All I can see is the back of the prison where they keep all the carriages and the chain-link fence that surrounds it. There’re trees on the other side, bathed in the auburn light of the setting sun, and I so badly wish I could be out there among them. It feels like a lifetime ago I felt the sun against my skin and the wind blowing through my hair.
“Izora?”
I jump at the sound of my mother’s whispered voice. I haven’t seen or heard from anyone since the guard brought me here, and my mother was the last visitor I expected to see. I spin around, my eyes locking on the door, and instead of feeling relieved at hearing my mother, I tense up.
“You will open this door immediately, Warden,” my mother snaps.
The clanging of metal keys carries to my ears, followed by the latch lifting up. My mother steps into the room with a box in her arms. Her complexion is worryingly pale and dark heavy bags underscore her eyes. She looks gaunt and tired, nothing like the proud High Warden who raised me.
As soon as the door slams behind her, her features soften a little and a smile tilts the edge of her lips.
“Darling, how are you?” she asks quietly.
“I’ve been locked in here for goddess knows how long and you’re asking how I am?” I cross my arms and glare at her. “I suppose I’ve been better, Mother, all things considered. Thanks for asking.”
The smile fades as quickly as it appeared. “I do not have long, darling, but I thought you could do with some company.” She holds out the box and the muffled sounds inside catch my interest. “I’m afraid Her Highness has insisted on keeping you in here for another two weeks and my hands are tied.” Tears threaten her eyes, but I don’t feel any sympathy or love for her, only anger and betrayal. “I hope this will help to pass some of your time.”
My mother bends down and gently tips the box. Ozy tumbles out, sniffs the air, and then his big brown eyes land on me. With an excited ‘oink’ noise, he trots over, his floppy ears moving around him wildly. Seeing his adorable face should bring me joy, but to my surprise, it just makes me want to cry. I kneel and sweep him into my arms, my lashes glazed with tears.
“Where did you find him?”
I look up at her as she scans the room with an apparent look of disgust. “The Shade came to me in my lab. There’s something about him that reminds me of Phoebus. Do you remember him?”
At the mention of my childhood pet, I look away from my mother. The last thing I want to do right now is reminisce about the good old times before I was turned into a shadowborn. That life is dead and gone as far I’m concerned, just like the woman standing in front of me. This isn’t the mother who raised me. This is another of Eva’s puppets—a puppet who can’t even protect her own daughter.
“I do miss those days,” my mother says, her voice uncharacteristically small. “Perhaps once this is all over, you can bring the Shade home with us.”
In reply, I can only laugh at her. But then I see the serious look on her face and add, “You can’t possibly think I’ll go back with you after all this?”
A quiver catches my mother’s lower lip. “One would hope… with time… you may learn to forgive me.”
Lifting Ozy into my arms, I straighten off the floor and look hard at my mother. “Don’t hold your breath. You’re the one who wanted all this.” I sweep a hand around the room, indicating the prison. “So you’re the one who needs to face the consequences. As far as I’m concerned, you and me…” The lump swelling in my throat pools into my eyes, and tears drop despite my efforts. “We’re done.”
She closes her eyes. “Izora, please…”
I wipe my cheek with my shoulder and tighten my grip on Ozy, who’s determined to lick away my tears. I’ve had a lot of time to think about what to say to my mother, but now that we’re alone and she’s standing before me, I struggle to find the right words.
“You chose your side,” I say, my heart lurching in my chest, “and I’ve chosen mine. The good one. The side that doesn’t hurt people.”
The door opens, dragging our attention away from each other.