Tie It With a Ribbon
Such Malice on their Breath
Zanzibar had taken it upon himself to ensure Salina was perfectly happy as of late, so I saw less and less of him during the days. He would join me at night, asking about my day and other such leisure, but I could see the toll his chore was taking on him.
I knew that he loved his sister so dearly, and that was why he exhausted himself with dragging her around the marketplace and to the Nest, showing her everything the two kingdoms had to offer her. I do not think that he was ready to raise a teenager on top of three newborns, and it often showed on his face when he was allowed to drop his charade of youthful optimism.
The last conversation we had was in regards to the paranoia issue, and we had worked out a system, though it did worry me. If one of us appeared to be too far gone, well, we had to ensure that at least one of us did make it past it…even if the other could not. He had promised it would not come to that, but it did not make the decision any easier.
Regardless of such promises, I hardly had him to myself anymore; and because Zanzibar was often away, I spent most of my time with Camille and Weston. We just talked, each of us taking a child to teach. Xavier had already discovered the joys of scooting across the floor, trying to show his siblings the way; London was finally able to sit up on his own, enjoying the new skill; and Amelia still fancied being held, though she was beginning to show progress in the physical department.
“Things have certainly calmed down,” Camille observed, smiling as Xavier scooted towards her.
“Yes, and it is a nice change of pace. I did not care for having to worry about when the next break-in would occur,” I mumbled, setting London between my legs. “But I do worry about Zanzibar.”
“He mentioned how Salina made him feel like an old man,” Weston commented, laughing softly, glancing down to Amelia. “Salina is not yet grown, and she needs a father. It is a strange thing that Grayson did not see that.”
Camille cringed, choosing to occupy herself with the mobile child rather than our conversation.
“It cannot be easy to raise a teenager while balancing three babies on top of that. He hardly sleeps… I hope he will be alright, but I think he is running on empty by now.”
“I think he was musing the prospect of finding her a suitor, so he would be able to sleep for a few days while she got to know her future-husband.”
I nodded. That did not surprise me.
“Weston, do you think you could fetch me some lunch?” Camille asked suddenly, smiling a charmer’s smile.
He smiled, excusing himself from the room.
Camille turned to me, her cheerful disposition long gone.
“Alena, Weston does not know what Cadence and Grayson did! I want to tell him, but Zanzibar has made me swear not to tell anyone. He is so busy trying to stick up for those monsters that he cannot piece two and two together, so what do I do?”
I frowned. “Oh, Camille. I cannot—”
“I mean, what they did was unforgivable! How can they think so nonchalantly of their crimes?” she spat, a low growling filling the bottom of her throat. “And do not give me that ‘double agent’ line either. We both know that they were merely trying to make their actions sound just.”
I closed my eyes, trying to make sense of her words.
“Camille, they—”
“I’m sorry, but I just cannot believe my own parents… To have killed anyone who had the slightest chance of being a hybrid, you would need to lack a soul! How could they look innocent children in the eyes and murdered them?”
They had done it, too? I tried not to cry, knowing why Zanzibar had not told me.
“You are stronger than I, dear sister. I was ready to throttle my mother! Mentioning your name was the last straw.” What? “I cannot imagine how they knew all along about the affair your mother had… I cannot believe that they did not try to break up your kingdom over it, but rather they had taken it out on you? And to use your own son? I am so glad that he could not go through with it… I do not want to think about it!”
I’m sure the blood rushed from my face, as I wanted to flee just as badly!
“They tried to kill me?”
She looked taken aback. “Alena, you knew that. That is why Zanzibar cursed Cadence’s soul to eternal damnation—for you. They knew that the blood of a pure Leonian would kill you, and they knew that Zanzibar was desperate for revenge.”
She obviously did not know that his blood would not have affected me so greatly, but that did not matter as my heart and smile faltered.
They had known I was a hybrid, and they had sent Zanzibar to kill me? He had only convinced himself to kill me once that I knew—that time he had scaled the Nest’s walls and saw me sleeping. He had been resolved to kill me, and his parents had obviously used his brother’s death to fuel his growing hatred in the hopes that he would destroy me?
“I know! It sickens my stomach to think of it even now! But obviously Zanzibar knew it was not right, and he knew that you were not responsible despite the lies they fed him. I am so proud of him for making the right choice.”
“They tried to trick their own son into murdering me under the pretense that I was responsible for Camden’s death?”
She smiled, tilting her head. “Did Zanzibar not explain this to you very well?”
“No,” I muttered. “He did not.”
“Well, that is the gist of it anyway. I can see why he would be hesitant to tell you… He was used by his own parents. That would break even the strongest lion. Please do not think weakly of him, for he is so very happy with the decision he made.”
“Why had they allowed us to go through with the marriage?”
She shrugged. “I do not know. Perhaps they simply believed you would be less of a threat under those circumstances. After all, if you know that your double agent is a double agent, they cannot trade secrets with the enemy without your knowledge.”
The door opened suddenly, and Zanzibar smiled to his sister.
“Hello, Camille. Could I have a moment with Alena? It seems like it has been so very long.”
She nodded, embracing me lovingly before heading towards the door. “I’ll have you know I have been reading, and I think I have everything figured out in that diary. I should have the answer to you in an hour or less.”
She left then, and the door closed.
“I discovered something. That note… Weston wrote it.”
I tried to push these new facts to the back of my mind to perfect my poker face.
“How did he know?”
“It’s quite a story. Would you care to join me in our secret place?”
I smiled. There would be no witnesses.
I knew that he loved his sister so dearly, and that was why he exhausted himself with dragging her around the marketplace and to the Nest, showing her everything the two kingdoms had to offer her. I do not think that he was ready to raise a teenager on top of three newborns, and it often showed on his face when he was allowed to drop his charade of youthful optimism.
The last conversation we had was in regards to the paranoia issue, and we had worked out a system, though it did worry me. If one of us appeared to be too far gone, well, we had to ensure that at least one of us did make it past it…even if the other could not. He had promised it would not come to that, but it did not make the decision any easier.
Regardless of such promises, I hardly had him to myself anymore; and because Zanzibar was often away, I spent most of my time with Camille and Weston. We just talked, each of us taking a child to teach. Xavier had already discovered the joys of scooting across the floor, trying to show his siblings the way; London was finally able to sit up on his own, enjoying the new skill; and Amelia still fancied being held, though she was beginning to show progress in the physical department.
“Things have certainly calmed down,” Camille observed, smiling as Xavier scooted towards her.
“Yes, and it is a nice change of pace. I did not care for having to worry about when the next break-in would occur,” I mumbled, setting London between my legs. “But I do worry about Zanzibar.”
“He mentioned how Salina made him feel like an old man,” Weston commented, laughing softly, glancing down to Amelia. “Salina is not yet grown, and she needs a father. It is a strange thing that Grayson did not see that.”
Camille cringed, choosing to occupy herself with the mobile child rather than our conversation.
“It cannot be easy to raise a teenager while balancing three babies on top of that. He hardly sleeps… I hope he will be alright, but I think he is running on empty by now.”
“I think he was musing the prospect of finding her a suitor, so he would be able to sleep for a few days while she got to know her future-husband.”
I nodded. That did not surprise me.
“Weston, do you think you could fetch me some lunch?” Camille asked suddenly, smiling a charmer’s smile.
He smiled, excusing himself from the room.
Camille turned to me, her cheerful disposition long gone.
“Alena, Weston does not know what Cadence and Grayson did! I want to tell him, but Zanzibar has made me swear not to tell anyone. He is so busy trying to stick up for those monsters that he cannot piece two and two together, so what do I do?”
I frowned. “Oh, Camille. I cannot—”
“I mean, what they did was unforgivable! How can they think so nonchalantly of their crimes?” she spat, a low growling filling the bottom of her throat. “And do not give me that ‘double agent’ line either. We both know that they were merely trying to make their actions sound just.”
I closed my eyes, trying to make sense of her words.
“Camille, they—”
“I’m sorry, but I just cannot believe my own parents… To have killed anyone who had the slightest chance of being a hybrid, you would need to lack a soul! How could they look innocent children in the eyes and murdered them?”
They had done it, too? I tried not to cry, knowing why Zanzibar had not told me.
“You are stronger than I, dear sister. I was ready to throttle my mother! Mentioning your name was the last straw.” What? “I cannot imagine how they knew all along about the affair your mother had… I cannot believe that they did not try to break up your kingdom over it, but rather they had taken it out on you? And to use your own son? I am so glad that he could not go through with it… I do not want to think about it!”
I’m sure the blood rushed from my face, as I wanted to flee just as badly!
“They tried to kill me?”
She looked taken aback. “Alena, you knew that. That is why Zanzibar cursed Cadence’s soul to eternal damnation—for you. They knew that the blood of a pure Leonian would kill you, and they knew that Zanzibar was desperate for revenge.”
She obviously did not know that his blood would not have affected me so greatly, but that did not matter as my heart and smile faltered.
They had known I was a hybrid, and they had sent Zanzibar to kill me? He had only convinced himself to kill me once that I knew—that time he had scaled the Nest’s walls and saw me sleeping. He had been resolved to kill me, and his parents had obviously used his brother’s death to fuel his growing hatred in the hopes that he would destroy me?
“I know! It sickens my stomach to think of it even now! But obviously Zanzibar knew it was not right, and he knew that you were not responsible despite the lies they fed him. I am so proud of him for making the right choice.”
“They tried to trick their own son into murdering me under the pretense that I was responsible for Camden’s death?”
She smiled, tilting her head. “Did Zanzibar not explain this to you very well?”
“No,” I muttered. “He did not.”
“Well, that is the gist of it anyway. I can see why he would be hesitant to tell you… He was used by his own parents. That would break even the strongest lion. Please do not think weakly of him, for he is so very happy with the decision he made.”
“Why had they allowed us to go through with the marriage?”
She shrugged. “I do not know. Perhaps they simply believed you would be less of a threat under those circumstances. After all, if you know that your double agent is a double agent, they cannot trade secrets with the enemy without your knowledge.”
The door opened suddenly, and Zanzibar smiled to his sister.
“Hello, Camille. Could I have a moment with Alena? It seems like it has been so very long.”
She nodded, embracing me lovingly before heading towards the door. “I’ll have you know I have been reading, and I think I have everything figured out in that diary. I should have the answer to you in an hour or less.”
She left then, and the door closed.
“I discovered something. That note… Weston wrote it.”
I tried to push these new facts to the back of my mind to perfect my poker face.
“How did he know?”
“It’s quite a story. Would you care to join me in our secret place?”
I smiled. There would be no witnesses.
♠ ♠ ♠
Summary:Salina has started to pull into her shell, so to speak, so Zanzibar spends most of his time trying to occupy her mind with other things such as the marketplace. Meanwhile, Alena spent her time with Camille and Weston and her children. There is a mention of the "paranoia issue," and they have decided that if one of them does go insane, they will have to be killed before he or she could kill the sane one.
It is important to realize that because Alena hardly sees Zanzibar, she does not know exactly what he is doing; this means she can not be entirely sure of his motives, and this can lead to unwarranted suspicion and distrust on her side.
Camille asks Weston to fetch something for her, though she only asks to gain some time alone with Alena to discuss what Zanzibar has told her (she does not know that Alena still has not been told of the issue).
It is here that we learn that Cadence and Grayson also killed anyone who was believed to be a hybrid, and their reasoning was that a hybrid could be a double agent and share secrets of both kingdoms. We also learn that they told Zanzibar that Alena was to blame for Camden's death: they had wanted Zanzibar to kill her because they knew of Nadia's affair and Alena's true father. He had not gone through with it, however, and they surprisingly did not object to the marriage (after all, this way they could keep better track of Alena).
Camilla and Alena are interrupted when Zanzibar asks for time with Alena to discuss the fact that Weston was the one who wrote the note about Liana being a hybrid, and he asks to discuss it in the forest. With this new information about Zanzibar almost killing her (and also his sudden absences), Alena is losing any trust she once gave Zanzibar, as reflected by the final line.