Blood Past - By Samantha Young Page 0,32
my home.” He snorted. “She was really very annoying and brash with her forthright bluntness and unladylike behaviour.”
Eden grinned, thoroughly tickled at the thought of her young mother getting on Cyrus’ ancient nerves.
He sighed. “I had been sleep-walking for so long. The trials of eternity, Eden. You start to lose connection. You become desensitized to people and their motivations: love, power, jealousy, greed, hate, anger. It all begins to lose meaning. I did my job. I hunted those who preyed on humans, I ran The Circle, I oversaw the Neith. But there was no joy in my life. Until your mother. I was living in France at the time because of the conflict. The House of Valois fighting the House of Plantagenet for the French throne-”
“Wait, Valois?” Eden’s eyes widened at the possible implication.
Cyrus smiled. “No, no relation,” he assured her. “Noah’s father has no links to French royalty. The House of Valois was founded a few centuries after Alain’s birth by Charles IV of France. We have no time for a history lesson and it is all quite complicated but it’s suffice to say Charles Valois had a claim to the French throne as did the Plantagenets, the rulers of England who had roots in France and in the royal line. A very complex and very long war broke out. You may have heard of it… The Hundred Years War?”
Eden screwed up her face. “Yeah but I’m not going to lie, history has never been my strong suit.” He frowned. “I hope I am not boring you then.”
“No, God, no,” she rushed to assure him. “It’s totally interesting when you’re talking to someone who’s actually been there.”
He seemed to consider that. “I suppose it might be. Now where was I?”
“You were in France when my mom came to you.”
“Yes. I was in France because I knew the conflict would attract soul eaters. Merrit’s mother died so she got on a boat and found me. I welcomed her into my home and in return she aggravated the hell out of me and turned my world upside down.”
“How?” Eden snuggled back into the hard bench, that romantic side of her she’d thought she’d hidden so well (clearly not from Noah who knew about her addiction to paranormal romance books) desperate to hear her mother’s love story.
“People rarely challenged me, because of who I was, how old I was. Even humans who did not know the significance of my position treated me deferentially. As it was they were wary of me because of my colouring, whispering ‘Saracen’ behind my back. But even the knights dared not approach me. Even women of common origin gave me wide berth as did Ladies who were taught to be docile and obedient. They were raised with impeccable manners and were shy and unassuming for the most part.”
“Except for Joan of Arc,” Eden interrupted. “I kind of listened in class when we got around to the stuff about her.”
Cyrus smiled. “That does not surprise me. Joan of Arc was present later in The Hundred Years War. Your mother was fascinated by the tales of her and sought her out.”
“Wait, my mom met Joan of freakin’ Arc?”
He nodded. “Yes. I believe Merrit admired her obvious intelligence and bravery but was somewhat unsettled by her fervour. She was even more intimidating than Merrit and that is saying something. Your mother could cow a person with one simple look.”
“I can’t believe my mother met Joan of Arc. I did not wake up this morning expecting that little revelation.”
Cyrus smiled softly. “There are many stories. And I will tell you them. In time.” Still reeling, Eden took a moment to come back to Cyrus and when she did she frowned. “You didn’t finish. You were saying women were different back then…?”
“Ah yes. I had not been around another female warrior in a long time. The Circle met rarely back then because travelling was not as easy. Valeria had left to live with Darius over a century before Merrit’s arrival. I was used to strong-willed women but even Valeria was reluctant to question me.
Merrit questioned everything. She said I had lost myself and she was determined to find me.” His eyes grew soft. “And she did. We trained together, we hunted; she pulled me back into society for a while so I could remember what it was to be human. Her quick and honest tongue did land us in a few scuffles but I found myself inexplicably addicted to her company. It