Silence - By Kailin Gow Page 0,14

her father, Leytham. The King seemed a lot more surprised, though.

“El isa? Is that you? You have not changed at al .”

Leytham shook his head. “This is not El isa, brother. This is Sophie. My daughter and your niece.

Though when she entered El isa and Briony’s world, she aged quickly as a human. Unlike Palisor, where we take years to age, in Briony’s world, every creature with a drop of human blood in them age as humans do. Which means…”

“Sophie is much older than El isa and Briony…”

King Waltham said. “Yes, yes, I know.” The King held out his arms to Aunt Sophie, and she went to him, taking both his hands in hers.

“I’m sorry, your Majesty,” she said. “About El isa. Pietre got to her and turned her.”

King Waltham’s face lit up. “So she is stil out there in the Woods of your home?”

Aunt Sophie looked down, “No, she died as a vampire, trying to lead a rebel ion against Pietre.”

Waltham’s face showed his grief at hearing about Briony’s mother. “I had wanted to go through the gates myself to visit, but she had already moved on, began a new life, had married her own…a human, and started a family.” Waltham looked over at Briony. “She was a little older than you when we met. Just as pretty and ful of life. She took my breath away…this human creature who was able to slip into Palisor. It was rare, unheard of even, but there she was, and we fel in love.

Many did, too, here. To us, she was the mythical one…being able to find her way into Palisor. She was a special human for sure, but the pul of her own world was too great for her to remain in Palisor. And I did not know she gave birth to a child…mine…until much later,” Waltham patted Aunt Sophie’s hand. “I am grateful Elissa and Briony had you to watch over them.

And I hear you are an excel ent guardian of Palisor and thwarted vampires from finding the gates.”

Briony saw Aunt Sophie’s head dip just barely in a half-bow. “It is true, your majesty.”

Waltham nodded. “Wel , your arrival gives us another reason to celebrate.”

Aunt Sophie unabashedly laughed, much to Briony’s relief. Despite her younger appearance, she was the same old tough Aunt Sophie that she had grown to love. Then Sophie moved over to Prince Vigor, who was stil busy scowling over at them in silence. It seemed that her newfound youth had done something to bring out Aunt Sophie’s mischievous side, because she walked around him the way she might a statue, but then suddenly reached out to pinch the Prince’s rear. Prince Vigor yelped and spun towards her, reddening.

“Ah, so you are real,” Aunt Sophie said. “And there I was thinking that you were just some sort of artwork with al that chisel broodiness. ‘Prince, scowling’ perhaps. So, are you going to give your step-cousin a hug?”

Vigor looked briefly confused by the whole thing. “A what?”

He seemed slightly embarrassed by the whole episode, and even more embarrassed when King Waltham stepped forward to put an arm around Aunt Sophie’s shoulders, drawing her away from him.

Being rescued, Briony suspected, wasn’t the Prince’s style.

“Sophie, Vigor has spent no time in the human lands. Their customs are something he is not used to.”

Hugging was a human custom? Briony thought back to the way the King had hugged her. Apparently, not al hugtandalfs had a problem with it.

“Wel , we’l just have to get him used to it, won’t we?” Sophie said. She stepped forward as if to enfold Vigor in a crushing hug, but the Prince stepped back.

“Stay away from me,” he snapped, and then stalked past them, exiting the rooms.

King Waltham looked after him with regret.

“Forgive Vigor. My adopted son has little time for things beyond our lands.”

“Wel , we’l just have to change that too,” Aunt Sophie said. “Briony may be a Hugtandalfer, but she is stil human. I don’t want Vigor or anyone in Palisor holding that against her.”

Waltham reached out to pat Briony’s hand.

“You have to forgive Vigor, Briony. When I did not know of you, I raised him to assume the throne. He has always believed that to be his destiny, and now, finding out that he must share it with you, he is angry.”

Briony hesitated for a long moment. She didn’t like Vigor’s attitude. Of course she didn’t. But she didn’t like this talk of sharing thrones any more than that.

“Why should Vigor have