Verity did not realize that they had mechanically made their way back to the gates they had been denied entry to previously. As her eyes cleared and she found herself back in the present, she felt the comforting pressure of Finn’s hand encasing her and she met his eyes and barely flickered a smile before looking back at the gate. It swung open with an ease and silence that did not seem possible for such a huge doorway. There was usually a sort of heaving sigh as the air on either side seemed curious to join the air on the opposite side and a sort of slow creaking or groaning from the effort, but Verity had not detected either one. No air pressure in a high altitude was even stranger.
Jarris led Finn and Verity through the great hall and down through another hallway to a richly appointed office where he bid them to sit and wait. Verity complied simply because her thoughts were racing so much that it wearied her physically. She always had to wonder about Reishefolk on Vieres knowing anything about the southern continent—did it mean he was no stranger to Windbreak? While it had drawn some bit of comfort in her that that city had been scattered into the ocean below, she wondered if the ones that had gotten away might ever rebuild that cursed place anew.
When she could break away from her thoughts, she noticed Finn’s look of concern and she smiled tenderly. It was becoming more frequent since they had become lovers that Finn was the worrywart with her, where she had once mothered him. It had been hard for her to stop herself from mothering him, she couldn’t deny, but it seemed Finn had worries of his own. As difficult as life had been, how narrow and frightening the line between death and survival, it seemed that it was no easier assuring the man she would not crumble so easily.
The couch that she sat on was very much in the Reishe fashion; with a shallow back to not impede the comfort of those with wings. She patted the spot beside her, broadening her smile. Finn smiled back and shook his head.
“I’m not ready to find comfort yet, Verity. Not until I am sure I have not brought you into yet another nightmare,” Finn told her, not daring to hide his thoughts.
Verity nodded now and left her hand limply where she had been offering a seat.
“At least this time, I can leave on my own,” Verity offered by way of comfort.
Finn’s eyes shot to hers so succinctly that she nearly jumped.
“I wonder about that. Ever since you mentioned that snow globe…” Finn started but his voice faded into a whisper.
Verity shook her head, admonishing him from continuing. Who knows who listened?
“Don’t always read too much into these things. Admittedly, the weather here is odd, but it doesn’t make us trapped either,” Finn told her now.
“I guess we might have tried before now, though. A little more difficult to figure out if we need to leave quickly,” Verity snapped back, her voice heated with anger hoping it would warm the chill under her skin. She did not like being commanded, no matter the good intentions. She didn’t read too much into the snow globe or mention anything about feeling trapped, but the climate was isolated nonetheless.
Her face softened when Finn looked regretful.
“I’m not really mad at you, just anxious. We shouldn’t be fighting each other,” Verity admitted.
The door to the richly appointed office they sat in swung open casually—Verity thought it odd that this door was much noisier than the ominous front door.
Finn did a double take as the handsome golden-winged Reishefolk sauntered confidently into the room. Verity did not miss how intently he studied this man.
“You know this man?” Verity asked Finn.
Finn nodded shortly, not looking away from the man.
“Verity, I would like to introduce you to my brother, Calyr…”
It was already common knowledge to Verity that Finn had no known blood related siblings and it was clear here as the adoptive brothers were night and day. The golden Calyr was blonde with light brown feathering, a thin man with a wide smiling mouth, very pale and pampered. Calyr’s eyes were a pale yellow color and large but heavy-lidded, giving him a squinting appearance. Despite that, Calyr did not look stingy or particularly suspicious. Verity was naturally suspicious of strangers but she was intent on not painting things with a broad brush. Finn had given her the impression that his younger brother and sisters could be a bit cruel at times but certainly not the cold being their mother had been to him. Despite having been an only child, Verity was observant enough to know that cruelty was par for the course in any sibling rivalry—but also knew there was a fine line between what you could forgive and couldn’t, even when it came to family. As close as her family had been, she had seen broken families that would not have survived with blind trust.
Calyr was wearing an official’s robes, white and gold, pristine and fitting in such a way it had to have been tailored for him. He dipped his head to acknowledge Finn’s short introduction and swept past Finn to take Verity’s hand and kiss it, bringing it up to his lips rather than bowing. Verity just watched Calyr, allowing the corners of her mouth to turn up slightly, but did not dare to openly smile. Another thing she was quick to learn without her illusions to guard her was that people were often quick to mistake kindness for weakness. With strangers, it was always best to be friendly but not particularly happy to see them. The keenest abuser will latch onto that eagerness to the fullest advantage.
Calyr seemed hesitant to pull his eyes away from Verity, just the slightest bit, but Verity filed that away in her memory. Calyr was mimicking her and this made her wary. It was no secret that public officials are always schooled and charismatic, but this one was wary of her too, letting her know there was something to hide. She was not a mind reader, so she could not say what but it was clear they were aware of each other and the game was afoot. They were on even ground now, but Verity intended to get ahead. Calyr’s eyes landing on his brother Finn, he seemed ready to speak but the languorous moment of hesitation gave Verity an opening.
“Calyr, was it? Or is that too informal?” Verity interjected. What was about to be his opening remark dissolved into an exasperated sigh, like one might give to an unruly child. However, he followed it with a warm smile and a clasping of his hands.
“’Calyr’ is fine, Verity, if I may address you as such?” Calyr purred back evenly.
She returned his cat-that-ate-the-canary grin (a twisted sense of irony in that expression injected a layer of amusement into her smile) and nodded, but did not linger as he did, lest her footing slip.
“We have reserved our questions about this place until we could speak with you and found it… puzzling… that there was hardly a mention of the strange weather here. I did find a charming shop selling snow globes, of all things. Seems like a relic of another time, wouldn’t you think?”
Verity knew she was pressing her foot in, but did not dare to look at Finn. She knew that he knew what she was after, but she tended to lose her resolve and concentration looking at those deep blue eyes of his. She kept her eyes, casually but persistently, on Calyr’s bright golden ones. Timing was everything.
Using all of that mesmerizing grace honed into her lithe body, Verity crossed the distance Calyr had politely given her after greeting her. She intentionally demanded his answer with her predatory approach.
Calyr’s eyelids hooded in polite defense, but Verity could feel him seething dangerously beneath the façade.
“Things are… different… from what Finn remembers, I am sure, but there is no sorcery here, I assure you,” Calyr practically purred when his eyes lowered menacingly.
“Well, if you’re sure… Calyr.” She punctuated his name after that pregnant pause. Unlike Calyr, she was sure there was no sorcery here, at least if Kalhmera were to be believed. She wondered if the world would ever be able to rest with a sentient being at the helm. Was Kalhmera being truthful or did she not have full omnipotence/awareness of the new world? Would she have withheld anything to placate the heroes she was so grateful to? Did they somehow still pose a threat to her? If so, there was
no doubt that she would have rescinded her protection, even if she couldn’t kill them directly. It seemed silly that even without their powers, they even could be a threat, but the world was hardly a predictable place even before Kalhmera came to be.
Verity wanted to be done with this man and consult with Kalhmera of a sudden, but she had doubts that it would be simpler to get answers from the goddess either. For so long, Verity had done without gods; before her Gift, she had been an ordinary woman and since the fall of Elcarim, she had remembered how to be that woman again. She was more comfortable with using her own cunning, no matter whom she was up against. Calyr would have to suffice for now. He seemed as if he meant to dismiss her and address Finn again. Oh, no, he didn’t.
“I’m just curious as to what ‘non-sorcery’ might be the cause?” Verity asked, inflecting it sweetly as a question, which seemed to ease the ruffle in his feathers. It took more restraint not to laugh at how many bird references she seemed to come by lately.
Calyr smoothed his hands down the front of his robe and straightened his posture, his smile not so bulletproof this time. He threw a look at Finn for a moment that was meant to infuriate her, that “Ah, women…” kind of amused exasperation, but she did not take the bait.
“Surely, you have seen the sheer number of hot springs about in your time here… Verity?” Calyr used the same deliberate pause she had but with half of the skill. She had certainly been rewarded for pressing the advantage.
“But of course!” Verity shot back in her best and most diplomatic ‘duh’ expression. “However, it would require heat of much higher magnitudes to completely alter a climate and that still doesn’t explain the very contained area it covers!”
Calyr’s cheek muscle twitched in his attempt to hold a smile. He turned away and headed over to his wet bar to pour a drink into a crystal decanter and took a mighty swig.
“Could I interest either of you in a drink, since it seems we might be here for a while? Beyond all pleasantries, it seems as if the lady has a great many questions,” Calyr shot back with derisive humor in his words.
If Calyr believed that Finn would take the hint to put Verity in her place, he was sorely mistaken. Finn trusted Verity implicitly. He did not hold any ill will for his brother, Verity knew, but Finn always stood by her without exception.
Finn smiled and shook his head slowly, rustling his wings a bit.
“We had our fill of the Peak’s cuisine before your messenger came, brother, but we should get comfortable. Our reunion is indeed unexpected,” Finn cordially offered.
Reishefolk didn’t really sweat like men, but Verity could catch the nuanced jerkiness in Calyr’s motions as he used quick practiced motions to hide his nerves. The slight furrow between his brows from concentrating on that façade was not so easily hidden. Verity did not relish finding out why her pressing questions were making him increasingly frustrated but she knew that she needed to ease off or she would be making their factfinding mission a lot more difficult. In giving herself time to think and giving Calyr time to calm down, she realized she might want to change tact.
There was something about this pristine castle of a home that made her realize that it was quite possible that Calyr’s information would not be enough. What blanketed this town in perfect weather might not even be a thing worthy of the trepidation she felt. She did know that, whatever it was, they might need Calyr’s trust more than anything to really get closer to the truth.
She let Finn and Calyr exchange small talk and she could see the tenseness she had caused in the golden Reishe start to melt away. When she started to interject, she saw the tenseness in his shoulders snap back like a rubber band and softened her voice to reassure him. She was still a mother, even if her children were gone.
“This is a lovely home. I apologize if I have come off as pushy, but desert people never have survived on gentleness. Your grandfather was the elder before you, yes? Finn mentioned him with great fondness. He must have been a wonderful man,” Verity said conversationally.
Calyr seemed to lose some of the edge he had armed himself with against her and his returned smile was slightly more open and less guarded.
“He was, Verity. Indeed, he was responsible for its current renovations, although I regret that he was not able to see how the earth blessed the Peaks with its climate,” Calyr politely offered.
Verity had to be careful not to let her curiosity bombard him again. One thing she had not missed was that Calyr seemed certain that ‘the earth’ was the cause. Whether it was something magical or natural or foreign was the mystery. Verity smiled and wrestled with what to say next.
“It’s hard to tell, due to the clever architecture, but how many floors does this place boast? I have had occasion to notice that Reishefolk like to build up where Bryfolk build down,” Verity was careful to add but had clearly hit a nerve with Calyr anyway.
Calyr nearly choked on the sip he had taken and seemed to look at her shrewdly for motive. She kept her expression cool and friendly, trying to convey the innocence of her question.
“There are nine floors above ground. Certainly modest, considering most Reishe cities. It is even more modest considering that many of our condos boast more than 30 floors,” Calyr coolly offered once he seemed sure she was not trying to trap him again.
Verity did not miss that Calyr had intentionally said ‘above ground’. She would not press it but she was positive that there was an underground already. Finn had said as much, but it wasn’t clear to her if Calyr knew that Finn knew as well. What did it hide though? It could be nothing, but she thought otherwise.
For the rest of the visit, she let Calyr and Finn catch up and only added her own conversation to keep the conversation going. At some point, she noticed Calyr was able to relax (as much as a politician can do so) and even became friendly with her. Still, she had been thinking a lot, scheming even more, to figure out what she would need to do next.
Eventually, they left Calyr’s presence, but not before securing an invitation to dinner the following evening. In the meantime, Verity had some plans to make.
Finn watched Verity as she shuffled through a rack of cocktail dresses for the following evening.
“I know that look, Verity. You haven’t stopped scheming since you’ve met my stepbrother. Do I get to know what you’re planning?” Finn asked her, careful that his voice did not carry or that he was not being overheard.
Verity turned and smiled at him chidingly before focusing on the dresses again.
“Do you think the local archives might have an updated blueprint of the place or do you think those might have disappeared?” Verity asked him now, keeping her voice quiet but conversational.
Finn frowned in thought.
“I’m not sure, but I would think someone might alert my brother if we were looking for something like that,” Finn warned gently.
Verity shot him a no-shit look.
“I never said I would walk up to the desk and ask where it was kept. But do you think that it is kept there nonetheless?” Verity tried.
Finn shrugged now.
“I’m not sure. I don’t even know where you’re going with this,” Finn asked. He could guess, but didn’t like it one bit. If she thought breaking into the manor would be easy, she was in for a revelation.
Verity noticed that Calyr had been carrying keys on him before and had been tempted to steal them before but knew that he would notice before she had time to do anything with them. If she were going to get to use them, she would need to do that step tomorrow night. She knew Finn was different parts worried and concerned but mostly just frustrated that she wasn’t letting him in on what she was thinking.
Verity finally settled on a completely sexy floor-length gown, backless and form-fitting, but did not say another word until she was sure they were alone, which was when they were headed back to their love nest (she really needed to lose the bird puns, but couldn’t help herself).
“I’m not trying to keep you in the
dark, but from what I gathered, Calyr was not too keen on elaborating on the basement,” Verity now confessed. She was hoping Finn might put some of it together without her explaining it. Luckily, he could be smart when he put his mind to it.
“You already know there’s a basement…” Finn offered. “And whatever he’s hiding is down there? Verity, even if we can get down there, don’t you think it might be extremely well-guarded?”
Verity nodded grimly but still seemed resolute.
“It’s possible, but I think that discretion is more of a priority here. There were not a great deal of guards or servants in such a huge manse. It makes me think that the less who know, the better. I think Calyr counts on that to keep it secret rather than force.”
Finn frowned then nodded, deciding she was right.
“So what do you think he’s hiding?”
Verity shook her head.
“I don’t really know. But do me a favor and arm yourself under whatever you decide to wear. Whatever we find may just have a few tricks waiting for us.”
Finn grinned at the bag she carried her new dress in and smirked.
“I’m curious as to what you hope to hide under that one…”
When Verity stepped out of the dressing room, Finn’s jaw damn near hit the floor. The last time he had seen her dressed so impeccably it had been at Windbreak and she had seemed shy. Verity seemed confident and self-possessed as she was now and it added a whole other layer of sexy. The deep turquoise of the silken gown clung to her curves like a second skin but the scooping back plunged to just above her tailbone, the draping swaying hypnotically with every slight movement. She wore a golden choker and thick gold wrist bracelets that matched the gold embroidery on the hem and décolletage of the dress. Thin twists of the silk held the dress up, revealing a generous shadowing of the valley between her breasts. Finn’s groin felt painfully engorged and he felt the savage need to tear away those straps with his teeth and taste her breasts.
The Truth about Heroes: Complete Trilogy (Heroes Trilogy) Page 69