A Prince's Pride

Chapter Forty-nine

*Milo*

I stare between Aaron and Exavier, not really sure what to do or what to think. I believe Exavier when he says it wasn’t him; he doesn’t have any reason to lie. There’s only one person who would have a reason to spy on us. Only one person who could possibly be behind this, and Aaron says it just as I come to the same conclusion.

“It must have been Phoebe.” Aaron looks between us, his brows furrowed. “She knows that Milo is still alive, which puts Piper in danger.”

“We need to pull her out,” I say. “We have to abandon this plan and figure out what Phoebe’s up to another way.” I reach into my pocket and pull out the communication phial, squeezing it in my hand. It’s almost a minute before Piper’s voice comes out of the phial.

“I’m glad you reached out to me,” she says. “We have a huge problem.”

“Are you in danger?” I ask immediately, a spike of fear shooting through my chest. “We think Phoebe knows I’m alive. She disguised herself as Exavier and found me and Aaron together. I wasn’t wearing the ring.”

“Oh, Gods, it’s worse than I thought,” Piper says. “That wasn’t Phoebe. It was her benefactor. She was talking to him through a mirror and I used a spell to look back through it. It showed your camp.”

“The same benefactor who suppressed your memories?” asks Aaron. “Piper, you have to get out of there. Now.”

“No, I can’t. I still don’t know what her plan is or how to cure the Queen. I just need some more time. Phoebe said the benefactor wants to meet with me soon, tonight maybe. I’ll try to speed up my plans and I’ll get out before anything happens. Where are you guys? We’ll rendezvous when I’m done.”

“We’re right outside Phoebe’s lair,” says Aaron. “The real Exavier came in here to kill you because you killed Milo.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” says Exavier. “Look, we have to get moving soon. Mulan and Oswald will be back soon.”

“It doesn’t matter if they see me alive anymore,” I say. “That plan is ruined. If the benefactor and Phoebe know, it’s all over. Piper, come back now. We’ll figure out another way.”

There’s silence for a few moments.

“No,” says Piper with a note of finality. “I can do this. Just trust me.”

Then, the phial goes cool and I know she’s gone.

“Piper, as your emperor, I’m commanding you to come back now,” says Aaron, but there’s no response.

“She can’t hear you,” I say. “She cut the connection.”

“Can you force the phial to project our voice?” asks Exavier.

“I mean, I could, but then Phoebe might hear us talking from Piper’s pocket,” I say. “We can’t risk that.”

“What if you make it so we can hear what’s going on around Piper instead?” asks Aaron. “That way we can keep an ear on her, but not blow her cover.”

“Good idea,” I say. I focus on the phial and incant. It glows for a second, but there’s only silence. Ten seconds pass, then we hear Piper’s voice. She and Phoebe sound so similar, but we can tell who is who by how close their voice is to the phial.

“Before we meet with the benefactor,” says Piper, “I have a question for you.”

“What is it, sister?” says Phoebe. 

“Back when I was working with them—” she says the last word with disdain, “—I had a theory that you were responsible for the Queen’s loss of visions. Is that correct?”

“Well, sort of,” says Phoebe. “Technically, it was our benefactor. I don’t know exactly how.”

“It wasn’t the potion in the food?” asks Piper.

“No. I mean, maybe the first dose. It looked different than the rest. I don’t know what they actually did, but I know it’s irreversible. Elaine will never have another vision as long as she lives.”

My eyes snap to Aaron. His face is stricken. Whether it’s the loss of our best chance at discovering Phoebe’s plans or sadness that his mother’s gift is gone, I can’t tell.

Then a third voice joins Piper and Phoebe’s, an unknown man's.

“Good evening, ladies,” it says. We hear shuffling that makes me think Piper whirled around.

“I wasn’t expecting you here so early,” says Phoebe. “Piper, this is our benefactor, Malexis.”

I gasp, but Aaron and Exavier both look dumbfounded. My hands grow clammy as a chill runs up my body, sending the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. Phoebe can’t be working with one of them. She wouldn’t dare. 

“Malexis?” Piper echoes. “But aren’t you a…a…?”

“It’s okay, you can say it,” says Malexis.

“You’re a paragon.”

*Piper*

The man standing in Piper and Phoebe’s dining room is tall, nearly seven feet. His slicked back, jet-black hair is dark like outer space, making his pearly white skin appear to glow by comparison. All of his features—eyes, nose, jaw—look sharp as razors. But his most prominent feature is his eyes. The whites of his eyes appear shrunken, dwarfed by the massive pupil ringed by a sliver of glowing silver.

“You can call me a paragon if you’d like,” he says, his voice deep and smooth in a reassuring way, “but I still prefer the old term.” He smiles, his teeth sharp and nearly blindingly white.

Piper, all but frozen with fear, doesn’t say anything.

“Please,” says Phoebe, scathingly. “Demigod is such a ridiculous word. Gods aren’t real.”

“Very true,” says Malexis, his eyes trained on Piper’s. “But close enough.”

In truth, paragons, which used to be called demigods, are humans. But they’ve collected so much magical power, they’ve ascended into something super-supernatural. A paragon of magical power so vast, they almost don’t reside on the same plane of existence as everyone else. A dark paragon, like Malexis, gains their power by devouring souls of witches who practice dark magic. Malexis is on another scale of paragons entirely. He’s spent centuries collecting magic and is about as close to a dark god as anyone could possibly be.

“I heard what you were saying before I walked in,” says Malexis. “And I must claim responsibility for Elaine Heris’s condition. It was rather fun, whispering in her ear.”

“What do you mean?” asks Piper, somehow finding her voice.

“You were around when she was ill, yes?” asks Malexis, his voice dripping in sickly-sweet ecstasy. 

“When she talked about ‘The Whisperer’? It was me. I was in her closet as a projection. All those daggers she threw at me, wasting her time. I fed her potions through Zelda to twist her mind, then whispered in her ear as she slept to confuse her. She had visions of our plans, several times in fact, but I whispered about coyotes and spiders and chickens, and she couldn’t make head or tails of that. Her powers are broken beyond repair because of what I did.”

“But wait. Why did Milo experience the same thing?”

“I whispered to him, too. With him, it was easier. Since he has actual magic and not just magical blood that allows him to see the future, one dose was enough for me to twist his mind. Pity it was figured out so soon. I would have loved to ruin him. 

"And, speaking of Milo…” Malexis lets his words dangle in midair. Every second that passes sends Piper’s heart climbing higher and higher in her chest.

This is it. Malexis is going to tell Phoebe that Piper didn’t kill Milo, that he’s still alive. He’s going to kill her right here, right now. How will he do it? 

“Good job killing him,” he says. 

Piper’s heart falls into her stomach, but she tries not to show her surprise.

“I disguised myself as Milo’s sworn protector, someone named Ezekial or something like that,” says Malexis, his eyes still trained on Piper’s. “I was able to confirm that he really is dead.”

“I’m so sorry we had to check, sister,” says Phoebe, grasping her sister’s arm. “I believed you, but Malexis was still unsure.”

Piper isn’t sure what to say. Why is Malexis lying for her?

“It’s okay,” she says. “But I thought that’s what the potion I gave Olivia was for.”

“Oh, no,” says Malexis, sounding amused. Piper, already scared or her life, starts to feel uneasy. Malexis hasn’t blinked a single time. “That potion was for something else. You’ll see soon enough. It should have taken effect by now.”

Piper felt coldness creep up her entire body. She had been so sure the potion was benign. What the hell had she given to Olivia?

“So now that you trust me,” says Piper. “Maybe you can tell me about your plans. What are we doing in the Southern Tribes? Why are we going after warriors?”

For the first time, Malexis’s eyes move away from Piper’s and train on Phoebe. He blinks once, then returns his gaze to Piper.

“Not yet. Our next step is moving this lair. I don’t like having those insects so close to our house. We’re moving to the southern isle, Hashandra. This is where the bulk of the Jika come from. The harsh jungle there is hard to live in and our beasts are having trouble collecting enough warriors for us. We’re going to give them a little help.”

Why is he telling Piper all of this when he knows she’s a traitor? She wants nothing more than to leave them, to get to Milo and tell him and Aaron everything. They are all in so much more danger than any of them realized.

There was one more thing Piper wanted to know, however, so she decided to push her luck.

“Why was it so important we kill Milo?” she asks. “Just because he’s an advocate?”

Malexis’s smile somehow stretches even wider, placing his pointed teeth on display even further.

“Well, that’s an interesting question,” he asks. “He’s dead, so why does it matter? It was a blow against Aaron and all of Midoor, wasn’t it? But that’s not the real reason. You see, Milo was a greater danger to us than you know.”

“But why?”

“Milo has something we demigods like to call the Potential.”

“‘The Potential’?” echoes Piper. “Potential for what?”

Malexis walks up and grabs Piper’s hand. She’d been expecting his skin to be ice cold, but it isn’t. His skin is warm and soft, like a plush blanket that’s been drying in the sun for hours. He holds her hand between both of his, his eyes boring into her. 

“To ascend. To become like us. It’s very possible that Milo will, one day, become a demigod.”

“Or it was,” corrects Phoebe, “because he’s dead.”

Malexis’s eyes dart to Phoebe and he says, “Of course. Thankfully, Piper took care of that for us. I’m looking forward to working with you, Piper.” He looks back into Piper's eyes.

In her mind, Piper hears Malexis's voice say, Our little secret. Then he pulls Piper’s hand up to his lips and touches them gently to her skin. The spot tingles. Piper blinks, and Malexis is gone.

*Aaron*

“To ascend,” says Malexis. “To become like us. It’s very possible that Milo will, one day, become a demigod.”

Milo drops the phial to the ground and it goes silent. He looks into my eyes as though asking me if it’s true. I’m worried about what all this means, but something else is on my mind. We're all too stunned to speak for three solid moments. 

“We don’t have time to figure this out,” I say finally. “We have to get back to Kr’fait and get to Olivia. We have to figure out what that potion Piper gave her—”

As if my speaking her name summoned her, Piper appears in a cloud of red-orange smoke.

“I have to talk to you guys,” she says.

“It’s the witch!” comes a shout behind me. I turn and see Oswald and Mulan, their blades drawn. They run for Piper, but Milo steps between them.

“Oswald, Mulan, stand down!” he says. 

“Your Majesty,” says Mulan in an awed voice. “You’re alive?”

“We don’t have time to explain,” I say, then turn to Piper. “How did you do that? Transport yourself here?”

“Phoebe taught me how to make the phials,” she says. “But I have to tell you something.”

“No need,” says Milo. “I reversed our communication phials. We heard everything up to the part where I’m going to become a demigod one day.”

“Don’t use that word,” says Piper, rolling her eyes. “Demigods aren’t real. Paragons are just—”

“Everyone stop!” I almost shout, overcome with worry. “We. Do. Not. Have. Time. For. This. Oswald, Mulan, go back to camp. Tell everyone the truth. We faked Milo’s death, Piper didn’t kill him, we’re all in danger. We’re regrouping in Kr’fait. Piper is going to transport us to there and we’re going to find Olivia.”

“Your Majesty,” says Oswald. “I should come with you for your protection. Without Milo’s magic—”

“That was a ruse too,” says Milo. “I’ve had my magic back since we left Sandalia and I’ve been practicing. A lot.”

“I can’t take you to Kr’fait,” says Piper and when I shoot her a look, she adds, “but I can give you these.” She holds out a handful of red-orange transportation phials. “Just think of where you want to go, throw it at your feet, and you’ll be transported there. I’ll show you how to make them when I can,” she adds to Milo. “I told Phoebe I was getting stuff for dinner.”

“How are we supposed to find our way back to camp?” asks Oswald. “These woods move people.”

“That was only the distortion spell put around the house,” says Piper, waving her hand behind her at the cloaking spell bubble. I look past her and see the bubble and the clearing have vanished, replaced by trees. “You’ll be able to get back, no problem. And anyone who was kidnapped by the woods will soon come out of it. Unless they were deemed to be a good enough warrior, that is, and then Malexis probably has them.”

"But where did it go?" asks Exavier, looking at the spot where the bubble was moments ago.

"Malexis has the power to move the house. I don't know how he does it."

“Can we please go?” I ask. “My child could be in danger.” I ignore the guilty look on Piper’s face. I don’t blame her for whatever happens to Olivia and my child. Milo and I told her it was okay. We’re responsible for this.

Milo stuffs the phials into his pocket and grabs my face with both of his hands. 

“We’ll go. We’ll go in just a second.” He turns to Oswald. “You and Exavier have to explain it to everyone. Prince Krayden knows as well. He can explain it to the Ur'ali. Phoebe is moving her base to Hashandra. We’re going to Kr’fait. Those are your orders, Sir Oswald,” Milo adds sternly when Oswald looks like he’s about to protest, “follow them.”

Oswald sets his jaw and nods, then he and Mulan walk away. Exavier gives one last look to Milo, smiles, then follows.

“I have to go,” says Piper. “Don’t try to stop me.”

“There’s no reason for you to return to Phoebe,” says Milo. “Malexis knows about you.”

“I want to know why he lied about it, though. It doesn’t make any sense. I expected him to tell Phoebe about me, not protect me from her.”

“You want to go back into a house where a demigod that can warp your memories is? Why?”

“I want our Book of Shadows. It’s my entire family’s magic. Phoebe has had it since I abandoned her long ago. I want it back.”

She and Milo stare at each other for a few moments. I’m about to say something when Milo speaks.

“Fine. Meet us tonight in Kr’fait,” he says. “We have to talk about all of this.” Piper nods and throws a transportation phial at her feet.

“Now us,” I say. Milo pulls out a phial and looks at it closely. I want to shout at him to do it, but I know he needs a second to make sure he’s doing it right. He throws the phial at our feet and a cloud of red-orange smoke envelopes us.

When it vanishes, we’re standing in Kr’fait, just down the—for lack of a better word—road that leads to the palace.

“Oh, Your Majesty!” says a Ur’ali woman, running forward. She must have been waiting for our return. “You have to come. It is your wife.”

“She’s not his wife,” says Milo bitterly, but follows behind us all the same. We run down a road we’ve never been on before and to a large building I immediately recognize as a hospital, though it’s carved right into the trunk of the tree.

The Ur’ali woman leads us through corridors until we enter a room and my jaw drops at the sight before me.

Olivia is lying on a bed, her legs up in stirrups.

“Oh, Gods,” says Milo when he sees Olivia, her legs spread wide open. She’s clutching the hand of a nurse and screaming as a small head comes out of her. 

She’s giving birth.

“Oh, fuck this stupid, fucking shit fuck!” yells Olivia. “Fucking fuck, fuck, fuck, fuuuuuuuck!”

“You must push,” says a Ur’ali doctor, his hands cupping the baby’s head. “Push now!”

Olivia’s eyes find mine and she screams and screams and screams. After a couple minutes, her screaming stops, but another one starts. The baby is screaming and crying as it’s wrapped in a towel by one of the nurses, then its umbilical cord is cut, and it’s carried over to a basin of water where they clean the baby off and bring it back to Olivia.

I cross the room, feeling like I’m in a dream and look down into its face.

“It is a boy,” one of the nurses say. I am overcome with love so wholly, I feel I might burst as I look into my son’s face for the first time. He has my nose. It’s miniscule, but it’s the same, slightly upturned. He’s settled down now, clean and wrapped in the blanket.

“Would you like to hold him?” asks Olivia.

I nod and scoop him up. I almost laugh at how little he weighs. Like he’s made of cotton. As I hold him, he opens his eyes and looks at my face. The pride I feel at being the first thing he ever sees is indescribable. I immediately look around for Milo and see he hasn’t left the doorway.

“I’ve been thinking about a name,” says Olivia. I look back at her. She’s gazing up at the baby as the doctors remove the stirrups and help her lie back. “What do you think of Theodore?” 

I smile and tears I didn’t know where filling my eyes begin to fall.

“I think it’s perfect,” I say, then look back down at him. “Little Theo.”

“And for his middle name,” says Olivia. I look back at her, but she isn't looking at me. Her eyes are trained on Milo. “I was thinking George.”

Milo’s dad’s name. I don’t know how she knows that, but Milo smiles and finally steps up, looking at the baby.

“Can I hold him?” he asks. I nod and hand him over. He looks down into Theo’s face. “Theodore George Heris. I think it’s a good name. But what about you? He doesn’t have a namesake from your family.”

“Well, he does, actually,” says Olivia. “My father’s name is Thomas Grant Rendara. T.G. Thomas Grant, T.G. Theodore George.”

“I think it’s perfect,” I say again. “I guess now we know what that potion was for.”

“Yeah,” says Milo. “But why? Why would Malexis want to force Olivia to give birth early?”

“I don’t know,” I say. “It seems like every day there are just more questions. So many questions, never enough answers.”

“Mr. Author is laying it on kinda thick, isn’t he?” Milo jokes, handing Theo to a nurse, who places him in a crib next to Olivia’s bed.

 

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Author’s Note:

I was asked a few months ago to a create a map of Pensia. Now, I’m no map maker, but I did my best using a site called Inkarnate. I didn’t add every single town I’ve written about, but I added the major cities and labeled the islands of the Southern Tribes. 

Here is the link if you’re interested:

https://inkarnate.com/m/xLK2J1-pensia/

Thank you for reading!-Ottie