So I Married a Sorcerer (The Embraced #2)(20)

A wave of nausea swept through Brigitta. No. Dear goddesses, no. Her father was a murderer.

“At the same time, a secret army from the south attacked Manfrid’s army,” Sister Fallyn continued. “The south was victorious, and before the day was over Manfrid’s dead body was on display and Garold had crowned himself king.”

Brigitta swallowed hard at the bile rising up her throat.

“Garold immediately dispatched assassins to go north to kill Manfrid’s queen and their younger son.”

“Enough,” Brigitta whispered, her hand pressed against her mouth.

“’Tis known for certain that the queen died, but there was a rumor that the younger prince might have survived. Garold always claimed the rumor false. He was much more concerned about the older prince, Ulfrid, who was betrothed to you. Ulfrid’s body was never recovered, so Garold was afraid the boy might still be alive and come back someday to claim the throne. The prince’s betrothal to yerself became a liability, but Garold solved that problem by announcing that ye had … died.”

Brigitta blinked. “What?”

Sister Fallyn nodded. “Everyone believed it, too, for ye were nowhere to be found. It wasn’t till I arrived at the convent seven years later that I suspected who ye were. I asked Mother Ginessa, and she confirmed it. Garold sent ye there in secret afore ye were four months old.”

Brigitta’s mind raced. No wonder her father had never sent for her or even bothered to contact her. He’d wanted everyone to believe she was dead. A sharp pain shot through her heart, and she pressed a hand to her chest. Goddesses, no. Her father had killed her. In his mind, he had killed her off so her existence couldn’t cause him any trouble.

Tears burned her eyes. Her father had murdered the royal family so he could be king. He’d risked the life of his elder son, Gunther. And after he’d used her to lure his enemies to their death, he’d shipped her away for good.

She jumped up so quickly, her chair toppled over. “A monster.” She backed away from the table. Her father had been a monster. Even Gunther had proven to be a monster when he’d murdered her younger brother.

“They’re all monsters.” She hugged herself, digging her fingers into her arms as if she could rip away the bad blood that coursed through her veins. “I come from a family of monsters!”

“Nay!” Sister Fallyn ran toward her and pulled her into a tight embrace. “We are yer family, lass. Mother Ginessa, me self, yer sisters.” She leaned back and grasped Brigitta by the shoulders. “Ye are loved. Ye’re a good soul. We are yer family. Ne’er forget that.”

Tears ran down Brigitta’s cheeks. “I’ll try—”

“Ye can do it.” Sister Fallyn hugged her once more. “And I’ll do everything I can to protect yerself.”

With a sniff, Brigitta nodded. “Even if ye have to use a butter knife?”

Sister Fallyn snorted. “Aye. ’Tis like ye said. We’re much stronger than we think.”





Chapter Five

He wasn’t as strong as he had thought. After a few nautical miles, Brody realized he wouldn’t be able to match the speed of the pirate ship for much longer.

As one of the Embraced, Brody’s special gift was the ability to shift. It was a rare gift, and one that Brody tried his best to keep secret. Most men in power would consider him a threat and want to kill him. That was one of the reasons he had sought out Leofric, the Beast of Benwick, six years ago. Since Leo was also Embraced and considered highly dangerous, Brody had figured his own ability wouldn’t seem so threatening. He’d been right, for Leo had immediately hired him as a spy.

In canine form, Brody was able to infiltrate any castle on Aerthlan and listen to private conversations. Being a dog gave him the dual advantage of being almost invisible but still trustworthy. In human form, he’d become one of Leo’s best friends. And now that Leo was the king of Eberon, he relied even more on Brody’s special abilities.

But Brody wasn’t the only versatile shifter on Aerthlan. Eight months ago, he and Leo had come across the Chameleon, who had murdered and impersonated both the crown prince and the king of Eberon. The Chameleon had come close to stealing the throne before his escape as an eagle.

Brody didn’t want to admit it to anyone, but he felt personally responsible for the Chameleon’s escape. If only he had known how to shift into a bird, he could have followed the bastard.

But Brody was accustomed to staying in canine form most of the time. People didn’t realize that just because he could assume the shape of an animal, it didn’t mean he automatically knew how to move, behave, or make sounds like that animal. Since there had always been a few dogs in the household where he’d grown up, he could do a convincing job of behaving like one. And being a dog seemed best suited for his job as a spy.

He could also do a fair imitation of a seal or dolphin. As a child, he’d learned how to swim in the ocean, so he’d spent some time studying sea creatures.

But birds? It was something he’d never attempted before. After the Chameleon’s escape, Brody had spent two weeks studying all sorts of birds so he could mimic their shape and build. The difficult part had been getting the wings just right.

Even when he’d finally mastered the correct form, it didn’t mean he’d acquired an instinctual knowledge for flight. And of course, there were no books detailing how to fly. It had taken him another two weeks, a painful two weeks with more crashes than he cared to remember. But eventually, he’d learned how to use the wings and judge the air currents just right.