Odd's Quest (special preview)

Come morning, I wake up hearing someone in my home. I pull away from Allie, making sure not to wake her. I slip out of bed and move silently down the hallway to the kitchen. There, my mother is standing over the stove.

“Mom?” I gasp.

She turns and looks at me. “I let myself in with the key, I hope you don’t mind.” She looks back at the stove.

“You should be with Penelope,” I say.

“Ainsel and Cora are with them,” she replies. “I need to talk to you.”

I swallow back the painful lump in my throat. “You can’t stop me from what I need to do, Mom,” I whisper. “I have to do this I feel it-”

Mom sets down the tea kettle hard. She then pours a cup. “Do you know who you’re looking for?” She asks.

“Maeve,” I hesitate. “A friend from the journey, she called him Reggie. She said he was a bandit in the deserts of Rakshasa Country.”

“Reginald Brandywiht the old king of Veleryn,” Mom says as she stands straight. “That is the man you’re looking for.”

My eyes go wide and I swear my heart stops cold. “Mom,” I take a step towards her. “How do you know this?”

“I may not be the same oracle the old ones of the Under used to come clawing for, but I am still an oracle.” She sets the mug of tea on the table. “I had known as soon as Blink was born he would die before me.” She pats a chair. “Come sit down, baby.”

I take a seat and she pushes the warm mug into my hands. “His father told me the night he was conceived,” she says. “Ever since then I’ve tried to put it out of my head, until last night.” Her eyes gaze distantly out the window. “After I got Penelope and the boys to bed I contacted him again.”

I furrow my brow. “Our father?”

Mom smiles softly. “Blink’s father,” she replies cooly. “I found him last night and begged him to tell me who killed our son. He told me,” she closes her eyes. “He said it was someone I’ve fought before.”

I sigh. “Back when we lived near Veleryn,” I whisper.

“That’s right,” she says. “Reginald came in and took over. He forced Dali’s staff out, including me.” She opens her eyes again and sighs. “I always wondered why Demir never killed that man.” She grimaces and her hands go tight over her knees. “He should have killed him.”

I reach out and touch Mom’s arm. “I’m going to kill him,” I say.

“Baby,” Mom sighs. “I know I can’t stop you. I know you feel as if this is your responsibility. But revenge is never good. It has consequences of its own.”