Page 26 of Demons in My Bed
“Father!” I shouted as I rushed across the snow. He glanced up, and a strange look crossed his face just before he started shaking his head. Oh no. “I finished the dagger this morning, and I only meant to take a little break. I’m going to make the second one now. I’m sorry.”
The words had flown from me so fast, it was a wonder he even understood what I said. But he heard. So did the royal army soldiers who were perusing our workshop. I hadn’t seen them.
A soldier stepped out of the shed and pointed at the dagger I made. “Boy.” He turned to me. “You made this?”
I took a deep breath, swallowing roughly. I could feel my father staring at me, but I didn’t dare look. “Yes, sir,” I answered honestly, fear making my voice shake.
Another soldier stepped forward, arms crossed. “Nikolai,” he said, addressing my father. “The crown does not tolerate liars.”
My mouth opened, but my father cut me off. “He’s an imaginative boy, and rest assured, he will be disciplined appropriately.”
Fear took over. I didn’t want to lose my toy!
I looked at the soldiers and threw my hands up. “Why would I lie about making this dagger? I spent hours on the design and burnt eight of my fingers and part of my hand! Look, I even put my initials on it!”
My father’s face was so red, I was worried he was actually going to explode. The soldier held out his hand for the weapon, and my father reluctantly handed it over. The group began examining the blade, and I glanced over to my father. His horns were slowly growing, and he held a finger up to his mouth, telling me to be quiet. I could already see the anger in his eyes.
But I wasn’t a liar. Why was he so pissed?!
“So tell me, Nikolai, why is your son convinced that he’s the one who made this, when you told us it was your design?”
Shit.My mouth fell open. He’d told them he made it?
"This dagger is a work of art. If you are indeed lying, then you’re not the best blacksmith in Kyalta. Your son is, and he’s, what? Eleven years old? On the other hand, if he’s the one who’s lying, then you have an eleven-year-old you can’t handle. Both situations are problematic. King Thane doesn’t tolerate any complications in the capital.”
I didn’t know what to say, what to do.
“Obviously, the boy is lying. He’s been a bit of a troublemaker since his mother passed away,” my father explained, and I tried to step into the shadows in a corner. Anything to disappear.
“Hmm. Well, I think what we’ll do is take this weapon and let His Majesty look over it. If he’s impressed, we’ll return. In the meantime, get control of your son.”
My father nodded. “It won’t happen again. Please, give the king our regards.”
The soldiers left without another word, taking the dagger with them.
My feet wouldn’t move, and oh my gods, I’d never wanted to run so much in my life. I stayed rooted to my spot, my father beside me. We watched the soldiers extend their wings and shoot up into the sky.
“What did I say, Misha?”
“I didn’t know they were here! I swear—”
My face whipped to the side, the rest of my body following, as the back of his hand connected with my cheek. Tears instantly welled, but I forced them away. It would only make this worse.
“You have a problem, Misha. You talk. Too. Fucking. Much.”
A foot caught me in the stomach, and I yelped, curling in on myself.
“We’re going to solve that problem, so that the next time opportunity comes knocking, you can’t FUCK IT UP FOR ME!” he roared, his eyes glowing orange.
“Father, please,” I croaked, trying to catch my breath. His hand closed around my ankle, and I felt myself being dragged across the snow toward the doors built into the ground. They led to a bunker. I did not want to go down there. “No, please! I’m sorry! I’ll do better!”
He didn’t listen, just leaned down with one hand and ripped the doors open, and then I was rolling down the wooden stairs, landing hard on the cold, dirt floor. Glancing up, I saw his silhouette with the sunset sky behind him. Without a word, he slammed the doors shut, leaving me in pitch-black darkness.
“FATHER!”
Growling, I pushed the memory away and started grabbing supplies to create. I needed to take out some aggression. Anything to get the echoes of my childhood out of my fucking brain.
Chapter nine
