Chapter 5 The Liar

• —Fiona—
• How do you live a double life without letting them clash? Without ending up on the field of no return, your soul waiting to be fed on by the vampires, evil wolves or the black magic users?
• The answer is simple really. You lie. You lie until you are used to it. Until it comes as easy to you as breathing or eating. Until it becomes part of your daily routine like brushing your teeth.
• You master the art of lying at fourteen. That's how to survive.
• In case anyone is still confused, my name is Fiona Willows. I am the eldest daughter of Alpha Willows of the Southern pack. I am a noble born lady that has lived a life lower than that of a servant.
• I was born from wolves but I am a mere shiftless entity with nothing but the subconscious of my wolf. To top it all, I have an ability that might make me a universal lab rat.
• The fifth ability. One that gives me power to travel into the past and future and also be able to change the course of events of these periods.
• An ability that has been condemned and forbidden for over five hundred years.
• After dinner, Elder Zach engages in conversations of the country with the kings while I am shown to my room and given a few decent clothing. I had just taken a shower and gotten into bed when Fayla decided to speak.
• ‘We survived day one!’ She cheers.
• ‘Thirty more to go.’ I groan and she does the same.
• I have tossed and turned for over an hour yet my eyes are as clear as daylight. One would expect that I will easily fall asleep because the bed is a luxury I have never experienced. But I can't.
• I can't seem to sleep off the feeling that he knows I was here during that banquet. Why else did he specifically refer to it?
• Strange as it is, I feel like he knows whatever comes out of my mouth will be a lie. Like he already knew I would lie when he asked.
• It keeps bothering me. So much that I was feeling heat from the inside. I leave the room and step out, hoping to take a quick walk and get the heat off.
• ‘Just don't walk into danger.’ My wolf warns and I roll my eyes.
• The night air was chilly and my cheeks were turning cold but the heated sting in my shoulder was still there. I had just turned the corner when I almost ran into Elder Zach who was smoking along the balcony.
• He raises his head and looks at me, his expression unchanging. Like he knew I would be here tonight.
• ‘He knows.’ Fayla tells me.
• “Lady Fiona.” He calls trying to make sure I don't turn back. “A lovely night isn't it?”
• Having no choice, I stand next to him, placing my hands on the stainless railings and looking at the ground beneath. “It is. I was just out for a walk. I will leave you to your…” I glanced at the cigarette between his fingers and he laughed.
• “Keep my company for a while please.”
• My heart drops at the request but I stay. He remains quiet, the occasional smoke whiffing in my direction once a while.
• “I am an old man yet I can tell from a person's energy if I had met them before and how ambitious they are. Whether it is ten years ago, now or even two months ago.” I hold my breath and he glances at my shoulder. “Sternola is on the verge of ruin. A corruption that perhaps cannot be saved.”
• “We talk about truce.” He continues, the smoke from his cigarette forming an amoebic shape in the night. “About the treaty. How sacred and important non-monarchs are but it is…”
• “It's all a lie. A facade. A mirage to cover up how truly rotten the country has become. The greed for power.” I squeezed my nose as I remembered the things I had overheard and the books I had secretly read. “The treaty is nothing but an insult to the people of this country.”
• Elder Zach laughs and I realise I have lost myself and let my mouth loose. “Yes. A real insult to the people and to the gods of the land. We forget the most important things. The prophecies to avoid the killing of nonarchs. The prophecies that were sealed.”
• I know this could either be a bait or an old man's rant. “Sealed prophecies?” I ask pretending to be innocent regarding the word.
• He ignored my question and turned his body so he could face me while leaning his hip against the railing. He stubbed out his cigarette and told me. “Our King told me about the accident. Be careful Lady Fiona. You escaped death today.”
• He took a step past, but stopped right behind me. My heart was thumping and I could taste the fear right on the tip of my tongue. “Do you know what the nonarchs have in common?”
• I neutralise my expression before turning around, forcing the elder to take a step back. Jokingly, I respond. “That they all end up dead?”
• He smiles. “That they all have an aim. But no matter what the aim is, a nonarch is a vessel. A neutral party. Neutral parties should never have greed for higher power. Good night Fiona.”
• As he walked away, I realised he just put me in my place—my aim shouldn't go beyond the boundaries of a nonarch.
• I am tired of people telling me what to do and what I can bloody achieve. Who is to say I can't dream for the sky and even reach beyond it?
• Who is to say an abomination like me can't turn her shitty life around? My father might have sent me to this prison hoping for my death but one thing he didn't know was my tenacity.
• I did not get caught even though I am a shiftless wolf. I did not get caught spying around houses and sneaking into his study to read forbidden books. I won't get caught now. Certainly not until I have what I need right in my palm.
• On my list of people to avoid, I put Elder Zach on the top. On the way to my room, I see Chloe and Xander on the ground floor talking, their bodies lumped together.
• I don't stop walking until I am in my room and right in bed. All I want is to be away from Elder Zach and his intrusive eyes that can see into my soul.
• The following morning when I head for breakfast, I am surprised to see that I am the only one at the table. My sleep was neutral, with no nightmare of being chased by three men. It was the most peaceful sleep I have ever had.
• During my meal, I ask one of the workers where the others were and she tells me they are having a meeting to decide on the new treaty ground.
• After breakfast, I was on my way to the library when the butler approached me. His bald head and stoic face made me feel uneasy immediately.
• “Lady Fiona, the Elder has requested your presence at the meeting. Please come with me.”
• I couldn't find the perfect excuse. The meeting is for Elders, High Lords, Kings and the High witches. What would they want with a nobody like me?
• Or could it be the elders found out about my wolfless situation?