Chapter 42: Betrayal Uncovered

Eliana sighs with relief, tears welling up. “I thought you were dead.”
“No,” the elderly woman bites out moving forward, “Hardly.”
The Princess takes a step forward, but an oddity in the way Selma is watching her, causes Eliana to pause.
Alma continues to stare at the room, her eyes wide as she peers upon the golden throne. She blinks repeatedly before turning her attention onto the maid.
“Where is everyone?”
Selma’s gaze slowly shifts to the werebird, “Excuse me?”
“The citizens, soldiers. Where is everyone in Zaline,” Alma elaborates. Her brow shifts up in inquiry.
“They have all either fled or have been captured,” she states simply, her shoulders slightly lifting in a shrug.
“Selma,” Eliana forces out her words, an unease building in her stomach. “Where is my father?”
The woman’s body shifts back to face her, a cruel curl twisting her lips, “Why did you have to survive? Why did you return?”
Trying to organize her thoughts, Eliana frowns, “What do you mean?”
“You were not meant to survive the attack that day.”
Surprise twists in her chest, “W-what? Why?”
“The bears should have caught up to you in time,” she sneers, brushing her hands against her old dress.
Eliana fights against the pull of her despair, “But you helped me to escape.”
“I only merely showed you the way. I was trying to cover my tracks, for just this instance.” Selma sighs, clasping her hands behind her back. Whisps of her greying hair fall loose of her bun.
“Then why reveal yourself now,” Alma asks, stepping in front of Eliana. Her frail body is small, though, not giving much protection.
“Because now there is no point in hiding anything.”
Eliana breathes out on a hiss, the edges of her vision blurring with the hurt and building anger, “What have you done?”
Selma chuckles, facing the throne, “It is not what I have done, necessarily. It was too easy for the rebels to integrate themselves into the castle, after I opened the servant’s door for them. The rest, they did on their own. They worked their way through, slowly dispatching the guards. From there they were able to overwhelm the castle staff and put the King under guard. After completely taking over the castle, they moved on to the city. Many citizens decided to flee instead of fight and disappeared in the night. They do not have anywhere to go, though.” Selma turns back to Eliana, grinning. “Now Climont may lay claim over all of Drein.”
“Why,” Eliana’s voice is released on a hoarse breath of anguish. Her brow is stitched together as she tries to comprehend what exactly is happening.
The maid’s expression hardens once more, “Because Zaline is tainted and must be cleansed.”
“What are you talking about?”
Eliana cannot recognize the woman before her any longer. Her once kind gaze and expression is not harsh and callous. She spits out her words with venom, “The Pivurlion disease has worked its way into the royal line. It must be exterminated.”
“Disease? Selma,” Eliana pauses, unable to speak.
“Those rebels use Pivurlions as slaves,” Alma states “Climont hires them for their dirty work. What difference is there?”
“With King Krite they will be placed exactly where they belong. Especially those vile werecats. They will be exterminated once and for all.”
“Selma,” Eliana’s entire body shakes with a cold shiver. “How. . .”
“Your mother did not know of her abilities, either. When she was old enough to begin shifting, your grandmother decided not to teach her. Even when she began to change accidentally, I would hide her until your grandmother could come to help. She had ways of calming your mother that I did not. Overtime, the shifting just ceased, and she never asked about it afterwards. Then she met the King, who had yet to ascend the throne. It was love at first site for your mother, and I believe the King was very intrigued by her golden hair.”
She is unable to form a wise response, her mind forcing her to blurt out what comes up first, “Why did you raise both of us, take care of us, if you despise the Pivurlions so much? What was the point?”
“Because I wanted to be close to you and have access. I had limited resources. Especially once I moved into the castle. There are eyes everywhere. It was difficult to accomplish the cleansings even with being so close to you.”
“The cleansings?” Eliana gulps as she eyes the woman, “What—”
The Princess does not want to believe any of this. Has her life not been disrupted and in chaos enough? What is she to do? She wants to cover her ears and pretend that the woman that has raised her from an infant is not saying any of this right now. She clenches her jaw. How much more can she take?
The maid’s voice settles, “Simple. I took action when deceit was afoot.”
“Did you. . .” The Princess tries to calm her body, but her hands tremble.
Selma sighs, folding her arms, “Yes. I had your mother and grandmother killed.”