Chapter 11: The Gray-HeartedNews of Jackie's death flew high and fast. Oswin was most suddenly and most strongly affected by this news.
She cried for days in the aftermath, not having truly experienced death in this way before.
"If only I had gone out to see the tree or looked out the window or something. Maybe I could have saved her."
"Oz, there was nothing you could have done. She was under the snow," Luther told her. "Freezing is a very peaceful way to go, you know? After the first couple moments, you just get sleepy and you don't feel a thing. She didn't suffer." She didn't have to.
"I'm so sorry, Luther. I know you loved her. You shouldn't be consoling me."
"It's okay, Oz. I've worked through a lot more deaths than you have. I'll miss her, but she loved that tree. It will remind me of her every day. And Dee will be a reminder too. I can see Jackie in her eyes." Well, not really. Delilah actually had his mother's eyes.
Oswin sniffled and hugged him, whispering a mountain of tangled apologies. He just held her and patted her back.
Delilah, however, was expressing her sadness through different means. She was showing, very early, a distinctive magical ability.
Perhaps being unable to express confusion or sadness over her mother's death caused the explosion of magical energies. Or, perhaps she was just so full of powerful energy that it didn't take more than 3 years to finally burst forth. Either way, Luther was beaming with pride.
Chin was not so naive as Oswin was. He suspected from the beginning that something was strange about Jackie's death. Who in their right mind would wander into the snow in a bathing suit? Well, Jackie had married Luther, so perhaps her mind wasn't exactly right.
"I know you were involved, Luther. I don't know why you'd want her gone, but you don't fool me."
"My dear, sweet Cheek."
"Chin."
"I'm afraid you are looking in the wrong direction. Jackie was not the brightest star in the sky. She made questionable decisions every day."
"Like marrying you?"
"Like clapping when you said 'I do' at your wedding."
"Now you see here, you Ashen piece of trash--"
"Racial slurs now? Ah, Nose. I thought you were better than that."
"My name is Chin! And I know what your people are. And I know what your daughter will be."
"Keep my daughter out of this," Luther said, for the first time, his voice becoming hard, his eyes darkening. "Talk badly about her again, and it will be the last thing you ever say." And with that, he stormed off.
And soon, Delilah was a young girl, ready to take on the world and all that came with it.
But Luther, knowing she would face some resistance, gave her a book on their people, and the history of their kind.
"You have to know what to expect from people so you know how to handle it, Dee. None of their judgments are true. Gray skin, blue skin, it doesn't matter. Without a doubt, you are better than they are. Every time."
"The Ashen people were descended from the economic lower-class centuries earlier. Due to their social and economic limitations, their descendents lived in the river-valley basin, where magical residue was able to run off into the water supply. The change in the drinking water, over time, caused the mutation in skin color. Due to the economic and cultural differences, the Ashen people became a servile race, mostly serving the Royal family for generations. It was not until Layden Daye, the grandfather of Emporer Thore Daye, that the Ashen people were given a placement of power among the kingdom. He had put rules in place to allow their kind more freedoms and social liberties, though is was met with opposition from the public. 3 Generations later, the tensions had dissipated somewhat, though there is still injustices and prejudices rampant among the city-states."Armed with knowledge of potential hardships, Delilah withdrew. She focused on her magical skills, recognizing them early on and attempting to hone them to varying results.
She was incredibly bright, and incredibly sharp. And it seemed, perhaps, that she had a penchant for destruction.
Much like her father.
