Chynne returned to pacing upon the bed. Its sharp little claws certainly weren’t doing the bedcoverings any favors. “If you’d received a proper education, you’d know all this. Unfortunately, that is beside the point. I am not here to educate you. From what I’ve observed in the past few minutes, you may be unteachable. Usable, yes, but unteachable.”
Not insulting at all. But… “Did you know my mother? She died giving birth to me. If you were Lady Gimitri’s familiar…”
“Lady Gimitri killed our dear queen, seeking to take her place. Your father refused her.” So matter-of-fact, no inflection in Chynne’s tone betrayed its feelings on the matter.
“What?” Wycke shot to his feet. “What… how? How can you talk so calmly about my mother?” Murdered. Since he’d been old enough to understand the whispers, Wycke had carried guilt for killing her during his birth. Now to find out the blame lay with someone else?
“I was a familiar, magically bound to serve my mistress. I couldn’t judge her actions, merely obey her will. Magical binding only allows me to use my magic for the good of the magical practitioner I’m bound to.”
Another horrifying thought occurred to Wycke. “Please tell me Nyanda’s child wasn’t my father’s.” All he needed—a half-brother potentially more malicious than Radre.
“No. When he rebuffed her, she set her sights elsewhere.” The cat released a sigh. “Even though I didn’t serve your mother, if I could have intervened, the piece of filth sorceress would never have laid hands on her. The kindest woman I ever knew, your mother.”
Piece of filth sorceress?
Chynne’s feline features twisted into a semblance of disgust. “I was free. I served no one. Nyanda ensnared me and forced me to serve her. Others of my kind love their sorcerers, go to them willingly, are treated with respect. She treated me as a means to an end. She asked no one for anything. What she wanted, she took. Your father refused her; now he is dead.”
“She died too.”
“Yes, but I believe the plans she set into motion haven’t stopped.”
“What plans?” The hairs on the back of Wycke’s neck prickled.
“I do not know but intend to find out. Even beyond the grave, she may be using an innocent to carry out her schemes. During my time with her, I performed many horrible acts in her name. I hope to atone for my part in her crimes, and perhaps my new master will release me from the spell.”
“Who is your new master?” Wycke shuffled back to rest against the wall and slowly slid back to the floor. His mind could only handle so much input before he passed out. He’d rather not crack open his head in the process.
“I have not yet made my master’s acquaintance. I know he is not in this realm at present.” Very matter-of-fact. Not at all how Wycke expected a cat to talk—if cats spoke on a regular basis.
“But wait. If you’re looking for your master, why are you in my room?”
Chynne spoke slowly as though to a small child. A small, not too particularly bright child. “Magic runs in your family line, yet bypassed your brother, stayed with your sister long enough to realize she wasn’t the one, though she retains some power, and came to you. Although you suppress your abilities, they’re there, within you. If left untrained, you could wreak havoc upon the world. I have come to ensure you don’t destroy the realm. In turn, you will take me to the one I’ll serve next.”
A knock sounded on the door. “Hid…” No cat sat on the bed. A tiny spider crawled up the headboard. “Come in,” Wycke called. A spider? Really?
A chambermaid poked her head in the door. “Would you like breakfast now, Your Highness?” She swept her gaze across the room, likely looking for lovers hiding in the curtains.
Wycke rolled his eyes. Sir Drake in the drapes only happened once. Okay, maybe twice.
Wycke hadn’t actually eaten the breakfast with Saris. Radre stole his appetite. Now his insides were too tied into knots for food. Plus, he might be losing his mind. “No. No, thank you.”
“As you wish.” The maid left, closing the door gently behind her.
Wycke turned and screamed. “Ah… a snake!”
The snake laughed. “Knew you’d be impressed. I can take nearly any form I wish, except a dragon. Only if my sorcerer is truly powerful and orders me to can I take my most threatening shape.” One moment a snake lay on the bed, the next a cat.
“Your sorcerer? Who sent you?” Was death imminent?
The cat huffed. “Oh, you might be powerful, but by the ancestors, you’re dim. Most humans see me as a common cat or one of my other forms. You can hear me, talk to me, as can your sister. Your brother never said anything I wished to hear. Too much like your father. Loves the sound of his own voice, ‘Blah, blah, blah, I am the king!’ I can’t for the life of me understand what your mother saw in him.’”
“Wait. You’re notmyfamiliar, are you, and just playing coy?” Chynne never answered the question of who.
Chynne’s face scrunched. In the human realm, the look usually accompanied,“Bitch, please!”Instead, he said, “No, I’m not. Had your mother been more powerful, she might have helped free me from Lady Gimitri, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. You suppress your power. Why?”
Wycke repeated the lines he’d learned from Saris long ago. “Because I stand between two kings. If they knew of the power, they’d each use me for their own gain. Of course, they wouldn’t mind killing me in the process either.”
“Oh, young one. You’ve so much to learn. I need your help, so you have my protection. Once you know how to use your legacy, possibly you can free me. Until then, I must live out my destiny. I’ve watched and waited. I thought your sister might know something. Now she has revealed herself.”