“I am to be your Guardian,” he says.
“My what now?” I ask, my confusion stepping on my caution.
“Your Guardian,” he says again, but it still offers up no explanation as to what a Guardian is. “I will be your balance,” he adds, as he sees I have no idea what he is talking about.
“My balance for what?” I ask.
“Your Powers,” Finn says. “Come, we should go to Tiamat, She will be ready for you now.”
I really don’t like the sound of this but let him take my hand and Astral us into a gigantic cave that is lit only by the massive fire
pit in the center. The shadows flicker ominously, and I feel a slight sense of dread.
Tiamat steps out of the shadows, dressed in Her usual attire, Her long hair curled up on top of Her head. “ValamAtrux,” She says, with a regal nod.
“Mother,” I say quietly, waiting for the “dealing” to begin.
She holds out Her hand and I take it as Finn disappears into the dark. I gulp but She smiles at me. “I am sorry, my daughter, about what you endured. I had feared you going there without the proper preparation, but I thought your father,” She spits the word out, “would have taken better care of you.”
“It wasn’t his fault,” I say, going to Drake’s defense.
Her perfect eyebrows shoot up. “You defend him? What right does he have for such devotion from you?”
“He is my father,” I say.
“Hah!” She says. “He has no right to call himself that.”
“Yes, he does,” I say boldly, and then flinch as She glares at me, but I continue. “It is not his fault that he didn’t know about me. You kept it from him.”
I am mad at Her for keeping this a secret and I want Her to know.
“For your own good,” She snaps. “You are my daughter. My heir. Your place is on this side. Not theirs.”
“Well, it’s a bit late for that,” I say wearily.
“You have sworn allegiance?” She asks in disbelief.
Err. “Not officially,” I begin, and She makes a noise of disgust, “but I am prepared to do my duty to him.”
“Never,” She says to me. “You will not produce a Faerie baby. Do you understand me?”
“I don’t plan on,” I say, a bit miffed that She is dictating to me. “I will go and have this Union with Sebastian, but it ends there.”
She shakes Her head at me. “And how do you propose to tell the Faerie that year after year you are still not pregnant?”
It’s a valid question and one I have been pondering. Honestly, my brain is fried at the moment with all I need to plan.
“I don’t know,” I say, and She hisses at me, as in a proper reptilian hiss and it makes me recoil slightly. “I will think of something,” I add lamely.
She turns from me and starts pacing. “They won’t accept anything other than their desired outcome. You should be aware of that by now. You have seen the lengths they will go to.”
“Look,” I say, and She turns back to me. “I have had a long few days and I am starving and exhausted. Finn, ah, To’Kah,” I amend at Her look, “said something about you doing something to me. If it is just to berate me, consider me berated and let me go home.”
“The berating is just a necessity, ValamAtrux. You are losing your way and I cannot allow it to continue.”
“What is my way exactly? You have given me all of these Powers, all of these different parts to me, and it is confusing. I am supposed to be all Powerful, and yet I get taken out with a binding spell? It makes no sense to me,” I complain.
“Your Powers, my dear, were supposed to be given to you a thousand years ago,” She stops pacing and stands in front of me. “The transfer was supposed to be complete and they were to grow and develop over the centuries, until you were experienced enough to take my place. This is my error, and I will fix it,” She says.