Owen sat in silence as his father cut the tip of a cigar, lighting it with a snap of his fingers. He then slowly turned his chair to see out a window. Seemingly lost in thought as he puffed away, and smoke filled the office. Owen wished his father would speak, say anything as to why he had called him here. Even still, he knew better, choosing to stay quiet until his father decided to break the silence.

  “She is alive, you know. The branded, I mean.”

  “Ves is alive? How!?”, even if they never found a body, it had been over a month. The Fangswood was one of the most dangerous places on the continent. The very idea that Ves was still alive seemed impossible.

  “That is the question, isn’t it, but the master command seal proves it. Besides, as you remember, one of our scouts spotted her alive before we left.” The senator responded, still not facing his son as he tapped ashes from his cigar into a tray.

  “If you knew she was alive all this time, why are you only bringing it up now?”

  “There is more going on than I have told you. You may be my heir, but you have yet to prove yourself worthy of the whole truth. Consider all this a test. Suffice to say, I needed to wait until we parted ways with the Justicar. Now she is wandering lost with no leads, we can take our next steps. For now, I want you to prepare your things, but pack lightly so as not to draw attention.”

  “Where are we going father?”

  “To Corinth”

  Realizing his father considered that a dismissal, Owen left. He had so many questions at this point. It was clear there was more going on as his father outright said so. It would also go a long way toward explaining his strange behavior in the Fangswood. More importantly than all that, though, Ves was alive.

  Owen was now off to have tea with his mother, Lady Elaine Fa Berkandis of Forgrest. No doubt she wanted to learn any useful gossip from his meeting with his father. To say his parents’ marriage was strained was an understatement.

  It was a marriage made strictly for political and financial gain. His mother hated the country of Kohdessia in general, but she was first and foremost loyal to her family back in Forgrest. Well, family and coin. Unfortunately, almost two decades of pushing her own happiness aside had started to take its toll. She seldom spoke to her husband anymore, and he wouldn’t be surprised if she outright despised the man. He was pretty sure that, despite being an invitation for tea, his mother would be drinking something a bit stronger.

  As he reached his mother’s sitting room, he knocked and was let in by a stern middle-aged woman named Vanessa. She was his mother’s lady-in-waiting and childhood friend, who had moved to Kohdessia with his mother when she married.

  “Owen, how good of you to make it. Please come in, take a seat.” His mother welcomed him. As he took a seat across from his mother, Vanessa placed a cup of tea in front of him and returned to attention, standing behind his mother.

  Aside from the three, there was one other in the room — his little sister, three years his junior, Sophia. She had rose-blond hair, just like their mother. Though he had inherited his father’s hair, he was glad he at least received his mother’s striking blue eyes. Despite being well into her early fifties, his mother was still a captivating, cold beauty with a commanding presence. He passed most of that off to her having a low-grade Quartz soul. Whenever he asked about it, she would simply say she had had a rather adventurous youth.

  “Good day, mother, Sophia.”

  “Brother,” his sister responded before taking a sip of her tea.

  “So, Owen, tell me, how fares my dear husband?” The venomous sarcasm in her voice was almost dripping.

  Owen took a sip of his tea to steady himself. His mother hated the man so much that he was certain she would throw a party if the worst were ever to befall him. He knew his father wasn’t perfect, but the man was still his father and a respected senator.

  “Honestly, I’m just left with more questions. He lost a branded which should put any noble into a panic, yet he doesn’t really seem to care. Or at the very least, there seems to be more going on that he is willing to tell me.”

  “That foolish man. What in the goddess’s name is he dragging you into? That trip was supposed to make us money and improve our relationships with the northern kingdoms by assisting them with their escaped void-sent problem.”

  His mother massaged her temples, likely with a headache coming on. “All he did was put us in the red, and the monster almost escaped. The compensation costs to the injured staff and bereaved families alone are staggering. Adding in word that an old monster has taken claim over the area. The whole situation is a disaster.”

  Owen went pale remembering that fateful day… he missed Ves and feared for her. Thankfully, he now knew she was still alive, but who knew for how long.

  “Owen, my dear, are you alright?” Owen’s mind returned to the present, looking into his mother’s concerned face.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  “My apologies, mother, it's already been a month, but the memories of the attack are still vivid.”

  “I understand, I know how you felt about her.” His mother said.

  Owen tried to keep a straight face. “Mother, I have no idea what you are talking about.”

  With a light chuckle, she followed up with “Deny it all you want, it won’t change the truth.”

  Owen felt his face turn flush. His feelings were not something he had admitted to anyone, not even Ves herself.

  She continued, “I am your mother, and I could easily see where your eyes continued to wander over the years. 'Tis no surprise as you two practically grew up together.”

  “Mother!” Owen’s ears turned red as his sister began to stifle a laugh behind her hand.

  “Alias, it was never meant to be, her own eyes had a different focus and were rather less discreet about her own wandering gaze. Were Sophia a few years older, I would have worried”.

  Owen gave his mother a confused look as Sophia blushed.

  His mother just blinked, looking at her son’s confusion in mild shock. “Owen, please don’t tell me, despite watching her for years, you didn’t realize?”

  “Realize what?” he asked.

  “You really are dense. I’ll blame your father for that trait.” His mother placed her finger on her chin. “How do I put this? She preferred lilies over swords?”

  Sophia blushed before looking at her confused brother, leaving her in shock.

  “Mother, I’m afraid I don’t understand. Wouldn’t that be true of most women? Female knights are far less common, and Ves is far from the athletic type.”

  His mother continued, “I mean, she preferred the sheathe to the sword. A woman of particular tastes?”

  Owen was still confused.

  All three women in the room sighed.

  “Forgive me, my Lady, but I feel we need to spell it out for Lord Owen,” Vanessa spoke up.

  Exasperated, Owen’s mother gestured for Vanessa to continue.

  “Lord Owen, Ves had no interest in men. She preferred the nightly company of other women,” Vanessa stated bluntly.

  Owen’s eyes went wide, and after a moment, he blurted out, “What! Why would you say that!”

  “Her eyes wandered, so much in fact that we had received a fair number of complaints from the other staff when she hit puberty,” Vanessa added.

  “It was rather bad. Vanessa and I had to sit her down and have a talk about it. Explaining how she was making the other staff uncomfortable.” His mother added.

  “Truly, brother, how could you not know? While Kohdessians may be adverse to a branded’s company, Ves has broken the hearts of more than a few of the staff from other lands.” His sister chided.

  “Ohh, I wonder who she could have gotten that from,” his mother added while leaning back to give Vanessa a stare.

  “I can’t possibly know to what you are referring, my lady,” Vanessa responded while refusing to look Elaine in the eyes.

  Owen hardly even heard the other words. Ves didn’t like men? There was no way that could be true. So why would she sleep with women? Was it because she was branded? That had to be the reason. Owen knew any children Ves bore would be branded as well. She must have resigned herself to that fate and simply avoided any male company. Even still, Owen knew, he just knew in his heart that he and Ves had a bond. He would just have to find a way to make it work. For now, that could wait. First, he had to get her safely back home.

  A not-so-subtle cough pulled Owen’s attention back to the present as his mother spoke. “Well, that is enough of that. Now, Owen, seeing as you are not grief-stricken, I can only assume. That one Ves is still alive, and two, your father has not found her yet?”

  “Yes”

  His mother leaned back into her own seat with a conflicted expression, “That complicates things…”

  “Adding that it’s clear there is more going on, something he wants to hide from the Temple. Seeing as he left the void-sent to the Justicar and based on his other actions, I can only conclude his real objective was the egg it carried.” Owen added.

  Elaine slammed her teacup onto the table so hard that the handle broke. Her face contorted in rage.

  “Mother?” Sophia asked timidly.

  At those words, Elaine took a deep breath, and Owen could see his mother forcing himself to calm down.

  “Mother, what’s wrong?” He asked.

  “Nothing I will speak of until I can confirm a few things. I just pray to the goddess I’m wrong. For now, the question is how to handle the immediate situation with Ves.”

  Owen himself could feel his thoughts cloud. His personal feelings aside, an escaped branded was a significant problem for their house.

  Sophia spoke up, “I don’t understand isn’t it good she is alive? Why do you two look so worried?”

  Owen was the first to speak up, “Ves is a bloodline branded. Legally, she is considered both property of the crown and a criminal. Her service to our family was part of her sentence. As she is owned by the crown, letting her die without first asking permission is already bad enough, but would more than likely have just been a fine”.

  Owen looked solemn before his mother picked up where he left off, “The problem is if she escaped, that’s a whole different issue. She is required to serve until her death. If the king ever learns of her escape, not just your father’s life but that of this whole family could be in danger. In the best case, our family would be stripped of our title and lands, in the worst, your father will be executed and one of you taken to fill her place.”

  His mother turned back to him and asked, “I assume your father has some sort of plan?”

  Owen shrugged, “Not that he has told me. All he said was to prepare for another trip, this time to Corinth.”

  “I suppose that makes sense. Ves is a city girl; she has no experience surviving in the wild. In turn, the best guess is she found her way to some town at the edge of the forest and was taken in,” his mother mused.

  “Why Corinth, though?” Owen asked.

  “Ohh? Are you not aware? The City Lord of Corinth, Lord Varsray, is her grandfather. It's why your father always took Ves when he visited the city as a means to taunt the man. Corinth is also the closest major settlement to where Ves went missing. Not that I’m certain Ves herself is aware of any of this.”

  “I wasn’t aware of this either mother,” Sophia spoke up.

  “I’m not surprised, it was quite the scandal, but also well before any of you were born.”

  Looking up at his mother “Is there no way to save her?”

  His mother stared at them with a conflicted look before finally, with a cold, determined look on her face, she glanced up at Vanessa, who simply nodded. Both siblings gulped as they looked at their mother.

  “Now answer me honestly, do you both truly want to save Ves? A woman with no relation to any of us. Whom, realistically speaking, is simply a servant who happened to grow up in the same house as you two.”

  “Mother, how can you say that? I know you look at Ves fondly yourself, let alone Vanessa, who practically raised her!” Owen spoke up in anger.

  His mother looked him straight in the eye, “I say that as that is how the outside world would see it, and you must be willing to bear the consequences as such.”

  “I understand, even still, I want to save her,” Owen said.

  “As do I, mother,” Sophia added.

  “Very well.”