by Meg Anne
“But, Gran, no one is going to let me go on any adventures—”
“Who says you need permission? The Mother will show you the way when the time comes.”
“The Mother didn’t choose me,” Effie whispered, her young voice breaking.
“Oh, my sweet girl, how hard this must be for you to understand,” Miranda said, pulling Effie’s small body into her arms. “The Mother has not forsaken you. She has a plan, and you will play a very special part. I promise. Do not lose faith.”
Pressing a kiss to Effie’s forehead, Miranda brushed a gentle finger over the bruise along the top of her cheek. “And give that Olivester boy not a single thought. He wouldn’t recognize true power if it smacked him in the arse.”
Effie giggled.
“Ah, that’s better. Now, shall I tell you a story before I have to go?”
“Can’t I go with you, Gran? I promise I won’t get in the way.”
“How I wish you could, my sweet girl. One day we will be together, but not just yet.”
Effie nodded, trying not to let her disappointment ruin the short time they had.
“Now, what story would you like to hear?”
There was only one answer to that question. “Tell me about the Talyrians, Gran.”
Chuckling, Miranda scooped Effie up and carried her over to a chair sitting beside the window. “I should have known. The Talyrians are all you ever ask for.”
Effie couldn’t imagine anything more wonderful that climbing atop one of the massive winged felines. No one would risk saying another unkind thing to her if she had a Talyrian of her own. She’d have them burnt to a crisp if they dared.
“Wouldn’t it be wonderful to fly?” Effie asked, closing her eyes and trying to imagine what it would be like to soar high above the clouds. “Think of everything you’d be able to see.”
Resting her cheek on top of her granddaughter’s head, Miranda hugged her tight. “There are many ways to see the world, darling. And in your own way, you’ll grow wings of your own and see it all. I promise.”
Clearing her throat, Miranda loosened her hold, but only slightly. “Now, then. Where to begin . . .”
When Effie came to, she was lying in an unfamiliar bed, the medicinal smell of herbs filling her nose and the memory of her grandmother fresh in her mind. For one blissful second, Effie forgot she was dead, that she’d never hear that soothing voice tell her about the wonders of Elysia ever again. Reality came crashing down when her eyes landed on the robed figure standing beside her bed.
“Welcome back.”
“Which one are you?” she croaked.
“Smoke.”
The thread of amusement in the spectral voice wasn’t lost on her. If he was amused, then perhaps she wasn’t in a steaming heap of trouble. Although, it was more likely that almost dying must have granted her some leniency.
Glancing at her bandaged arm, Effie made her fingers twitch, surprised when they responded. Her body ached, but the small movements didn’t send bolts of pain shooting through her, so she assumed someone in the citadel must have healing abilities.
“How long was I out?”
“Six days.”
Effie swallowed. If she’d been out that long, then her arm hadn’t been the worst of her injuries. “How bad was it?”
The Keeper didn’t immediately reply. Somehow, Effie felt like that was answer enough.
“That bad, huh?”
“You should make a full recovery.”
Guilt pulled at her. She hadn’t meant to run off and put not only herself but one of their Guardians in danger. That was the second time in as many days Lucian had come to her rescue, and she hadn’t even gotten around to thanking him for the first. Effie groaned. What was worse, she now owed Lucian two apologies.
“I didn’t mean to run away.”
An inquisitive head tilt was her only response.
“I just . . . everything just got to be too much. Between the visions and the memories,” Effie sighed, shaking her head and staring up at the ceiling. “I don’t know whether I’m coming or going anymore.”
“You will learn to manage the visions in time.”
She gave a small nod. Right now, her visions were the least of her worries.
“The memories, well . . . time has a way of softening their blow.”
“So, you’re basically telling me I need to be patient.”
His scarlet hood dipped in a nod.
“I used to think I was very patient. Lately, I’m not so sure.”
Something about his unobtrusive presence, or perhaps it was being on the other side of almost dying, gave her the strength to admit something she hadn’t even admitted to herself.
“I’m afraid of them.”
“The visions?”
Biting her lip, she nodded.
“I see.”
The Keeper folded himself into a chair by the foot of her bed. Effie blinked in surprise, not anticipating a member of the Triumvirate would do something so human.
“They are mere images. Suggestions of potential futures. They only hold importance if you let them.”
“How can you, of all people, possibly believe that? I mean, look at what happened to Helena and her prophecy. She was hidden away because an entire realm was afraid of it coming true.”
“Yes, but it was centuries later that we learned our interpretation of it had been flawed the entire time. For all that we See, we are not omnipotent. Our visions are limited by our understanding of them. How often do we see the truth and refuse to accept it?”
Effie frowned. “Then why give them any weight at all?”
“We cannot ignore our gifts.”
“You’re speaking in circles. First you tell me they only hold weight if we let them, then you tell me they can’t be ignored. Which is it?”
“That’s something you must decide.”
“Mother’s tits, you’re impossible.”
“With enough practice, you will learn the difference. You will know when to listen and when to wait.”
“How?”
Smoke shrugged.
“You’re going to induce more visions, aren’t you?” It was hard to fully keep the petulance from her tone.
“Most likely. What better way to help you learn how not to fear them?”
“What about the visions that come on their own?”
“What about them?”
“When will the side effects go away?”
“When you stop fighting them.”
Effie frowned, the answer catching her off guard. She wasn’t aware she even had the ability to fight against her visions.
There was the brush of a hand against her leg and Effie tensed beneath her blanket, the spindly fingers still unnerving her.
“Get some rest for now. Kieran will return in the morning to continue your lessons.”
The Keeper stood and made his way for the door.
“Why him?” she asked, unable to keep the question from flying out.
Smoke paused and turned back to face her.
“Why is Kieran training me, instead of you or one of the others?”
“Would you rather someone else train you?”
“I mean, he’s fine, I just . . .”
There was a beat of silence before he spoke again. “The time will come when you are ready for what we have to share. For now, learn from one who has recently gone through what you are experiencing.”
“You think that’s Kieran . . . even though his visions come through dreams?”
“There are always things to learn, Effie.”
She nodded, having expected the non-answer. If they really thought it was best for her, she would accept their decision, for now. She wasn’t exactly in the best condition to fight them on it anyway.
Smoke opened the door.
Effie called after him. “When will I know I’m ready to begin my training with you?”
He answered without turning around, “We will come for you when it’s time
.”
The door softly clicked shut behind him, and Effie stared back up at the ceiling. If she was going to take on the title of Keeper, then she was going to need to learn the art of answering a question without saying anything remotely helpful.
Effie was still smiling at the thought when her eyes fell closed and she drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 14
Smoke was wrong about one thing. When the morning arrived, Kieran did not come for her. Although, that was only because Effie refused to remain in the sterile healing chamber for one more minute.
It was hard to keep track of time in a room without windows, until Effie noticed that the orbs of light would dim or brighten accordingly. As soon as the ones in her room had begun the transition from a dull shine to soft radiance, her feet were over the side of the bed and she was moving to the door.
Effie had never been a good patient. While she was used to taking orders in every other aspect of her life, there was something about being told to stay in bed with only her thoughts for company that sent her screaming for something to do. Her mind was not a quiet place. Nor did it offer any kind of solace, especially these days.
It didn’t take Effie long to realize that while the worst of her injuries might have been healed, she was far from a full recovery. Light-headed and legs feeling as supportive as feather pillows, Effie propped her unbandaged arm against the wall, resting her head against the hard surface.
“Maybe if you did what you were told, you wouldn’t find yourself in these situations,” a deep voice grumbled.
Effie opened one bleary eye and stared at a scowling Lucian. “You’re going to pick a fight with me while I’m still injured, Guardian?”
His frown deepened and his eyes roamed over her body. “If you are in pain, you should be in bed. I will send for Kerrie to check your wounds.”
He’d already started walking past her, but Effie stopped him with a brush of her hand against his arm. His forearm felt like a slab of granite underneath her fingers. The muscles beneath her flexed, and Effie dropped her arm as if she’d been burned.
“Please don’t. I’m fine. Just readjusting to being vertical.”
Lucian’s eyes had tracked the movement of her hand. He looked up slowly. They’d never been this close while Effie was in full control of her faculties. The first time she’d been too drunk to sense the danger, and the second time, well . . . she’d been on the brink of death. What could he have done that wasn’t about to happen anyway? But there were no such excuses now.
Her breath caught in her throat as she stared up at him. She should have been cowed by his size, but she wasn’t. The only worry she had in that suspended fragment of time was that she’d been wrong. His eyes weren’t black, as she’d originally thought. They were the deepest umber, with tiny bronze flecks around the pupils. As she stared, the flecks seemed to glow, giving his gaze a predatory heat that made her shiver.
“There you are!”
Lucian jerked, his head twisting to the side and a silent snarl curling his upper lip.
Effie felt like a hand had been removed from her lungs and she was able to breathe freely again. She followed Lucian’s gaze to where Kieran was striding down the hall. Her tutor was smiling, but there was nothing friendly about it. He glanced between her and Lucian—at the lack of space between them—and Effie squirmed.
There was no reason she should feel guilty; she hadn’t done anything wrong. Unless you counted her not being in her room.
“I was just coming to find you,” she lied with a wide grin.
Kieran eyed her, his expression softening. “You shouldn’t be up and about yet.”
Effie rolled her eyes. “I’m fine. A little exercise is good for a healing body.” Whether that was true or not, she had no idea. It sounded reasonable though, so she was sticking with it.
“Come, let us get you settled. I’ll find something for you to nibble on while we have our history lesson today.” Kieran held out an arm for her.
“Wait. Before we go, there’s something I need to do.” She turned back to Lucian whose brow lifted in surprise. “I owe you my thanks, and an apology. Two actually.”
“I’m sure he deserved whatever harsh words—”
Effie scowled at Kieran. “This is hard enough without you adding your unwelcome commentary.”
Lucian smirked as Kieran’s cheeks turned pink.
Taking a deep breath, she continued, “I wouldn’t be standing here if you hadn’t found me. I owe you my life, quite literally. Thank you.”
Lucian dipped his head. “It’s my duty.”
The words chaffed. “Be that as it may. I’ll try not to make it a third time.”
“That would be wise.”
So much for trying to make nice. “Right, well. Thanks.” She started to turn away from him when his voice stopped her.
“Kael will be your guard today. I have other business to attend to. Make sure he accompanies you wherever you go.”
Effie frowned as an unfamiliar tension filled her, warning her against letting this happen. She didn’t know what exactly the Guardian had said to raise off her instinctual alarm, but she couldn’t ignore it.
“I don’t need a guard today. I’m not leaving the citadel.”
“You’ve proven you can’t be trusted to keep that promise. Twice now you’ve fled the safety of the citadel.”
“I just apologized for that.”
Lucian shrugged. “You will have a guard at all times.”
“This is a pile of wolf shit and you know it.”
Effie wasn’t a troublemaker—usually—and she wasn’t in any danger if she was inside the citadel’s walls. This decree of his didn’t add up. Then again, neither did the intense urge to fight him on it. What did it matter if a guy stood outside her room while she studied?
“Triumvirate’s orders,” he replied, as if that excused everything. Perhaps it did.
“Why can’t Kieran be my guard?” she asked, crossing her arms and wincing when the bandage snagged. As soon as the question left her lips, the tension swelled, sitting heavy in her chest.
Lucian’s voice went flinty. “He’s not a Guardian.”
“I’m more than happy to accompany—”
Lucian silenced Kieran with a look. “No.”
“You’re being unreasonable,” Effie insisted.
“Says the little girl who can’t follow an order to save her life,” Lucian snarled.
Effie’s back went rigid and she stepped forward, chin tilted up defiantly. “I am not a little girl. And I have no problem following orders when they are sensible.”
Lucian’s nostrils flared and his eyes went so dark Effie could no longer make out the tiny metallic flecks in the center.
“Kael will accompany you.” His voice was whisper soft, but all the more menacing because of it.
The weight of the pressure building inside her was getting worse.
“I don’t know Kael,” she said, her voice tight from discomfort.
“Then I’ll introduce you.”
Frustrated, both with Lucian’s stubborn resolve and her inability to understand what was happening to her, Effie shoved his chest, a throb of pain pulsing through her recently healed arm. She might as well have smacked a wall for all the good it did her.
“If following me around is so damned important, then why don’t you do it yourself?” she snapped, not sure what was wrong with her. She didn’t actually want Lucian following her either, but that niggling voice wouldn’t shut up and now the foreign instinct was overriding her reason.
“I told you, I have business—”
The tension peaked, the weight of it practically suffocating her, forcing her to act. This. Couldn’t. Happen.
“Your business is whatever the Triumvirate dictates, and for now they’ve assigned you to me. So do your damned job.”
There was a tick in his jaw, the only outward expression she’d struck a nerve. He dipped down until his eyes were level with hers. “You
want me, little girl, fine. But we’ll play by my rules. See you later.”
He stalked away before Effie could reply. It didn’t matter. As soon as he’d agreed, the odd tension began to dissipate, the last of it vanishing entirely once he turned the corner. Relief surged through her in its absence.
“And I thought I liked to push his buttons,” Kieran murmured, studying her with a thoughtful expression.
“Something about him makes me act like I’m two years old again,” she muttered, her mind still trying to work out what had just happened. Why she’d just fought so hard for something that should have been a non-issue.
“Lucian has that effect on people.”
The only other time she’d ever felt a buzzing awareness anywhere close to what she’d just experienced were in the seconds right before a vision.
Eyebrows scrunched together with confusion, Effie looked at her tutor. “Kieran, do Keepers ever get premonitions outside of actual visions?”
“Not that I know of. What makes you ask?”
Effie shook her head, looking once more down the hall where Lucian had vanished. The warning bells started when he said he was going to be away and didn’t abate until he promised to stay. The potency of her relief when he’d finally agreed not to go were certainly a confirmation that the two were linked.
This was different than the times she’d reacted over being told she needed minding, like a child. There was something more to this. She’d been worried about him. Whatever mission the Triumvirate wanted to send him on, it wasn’t safe.
There was no explanation for how she’d known it, but there was no denying that’s what had been building inside of her. Maybe Smoke will know more about it.
Kieran held out his arm once more, and Effie wound hers through it, her mind leaving the puzzle alone for now.
They started back the way Kieran had come, their steps unhurried.
“You might not believe it, but I was perfectly reasonable—amiable even—before I got here.”
Kieran’s half-grin was teasing. “Sure you were.”
“Don’t you start. I only have enough energy to verbally spar with one egotistical male this morning.”
He lifted his free hand in a sign of surrender. “I’m still recovering from your last tongue lashing.”