CHAPTER 8: THE EARRING OF ARTICULATION

Xanthe said she had always felt emotionally connected to Mother and me. She could never bring herself to kill me or even wish me harm. The truth was, I felt the same. How could she ever face Mother again if she had hurt her son? Rhea was like a mother to both of us, and since we shared a father, it often felt as though we were full siblings rather than half-siblings.

Then, she handed over what she had been holding in her right hand all along, a golden drop-hoop earring with a delicate chained harp. The small golden harp stood out the most, hanging just below the chain.

I stared at it, wondering how she had come to possess it. The earring was far too small for her; it wouldn't have fit her ear. That must have been why she had merely held it. But it would fit perfectly in mine. It was the ideal size, as though it had been made specifically for me. Almost as long as my pinky finger, it would be considered insignificant to Colossals, not even a true piece of jewelry.

"The reason you followed me without hesitation when I told you to," Xanthe said, pointing at the earring, "was because of this."

I couldn't help but burst into laughter, thinking she was joking. But Xanthe's expression remained serious.

Could what she said be true? No, that was absurd. Sorcery didn't exist. Beasts that could breathe fire or turn men to stone had long gone extinct, living on only in legends. If not for Mother reading me those old tales, I wouldn't even know such creatures had ever existed. I wouldn't even know of sorcery.

Xanthe sat me down before explaining. Long ago, when our ancestors conquered lands to expand their influence, they seized enemy territories and claimed their treasures as symbols of their achievements. Yet, for reasons unknown, they never cared much for the treasures themselves, only the lands they had taken. They didn't even bother to check the contents of the chests they plundered, instead locking them away in a secured room within this very castle.

As their conquests grew, so did the number of chests, piling up until they numbered in the thousands.

After Xanthe lost her mother, she was granted the rare privilege of being the only one, besides our father, who had access to the treasure room. She spent years exploring every chest inside. Some held gold, others jewels, some fine jewelry, and others, even greater knowledge. But one chest stood out above all the rest.

It contained an assortment of treasures, some so small they seemed made for dolls, others perfectly suited to royal Colossals. There were objects imbued with sorcerous abilities and even living beasts no Colossal had ever seen before. Xanthe had kept this chest hidden in her room, and I was the only one she had ever told about it.

The earring was one of the many treasures inside. It granted its possessor the ability to place others in a trance-like state and influence their actions, what she called a "hypnotic voice." With nothing but my words, I could command any Colossal I saw fit.

She had given me this power because, unlike my siblings, I had no natural advantage. My body was weak, useless compared to theirs. This was her way of helping me.

I placed the earring on my left ear, grateful beyond words for Xanthe's gift.