Storm Born Page 0,50

don't want to talk about it."

"And like so much, you ignore what you don't want to hear. Being Storm King's daughter is no small thing." Volusian's red eyes held my gaze.

"Your bluntness is so endearing." My stomach turned, but it was now or never. "All right. I'll bite. Why does Aeson think that?"

None of them had an answer right away. The impression I got from them was surprise more than ignorance.

"Because you are, mistress," said Nandi at last.

"No, I'm not. I'm human."

Volusian crossed his arms over his chest. "You are half-human, mistress. And as I said, your prejudice blinds you from the truth."

"One gentry's accusation isn't the truth. Where are the facts?"

"Facts? Very well. Here are facts. Who is your father?"

"Roland."

"You know what I mean, mistress. Who is your blood father?"

"I don't know. It doesn't matter. My mom always said he was a bastard not worth knowing."

Volusian stared at me expectantly.

"That doesn't prove anything."

"What about your powers? You are rapidly surpassing every other human shaman. You are equal in strength in both worlds. Do you think it's coincidence that the most powerful shaman in remembered history grew up in Roland Markham's household? He brought you there, taking you from Storm King."

"From where? Are you saying I was born in the Otherworld?"

Volusian inclined his head. "Storm King abducted your mother and made her his mistress. She bore his child. You."

"You seemly awfully sure about this."

"I saw your mother when she lived in the Otherworld. I have seen her in this world. She's the same woman."

"You're lying."

"By the power that binds us, you know I am not."

He was right. He couldn't lie to me - not so openly, at least. I knew that, and acknowledging that forced me to put my own world into a new perspective. It might explain why my mother hated the Otherworld so much. Why she and Roland had been adamant about instilling that hate in me, making sure I could never have any empathy with the gentry or anything else from that world.

I swallowed and realized I was on the verge of tears. God. That would probably blow the show of strength I always tried to hold around these guys. We needed to get through this interview. "So, are you saying that's why Roland eventually killed him? To protect me?"

"Among other things. Storm King's invasion was imminent. He had come to claim you. Roland Markham killed him, both saving you and halting Storm King's plans."

"So Dorian was telling the - wait a minute. He knew! That bastard. He sat there and fed me that stuff about Storm King, knowing who I was!"

"Everyone knows who you are, mistress," said Nandi.

"It's pretty recent, though," added Finn, seeing the look on my face. "Came out only a couple of weeks ago. The same time everyone learned your real name."

"How?" I glared at Volusian. He had known who I was this whole time. "Did you tell them?"

"No."

"Then why didn't you tell me before this? Why didn't any of you tell me when this came out?"

They stared.

"Because you did not ask us," replied Nandi.

"Yes," agreed Volusian. "Had you asked us, 'Am I Storm King's daughter?' we would have gladly - "

"Oh, shut up." I rubbed my eyes. I wanted to sleep. I wanted to sleep forever and forget all this. But I had miles to go before I slept, just like in the Robert Frost poem. "If everyone thought Storm King was so great, then why are they all coming after me? Shouldn't I be some kind of hero? Instead they want to kill me."

"Most aren't trying to kill you, unfortunately. They're trying to bed you, mistress."

"Why?"

"Probably because of the prophecy," said Nandi.

"Prophecy," I said dryly. "Wonderful. Now there's a prophecy."

"Mistress," she said hastily, "had you asked us if there was a prophecy - "

"Yeah, yeah. I know. What's this one say? That I'm a good lay?"

Finn hesitated. "Well...it says Storm King's vision will be carried out through his daughter's first son. That the human world will be reconquered."

"You're kidding." Oh, God, I wanted to sleep.

"When they found out you didn't have kids yet, everyone - well, every guy - wanted to get in on the action. Being the one to father Storm King's heir would be a pretty big deal."

"Likewise," added Volusian, "the prophecy says Storm King's daughter will clear the way for her son. Being your consort would carry great prestige."

"Hey, I'm not clearing the way for any invasion. Not that I believe in prophecies. Not that I believe in