by Meg Anne
A peek at her plate explained the woman’s question. “Mother’s tits,” she muttered under her breath, already turning to put back some of the food.
In her haste, she hadn’t realized she’d grabbed an entire loaf of bread instead of just the slice she’d thought, or the jar of honeyed jam and container of creamed butter that were meant to remain at the food station.
“I think maybe I should start with some tea. It would seem I’m not quite awake,” Effie said, blushing furiously.
“I dunno. I was rather impressed with your selection and wondering where you were going to put it all,” the redheaded woman replied with a wide grin that revealed a gap-toothed smile.
“Is it too late to put it back?” Effie asked, eyes darting from side to side to see if anyone else was watching them.
“I think you’re safe, not that anyone cares. Tuck it under your tunic and go have a picnic if that’s what tickles your fancy,” the woman replied in her conspiratorial whisper.
Effie snickered. “As if they’d give me a day to do something like that.”
The woman lifted a sculpted brow. “They?”
“Kieran and Lucian. Between the two of them, I can never seem to find time to sneeze let alone wander off by myself.” The last time you wandered off you were almost eaten by a giant snake monster. Better not forget the reason why you’re even alive to humiliate yourself right now.
“Oh, you poor thing. You must join us and tell us all about being held captive by those two delectable . . .” Catching Effie’s face, the woman laughed and corrected herself. “I mean deplorable male specimens. I’m Josephine,” she announced holding out a hand. “But you can call me Jo.”
Effie shifted her plate to one hand to shake Jo’s outstretched one. “Effie, but um, you can call me Effie.”
Grinning, Jo gestured to two other women seated to the right of the door. “Come on, then, Effie, who knows how long we’ll get you to ourselves before they find you and whisk you away.”
No kidding.
Jo moved fast, snaking through the tables so quickly that her cloak was airborne. Effie struggled to keep up, her much shorter legs requiring her to practically run to stay behind the other woman. It wasn’t a far walk by any means, but Effie’s heart raced just the same.
“Ladies, this is Effie. Effie, allow me to introduce Tess and Kait.” Jo gestured to each woman in kind.
Tess was stunning, her chocolatey skin, warm amber eyes, and shorn curls lending an exotic elegance to her looks that Effie could never hope to match. Kait was also remarkable, and not just because of her beauty. Her silvery hair fell over her shoulder like a waterfall, and her lush lips were tilted up in laughter. But it was her eyes that captivated Effie. One a deep sapphire and the other a blue so icy it was almost white. A thin, practically translucent scar bisected her eyebrow, coming to a stop at the top of her cheekbone where it forked like a bolt of lightning.
“Welcome to the citadel, Effie,” Tess said in a melodically husky voice.
“How are your studies coming?” Kait politely inquired before taking a bite of her warm oats.
Effie bit her lip, not sure how much she could freely admit to these women, no matter how kind they seemed.
“That well, huh?” Jo asked with a laugh. “It’s always rough at first. Are you still getting the headaches after your visions?”
“So, it’s not just me?” Effie blurted, her relief at learning she wasn’t the only one to experience side effects leaving her light-headed.
“Mother no, it was the better part of a year before I woke up from a vision without bruises,” Tess replied.
“Once you learn how to ride the vision instead of being overtaken by it, the side effects should pass,” Jo informed her.
Pausing mid-bite, Kait asked, “Didn’t your tutor go over any of this with you?”
“Kieran’s gift works differently than ours. He has no experience with the side effects.”
“Ah, yes. The dreamer,” she said, her dual-colored eyes taking on a hazy, faraway cast.
“Is he as capable as he looks?” Tess asked, arching a sculpted brow as she licked a bit of cream off her spoon.
Effie’s cheeks heated at the innuendo and she shrugged. “I guess so?”
The ladies laughed.
“Careful, let’s try not to scare her away in the first ten minutes,” Jo chided with a quick wink to Effie.
Tess shrugged, wholly unapologetic. “You can’t blame me for asking. That man is more elusive than a damned Talyrian and looks like he’d be just as fun to ride.”
“Tess!” Jo exclaimed with a cackle. “You’re hopeless.”
Having witnessed one of the mythical winged cats in flight, Effie wasn’t sure she’d agree. There was nothing fun about the relentless way the massive beasts dipped and swooped as they raced after their prey. Furthermore, Effie liked nothing about Kieran’s comparison to one. Especially when it was clear she was the prey.
Effie took a large bite of her bread, hoping it would save her from having to comment on Kieran’s rideability.
With a pout and a shrug, Tess turned her attention back to her food. “Spoilsport,” she muttered.
“So, Effie. How are you enjoying the citadel so far?” Kait asked.
Effie looked up with panicked eyes, still trying to chew what suddenly felt like a fist-sized bite. Reaching for her cup, she gulped some of her tea to help wash it down. “F-fine,” she sputtered.
“Really? I was terrified when my parents dropped me off,” Jo announced, wrinkling her freckled nose. “One of the Triumvirate was waiting for me and I about pissed my pants when he reached for my hand.”
Effie gave a sympathetic chuckle. “Well, those three certainly take some getting used to, although they don’t seem to be around all that much. None of the Keepers do.”
“We go where the visions take us,” Kait said matter-of-factly.
“It’s rare for many of us to be at the citadel for any extended amount of time,” Jo agreed.
“So, what brings you here now?” Effie asked, her eyes scanning each of the women’s faces.
“We just finished with an assignment in Etillion.”
Effie’s familiarity with the northern realm was limited only to the two delegates she’d met a few months back. There was a certain allure to knowing that one day, once her training was complete, she too would be traveling throughout Elysia and discovering all its secrets.
“It must be nice to come and go as you choose,” Effie murmured.
Jo shrugged, her expression one of indifference. “It gets old, never having a place to call home or a family to come home to. We travel because we must, and the novelty wears off rather quickly.”
Effie frowned, some of her excitement fading with Jo’s words.
Kait must have caught her expression because she quickly added, “It is nice, though, to be able to see so much of the realm. That is a gift rarely given to the Mother’s daughters.”
“Especially these days,” Tess murmured, her eyes darting to Effie’s freshly healed arm.
The unspoken message was unmistakable. The realm was a dangerous place to roam, especially for a woman on her own. Guilt and shame turned the food in Effie’s belly to lead. Her behavior could have gotten her killed. She had been a complete fool, fleeing from the safety of the citadel without any awareness of her surroundings. Worse still, it seemed that everyone knew about it. Once again Effie felt she was the butt of the joke. Just a stupid girl who lacked even the most basic sense.
Her eyes fell to her plate as a lifetime’s worth of insecurities ate away at her.
Jo’s hand covered her own, jarring Effie from the dark direction of her thoughts.
“We heard that you outsmarted the angcerta,” she murmured, her voice and smile kind.
Effie shrugged. “I climbed a tree.”
“It’s more than I would have done. I’d have tried to run, and been killed because of it,” Jo said.
“And you were smart en
ough to blind it so you could gain the upper hand,” Tess added.
A small smile tugged at her lips. These women had just met her but were doing their best to alleviate the sting of her mistake. One they could tell she was clearly still suffering from, even if her injuries had been healed. It was a kindness she would not forget.
“How did an angcerta get so close to the portal?” Kait asked, her brows furrowed. “Usually they’re repelled by the magic and stick to the outskirts of the jungle.”
“I was wondering that as well,” Tess said. “It’s not even the right time of the year for them to be out of hibernation.”
“It’s unnatural, if you ask me,” Jo said, making a sign with her fingers to ward off evil.
Tess and Kait followed suit.
Unease skittered along Effie’s spine. Before her attack, she’d never even heard of an angcerta, and her grandmother had always made a point to tell her stories about the creatures of Elysia. For the angcerta to go unmentioned . . . they must be rare indeed. Could it be a coincidence that she’d stumbled across one now, or was there something more sinister at play here?
“No matter,” Jo said, her voice brisk. “If there was something to worry about the Triumvirate would let us know. Their silence can only mean it’s business as usual.”
Kait and Tess nodded their agreement, but Effie wasn’t as easily convinced. She made a mental note to ask Smoke about it the next time she saw him.
The table fell quiet as all four women returned to their plates, but it wasn’t long before a low cough cut through the silence. Effie’s shoulders were already lifting defensively as she looked up into her Guardian’s scowling face.
“What?” she snapped.
Lucian’s scowl darkened. “You were not in your room.”
“Am I not allowed to break my fast without your permission now?”
“You were given an order.”
Effie rolled her eyes. “I’ve already told you I only follow the ones that are reasonable. Now go away, I will find you when I’m done. You’re ruining my appetite.”
Jo sucked in a breath and Tess gave a shocked laugh. Kait just watched her with an unreadable expression.
“You will come with me now,” he said, unfazed by her attempt at defiance.
Effie grit her teeth, not appreciating him making her look like an unruly child in front of her new friends. Especially not after learning they already knew about her incident in the jungle. She didn’t need any help making herself look like an incompetent fool.
Effie’s eyes darted around the table, surprised to see the women were so subdued by Lucian’s mere presence. Great. Even they fear him. It looked like she was on her own. No one else was going to help her stand up to him.
In a low, measured voice, she replied, “No, I am going to finish my meal.”
“It’s not a request.”
“I don’t take orders from you,” she snarled, her eyes narrowed on his.
Lucian crossed his arms and stared down at her, his eyes practically black. “You were the one who insisted I guard you. I told you we’d be playing by my rules.” He leaned down until his breath fanned her face. “Now get your spoiled ass up.”
Effie’s mouth fell open. No one had ever accused her of being spoiled before. The absurdity of the comment had her torn between laughter and indignance.
Indignance won.
There was another shocked hiss of indrawn breath, but Effie didn’t risk looking at the others as she set her utensils down and got to her feet. She moved slowly, aware that every eye in the room was on her. Good. Let them watch.
She shoved her finger into his granite-like chest, not caring that her chin was practically vertical so she could look up at his face. “I don’t care who you are, Guardian, you will not speak to me that way.”
Lucian’s brows lifted in surprise as he glanced from her finger to her face. “Respect goes both ways, fledgling.”
The term rankled, even if it was accurate.
“Maybe if you’d try asking me once in a while instead of always bossing me around, you’d find me more agreeable to your requests.”
A muscle in his jaw twitched as his brows sunk even lower. “I need to speak with you. Would you join me in the hall?”
Effie was sorely tempted to tell him no, just to piss him off, but he was listening to her and that couldn’t be ignored.
“Please,” he added, looking pained.
She couldn’t have been more stunned if he’d dropped his pants and waved his bare ass around the room. Words were practically impossible to form so she simply nodded.
“I’ll wait for you outside.” With that he turned and stalked from the room, the door closing behind him with a loud bang.
“You must have balls of steel,” Tess breathed, her amber eyes wide.
Effie turned back to the table and shrugged. “I don’t appreciate being told what to do. No one owns me.” Not anymore.
“But he’s a Guardian,” Jo whispered in awe as she stared up at Effie.
“So what? That doesn’t give him the right to walk around with a giant stick up his ass.”
Jo shook her head as a smile stretched across her face and caused her eyes to crinkle. “Ladies, I think we have a live one.”
Kait snorted. “The girl’s been here a week and already she’s turning the place upside down.”
“Can we keep her?” Tess asked, her eyes shining with laughter.
Effie grinned, feeling like she truly belonged for the first time since finding out about her gift.
“I’d better go before he decides he’s waited long enough,” Effie said with a sigh. “It was nice meeting you.”
“You too, Effie. Feel free to join us anytime. We’ll be here for at least another week.”
Her smile fell hearing that they could be leaving so soon, but she tried not to let her disappointment show. “Looking forward to it.”
With a little wave, Effie turned and made her way out of the dining hall and toward the brooding warrior who awaited her.
Chapter 17
True to his word, Lucian waited for her in the hall, his booted foot resting against the wall as he stared down at the floor. He looked up as she stepped out of the door and for a second his expression was entirely unguarded.
Effie’s breath caught in her throat as she struggled to remember why she was always so annoyed with him.
“Took you long enough.”
That answers that.
Effie rolled her eyes. “What was so important you had to hunt me down and take me away from my meal?” she asked.
Lucian started walking in the direction of her room. He checked his pace when he realized she was struggling to keep up with him. Glancing down at her, he said, “I’m going to be gone for a couple of days.”
Just like the last time he told her he was going away, that crushing pressure took hold of her insides. Knowing that she wouldn’t be able to convince him to stay a second time, Effie tried a different tact.
“Where are we going?”
“I don’t recall saying we.”
Effie shrugged, trying to keep her voice light despite her growing sense of unease. “You’re stuck with me whether you like it or not. If you won’t stay here with me, I’ll go with you.”
Lucian shook his head, not in the mood for her antics. “You’re staying here. Kael will be your guard while I’m away.”
“You keep trying to foist me off on men I don’t know.”
“Not men. A Guardian; singular.”
Effie made a face. “Same difference.”
“Not even remotely. And as for the second part of your complaint, where do you think I’m taking you?”
She didn’t have a comeback for that. “Where are you going?”
“None of your business.”
Effie sighed. It would be easier talking to a wall. Maybe she could delay his leaving long enough that the creeping sense of foreboding building inside of her would pass.
Rubbing at he
r arms to alleviate some of the discomfort, she asked, “Why do you have to leave so quickly?”
“Unlike you, I don’t balk at my orders. I do what I’m told.”
Effie stopped short, hands on her hips, ready to defend herself.
Lucian pivoted around to face her, holding up his hand. “At ease, fledgling. I don’t have time for another one of your verbal sparring matches. I’m behind schedule as is.” With a long-suffering sigh, he answered her previous question. “The Triumvirate are sending me on a scouting mission. They have Seen something and need me to investigate. As much as you believe otherwise, babysitting you is not my only job.”
Effie barely heard the insult as the pressure crushed her chest and a harsh buzzing filled her ears. Before she could cry out, the world tilted and disappeared.
Blood dripped down the walls of the cavern, the crimson tears soon filling the small space until she was standing in a pool up to her knees. Effie tried to run, to outdistance the surge of gore that chased her, but it was hopeless.
Gasping, she fell as a tidal wave crested and crashed into her. The liquid poured into her mouth as she cried out. She rushed to expel it, sucking in a final mouthful of air before she was fully submerged.
Lungs burning, Effie tried to swim up to the surface, but something clung to her leg and tugged her down further into the ruby depths. The harder she fought to get free the more tangled she became.
Help! Help! But her soundless screams did no good without anyone to save her.
Deeper and deeper she fell, the red substance thicker and darker the further down she went, until she was soon drowning in a sea of shadows.
Effie covered her mouth as skeletal fingers swam up beneath her, but there was no stopping her screams of terror once the first of the bloated bodies brushed against her.
One after another, the dead floated past until she was surrounded by over a dozen.
Choking, drowning on blood, Effie couldn’t escape.
Not when one of the corpses opened its cloudy eyes and stared directly at her.
Not when it opened its mouth and started to speak.
And not when its jaw unhinged, and it swallowed her whole.