Tie It With a Ribbon

I heard commotion outside the bedroom door—a lot of it. People were screaming and calling for help, but I had been given orders to stay behind that door. I had gathered my children in my arms, ready to bolt should the situation arise. I would not lose them because I dared trust the world again.

They were the only ones that mattered anymore, and if I lost them…

That would mean everything would have been in vain, and I would not allow that to happen, not when so many had given their lives to ensure we prevailed.

“Is she dead?”

I did not know the voice that spoke those words.

“No! She’s not!”

That was Grayson, and he sounded absolutely hysterical.

“Do something! Are you mad? Help her!”

“I do not know that there is anything we can do…”

Grayson raved, but then I heard a sudden outbreak of sobbing, though it lasted for only a moment.

“You!” he screamed, causing me to cringe even though I was safely locked away. “You did this! You killed your own mother! All three of you! She had wanted children so badly, but now I cannot see why! If you hadn’t been born, I would still have her! You’ve caused me nothing but pain!”

The hallways went silent as the footsteps echoed into the distance, and there was a small knock on the door, which sounded more like a head hitting the wood rather than a hand.

“It’s me,” Zanzibar announced, and I hurried to unlock the door.

He took the children from me, putting them to sleep as he grabbed my shoulders.

“Alena, why am I not crying?” he asked, his face entirely void of any emotion.

“Well, what just happened?”

“My mother just… Her body just froze, as if she had turned to stone, when Camille approached her, demanding her to prove me wrong. When she couldn’t, Camille had broken into tears, throwing more harsh words at her than I even knew existed. Cadence had just frozen, falling to the floor, like she didn’t have a reason to live anymore.”

“How do you feel?” I whispered, touching his cheek gently. He was perfectly warm.

“I laughed.”

I pulled back. “What do you mean?”

“I mean I laughed! She dropped to the floor, and I just laughed! Camille was trembling, and Grayson was sobbing, so I laughed. I thought it was pretty damn funny.”

“Your mother had a heart attack and died, and all you could do was laugh?”

He nodded, not even bothering to cover the fact that he felt as if he should have shame but didn’t. “All I could think was ‘At least now I don’t have to kill the bitch myself.’ That’s not right, is it?”

“No, it’s not,” I told him, shaking my head and stepping away from him. “Zanzibar, you just lost your mother!”

He shrugged. “I should care, shouldn’t I?” he asked, indifference laced into his words and scrawled all over his face. “But I still can’t forgive her.”

“Tell me what she did! If you can look me in the eyes and tell me that your mother’s death made you laugh, then she must have tried to kill you as a baby!”

“Close, but no dice,” muttered, shaking his head. “I’m not going to tell you.”

“You said that you would when they die. You’re half way there!”

A look crossed his eyes.

“Zanzibar, tell me Grayson is still alive!” I demanded, shaking my head as my mouth hung open. “You didn’t kill him!”

He shook his head. “I didn’t.” He rolled his eyes. “He’ll do himself in anyway. I mean, what has he to live for? The only one on his side is gone, and he can’t trust anyone. He’ll go insane.”

“Do you hear what you’re saying?”

He waved it off. “We’re different. Besides, he’s overstayed his welcome here.”

“He’s your father,” I reminded him, unable to believe what I was hearing.

“You won’t be able to prove that for much longer.”

“Just what does that mean?”

He looked to me, letting out a quiet breath. “I forget that you don’t know our customs.”

“Fill me in.”

“Once Cadence is declared dead, Grayson is going to release himself from his body.”

He didn’t mean…

“Yeah, he’s going to kill himself. The legend of the Gryphes is a way of life for us, Alena. It’s our Bible. When the mother died after giving birth, the father only lived for the children. Grayson can tell that we don’t need him anymore, and the mother has passed. That means he has no mortal purpose.”

“And your people are going to just let him do that?”

He nodded. “That’s the way it’s always been. If you died, I’d do the same if my kids didn’t need me. The only thing that would stop Grayson would be if one of us begged him not to. And I’m not running over there, Camille is still trembling in his bedroom, and Salina is waiting in the graveyard for the new tombs to be added.”

“This is my fault, isn’t it?” I breathed.

“Honestly?” I nodded. “Yeah, it is. But not for the reasons you’d think. I’ll explain it to you when I can break it gently. Right now I’m still thinking about the right words.”

“Do you want to go to his funeral?”

“I’m obligated. I don’t want my people to think I’m disrespectful. I’ll honor the body, just not the soul.”

It didn’t feel like Zanzibar had just been orphaned.