"Thank you, father! You kept it hidden from me."
Jarek knelt in front of his father. It was a surprise to him that sounded sweet.
"Rise, three of you worth it, use them wCora."
His son slid on his feet, he entirely forgot what had happened in the yard near the Rose bushes.
Selene brought the daggers that were inside the carved steel sheaths.
"You bless us with these arts." She begged.
"Fine, then you promise to clean up yourself, your parents will arrive by the dawn, I'd dislike them seeing you this way."
"You mean, our father!" Selene corrected her uncle.
The ten years old Kira bobbed her head. Her face looked as if a goblin wiggled inside the marsh.
Uncle Darian grabbed the daggers, directing to them, he mentioned, "stand in a row, like the men of the kings, Claire, you first."
He rowed them by age, Claire, Jarek, and Selene who was the keenest amongst all.
"I, Darian James, call you by the name of Griffin tamers Kin. Here, you will get the honor of this title, a dagger made of rare steel that I brought from the Faeries land when I was young. You are the light of darkness, Kira James takes this title as a Queen of hearts."
He put down the first one in Claire's hand and she bowed, "I, Kira James, the daughter of the moon, I appreciate this honor. May gods bless us to use it against darkness."
She walked away but Jarek was already staring at her, spCorabound by the speech that she just offered them perfectly. To him, everything about his cousin was perfect.
"Move, Jarek!"
He looked back at his father when Selene poked him from the back.
He got his dagger, tending to hug his father but a strong forefinger stopped him by the forehead.
"Don't even attempt to touch me like this."
Jarek's eyes grew wide, his body remained still, he was acting like a silly panhandler that just achieved treasure.
"It is my turn."
Selene 's eyes were sparkling, if the dirt hadn't masked her face, you could say that her pale skin now flourished like spring pink roses.
"You, Selene James, walk forward."
To her, it was as if a dream that found a way to reality, every noisy sound around her decreased, only the image of that glowing dagger when she saw him as a king with a crown on his head.
She expanded her palms and waited for him to chant the words for her glory.
"Selene James, I call you the Queen of Night, your bravery will become a word that runs mouth to mouth, your glory will bring pride to our kin and your name will bring dread into the dark hearts of our enemies."
The heat and flames of the furnace changed as if stars and cheers in her perspective and she sensed the cold steel-made sheath kissing in her palms.
She rolled her head down, bowing to him, she strongly said, "I am carrying these words with my soul."
The shrieks of laughter brought her back to presence. She shot back glare to where their stepmother was standing. Why was she here always to ruin every joyful moment that she barely could earn?
She sensed her uncle's hand on her shoulder. Although he hated to touch the mud, he supported her from yanking back, a strong mountain that never could fall by a shiver.
"You arrived early father, we are surprised."
Kira abruptly chimed in before her sister could pick a fight with Lenora. The young lady with red hair was wearing dark glorious gowns that the gem beads could only buy a house for a villager, but it was dark exactly like her soul. She smirked at Claire, taking her nose with those leather-gloved fingers.
"Yes, daughter! Prepare yourself. We are going home before dark."
Their father was a slender man who wore a gray tailcoat. He held the umbrCoraa down. His hat covered his forehead but his brown eyes were visible, not concealed by the shadow of edges. This was the image of him that they always captured in their mind.
"But today was my mother's memorial day, you promised us a whole day, not only a few hours."
Selene protested, almost shouting, wearing rage toward her father.
"Yes, darling! I am truly sorry but our business in the court ended faster than we expected."
"Look at you! We left only a few hours and you are so unlike yourself."
Lenora noted, tugging it a disgusted complexion, it made Selene even more furious.
"This is the real me."
She squeezed the dagger in her hand.
Uncle Darian found it hard for their father to convince them. He knelt, turning Selene to himself by the shoulder.
"Listen the Queen of the night, you must go home. This time, you should spend this night with your father. You should not take this chance from him. See, the forest has gone savage, if a storm arrived unexpectedly, we wouldn't be able to light candles."
Selene glanced out, the window's glass was hazy by the steam but she could hear the branches, the groaning woods that made it unsafe for all of them.
Her eyes averted to her uncle, "come with us if it is unsafe."
He mainly smiled and shook his head.
"I must stay here, I am not only a smith man but also a woodcutter, no storm can harm me." She surged forward and hugged him.
"Thank you, cousin." Lucas James uttered before getting out of the smithery.
Uncle Darian picked the small beast figure up and walked outside after his cousin, the lord of Greenwood.
Kira strode beside him. Her eyes were wandering around. Her uncle was speaking the truth, the storm was heavy.
"What is that?" Jarek pointed to a blackbird that fCora from the sky.
He didn't wait for them to avoid him from approaching it. He ran into the rain while the rest were almost close to the fine carts and those guards on horses.
"Captain Black, check what Jarek found."
Lucas James ordered through the cart's window, seeing Kira running to her cousin. She wasn't a girl that could neglect and play in the mud.
Kira grabbed her mouth with two hands. She completely forgot that the wind and rain were lashing her from every side possible.
"Don't touch it."
Before Jarek's finger could touch it, Darian alerted him. He put Selene down. His eyes drew blank. He knelt near the bird, red ropes tied its claws. He scowled and wrinkles appeared in the middle of his eyebrows.. It was a cursed crow.