Page 60 of A Curse So Vile
Dorthea stayed by Cole’s side, which he was thankful for. Very little escaped her sharp mind.
Once the door was closed, the big man removed his helm, revealing a head full of salt and pepper hair. He was older, with deep lines set across his skin.
“My name is Orrick, and as you may have guessed, I am the leader of the men and women of the Den.”
“Brenna said as much.”
Orrick’s brow lifted. “And who might you be?”
“My name is Cole, and this is Dorthea.”
“You hail from Gryndar?” he said, casting Dorthea a warm smile.
“Once upon a time, but we’re not here to talk about that. We have other matters to discuss.”
He frowned, nodding his head. “The Ossorians took Brenna, didn’t they?”
“How did you know?”
“I wouldn’t have guessed it, but it makes sense. Apparently, they’re not as oblivious as I’d thought.” He pulled two seats away from the table, gesturing to them. “Please, take a seat. We have much to talk about.”
They obeyed, settling in as Orrick sat on the table, looking down at them. “What I’m about to tell you, I’ve never uttered to another soul. Not even those I trust most.”
“Then why tell us?” Cole asked, confused.
“Because you’re a part of this for a reason, and even if I don’t like it, it’s not for me to decide if you are worthy. Fate is fate. Sometimes, it’s hard to understand and even harder to act on. Fortunately, if you pay attention, you’ll see glimmers of what you must do.”
Cole snickered. “So you’re saying I’m a glimmer?”
“Yes, but let us move on from such things to the matter at hand.”
“First, I’d like to insist that any punishment Brenna may incur from her transgression with my sister should be visited upon me.”
Orrick nodded ever so slightly. “Are you saying you accept her execution as your own?”
“If that’s the price I must pay for her innocence, then yes.”
“You’ll be happy to know that I am in no position to punish her and neither is anyone else of the Den.”
Dorthea cut in with, “She seemed pretty adamant that you would execute her without even bothering to send her up the path, as is the law of the land.”
“If it were anyone else, that would be true. Our blood, in the wrong hands, can prove to be…devastating. It matters not if we strive for peace, what humans come to fear, they seek to ruin.”
He wasn’t wrong.
“Then why would you make an exception for Brenna?” Dorthea asked.
He dropped his gaze. “As the years pass, our blood gets watered down more and more from the humans we take as lovers. We’ve accepted this, knowing that one day our very nature will be far different from what it is today. It used to be that my kind would first transform around the time they’d take their first steps, now it happens far later. One day, it may not happen at all.”
“And the Ossorians?” Cole asked. “What makes them so monstrous? So…different from your people?”
“The Ossorians’ blood is purer. Whereas the Denithians have two forms: human and beast, they have but one, which is a mixture. When we started taking human lovers, they initially refused, until they could afford to no longer. Out of desperation, they began taking concubines, hoping to extend their lines, but they too are destined to one day fade, becoming more human than beast, and eventually losing touch with their beastly nature.”
“What does that have to do with Brenna?”
“Because she isn’t like us. She isn’t like anyone of the Den or of Ossory. She is something…ancient. Something we haven’t seen in a long time. I suspected as much when she was born, but only grew certain during her childhood.”
Cole shook his head, confused. “She told me about your Denithian blood, whatever it is that means. How there are gifts. I’ve seen her…change. She grew, and her fingers…it was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.”