by Regine Abel
The citizens of Paris would never accept a Fallen in their midst. If there had been a way to make them accept him, Frollo would have probably seen to it, if only to remove the threat over himself. I hated the thought of leaving Paris. Not only was the city growing on me, but I could make a huge difference for the people living here. As vain as that might sound, I didn’t believe any of my other Vestal sisters could handle the needs of this city as I could.
And yet, if it came to a choice between Paris and my man, Kwazeem would win any day.
We could leave.
From my recent research, some of the lesser moons were not as intolerant towards the Fallen. After all, the conflict that had initiated the Fall—the war between the Elohim and their Light Bearers—had started right here, on the First Circle.
As an Anointed, choosing a lesser Circle to work on would raise a lot of suspicions. Worse still, with the tense energy situation here, there would be an uproar amongst the citizens of Paris whom had just regained hope of a brighter future last night. They could retaliate against the planet or moon I settled on with embargoes and tariffs on trade goods. Wealth wasn’t an issue in Paris; energy was.
We could also just go live on our own somewhere and leave everything else behind. My family was financially set and secured with the final dowry of my ordainment. Aside from Old Nan—and even then—Kwazeem had nothing holding him here. With my sign-on fee, I had enough credits to buy us a piece of land and everything we might need to build a happy home. Kwazeem was an accomplished hunter and craftsman. I wasn’t clumsy with my hands either. Together, we could make it work.
For one foolish instant, I thought of reaching out to Phoebus. I still had the com he’d given me, and he had a good heart beneath that tough exterior. But there was no way he would support me running off with a Fallen, especially considering he wanted me for himself. And going to stay with Althea wasn’t an option. Frollo would go to her first to look for us if we just ran away.
But she could help us secure transportation off world.
My heart skipped a beat as this thought of Frollo abruptly reminded me that we hadn’t returned his draining kit back to his lab. He would be livid once he’d realized we’d not only broken into his lab, but that Kwazeem was also no longer solely dependent on him to treat his condition. Yet another strike against us. I couldn’t begin to imagine how he would react to all of this.
He shouldn’t have left Kwazeem to suffer as punishment.
Be that as it may, it wouldn’t benefit us to alienate him more than was necessary.
Too many questions swirled around in my head. My bone deep weariness made it next to impossible for me to focus on a smart solution. Giving in to the call of oblivion, I fell asleep with Kwazeem’s face hovering before me.
Chapter 13
Kwazeem
For the hundredth time at least, I looked at my clock wondering where Esmeralda was. The sense of unease that had been churning in my gut since she left had only steadily increased with each passing minute. She should only have been gone one hour. More than double that time had elapsed.
I wanted to go check up on her to make sure everything was okay. But doing so at this early hour of the afternoon was beyond risky. The population usually slept in late and most remained home to recover from their hangover the day after the Festival. But that wouldn’t keep a respectable number of them—the more moderate ones—from being up and about. What if I ran into one of the Light Maidens, the temple’s regular guards, or staff?
They wouldn’t bother me if I were cloaked.
That settled it. Frollo had made it clear to the staff that they were to leave me alone. As I went to fetch my cloak in my bedroom, I cycled through a series of possible excuses for my presence in the temple if anyone should ask. But even as I turned around to exit my room, my imps came rushing in with a scared squeal and hid under my bed.
My blood instantly turned to ice in my veins. Only Frollo’s approach could have stirred such a violent reaction from them.
But he’s not supposed to be back until tomorrow!
Stuffing my cloak back into the dresser, I hastened into the living area of my cabin. The chiming sound of the bell resonated seconds before the door swished open, revealing a brooding Frollo. Judging by his attire, he’d just returned from one of the peripheral cities and hadn’t taken the time to change.
The Praetor’s blue gaze slowly roamed over me, his expression betraying a growing seething anger. The absence of surprise at seeing me up and about took me aback. He knew that I should normally be writhing in agony, half passed out from the debilitating pain. And then my stomach dropped with sudden fear. Had he intercepted Esmeralda on her way back here? Was that why she hadn’t returned? Had she seen him arrive and wisely decided to stay put?
But why wasn’t he surprised?
“I shortened my trip to come take care of you, thinking I’d given you sufficient time to contemplate the error of your ways. But here you are, looking as fresh and thriving as those plants you tend,” Frollo said in the iciest tone I’d ever heard from him. “Where is she?”
My heart skipped a beat. He could only be referring to Esmeralda. But why wouldn’t he know she was at the temple? Had he not checked her room? Had she not made it back to the temple? That made no sense, it was too short a walk. Had anything happened to her along the way, Frollo would have inevitably run into her while coming here.
“Where’s who?” I asked.
“Don’t play dumb with me,” Frollo hissed, advancing towards me with one menacing step. “You know damn well who I’m talking about.”
“There’s no one here but me, and now you,” I said, lifting my chin defiantly. “If you are referring to the Vestal, she’s likely in the temple.”
“You are going to pretend she didn’t help you with your condition?” Frollo challenged me, his hands fisting spasmodically.
“What makes you think I needed external help?” I argued.
“You couldn’t drag your sorry ass to the temple last night because you were too crippled by pain. How the fuck would you have made it back to the temple on your own to break into my lab and steal my syringe case,” Frollo yelled, finally losing any semblance of control.
I flinched, mentally kicking myself for having forgotten to return it to his quarters last night. It all made sense now. He’d come home early to relieve me of my pain only to find the case missing from his room. I didn’t quite know how to feel about that. I hated that he’d used my condition against me to torture me. But was it remorse, a sense of compassion, or some twisted affection towards me that had made him return sooner? As he should have been gone until morning, he naturally assumed Esmeralda would still be with me since she’d defied him to help me.
And she would have been had she not somehow been detained.
The need to go check up on her gnawed at me. Considering how tired she’d been, I wanted to believe she’d merely fallen asleep again. I wouldn’t be able to rest until I knew for sure.
“Since you’d chosen to let me suffer for days to make a point, she did come to my aid,” I snarled back.
“And whose fault was that?” he shouted, before pacing the room. “I was kind by letting you come back to the temple so that you wouldn’t miss out on the whole Festival, and this is how you thanked me?”
“You don’t own me!” I yelled back. “You are not my father, and I’m not a slave for you to order about. You do not dictate where I can and cannot go!”
Frollo stared at me disbelieving, as if he was seeing me for the first time. And maybe he was. I had never actually challenged any of his ‘orders’ before; it had never mattered. But now, his ‘protection’ chafed. I would not be kept on a leash.
“As long as you are in my city, I most certainly do get to dictate where the fuck you’re allowed to go.” He leveled at me a look with something akin to contempt that had my hackles rising. “As for your father, that I’m definitely not, and I have no use for a slave, you ungrateful little s
hit.”
“Could have fooled me,” I snapped back.
“Excuse me?” he said, outraged.
“Do you think I cannot guess the worth of the weapons I’ve made, and which you sell as your own?” I said in a hard tone. “Would you get as magnificent a garden as the one I’ve made for you without paying top wages?”
“And what would you do with credits, Kwazeem?” Frollo asked in a syrupy voice, saying my name with a certain dose of contempt. “I have provided you with everything you’ve ever needed, and anything you requested I bought. So, don’t you dare play the victim. You’d be dead without me.”
“Living by your rules, I might as well be,” I retorted.
“My rules are the only reason you’re still alive. The plaza was crawling with Elohim,” Frollo said between his teeth his voice gradually getting louder. “What the fuck do you think would have happened if they’d gotten to you before my guards did? If you have a death wish, go right ahead and strut your stuff in broad daylight. But you will not bring me down with you and least of all her!”
I flinched, aching to shout back at the unfairness of it all, but he was right. My selfish desires could have caused our collective downfall. Fists and teeth clenched, I averted my eyes, breathing heavily to cool my temper.
Frollo exhaled loudly, and some of his anger bled out. “Look, I will not pretend to understand how difficult, isolated, and confining your life must feel. But mingling with others will never be a possibility for you. And you need to stay away from Esmeralda.”
My head jerked up, and I glared at him in outrage. He sustained my gaze, his hard and unwavering.
“I realize that you are no longer a child and that, as an adult male you have certain… needs. It was my failure not to account for that sooner, and I will do my best to remedy that,” Frollo said, somewhat stiffly. “But Esmeralda is not for you. She’s a stunning woman with a heart of gold. But do not confuse compassion with romantic interest.”
I lifted my chin with defiance. “I assure you, Praetor, what Esmeralda feels for me isn’t compassion.”
He recoiled and stared at me as if I’d lost my mind. “You think she’s falling for you? You think she would refuse the Grand Magister of Paris and the High-Seraph of the Elysium for you?”
“I don’t think, I know,” I said with arrogance, a smug smile stretching my lips.
Frollo took a step back, a look of horror slowly dawning on his face. “Kwazeem… what have you done?” he whispered. His face took on a pleading expression that had my stomach knot with worry. “Tell me you haven’t touched her? Tell me you did not defile her?”
My anger flared at that last comment. “My love for her, or hers for me isn’t vile or foul. You and the rest of the population may not deem me worthy of Esmeralda, but she sees beyond this body. I am not a monster, I am a man!” I shouted, slapping my chest with both palms.
“THIS ISN’T ABOUT SENTIMENTS, YOU FOOL!” Frollo yelled. “You are a Fallen. Your DNA is a death sentence to a Vestal! Do you not remember what started the war between the Elohim and your people?”
I blinked at him, confused. “A Fallen ran away with the previous High Seraph’s mate. What does that have to do with anything? Esmeralda wasn’t mated to anyone before choosing me.”
“Before choosing you…” Frollo breathed out, as if speaking to himself.
Pale, looking almost haggard, he stumbled to the nearest couch and let himself fall into it. I’d never seen him look so crushed, so defeated. The sense of unease came back with a vengeance, laced with a certain amount of hurt. Yes, he had wanted her for himself. But couldn’t he even muster a sliver of happiness for me that I could have found my soulmate, against all odds?
Frollo snorted and shook his head with a sad smile. “Tell me Kwazeem, did your mate look tired when you last parted ways?”
I stiffened, a sense of dread washing over me as my mind was flooded with images of Esmeralda looking weary as she stood at the entrance of the forge, staring at me.
“She did, didn’t she?” Frollo asked, although it was more of a statement. The look of hurt, betrayal, and sadness on his face clawed at me as my anxiety climbed another notch. “You’ve killed us all, Kwazeem. All three of us.”
“Stop with your damn riddles and speak plainly!” I exclaimed at last, exasperated.
“The war didn’t start because a Fallen stole High Seraph’s Galleus’s mate—he would have merely hunted and killed him for that. The war started because Arahzor, the Fallen in question, drained Armina of her Divine Light. Why do you think your people used to be called Light Eaters as often as Light Bearers?” Frollo snapped. “You feed off the Light of the Elohim. Once they’d run away, without the Elohim to feed him, Arahzor devoured all that Armina had, severing her link to Vesta.”
“What do you mean?” I whispered, memories of gorging on Esmeralda’s Light as I passionately made love to her flooding my mind. It had been like a drug, a divine nectar that could only pacify the unquenchable thirst within me.
“Meaning that he had turned an Anointed Vestal into a commoner,” Frollo spat out. “She was never again able to summon the elements, her ergokinetic powers snuffed out forever.” He rose to his feet looking at me with barely contained seething rage. “Do you know what will happen when Esmeralda is unable to perform the Grand Chakra Ceremony on the plaza in two days or any other of her Vestal tasks in the following days? Do you think Phoebus will sit by idly when he finds out the one female he’d wanted as a consort has been thus defiled?”
“But… I have been enhancing her power,” I argued feebly, refusing to believe my love for Esmeralda could have caused such a horrible thing.
“There is no such thing as a Fallen—”
“I HAVE!” I repeated forcefully. “Esmeralda has awakened a power inside me I didn’t know I had, and she confirmed that I have made hers significantly more powerful than ever before. That first night in the chapel while she Chanted, she fed off my energy, and hers fueled mine in return, which accelerated my symptoms. At the Festival, that same link formed between us which made her so incredibly powerful, and me so ill, so fast. Even the first time I kissed her, days before the Festival, I hadn’t drained her. You must be wrong.”
My arguments sounded logical to me, but I was also grasping at straws. If what Frollo had said was true, it would devastate her, and it would crush me.
“For all our sakes, I hope you are right,” Frollo said, in a cold voice. “Where’s my syringe case?”
Lips pinched, jaw clenched, I bit back the comment that I should keep it, not him. But I’d pushed him enough for one day. Anyway, now that I’d finally been able to examine it closely at my leisure, I’d be able to replicate a kit of my own to no longer be at his mercy. With a strategically placed set of mirrors, I might even be able to perform the procedure on my own.
Without a word, I turned on my heel and marched to my bedroom to retrieve the case. After I returned and handed it over to him, I kicked myself mentally for not having disposed of the contents of the vials. Although she hadn’t said it in so many words, Esmeralda had hinted at Frollo making use of it in a more than questionable way.
He took the case from my hands, opened it, and examined its contents. The odd glimmer in his eyes as he stared at the vials filled to the brim with the silvery liquid sparkling as if it had captured all the stars in the sky made me further regret I hadn’t disposed of it.
“I want you to leave Paris,” Frollo said in a calm voice, devoid of emotion.
My heart sank.
“What?” I whispered, staring at him in shock.
“I can no longer trust you not to put all of our lives in danger,” Frollo said calmly. “And I especially cannot trust you to stay away from Esmeralda.”
“You can’t—”
“I’M NOT DONE!” Frollo snapped before continuing in a calm, measured, and calculated tone. “I will contact Althea—Old Nan—to see if she will have you back. If we’re lucky, and you haven’t ruined Esm
eralda, you are never to see her again. I’ll come to the Godswood once a month to tend to your back. But if you have done the irreversible, we’ll need to get you both off this planet before the mob and the Elohim descend upon you.”
“You do not dictate my relationship with Esmeralda or where I go,” I said, taking one menacing step towards him. “She is not your prisoner, and neither am I. If I’m no longer welcomed in the temple’s ground, I will go where I see fit.”
“I don’t give a fuck where you go,” the Praetor says dismissively. “Go to Godswood, and I will honor my promise to Althea to look after you. Don’t, and I wash my hands of your fate. As long as she lives in the temple, Esmeralda is my responsibility and is under my protection. Should she choose to run away with you, I will wash my hands of her as well. But until then, you approach her or the temple, and I will have you arrested for illegal entry in the city.”
“Give me away, and they will prosecute you as well,” I retorted angrily, hurt by his indifference far more than I’d ever admit.
Frollo snorted and shook his head. “No, silly boy. Do you really think I hadn’t planned for the eventuality you might go rogue? No one has ever seen or spoken to my gardener, but me and my two personal guards. On the day you get arrested, the corpse of my disfigured gardener will be found. The poor man will have been brutally murdered by the ruthless Fallen hybrid who infiltrated the city to kidnap and defile its greatest jewel; the people’s beloved Anointed Vestal Esmeralda.”
I gaped at him, robbed of voice by such a cruel and calculated evil plan.
A hard smile stretched his lips as he coldly stared at me. “You have two days to pack your belongings, at which point my guards will either escort you to the Godswood or kick you out of the city. Your choice.” He gave me an assessing once over before continuing. “Whatever you may think, I do not wish you ill. But fuck with me, and I will crush you.”