Page 79 of A Monarch's Fall
“Using a novel ability to compel me is unacceptable, but casting enchantments on me while I am unconscious is?” I asked and took a sip of my coffee. I couldn’t help but bring it up. I still had no idea what had been done to me.
Lady Flores set her own cup of tea down.
“It was not malicious; I promise. We were primarily concerned about any tracking enchantment that might have been placed on you. The secrecy of our location is vital for the safety of everyone on base,” she explained reasonably.
“And secondly, what were you concerned with?” I asked, not missing her language.
Lady Flores smiled knowingly, a little proudly, as if pleased I had listened carefully to what she had said.
“Manipulation and compulsion. Your loyalty and behaviour toward Selene Borealis had been noted as potentially out of character, not quite what would have been expected of one in your situation,” she answered.
“Did you find anything?” I asked, part of me was curious. Selene had never told me of any enchantments she had placed on me, but I couldn’t deny that I would be surprised if she had done so without my knowledge.
“Not that we could detect, however, some enchantments are by nature invisible. As a precaution, a broad-spectrum protection enchantment was placed on you. It is designed to counteract any existing enchantments and prevent magic which could influence your emotions and actions,” she explained.
The soul match bond allowed me to feel what Selene felt; if Selene’s own enchantments had been preventing me from feeling her, this new enchantment was certainly compounding such an effect. It was an answer to the empty hollowness in my chest.
“I can see that this has been weighing heavily on you,” Lady Flores said.
“It’s not a nice feeling, not knowing what has been done to you,” I said.
“I do apologise. It was never my intention to cause you any discomfort,” she said.
“It’s okay, I understand why you felt it was necessary, but I wish you had told me about it and explained what you had done sooner. Having Jack reveal it to me was unhelpful,” I said and took a drink of my coffee, blowing on the top of the liquid to give me a moment to ready myself. I hated lying. Selene said I was no good at it, but I had to be convincing now. “At the time, I was still confused. I thought Selene had saved me from poverty, and being around someone so much, you begin to see their good hidden among the bad. I couldn’t see that our hardship was caused by the Houses by nobles and those like her. The New Foundation has opened my eyes. Maybe there is a better way for everyone, not just my home village,” I said.
Lady Flores smiled brightly and reached across the table to squeeze my hand.
“I had heard that you were curious about us and asking to see me. I’m sorry I kept you waiting. I admit I was waiting to allow time for you to settle in and, hopefully, to allow the effects of any enchantments you might have been under to wear off. The enchantments that nobles have access to can be exceptionally powerful; some can even draw others to them, make those around them more affable, and easily persuaded and controlled. I wanted you to detox and spend time with your peers before we next met. I am aware that you have been introduced to so much over the last few days, and it is a big adjustment.”
I nodded in understanding. Everyone truly believed that I had to be under enchantments, that it would be impossible for me to choose Selene. Was such a belief all based on Dylan’s fanatic insistence that I had been under the effects of enchantments? Or was it that Selene, every one of the noble class was viewed as so abhorrent that they didn’t believe one of their own could ever willingly care for them.
“I think I needed the time,” I agreed, squeezing her hand in return. “Thank you,” I said.
“You said that Jack told you about the enchantments?” she asked me curiously, and it was then that I realised that Kat had not reported on the incident in the stairwell, and I wondered if she omitted it to protect Jack, me, or herself.
“Yes, he let it slip when walking me to Squad Eleven,” I told her.
“That boy,” she said disparagingly, “he forgets his place.”
“What is his place?” I asked curiously.
“He is my grandson and, like yourself, he has a novel ability, but he is not in any position of authority; he has the benefit of being around his mother and me and believes that closeness to authority is the same as having his own. It was never his place to tell you. I thought perhaps you were simply deducing the placement of enchantments and bluffing about your knowledge. I did not realise it was revealed to you in what I am sure was an immature attempt to best you,” she explained.
“You told me the truth anyway?” I asked.
“Of course! I have no desire to lie to you, Percy, or keep you in the dark. I had to know that you were not under the influence of our enemy and give you a chance to assimilate within the Witching Command, but it has always been my intention to read you into The New Foundation’s objectives and desired outcomes. I believe that you, Percy, will play a vital role in the battle for the new era we wish to usher in,” she told me.
“A vital role? You mean using my novel ability to starve your enemies?” I asked.
“A vital role as the only eligible heir to Flores. You are my only grandchild who takes predominantly after Flores in terms of your magic. Jack is all Coactus magic, and Idonea is a dual user whose skills and abilities are far from even; her skills are with Synoptic magic. You are beautifully Flores, even your novel ability is simply the inverse of Flores. There has never been one to embody Demeter’s daughter so poetically: half life and halfdeath. You are Flores,” she reached across the table to take my hand.
“I… I… You want me… to be coven leader?” I asked, stuttering over my words. How was it possible to go from obscurity, never even knowing another Flores witch, to suddenly being the heir? It was ridiculous. “I don’t even know anything about Flores. I’m a half witch!”
Lady Flores squeezed my hand.
“How could you not know Flores? Have you not found it easy to fit in here with your fellow coven members? Are you not the Flores witch who cured a vampire of Hades’ Delight poisoning? Are you not the Flores witch that single-handedly controlled The Maze of Ardens?” she asked.
“I am, but that doesn’t mean —”