by Nicole Adamz
The room dimmed, the air going stale and heavy. “I…I…What do you mean?”
“You’re going to be Life-Bonded to my brother, Caelum Maewyn.”
“Your brother? High Lord Bera?” I said in bewilderment.
Lady Durus cackled menacingly. “No, not Bera. He wouldn’t know what to do with someone like you.”
The shadow stirring in the corner of the room stepped away from the wall. My eyes touched the white robes, heavily embroidered with silver, before meeting Caelum Greerson’s leering gaze. I didn’t know whether to bolt for the door or vomit.
Shocked, I did neither. Horror consumed my mind. Family. Arrangements. Brother. Greerson. How? NO! What do I do?
I couldn’t think. My entire being was blank, like it was snuffed out. Except it wasn’t. Because I wasn’t alone, and no one knew that but me. Deep inside a fire kindled within. Refraining from placing a hand on my belly, I took a shuddering breath and stared Greerson in the eye. He smiled greedily.
“Hello, again, my dear. You have such an indomitable spirit. You’re always trying to get your way. I’ve always loved that about you,” he murmured silkily.
I ignored him, concentrating on the other expressions. No one was surprised. Rose still looked upset, General Fernon was impassive, Lord Durus was drunk, and Davin and Heir Talon wore identical smirks. My skin crawled when Greerson ran a possessive hand over one of my wings, and I grit my teeth. There must be a way out of this. This doesn’t make sense!
I turned desperately toward Lady Durus. “How can Caelum Greerson be your brother?”
“Tut, tut,” Lady Durus said, wagging a finger, “family secrets. Once you’re Life-Bonded you’ll know everything.”
“And my family agreed to this?” I ground between clenched teeth.
“I’ve already said so.” Lady Durus said imperiously.
Caelum Greerson lifted a section of my hair, sniffing it before I jerked away. “Just like old times. Only you’ve changed the scent of your hair rinse,” he frowned, “I’m not sure I like it.”
“Well I like it.” I snapped.
I stood up, feeling cornered. “What does being Life-Bonded to Caelum Greerson, or into your family, have to do with my Talent or resource shortages?” I demanded of Lady Durus.
She smiled, flicking a feline smile at Greerson. “You were right. She’s feisty.”
Lady Durus turned to me magnanimously. “All will be revealed in due time. Right now, all you need to know is you’re lucky to have such an advantageous match.”
“Advantageous how?” I said scathingly.
Greerson examined me calmly, but Lady Durus frowned. Heir Talon barked another laugh, tucking his golden hair behind an ear. When he reached for a decanter of wine, Lady Durus scowled but said nothing.
“It seems she doesn’t want to be Life-Bonded to you, Uncle.” Heir Talon said with amusement.
“It doesn’t matter what she wants. I’ve always known what’s best for her. We’re the only Story Weavers within the same century.” Caelum Greerson said arrogantly.
“What does that have to do with anything?” I seethed.
“Plenty,” said Lady Durus, testily, “I would have thought it was obvious. You’re important in Summit, but the biggest importance is the propagation of your own Talent.”
I hated that I kept repeating her. “Propagation of my own Talent?”
“Yes, dear,” Greerson said with a pleased smile, “After our Life-Bonding at the Accolade of Blooms we’ll be busy. I was very pleased with my first experiment.”
Bile climbed up my throat. Experiment? His trickery, his cruelty, was an experiment?
“Cheers to the happy couple!” Davin quipped, laughing.
Heir Talon joined him, but no one else did.
Chapter 36
Ari
TERROR HAD REPLACED the blissful ignorance inside my mind when Maewyn informed me to be on guard when we arrived. Then, she’d told me who owned the dais. I’d frozen as horror and fury bubbled to the surface, fighting for dominance. Fury triumphed so firmly I’d almost punched her.
Maewyn had known where she was performing tonight and hadn’t thought twice about not telling me until it was too late. Which practically threw my attempt at trusting her onto the floor with a wad of spit on top of it. After tonight, I knew without doubt that I couldn’t trust her.
This was the second time she’d left me in the dark about something because it suited her. Which was what led to…I glanced at my scarred hand. My gut tightened, and a cold sweat broke across my skin. Maewyn had protested that there was only a chance Heir Talon was attending tonight, but I knew he’d be here. It was his parent’s dais, and he knew who was entertaining. Which meant he knew I was here.
Clenching my damaged hand, careful of the new, delicate skin, I scanned the crowd for Maewyn. I swallowed, my heart hammering and screaming to leave. I’d been fighting it all night because my duties as a Tyro had to outweigh my fear—and Maewyn knew it. Which was why she’d waited until we were here to say anything.
Taut nerves made my stomach cramp, and I hoped my terror wasn’t prepping a bowel movement after my snacking. Searching for a chamber pot might be dangerous. I shifted the small bowl of food to my good hand, sweeping the crowd for silver hair. I’d considered denying her request for food, but my responsibilities won against my bitterness.
There! She was at the other entrance, and my blood ran cold at the sight of her being forced from the room. Worry gnawed at me, making me tense and jittery. I thought something was wrong. Did she send me on a fool’s errand? Discreetly following the pair, I stifled my panicked breathing.
My first inclination was to follow them through the door beneath the stairs, but that idea was discarded when it firmly closed. Heir Talon could be in there and entering would draw attention to me. After the things he’d said and done…well, there might not be a second escape.
The only option was to wait, and that required patience. Something I’ve never had, I thought with a grimace. Hiding in the dim shadows of the side corridor, I didn’t expect a grain of patience to manifest while fear pumped through every vein. Across from the grand dining hall, it provided a good view of the entire foyer—including the hidden door.
Maybe Heir Talon and Davin aren’t here. My stomach tightened, and the pressure behind my nose increased. And maybe rabbits fly, I thought disparagingly. The familiar little voice whispering ‘something is wrong’ pressed against my skull. I nervously popped a salmon cracker into my mouth. Ignoring the uncomfortable sensation of an impending nosebleed, I shifted against the wall.
“She’ll be fine.” a soft voice said from the darkness.
I choked, sputtering crumbs onto the floor. A slender figure separated from the shadows behind me, and I looked at the small Anomaly who’d rung the gong earlier. She had eerie scars that reminded me of my own.
I swallowed and rubbed my chest. The smell of burning flesh entered my nostrils, taunting me with ruined dreams and failure. Fighting against the memories, I squeezed my damaged hand painfully. The discomfort snapped me back to the present.
The Anomaly’s pale blue eye stared intently at me, and I struggled to keep my gaze from sliding to her milky, blind eye. Most Anomalies didn’t talk to Elysian as equals, but this one wasn’t following the established rule of subservience—like Zora. My throat clogged unexpectedly, and I wanted to cry. How can I face Zora now that I can’t help her?
I blinked. What did she say? My face must have shown my confusion because the Anomaly repeated herself.
“Your Caelum is a commodity to them. If she cooperates, she’ll be fine,” the Anomaly said.
How is Maewyn a commodity? I shook my head. The Anomaly didn’t make sense. Unless…my eyes widened as horror blasted through me. What if Heir Talon and Davin are finishing what they started in Larrikin? What if she’s screaming for help and no one can hear her?
Dismayed, a shuddering breath broke my immobility, but the Anomaly grabbed my arm when I st
epped forward. I glared at her, but she spoke quickly.
“You cannot go in there! Once she entered that room there was no help for her other than what she could provide for herself. If you interrupt what is happening it will be worse for her—and you,” she said firmly.
No help for her? I can help her! Infuriated, my determination to barge into the room increased. The Anomaly leaned backward, pulling on my arm with both hands. I stepped forward, her slight weight no more than a heavy satchel.
“Please, I beg you! She isn’t worth it!” the Anomaly cried in a soft, distressed voice.
Shocked, I ceased struggling. The Anomaly took quick, panting breaths, and stared at me. She tilted her head, and her milky eye stared through me; seeing things I couldn’t see. She straightened, her stunted wings stretching wide and her eyes focusing on something distant.
When she spoke, her voice resonated quietly. “Light and Dark will split the world, making something new. Life and Death have chosen sides, room only for a few. An Envoy has been chosen; war is in the brew. Light Claimed her in the darkness, though Darkness never knew. Life will forge the Envoy, but Death will have its due. When the scales are balanced, the world begins anew.”
The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. This sounded like an ancient prophecy from a tome and it included the word haunting my dreams: Envoy. I stepped backwards. Who is this woman? The Anomaly slumped, wilting to her miniscule height and blinking. She focused on me and spoke urgently.
“The True One’s light shines in this world, and she made us different for a reason. You must not stray from your current path,” the Anomaly pleaded.
How does she know I believe in the True One? I stared at her suspiciously. Does she know Zora? The secret door clicked softly, and I glanced into the foyer. Maewyn walked stiltedly from the hidden room, her large eyes vacant in her frozen face. I gasped, but the Anomaly pulled me back, shaking her head.
A blonde woman exited the room, following Maewyn with her icy stare. Shadows clung to her slender frame, and malicious, dark lips curled satisfactorily. The Anomaly gripping my arm shrank against the wall with a soft hiss, pulling me with her. The woman’s malevolent eyes glanced around the foyer, narrowing on the corridor where we hid.
Her gaze lingered briefly before she walked into the secret room. When the door closed, the Anomaly let out a shaking breath. She rubbed the scars on her face gently. Unconsciously, my ruined hand mimicked the motion, rubbing the thin silver scars beneath my tunic. My eyes held a question I couldn’t ask. The Anomaly’s good eye filled with understanding.
Her bow-like lips smiled sadly. “Lady Durus doesn’t like women prettier than her—even disfigured ones. Her and Talon casually use fear and violence to an end. At least you marked him back.”
The door clicked again, and the Anomaly stiffened, fear seeping from her. Her grey dress made her unremarkable as she backed deeper into the corridor. Who else is in there? I followed suit, my skin prickling.
“You heard what I foretold, Tyro. The Light and Dark are watching, and they’re choosing sides. Mark my words. You won’t be on the same side as that Caelum. You’re different. Like us.” the Anomaly said fervently.
Frowning, I turned, but she was gone. Her ghostly words lingered, and I shivered; they’d felt true. Only Prelates prophesy, and they haven’t done so in centuries. Not since Aeolus began to be worshipped. I shook myself, glancing into the foyer again. Hushed voices pricked my ears, and I stepped deeper into the shadows. They were closer, and I sent up a prayer that they wouldn’t walk this way.
“She’ll adjust. Maewyn is always dramatic. It makes life…interesting, don’t you think?” A male voice drawled.
“No. I think it makes her unpredictable. She needs to be watched,” a female said suspiciously.
The edge of a white robe flashed into the entrance of the hallway, and I threw myself backward. Two figures moved toward the grand dining hall, and I almost sagged in relief. Both had blonde hair, although the man’s hair was paler and stringier. I frowned. I hadn’t seen Maewyn since she exited the room. I would have seen her enter the grand dining hall. Where did she go?
I edged out of the corridor, fear crippling me when Heir Talon and Davin walked into the alcove beneath the stairs. Both held a decanter of wine, arms wrapped around the brunette woman between them. They hovered in the alcove, shadows playing on their faces.
Davin’s dark hair blended with the gloom, and the image tugged hazily at a memory. He smiled, looking at the lush woman under his arm and the memory slapped me in the face. At the Autumn Feyle a shadowed stranger had offered to help me. Niles had chased him off, giving me a pointed warning. I combed through the memory, vaguely recalling Niles mentioning his warning to Maewyn. My heart stuttered.
Maewyn knew. She was warned about Davin, but she set up a meeting anyway—and asked me to go with her. The anger and hurt I’d been pushing down welled into a thicker pool of betrayal. My heart beat a hard rhythm in my chest, and my hands shook.
Heir Talon and Davin walked into the foyer. I turned, hiding my face until they shuffled past. When they joined the other guests, I took quick, measured steps toward the main door. I jumped at a hard bark of laughter, running through the door and into the garden outside.
Visions from Larrikin clouded my mind, driving me through the Durus’s greenery. I slowed at the edge of the platform. Unaccustomed to running, a series of panicked gasps shook me. Terror stroked my nerves, and the air gleefully consumed the sweat dampening my skin.
I didn’t see Maewyn, but her white gown should have made her easily visible. She didn’t go into the grand dining hall, and I didn’t run past her. My mind circled around the newest information regarding her actions. Niles had warned her about Davin. I had told her something didn’t feel right. However, Maewyn had ignored us. Why would she ignore people who care about her? Why would she put herself—put us—in that situation?
My jaw clenched angrily, and I looked around. Where is she? My lips thinned. Maewyn wasn’t in the dais or the garden, but there was one alternative. One terrifying and cutting possibility. Maewyn had left. Leaving me alone. With them.
Chapter 37
Ari
ISTOMPED DOWN ASH PATH, anger and hurt threatening to drown me. Inexplicably, I was drawn to one stall on the bustling lane. Old wanted posters from the posting boards above scattered the ground, blowing in the wind. Zora’s face was still absent from them—for now.
Hunching angrily, I fumed while making a beeline to his stall. I refused to listen to the voice telling me I liked the merchant. I like that he has the best wares, I grumbled. Anything else was ridiculous.
I need to let off steam, I groused. And flying wasn’t working. Not after this morning. I’d woken from a dream and caught Maewyn ushering a strange man from our suite. I hissed. Shock had rooted me to the floor while I watched her kiss the stranger, clutching her disheveled robe.
Maewyn hadn’t revealed anything about what happened at the Durus Revue, or why she’d left me there. Six nights passed, and she hadn’t uttered a word. My lips tightened, and I kicked a pebble. I’d rushed into my room after the man left, quickly writing a question: What’s going on?
That one sentence was a catalyst for words that couldn’t be taken back. No matter how many times she apologizes later, I thought grimly. I’ve lived with father long enough to know angry words are unfiltered thoughts.
My eyes latched onto the merchant’s stall, and I veered toward the other side of the path. Backing against the wall on the opposite side of the street, I watched the merchant enthrall passerby. His silvery eyes gleamed mischievously beneath the canopy of his stall. My lips quirked. Probably conning some poor customer out of all the dosh they brought to the market.
I took a deep breath, letting the spices and scents of Ash Path calm my jagged nerves. A customer from the stall I’d wedged beside jostled me, and I released an irritable breath. Absently patting my sachet, I scowled. I’d lost my pendant at Larrikin. My eyes
swept back to the merchant, drawn to the lithe muscles in his arms.
He wore a brown, fitted leather jacket wrapped around his torso that buckled at the waist. I tilted my head, studying it. I’d never seen anything like it. It suits him, I thought with a small smile.
A harried, dark-haired Elysian with a bulging satchel hurried to his counter, and with a jolt I realized it was Gladys. She looked as agitated and disheveled as the last time I’d seen her. A small patch of jealousy shot through me. Why does she always go to his stall?
I shook myself of the absurd feeling. He has some of the best wares. Gladys obviously knows that. She waited for customers with various purchases to drift away before edging forward. Gladys spoke quietly to the merchant, and his disheveled hair brushed his cheek when he leaned forward.
I bit my lip, wanting to gently brush the hair away from his face. The merchant displayed a small collection of dye pots, and Gladys selected a pot. Even at this distance I could see the deep red color. Deja vu pricked my skin.
Baffled, I shook my head. If she’s a frequent customer, the merchant would know what she wants. Nothing odd about that. Still, a niggling feeling wouldn’t go away. Gladys and the merchant bartered for the payment before she placed the pot into her satchel, glancing around.
A building pressure built behind my nose, and I swallowed. Looking away, I focused on something else. Not here, I begged. Please don’t get a nosebleed here. I looked back at the merchant’s stall when the feeling passed, but Gladys was gone.
The merchant, however, was staring directly at me. Our gazes collided across the distance, his serious silver eyes spearing me. I swallowed nervously, my heart skipping a beat. This feeling didn’t fit with my plans. I was mysteriously drawn to this man, but I didn’t like it. Not one bit.
The merchant arched a brow when I didn’t look away, his mouth quirking upward. My breath caught, and I battled the flush creeping over my face. Nope. I don’t have time for…whatever this is. I looked away, pretending to look at something at the closest stall.