Chapter nineteen- Adam Deathbringer
I was running. Lately, I’ve been running from everybody and everything. So far, nobody left me alone. It was impossible to be gossiped about, or hear whispers, or stared at, after the incident in Golem Court .
Everything seems to happen to me in Golem Court . How queer. How not- at the same time I felt resentment of it. I sighed.
It was the afternoon, slow snow fall, and I had just gotten out of school. It was also Friday- the perfect time to go to the library. I was determined to figure out what was going on.
I heard a carriage rushing past me, pulled by two beautiful white horses wearing pine sashes. People in red cloaks were shaking bells out of the carriage windows, yelling-
Is today what I think it is?
“Happy Christmas Eve, have a merry good time! It’s going to be a jolly a nice Christmas!” The hollers from the carriage didn’t seem to die out, even as it rushed away. Christmas was my favorite holiday- how could I have forgotten?
I reached the brass doors of the library, recognizing that it was indeed decorated as well. Red sashes and Christmas pine lined up over the columns of ice and marble. It was… A rather beautiful sight.
A glow of warmth comforted me, but did not comfort my anxiety. What if they didn’t have the book? Should I have brought Abby and Richard on the trip, as well?
But the Librarian didn’t seem to mind me. He just smiled, and continued shuffling books around his messy desk, glasses glinting in merriness.
I walked up to him, and he looked up, his grey beard glowing from the bright blue fire of the torches. I sucked up my courage. “Do you have any books by the author of…Adam Deathbringer? Perhaps a history book?”
He made a strange look, so I added: “Anything is fine, I’m just wondering…” I was lost at words.
He raised a furry grey eyebrow. “If you call it history. The whole book is a crop full of nonsense, if you ask me- and I’m a person of knowledge! Its all myth and legend… The old man used to think he knew the great o’ Malistaire, and his beautiful wife, Sylvia, better than anyone!”
“Used to?”
“Ah, Deathbringer is dead now.”
I grimaced. I already knew that. I witnessed it. “How long ago was that?”
“A big witch like you should read the papers, especially when she’s been in half of them this year! My, you can find a lot by the publicity. It’s been told that Malistaire killed the old lad, ‘bout a few weeks ago. Of course, Malistaire would kill anybody, and Deathbringer was just publicizing it. Telling superior, foolish tales about Malistaire’s wife and him- well, you don’t get anything good out of it.” He adjusted his spectacles in slight encouragement for me to listen. “Now, the only thing left of the old man is his son, who, I believe, is around your age.”
I frowned. Wouldn’t Malistaire just kill his son, like anybody else? Could this boy be another one like me?
“Ah, don’t act too surprised. I wouldn’t trust the boy with my life. His father was into some dark magic- his son is going to go the same way. Good thing he is in that school of his… DragonSpyre Academy
I knew a little about worlds. Wizard City
“Well, do you have the book in stock?” I asked.
“Yes, unfortunately. I usually don’t allow such books in my library, but it was sent here with such urgency, and I felt bad for the old man. Its upstairs, in the top shelf of section D. Good luck.” He told me curtly; as though he was disappointed he couldn’t get me to read something else.
I climbed up the majestic staircase, searching for section D. I saw a girl with white hair, crystal blue eyes, and pale skin reading a blue book. I noticed she had rather pointy ears… Strange. However, she was probably an Ice student. Then I saw another person, a boy, who looked like he was studying Life. They didn’t even look up as I approached them to find section D.
Dragon Scales, Deceased December Witches and Wizards, Declaration of Persephone… I scaled through the books, but could not see the book of Adam Deathbringer. Then, I saw a dusty maroon book crammed in the corner of the shelf. Of course, because who would care about a book, even as important to me, full of nonsense?
I took it out of the shelf, half expecting spiders to crawl out with it- but it was just a stained red book, cover in a thin layer of dust. On its spine in gold letters, it spoke louder in my mind as I read it: The Golden Age, History book by Adam Deathbringer.
I breathed in a sigh of relief. I finally found it! I sat down in a cushioned arm chair, and opened to its contents.
I skipped the first pages of introduction, and into the Table of contents. There seemed to be around fifteen chapters, but only one caught my eye: The story of Sylvia and Malistaire and I.
Page one hundred and twenty-nine.
I did a mental scream of anticipation.
I flipped to the page, and began to read:
Malistaire Drake was no fool and he was influenced in dark Death magic long before he was chosen by Death itself, and to the profession of the Death professor.. Black eyes and hair, vampire pale skin, and a handsome charm could overwhelm any beautiful woman in the world… But one. However, it was only for long.
Sylvia Dreamhunter, a gorgeous woman with vitality that shone through her famous moonstone eyes, was no sucker for charm. She was a clever, skilled woman with a beautiful heart. People called her the “Lady of Life.” In fact, her name suited her with her profession as well- she was the Life professor and the best in many years.
I, Adam Deathbringer, watched the lives and story of Sylvia and Malistaire before my very eyes, even being involved! Malistaire fell for Sylvia, but Sylvia did not waver like the other hopeless romantics- she was too strong for that. For what Life teacher could fall in love with a cruel, lifeless Death professor like Malistaire?
Sylvia Dreamhunter could, and did. Not at first, of course. Malistaire did a lot to convince her to give him one chance, and that, I believe, is what changed his point of view of love. The longer she rejected him, the more he fell in love with her. Nobody ever knew that a girl like Sylvia would fall in love with him back- only years later to have a child with him…
I stopped reading, and almost dropped the book, my mouth gaping and eyes popping. It could not be? How could this information have gone hidden?
People called it nonsense, called it myth and legend- but what if this is true?
Sylvia had moonstone eyes… Like mine.
I crouched, trying not to cry.
The whispers- they came back echoing in my mind. “Daughter… The time is coming… Be prepared…” They were revolving, and my whole body felt numb. I reached up and clutched my amulet, still cold as ice, trying to feel something as I rocked back and forth. I had to keep reading. Malistaire had spared me. Why? Keep reading. My mother told me she knew Sylvia Drake well. How? Keep reading. Adam had recognized my eyes- recognized Sylvia’s eyes. The Myth teacher had recognized my eyes-
Keep reading, keep reading… I willed myself to turn the page.
Yes, and I have experienced it, as I was a doctor. In fact, I was the doctor who birthed Sylvia Drake’s child, giving her a loving daughter! Ah, but in fact, we are not telling the actual story behind this large piece of mystery!
Let me truly, begin at the beginning…
As much Sylvia loved Malistaire for his mysterious, romantic side- he was as dark as she was bright. He wanted power, and she wanted “Life as it is.” It soon became clear that Malistaire was becoming… Dangerous.
And she, pregnant.
She was scared for her child, and she came to me to help. Yes, a not-as-famous doctor and author! I was a good friend of hers, and I had confirmed that indeed, she was pregnant.
She, now scared for her own life and for her babe, made a long, complicated and mental plan.
She filled me in the night Malistaire was returning from a trip of finding reagents from DragonSpyre. She told me that she would claim to be sick, too sick in fact for Malistaire to see her, and that she would fake her own death on the night of Christmas Eve.
Despite Malistaire’s intentions, he did not see her, as he could not risk of becoming “sick.”
And just as she planned, she faked her own sickly death on the night of Christmas Eve, too early to show the child’s bump. She ran away, changing her name to her grandmother’s and leaving her beloved profession. Nine months later, I helped her give a home birth to a baby girl, with gold hair and her mother’s beautiful eyes. The babe had nothing of her father, but his pale skin and charming smile.
In anger of his wife’s “death,” Malistaire Drake soon destroyed his own school, and left for good. Now, the feared man of evil strikes out for only one thing: to have power, or bring his wife back from the dead.
I let out a gasp, and I knew it was all too true. The library had cleared out by then, and I felt tears dripping off my face, as I leaned in to myself and cradled what hope I had left.
I now knew who and what I was, and who my mother was, and who my father-
I growled in anger. I had been lied to! My father was not Fire, he was-
Death.
My mother was Sylvia- and she had changed her name to her grandmother’s, which was Amber Dreamhunter! That was my mother’s grandmother’s name! Who was grandma Gem, then? Wasn’t that my “fake” father’s mother?
The moonstone eyes, my mother, my escape from death, the whispers in the wind, everything fit. Malistaire had killed Adam Deathbringer because he told these things! Because they were true! He had not killed me because I was his daughter, and he recognized me… And that means-
“No!” I let out a shrill gasp. He knew! He knew my mother was alive! He knows now, that I am here, and I know he will be looking for me-
I dropped the book. He would kill anything that is in the way of finding me again.
And that thing is-
My mother.
Then I ran.
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