You are my daughter.”

“Then what? I'm the future Guardian of the Circle! You could have shared your concerns with me.”

“I should have known better, I admit it, I was wrong. It all got out of hand. But now Olivia, let's go home. Here in the village I can't protect you. You must go back to Shadowrock and we'll find a way to deal with all this together.”

Home? Was Shadowrock really her home? Barthra had told her that home was where one felt loved. She didn't feel that way. No matter how much her father insisted he had done everything for her sake, in Shadowrock she was a prisoner.

“What about Barthra?” she asked.

“Barthra?”

“I know very well you cast her out! A woman her age! You have no heart!”

“Daephennya...”

She has told me the whole truth.

“The whole truth? Don't be naive, Olivia. Why do you think the talisman stopped working just when you saw me arrive?”

“She wanted to show me what you really were!”

“I am a father trying to keep his daughter from being used!”

“She doesn't care about you! She wants to exploit you! I'm still not sure, but I do suspect she's behind the engagement.”

Mantok cleared his throat.

“Count, forgive me for stepping in.”

“So far you've done it without asking permission,” the Count replied bitingly, but the old chief only smiled.

“Why don't you stay for a few days? What's your hurry?”

“My hurry, Mantok, is the damned elf that, even imprisoned in her forest, has her strings scattered all over the kingdom.”

“Daephennya has no power here,” replied Mantok proudly. “And we can always ignore the king. We are inside the Circle, after all.”

“The Circle is not without risk. So far peace has been kept by the goodwill of the royal family, but that can change overnight.”

“Don't underestimate the sirenians. After all, it was thanks to them that the last war was brought to an end.”

The Count shook his head.

“The old tricks will not work. I shall not put the Lake Tribe at risk.”

“We can defend ourselves. At first glance we look like gentle villagers, but we learn from a young age about the delicate balance between the races.”

“That balance will crumble when someone finds out you let the chimera go.”

“Leave Silas alone, he's gone!” tears overflowed from Olivia's eyes, and all the air escaped from her lungs. “I don't want to go back to Shadowrock!”

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Alaric turned to her.

“And what's your plan? To stay here? To endanger everyone? Mantok, Thalassa, Yaritza, Numi?”

“It's fine with me if you stay! We can get to know each other better!” Numi jumped up anxiously, as she regained her spirits.

“Damn it, Numi, please, this doesn't concern you!” her father's voice sounded very abrupt to the sirenian, and she ran off to the water. “Numi!”

“I'll go, this is not my concern either,” said Yaritza with a dry voice, but before going behind her daughter she added. ”With you, my Lord, only excuses can be expected.”

“Perfect, let everyone get mad at me!” exclaimed Alaric looking at the sky. “Since I'm an easy target!”

“I'm sorry I spoiled your family reunion,” mocked Olivia, and ran off in the opposite direction.

“Olivia! Olivia!”

The girl went through the rocks, which was not easy to do since it was not yet dawn and the moonlight was not strong enough to find a path. But she didn't care, her body was boiling, she needed to be left alone, to think, to empty her head of all voices other than her own.

The cries of her father, who continued to call out to her, was getting closer. Desperate, she leapt between two rocks that were a meter away from each other.

But she miscalculated, and felt her body plunging to what seemed to be a certain death. She let out a scream of terror. In the end, Lady Olivia of Shadowrock, the first witch of Terrarkana, was going to end up with her brains scattered on the rocks of the lake.

Suddenly, her body stopped falling, and she felt herself floating. She stretched out her arm until she immediately felt the cool surface of the rock. She had narrowly escaped by a miracle.

“I am glad to find you safe and sound, my Lady,” said a man's voice behind her.

“Eldrin, it's really you?”

The solemn old wizard moved his hand, and spun Olivia's body around until she was standing on both legs again. Next, he brought his palms together, and slammed them apart stretching his arms out to either side. A quick breeze picked up, and ruffled both of their clothes. Small sparkles flashed. The girl realized that the wizard had just created a protective shield.

Suddenly, her father appeared beside them. Olivia watched as his face distorted in horror as he found Eldrin standing next to her. He tried to smash through the shield, and was repelled by it. He began to move his mouth as if to scream, but Olivia could not hear him. The Count began to hit the shield desperately and the force of the shield made it fall. Mantok appeared, watching the scene with a look of confusion that should not be common for him. The chief approached the Count to help him up. It seemed that no great harm had been done.

Eldrin watched everything in silence with an impassive air.

“I don't understand,” said the girl, as she watched her father start shouting again to no avail.

“Your father and I had a quarrel,” Eldrin answered.

“It was you... you helped me get out of the castle,” Olivia felt a little disappointed that she had received assistance after all.

“But it was your own determination that made it all possible. Now you've found out the truth about your father.”

“Did you know that too?” she asked in pain.

“Yes, but I couldn't go against your father's wishes. Now that you have taken the first step, I have come to your aid. As you will see, we can talk in confidence.”

“Who is coming?” Olivia saw several shadows moving toward them. Suddenly, Mantok and his father fell to their knees, and were surrounded by a small group of wizards that Olivia recognized immediately, for they belonged to the Order of Shadowrock.

“Eldrin? What is all this?”

To her surprise, Eldrin knelt down and bowed his head, just as the knights in her stories bowed to the king.

“Your father has lied to you all your life. Do not let him continue to control you. As for me and my subordinates, we are willing to swear allegiance to you as future queen, and take you all the way to the capital. You don't have to marry the prince if you don't want to. We can take a more direct route.”

“Direct?”

“Your mother wanted you to accede to power through marriage but I, on the other hand, trust your powers, My Lady.”

“But, Eldrin, I don't have powers...”

“They are there. I have seen them. Ever since you were a child I have spent my time studying your Code. I tried a thousand times to devise new patterns to awaken them myself but humans, even Masters, have our limits.”

“You studied my Code? And you never told me anything? Why?”

“I really didn't want to go against your father. My duty was with Shadowrock first,” Eldrin lowered his head again. “But as the years went by, I began to doubt more and more about my Lord's decisions. This old wizard asks you for forgiveness now. But I also needed to understand your power so I could instruct you properly. The magic performed by humans is a mockery compared to the powers you might master one day. In front of your father, I could only teach you how to read the Codes, and a few little tricks, but now I can assume my role properly, and pay my debt to you.”

“I am nothing more than a half elf.”

“Do not belittle yourself, My Lady. You are much more than that. Unlike your mother, Lady Daephennya, you are free of the Dragon curse. Humans, though flawed, carry within their Code the blood of Nemertyss and Yorgad. You, in addition, carry the blood of King Willondal. This is the first time in the history of Terrarkana that a person is descended from the nymph and both ancient kings. The more you master the Codes, the more you will be able to find the patterns that will allow you to access your power.”

“This is too much, Eldrin. The nymph and the kings... disappeared centuries ago. There is nothing left of them.”

“Remember what I taught you: everything remains in the Codes. It is enough to know how to read them. The history of every living being is written in its body. By studying carefully, one can find traces, marks, routes to the past, the collective memory that resides in each one of us. But very few reach such a level. Without the Dragon's Seal, I believe that even you could access the power of creation.”

“What for?”

“Creation, My Lady! You will create new creatures from nothing like your grandfather!”

“Is that what you want me for, Eldrin, to create an army?” Olivia asked and the disgust was evident in her voice as the wizard looked at her in confusion.

“My Lady?”

“Where are you planning to take me?”

“I was thinking of going back to the forest. We will be safe in Serenity Glade. Protected from your father and the king.”

“To the mother who abandoned me?”

“But, My Lady, your mother did what was best for you.”

“You sound just like Daephennya. Since when have you been plotting with her? Since when have you wanted to use me?”

“Use you, never, my Lady, but serve you!”

“My father, my mother and now you! There is no one in this world who truly cares!”

Eldrin stood up. His gaze was no longer that of a faithful servant but had hardened to resemble that of a father whose offspring would not abide by his will.

“I see that you will need some time that we don't have at the moment. I will then make the decision for you. Forgive me, My Lady, I hope one day you will understand.”

He raised his hand towards her, making it clear what he was about to do.

As soon as she saw this, Olivia felt the heat that was suffocating her explode inside her own body. She was about to fall, but something held her back. She looked up at Eldrin, but it hadn't been him.

He was in fact staring at her transfixed. Olivia felt something in her hands, and looked down. Her pale skin was glowing. Small sparks popped, and were followed by red flames that spread over her body, without burning her. She felt as shocked as the wizard must have been, but that wasn't enough to extinguish her anger.

Then something grabbed her from behind. She felt like the scene she was in was getting farther and farther away, as if someone was dragging her towards the back of a room, and she was watching everything from afar. She saw herself engulfed in flames, head held high, as determined as she had ever seen herself. Her blue eyes seemed to shine brighter, like two sapphires reflecting the sunlight.

A deep, calm voice was heard.

“You arrogant bastard.”

Eldrin looked at her stunned.

“Who are you?”

The old wizard's eyes were fixed on her, but Olivia had said nothing. However, it seemed that the voice had been born from herself. She tried to speak, but could not be heard, just like her father on the other side of the shield who watched what was happening with disoriented eyes, as well as Mantok and the rest of the wizards holding them back.

“You are not Olivia, your essence is different,” said the old wizard.

“You said it yourself,” replied the voice. “Everything remains in the Codes.”

Olivia watched helplessly as her own hand rose, and pointed at the wizard.A flash blinded her as a powerful flame emerged, and shattered the shield into pieces.

The last thing she heard was her father screaming her name, and then everything went dark.