Black Blood

‘Dad, what are you talking about? This is Maria, the lady we found on the nazu.’ Novak shut up, run away and never come back. I don’t want him to hear this, I don’t want him to know who I am. Although he knows that Maria is not my real name, he doesn’t know anything else, his father obviously does.

I would love to run away from this doorway, but there are two things that stop me. The first is Novak standing behind me, the second my legs which seem unable to move. The man walks past his desk to the front. He is about the same height as Novak and wears neat black trousers. He folds his arms and laughs embarrassedly at his son.

‘Maria? Is that the name you’ve given yourself? I didn’t know your kind needed it. The dragon, it was stolen from the dead night rider, wasn’t it?’ The man belittles me in front of me and frankly he has every right to do so. My family is awful and deserves worse than this. I’m stunned, unable to utter a word.

‘What are you talking about? I think you are mistaken.’ The fact that Novak protects me against his knowledge is sweet but unjust. The man takes a step closer to me, looks at me intensely.

‘Novak she lied to you. This is not a Maria, this is Celeste von Dira, the Crown Princess.’ I close my eyes, hear Novak’s breathing stop.

‘I...I can explain.’ I wouldn’t take myself seriously if I were Novak or his father. What can I explain? I can’t explain why I’m here, why my family is terrible or what I’m here to do. I could deny it, but we all know that would make no difference. It’s a hopeless case, I am a hopeless case.

Novak is dead silent, doesn’t move for a second. His father takes a step in my direction.

‘Now tell me, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t a crown prince have a guard with him? Or are you a distraction?’ The man’s tone becomes more imperative and louder each time. I cannot be angry with him, after what happened to his wife I give him every right to despise me. My arrival is strange, has no reason. In his place I would be just as suspicious.

‘I can explain,’ I mutter again. I feel the man’s eyes on me. My eyes are fixed on the wooden floor. I could take my chance to attempt to straighten out what is crooked, but I don’t know how.

‘Celeste.’ Novak lets my real name roll over his tongue as if he can’t believe what he’s saying. It’s a whisper and barely audible if you weren’t paying attention.

‘Fine, you have nothing to explain. Guards, lock her in the dungeons, release that dragon and send a message to the royal house. Let’s see what our king does with his lost daughter.’ As soon as I hear the guards walking towards me, grabbing my arms and trying to pull me along, something snaps inside me. As if all my nerves and discomfort disappear and only my anger takes over. I can bear the idea of being locked up, but as soon as Rave joins in, an animal in me seems to jump to the surface.

In an unexpected movement, I put my hands around one of the guard’s wrists and turn him with all the strength I possess. It is not my physical strength that is the tool here, but the unexpectedness of my action. The man falls to the ground next to me, grabbing his wrist. The other guard looks at me in surprise before attempting to grab me. A gust of wind slips from my hands and knocks the guard against the wall. I turn to the mayor, his eyes astonished.

‘I can explain it I said.’ This time it’s no longer a whisper but an outright command. The man looks at me, confused and astonished. He is silent and does not move. The guards got up and tried to grab me again, but this time they both hit the stone wall with a blow. As soon as the guards make their third attempt, they are stopped by the mayor.

‘Make an attempt,’ he urges me. All I can think of is part of the truth, the only thing that might help me a little. I sigh deeply and look the mayor straight in his dark blue eyes.

‘It’s true, my name is Celeste and I was once the crown princess,’ I begin my defence. The Mayor walks past his desk, sits back in his chair and looks at me expectantly.

‘I’m not going to condone what my father did to your wife as I have no explanation for it. My father is a tyrant, without any sympathy. I am not here to spy on you or arrest anyone. I am here because I have fled. As you could see in the newspaper, my father is hunting the night riders, intends to kill them. I am one of the four.’ The mayor seems to listen sincerely to my story, something that seems to give me more self-confidence.

‘Whether I was the crown princess or not, whether I am his daughter or not, he makes no distinction. The only thing I am in his eyes is a danger and scum. The night riders are first on his list, the underworld comes next. You don’t have to trust me, all I ask is that you believe me.’ Breathing heavily, I end my story.

Actually I haven’t told the man anything new, he already knew this if he had read the article and paid attention. Throughout my story, the man seems to be absorbed by my words. As soon as it seems to penetrate, he stands up from the desk, walks past it and leans against the front. He observes me, takes me in completely.

‘There’s one detail of your story I don’t trust. You keep saying was crown princess, how do you explain that?’ I could say that my position perished with the discovery of my true nature, that is also the truth. I have a feeling that the man will not believe me if I only tell him that. He can hear my heartbeat and tell when I am lying or incomplete. I sigh deeply.

‘My father doesn’t want a queen, he wants a king. Christiaan Franders will be the new king.’ I try to avoid the fact that I am his wife. The man’s eyes darken at hearing Christiaan’s name.

‘You mean Army General Franders?’ the man asks in a remarkably low tone. Christiaan was the head general of our army before he married me, which is why my father finds him so suitable. His name is familiar, not in a positive way.

‘Yes,’ is my answer. The man gets up from his desk and walks in my direction. He stands a metre away from me and looks deep into my eyes.

‘I know there is something you are not telling me and I know what it is. Franders was the man who came to pick up my previous wife. He stripped her of her clothes before my eyes, touched her and took her away. I hate that man to every fibre of my soul, despise him. I had the chance to meet your mother once, she was an honest woman and a pure person. Something about you reminds me of her, especially your way of talking. We’ve all seen the picture of the wedding, we know Franders. I can’t imagine that man would ever be good to a woman.’ He is not complete in what he means, but I understand him. He knows I’m Christiaan’s wife, he hates him and he knows how Christiaan is with women. I look at the floor and try to push the memories away.

‘Like you said, I don’t trust you but I believe you. I can’t imagine you’re here because you want Franders to be king and to help him. You have the powers of a night rider and look as if you have not been thanked for that. I will never help the king in his quest for power, especially not Franders.’ Novak was right when he told me that his father hates the royal family. The longer I am away from that rat hole the more I learn about my father and Christiaan’s actions, they are even more disgusting than I had imagined.

‘Night riders are the most important keepers we have and in my opinion the only ones who can change anything. I’m not going to hand you over. Given your position and your connection with Franders, you’re not just a night rider, you’re a bait, something I don’t want here. I can’t hand my people over again to the dirty hands of that man and with you present I put that in jeopardy. You are welcome to stay the night, but I want you to leave tomorrow.’