Inheritance

Chapter 11: Save His Soul

"We're almost to the castle, Eory!" Kori announced as the carriage continued gently pulling them along. They had been on the road for about three days with their travelling entourage, and Eory had been taking in the sights with few evil, thoughts. He was fairly proud of himself, even though it was hard for him to be proud of himself.

The woman—Taylor--was in his mind, however. We're no good. There's no way you'll succeed at that ball.

Eory slouched and bit his lip. Shut up. This is our chance.

She wouldn't leave him alone. She put self-doubting thoughts in his mind until his mind felt like a prison. Eory frowned deeply. I just got out of a prison... And here I am again.

While they camped at night during those three days, Kori continued to coach Eory on proper manners.

"When you meet the king and the queen at the ball, you must bow lowly to them, kiss the queen's hand, and then wait for them to tell you to rise. Let's practice, then." Kori suggested excitedly as snow continuously and gently fell around them.

Eory gracefully did a sweeping bow, kissed Kori's hand, and stayed on one knee until Kori told him to rise.

"Beautiful. You have better manners than most people at Court!" Kori clapped her hands together cheerfully as the crackling fire cast an elegant light on Eory's ivory face.

Kori looked at him proudly for a long moment and then sniffled and looked away.

Eory knelt down next to her and asked, "what's wrong? Have I upset you?"

Kori shook her head as Eory took her hands from her eyes. "I'm just so proud of you, and I feel so guilty about everything..."

"About what?" Eory asked as he cocked his head to the side.

"I didn't have enough faith in you—I didn't have enough faith in anyone involved in this situation. The king had made it so clear to me so many times that he had no intention of freeing you, and yet he's giving you a chance." Kori said through bittersweet tears.

It was Eory's turn to feel guilty as snow fell on his eye lashes and nose. He had thought so little of her that he assumed her saying, I can't ever free you, was her being needlessly cruel. But, now he remembered.

She was in tears and apologetic when she whispered that to him as he fell asleep. She was not taunting him at all.

I just wanted to believe she was taunting me because I'm no good...

Eory stroked his surrogate mother's hair. "Please don't cry, I'm the one who should apologize, deep down I'm..."

Kori looked up at him with narrowed eyes and knitted eyebrows. "Don't you dare say that like you used to all the time! You are not no good! You're very good! You're kinder than almost anyone I know!"

Eory said nothing, not wanting to upset her further.

Who are you kidding? You had such cruel intentions toward her earlier. You wanted to bite her and rip her skin off! The woman giggled in his head.

Shut up! I'm a good person—you're just a bitch!

And Eory chastised himself for even thinking that nasty word again.

__

When Eory was ten-years-old and beginning to understand just how awful the things his family had done were, he had been even quieter than he usually was. Kori knew something was wrong and she asked him. "What's wrong Eory? You're so quiet lately..."

They were sitting on the sofa in his room and he replied with a sniffle, "I'm no good. I'll end up just like my family. I don't know why you're taking this time to help me..."

Kori's heart was torn to shreds at that sentence. She had done this to him. She had accidentally convinced him he could not be saved. She shook her head wildly. She never wanted her precious son to think that way about himself. "No, no, darling. You are nothing but sweetness and kindness. You could never do the things that your family did."

There was a long silence, and then he said truthfully, "but I think about doing evil things..."

Kori was about to protest, but she stopped when Eory suddenly pulled out a beautiful, stark, black-and-white drawing he had drawn of his caretaker and showed it to her. "I made it for you since you're so hard at work at saving my soul."

Kori burst into tears and kissed his forehead. "No one who could make something so thoughtful and beautiful could be evil!"