“I owe you an apology, Kami. I was young and stupid back then. Now I realize how unfair I’ve been to you but I hope you can find the strength to forgive me. Also, they are *our* parents. No matter what they did, they are still our mother and father.” Kaz replied.
“First off, don’t call me Kami.” She replied with a snarl that the Rys echoed. “Only family can do that and you are no family. Second, Kima and Clefas are *your* parents. I became an orphan once when they disowned me and twice when I disowned them.
“Third, I’m surprised to see you here. I would expect you to try and get whatever you came here for from Zin. I know that you and Clefas always considered her the weak link because of her good heart.
“Yet if you had visited her, she would have told me. What’s the matter? Did you finally grow a conscience?”
The mention of Zinya made Kaz swallow several lumps of saliva before he could calm down. Kamila was right and she was indeed his last-ditch attempt.
The first had been approaching Filia and Frey. Kaz had played his role as the good Uncle after Fallmug had taken them away from their mother and he had a good relationship with them.
Also, gaining the sympathy of the children was the best way to get back in their mother’s good graces and, in turn, of her rich, old, fat husband.
Kaz had gone to meet Filia and Frey outside their school a few weeks ago and he was sure everything would go well until he had seen their pets. They were smaller than the dogs near Kamila but they had met Kaz’s gaze as soon as he had stepped toward the children.
Then, the dogs had smiled.
Dogs weren’t supposed to smile. The corners of their lips weren’t supposed to curl up nor their eyes to express savage joy and expectation like that. If it wasn’t impossible, Kaz Retta would have sworn that the cruel smile of the dogs extended to their eyes.
As he got closer, he had witnessed the black-slitted yellow eyes of the cute furballs turn completely black. Then, the kids had said something and the dogs had barked, except it sounded like a laugh.
A mirthless sound that laughed at Kaz, not with the children. At that point, he had panicked. Kaz had run away as fast as he could and every time he turned back, he could swear that the dogs were still following him with their eyes, laughing.
It had taken him a few days to compose himself and realize it was all in his head. Still, he avoided the children and went for Zinya, just to be safe.
Once again, the moment Kaz had seen her in the crowd, a feeling of dread had filled him. There were no dogs, but something was still staring at him. White eyes opened in the shadows of the people closest to him.
At first, he had thought to be hallucinating, but then he had suddenly fainted.
When he woke up, he was back in his hotel room and the eyes were everywhere. In the shadows, on his own reflection in the mirror, and on every two-bit painting decorating the room.
He had tried to run away, but the door refused to budge. He had called for help, screamed, punched the door, and stomped the floor, but no one answered. He had remained trapped for over two days with no food and just the few drops of water he could conjure.
He had cried, begged, and prayed, but the nightmare ended only once he swore to the gods above and below he would never bother Zinya ever again. The gods remained indifferent but the Eldritches answered his plea.
“We have a deal.” The door flung open, revealing a maid who looked at the disheveled form of Kaz Retta like he was insane.
He had left Essagor never to return and it had taken him weeks to recover from the experience.
“Z-Zinya is an Archduchess and has too many responsibilities on her shoulders.” Kamila might have believed him, if not for the stuttering and the sudden pallor. “I didn’t want to bother her. You, instead, I heard you are on maternity leave.
“I hope you have a few minutes for me.”
“I have two, starting from now. Make them count.” Kamila noticed Elina’s look and answered her silent questions. “Elina, this is Kaz Retta. My…brother, for a lack of a better term. Kaz, this is Elina Verhen, Countess of Lutia and Lady of this house.
“She made me the honor of calling her mother just like I call her husband father.”
“Pleased to meet you, mister Retta.” Elina’s voice didn’t match her words and she stared at him like he was a stain of dirt on her carpet.
“The pleasure is all mine.” Kaaz swallowed again.
Things weren’t going as he expected and the gods-damned dogs were staring at him. At least, they weren’t laughing and they showed no emotion that a dog shouldn’t have.
“Is this my beautiful niece?” He moved close to the crib, opting for an opening that would soften any mother. “If not for Elysia’s six streaks, it would be impossible to distinguish her from Surin. Congratulations, Lady Verhen, my little sister-in-law is lovely.”
No matter how Elina despised the man, every compliment to Surin was well received. Also, if Kaz tried something funny, the Doomslayer crib would turn him into ashen confetti.
“Thank you, mister Retta.” She replied, incapable of stopping a small smile from appearing on her face.
“And you, Kami, did a wonderful job.” He persisted in using the moniker, hoping that it would stir the few good memories they shared. “Who would have thought that the blood of the Rettas would carry a power worthy of a Queen?”
“I told you, don’t call me Kami.” She rolled her eyes. “Enough with the small talk, Kaz. Tell me what you want so that I can tell you no and we can both move on with our day.”
“Can I hold Elysia? Just for a moment?” The idea was that seeing the toddler smile at her uncle would remind Kamila of the value of family bonds.
“Are you sure?” She replied with a snicker. “I have to warn you. She’s as fiery as her father and if angered, bad things tend to happen to the ones responsible.”
Once Kaz nodded, Kamila picked the baby girl from the crib. Elysia smelled her mother’s annoyance and ill-concealed rage, looking at the stranger with suspicion.
“Ba?” She asked.
“Is she looking at me with suspicion?” Kaz was flabbergasted.
“Yes, baby girl. He’s a bad man.”
“Kami!” Kaz said in outrage. “No matter how you feel about me, you should leave an innocent child out of our grudges.”
“As I see it you are the one who dragged her in first.” Kamila said with a scoff. “I’m just warning her.”
“Ba!” The moment Kaz Retta neared his hands, Elysia shapeshifted into a small Voidfeather Dragon, exploiting her long neck to whip her mouth at his fingers and snapping her fangs close like a fox trap.
