Page 143 of The Griffin Knight
Hemlock looked up as she heard our footsteps. Tear stains smudged the dirt on her face.
“It’s true, Emma,” she breathed brokenly. “You did not lie.”
Emma looked away. “I’m so sorry, Professor.”
Hemlock wiped her eyes. “I cannot take anymore of this. This divide between Seelie and Unseelie. I can have no more part of it. I will leave Arcanea University. These walls… haunt me.”
“But you have to stay,” Emma pleaded.
“No,” Hemlock said sharply. “I cannot continue to teach here, in the halls my daughter roamed— cannot live in Malovia, in a country that killed my husband and mate. I have no interest in helping with this war, or saving this nation. It has cost me my entire family. For that, I believe the fae deserve to rot.”
“Where will you go?” Emma asked.
Hemlock hesitated, before she said, “There is an opening for an alchemy professor at the Darke Institute for Supernatural Offenders. I believe it’s where I’m meant to be.”
“A reform school for magical delinquents?” I asked skeptically. “Professor, you have so much experience, so much knowledge. You should teach at a reputable institution, not a juvenile prison.”
“And that’s exactly why they need me,” Hemlock replied. “I failed my daughter. She fell into a bad crowd, aligned herself with bad people, because she felt like she had no other choice. It led to her demise. I tried, but I could not save her.”
Hemlock’s voice quivered as she added in a whisper, “But perhaps there will come another girl who Icansave. If I can save just one young supernatural who’s on the wrong path, and help them turn their life around, maybe my daughter’s death won’t be in vain.”
Emma placed a hand on Hemlock’s arm. “Callista didn’t die for nothing. I’m sure you’re meant to help someone out there. I know she’d be proud of you, for making this decision to teach kids who need you. Maybe one day, a girl out there will be able to say you saved her life.”
Hemlock gave Emma a wet smile that was full of misery, but warm. We continued on, leaving Hemlock to grieve on her own.
As we grew closer to the Grand Foyer, Emma became tense.
“What are we going to do, Ethan? People saw us use Unseelie magic,” Emma said. “That’s a crime.”
“We’ll deal with the consequences as they come,” I told her. “For now, all we can do is put together the pieces of what this battle left behind.”
Just before we entered the Grand Foyer, I laid a hand on Emma’s arm. I suddenly felt very sick, and incapable of doing this.
“Wait,” I said. “I need a moment alone.”
Emma’s mouth was thin. She ran a hand through my hair, before stepping through the double doors of the Great Foyer. I slipped into a bathroom nearby and washed my face with cold water, trying to make myself awaken from this awful nightmare. The water in the sink ran red.
I heard the door open and shut behind me. Lady Magdalina stood in front of it, arms crossed with hardly a scratch on her.
I gave an enraged sound. “Can I not have a spare minute, for pity’s sake?”
“No,” Magdalina said shortly. “You may not.”
A bit of the ceramic sink snapped off as I grabbed it too hard. I threw the broken bit to the floor and snapped, “I do not expect pity from you, but I do ask for a second of privacy!”
“You have no time to weep for a relationship that did not serve you, and worse still, hindered you,” Magdalina replied. “This is an opportunity.”
I huffed. “An opportunity. My cousin is dead, by my own hand.”
“And the world is better for it.” Magdalina raised an eyebrow. “You cannot argue otherwise, despite the personal cost.”
“Of course the world is better. Do you want me to admit that he was a vile, inhumane son-of-a-bitch? Because he was. It didn’t make it any easier.” I turned my back to her. I hated her, right then.
“You know we cannot delay. Ethan, look at me.”
Even now, I respected her too much. I turned to face her, and she said, “You did what was required. Because Elijah is dead, thousands of fae will be spared from dying at his hand.”
“We still have Gabby to contend with. She will not relinquish power— now that Elijah is gone, she will cleave to it, to make us all pay.”
“Then we will raise a challenger who will stand up to her wrath. Someone the people respect, and will rally behind as their leader. The fae won’t follow just anyone. They are afraid of Gabby. So we must install a monarch in Dolinska that they will adore. Someone who they will love more than they fear her. A hero they are willing to fight for— even die for.”
I let out a cruel laugh. “And who is this imaginary king of your own creation, the one who will lead us all to salvation?”
“You know you don’t have to ask.”
A tightness grew in my chest, and my breathing became labored with pangs of disbelief. My mind knew the answer, and yet, I couldn’t comprehend it.
This couldn’t be.
Lady Magdalina jutted out her chin. She spoke with all the confidence of a goddess as she said, “There is only one way. You must follow in your father’s footsteps, and take your place as king.”
