Chapter 50: Chapter 50

KAMORA

Weeks had passed since Kamora had come to Maroke Manor, and so far, she had managed to fit in. It was hard to socialize with her colleagues, though, as most of them had seen the way she looked when she first arrived, and so they treated her exactly like that.

All except Petal, that was. The maid was a breath of fresh air to the darkness hovering around Kamora, and Kamora had come to love her so much.

The day was a special one. While all the maids worked, the manor received a special visitor.

Kamora, watching from the far end of the passage that led to the entrance, looked on as Claudia bowed to the man whom she had opened the door for.

“Where is your lord?” the man had asked. “I wish to give him a message from the princess.”

“Apologies, sir,” Claudia had said, her head still bowed. “But my lord isn’t around. He traveled several days ago. You can relay the princess’s message to me. I will be sure to tell him.”

“The princess asks that he be her partner for the ball her parents are hosting. We await his answer,” he said. He bowed, then left.

“Funny, huh?” Petal said, coming to stand behind Kamora.

Kamora turned to look at her. “What is?”

“The princess has been pining for our Lord for ages, and not once did he give her face. I think by now, another person would have gotten the hint. Sadly, the princess hasn’t.”

“Our Lord isn’t interested in the princess?” Kamora asked, surprised.

“I know what you’re thinking. Anybody would be blessed to court the princess. But our Lord, he isn’t just anybody. I guess that’s why the princess is obsessed with him. He is an enigma.”

Kamora watched on, thinking about what her friend had said. Truly, even she had noticed the oddities about her master.

Though she had never laid eyes on him again since the first day she came, she had always wondered what he saw in her that moved him to ask her to work for him.

When she told Petal about it once, even she had said it wasn’t normal. Shaking her head, Kamora sighed and continued with her job.

***

A few days later, Kamora, along with Petal, went to the city market. Petal used the opportunity to show Kamora around the town.

It was much bigger and rowdier than Kamora had expected, but she believed she’d get used to it. They made a stop at a place called the Goddess’s grove.

It was a huge, park-like environment, and different types of people could be found in it—Fae and human, and even those looked down on by society.

Kamora was shocked to see this, because she had always assumed that people like witches, glamour Fae, and shapeshifters would be avoided. To see them relating freely with others was a surprise to her.

“You must be shocked,” Petal said with a smile as she looked at what Kamora was staring at.

“This is the only place where they are allowed to be themselves without hiding,” Petal continued. “That’s why they all gather here.”

“Aren’t humans afraid of them being hurt?” Kamora asked.

“No matter what people say about them, they are just like us. Yes, their powers may not be considered ‘good,’” she said, making a quote sign with her hands, “but people still come to them for help. And from the way the humans with them are relaxed, you can tell that they know they won’t be hurt by them.”

“How are they sure?” Kamora asked.

“This is the Goddess’s grove. A sacred ground. All sorts of violence, whether small, minute, or large, are not allowed,” Petal explained.

“What happens if it does happen?” Kamora asked.

“Then the person is punished. It might be a curse, a plague, anything the Goddess so wishes,” Petal replied.

“Has it happened to anyone before?” Kamora asked.

“Oh, there are plenty,” Petal said, laughing. “People suspect that the punishments are all caused by witches, as the tales of the Goddess have become nothing but a myth. But then again, as far as it’s keeping the peace, then I don’t mind if it’s caused by witches.”

Kamora’s heart beat fast as she thought of a way to phrase the question she wanted to ask. “Are you friends with any witch?”

“Oh, I have a lot of them as friends. They are very cool people,” Petal said.

Twiddling her fingers, Kamora gulped and finally asked the main question she wished to ask. “Can you please introduce me to any of them? There is something I need their help with.”

Petal stared at her with a mysterious smile, then nodded. “I’ll reach out to any of them. Is it really important? What do you need their help with?”

“For me, it is,” Kamora said, choosing not to dive into the last question.

She really needed to know how to use her witch powers, in case there came a day when she had to stop working at the Maroke Manor.

Several shouts caught their attention, and they both faced where the noise was coming from.

“You bloody fool! Who do you take me for? Do you know who I am?”

“You are just a village hermit with no brains. Get out of here! This is not the place for you to show your stupidity!”

The blood drained from Kamora’s face upon hearing the first voice. She could recognize it anywhere—there was no way she’d ever forget.

And surely, as the crowd cleared up, Kamora recognized that wavy hair of green packed in two braids. Gwen was not dead.

Quickly, without wasting a single breath, Kamora pulled Petal away and began heading back from where they came.

“Where are you going?” Petal asked, confused. “We aren’t done with our chores.”

“Can we come back a short while later?” Kamora said, panicking.

She couldn’t believe it. Just how had her stepsister managed to escape the fire? Does it mean that her father is alive too?

Kamora patted her chest, beginning to feel short of breath. She had to calm down.

She was in a new place. No one knew her.

She was under Lord Maroke’s protection. They couldn’t harm her.

She was a witch. This time around, she would be the one doing the hurting.