“Then I need to find out on my own.”
“No!” both Elric and Stone said together.
“It’s too dangerous, Persimmon.” Stone held concern in his voice.
“The man is evil. Why would you even want to know if he is the one who sired you?” asked Elric.
“Mayhap, because I have not had a real father my entire life and I would like to finally have one.” Grief filled her heart. She didn’t want to be the daughter of an evil man, but neither did she want an elven father who had ignored her and seemed to despise her for the last twenty-five years, even though it was no fault of hers. She was torn, but felt the burning desire to know the truth once and for all.
“Once I finally convinced Luna how bad King Kapion was, she decided she would have to hide you, Persimmon. Because if the portal ever opened again and he came back, she wasn’t sure he wouldn’t try to kidnap you, wanting to claim you as his daughter and take you away from her. It was only a matter of time before he figured out how powerful you would be.”
“Oh,” she answered. “Everything makes sense now. Mayhap that is why I don’t look like you and have pointy ears.”
“So she might not even be half-elf after all,” Stone spoke up. “For all we know, she might be half-human.”
“That’s right,” said Persimmon. “What if I am really the daughter of the King of Taelgonoth? Then what?”
“Don’t say that! Ever!” spat Elric. “You are half elf. Everyone knows that.”
“Do we?” asked Persimmon, seeming to upset her father.
When Elric got off the table quickly, one of the gemstones fell from his pouch. Persimmon was attracted to it. She slowly reached out to pick it up.
“Father, I don’t understand,” said Persimmon, closing her fingers around the gemstone. “Why didn’t you or Mother ever tell me any of this?”
“Some things are better off left unsaid,” replied Elric.
“Is that really true?” asked Persimmon, feeling her heart sink. She rubbed her thumb over the stone. “If only one of you would have told me all this years ago, I wouldn’t have had to feel so abandoned my entire life.”
“You weren’t abandoned. It was done for your own protection.” Elric slammed his hand down on the table.
Persimmon felt the stone become so hot in her hand that she had to throw it down in front of her. “Ow!” she cried, rubbing her fingers together, trying to stop the pain. She saw a ghostly figure at the far side of the room and knew immediately who it was. “Mother,” she gasped. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Be careful, Persimmon. Now that you know these things, you are in more danger than you believe.
“Luna is here?” Elric spun around in a fast circle, looking in every direction. “Where is she? Why can’t I see her? Luna, where are you and what do you want?”
“She’s right there.” Persimmon pointed to the ghost of her mother. “She’s warning me to be careful.”
“She’s speaking? What is she saying? I need to know.” Elric was visibly upset.
“Why do you need to know?” asked Persimmon. “Are you afraid she might tell me something else that you’ve been keeping from me?”
“Uh, excuse me,” said Stone. His eyes were focused on the table and his jaw dropped. “Did anyone else see that? Persimmon touched a gemstone and it is glowing.” Stone scooped up the stone.
“Be careful! It’s hot,” warned Persimmon.
“Nay, it’s not. It’s cold.” Stone tossed it up and down in his palm. It no longer glowed.
“What?” Elric spun around. His hand slapped against the pouch at his side. “How did you get that? Give it to me.” He sped over to Stone in a blur, but Stone was ready for him. He closed his fingers tightly over the gem.
“Not so fast, little man.” Stone chuckled and held out his finger, pointing at him. “Tell us the truth. These gemstones hold great power. Power that you know is somehow connected to Persimmon. That is why you want to keep them from my king, and why King Kapion would have wanted to take Persimmon if he’d ever come back. And for some strange reason, you want to keep these stones away from Persimmon as well. You have ill intentions, admit it. I’ll bet you were the one who used Luna for your own purposes. It wasn’t the other way around at all, was it?”
“The gemstones are from the gods, I swear it,” said Elric, sounding extremely agitated now.
“Yes, we know that part,” said Stone. “You stole them and are trying not to be punished.”
“It is true that they hold great power?” asked Lira.
“It’s power that can only be used by a chosen one,” said Elric.
“Chosen one?” asked Persimmon. “Are you saying I was chosen by your gods for something?”
Elric scrunched up his face, fastened the bag of gems to his waist and looked the other way.
Elric wanted to be chosen, said her mother. He wanted that power for himself, Luna told her. You weren’t old enough to handle the power before so it didn’t matter that you didn’t have the stones. But you are of age now, daughter.
“Mother, who is my true father?” asked Persimmon, needing to know.
I can’t tell you that. And now I must leave you. Forever.
“Nay, don’t leave,” Persimmon begged her. “I need you.”
I am sorry I abandoned you, but you have Stone Nightstalker to look after you now. He will make you happy, Persimmon. You deserve it. Don’t lose him.
“Wait, Mother. I need to know how to be able to use the gazing orb. How did you do it?”
That is something you will need to find out for yourself. Goodbye, my dear. I love you.
