That oracle or whoever the woman was had been right. As she stared into Adalene’s eyes, she knew exactly what she would say.
It was decided now.
Adalene knew what to do.
She couldn’t explain why she had been distancing herself from them lately, all she knew was that her mind was made up; her heart at peace. But she couldn’t leave the children wondering what had happened to her, she needed to help them.
She just didn’t want to end up hurting them.
As the group continued their journey over the mountains, they eventually found a way to descend from their location without having to cross the peak.
“If we travel down this way,” Luke pointed, “We’ll be able to get down here quicker. Plus, we don’t have to worry about the altitude before getting down the mountain. By Alice’s calculations, we should be out of here in less than another two weeks.”
Everyone had looked to Alice when it came to wondering how much more time they’d spend in the mountains, as she’d had more of an education than the rest of the children.
With Luke, Peter, and Helen living in near poverty, they could hardly read and write, and Skylar’s home not having an education system, most of the children had little to no idea what math was.
Richard had some education from being homeschooled, but he seemed to have been bored by the idea of knowledge from a young age.
That left Adalene and Allice. But Adalene was embarrassed to say that her education was more focused on ruling and combat than mathematics or science. However, Adalene and Alice both knew how to read and write in multiple languages.
So, Alice was the smartest in the group. There was no surprise there as Alice had grown up in a rich family and attended a private school from a young age. She was well-read and an excellent student, and knew many subjects.
But Alice seemed shy about being the smartest one there. She didn’t want people to look at her because of her education alone. After dinner that night, Adalene walked over to where Alice was sitting.
“You seem upset about your education,” Adalene said as she sat down, “Why?”
“You can speak with your accent,” Alice quietly said, dipping her spoon in her bowl, “You don’t have to hide it around us.”
Adalene bit her lip, sitting next to Alice. “I am sorry,” she said, drawing her knees close to her chest as she had in her youth, “I do not mean to hide from you all. It is only zat I fear I may hurt you.”
“You’re not hurting anyone.”
“I fear I vill in ze future.”
Alice’s brow furrowed, her face tight. “What do you mean?”
She thought for a moment, not sure of what to say. With her health deteriorating by the day, there wouldn’t be much time left. She didn’t want her final weeks to be plagued with silence and fear of rejection.
“You how I vas queen not too long ago,” Adalene started, “Although it seems like a century now.”
“And you gave it up,” Alice finished, “For us.”
“It isn’t just zat.”
“What is it, then?”
Adalene sighed, not wanting to finish the statement. “I vatched my mother’s health vorsen as I trained to be queen. She had given me ze crown, yet I needed training. She vould help me on my journey, but it was too late. Ze magic was already fading away.”
“The magic of the crown,” Alice put the pieces together.
“Yes,” she agreed, “Becoming queen is a blessing and a curse. It keeps us alive as long as ve sit on ze thrown. But ze moment it is given up, ze magic is gone. Our bodies deteriorate.”
“Adalene,” Alice’s hands reached for her own before Adalene could protest, “Are you alright?”
“I vill be fine,” Adalene soothed, “At least for now. But I know vat vill happen to me. I am in pain at ze moment, but soon, it vill all be over.”
“How much time do you have?” Alice’s eyes were becoming wet.
“A few months,” she lied, “Long enough to help you vith your quest.”
Although it seemed to give the poor girl some sense of comfort, Adalene knew that soon, she would be distraught when Adalene’s body would eventually give out.
It was only a matter of time.
“It’s mid-September now,” Alice protested, “Why…why couldn’t you tell us sooner? We could have gotten you some medicine, some help, a-anything to help you! Why didn’t you tell us?”
“I did not vant to have you fret,” now Adalene’s hands were over Alice’s, trying desperately to give her some comfort, “Sometimes ve must lie as to not hurt ze ones ve love.”
That was what her mother told her.
Right before it happened.
“You must not tell ze others,” Adalene realized, “Please, do not vorry zem. Zey are having a struggle as it is.”
“Then why would you tell me?” Alice’s voice was breaking now, and Adalene regretted telling her anything. “You know I care about you, so why would you pain me with knowledge of your coming death?”
Something had changed in Alice’s voice. Nothing big, but Adalene could see the difference. It sounded vaguely of the accent used by Thuron speakers, which must have only surfaced because of the state of Alice’s emotions.
“Because you have already experienced loss,” Adalene explained, “I vanted you to know.”
Alice sniffed, a tear rolling down her cheek.
“I won’t tell them,” she promised, pulling Adalene close to her in a hug, “But you have to let them know.”
“I-I’ll try."
ns 15.158.61.21da2
