Uniting the Heavens

by Emily English

  Vir looked hard at him, swallowed the rest of his drink, then exchanged a look with Elder that Aren couldn’t decipher. Vir lifted the piece of paper on his desk. “We covered the Freno boy, and we’re going to search the House for staves. Next is the Priestess; has there been any word on her?” Aren shook his head. “Visit with her for a while today,” Vir said, checking the item off his list. “She might receive more messages. I say it’s about time; the gods have overlooked this House for far too long.”

  “Yes, my Lord.”

  “I understand Doctor Pember won’t allow Master Gryf to teach today, but I want you and the younger Gerrit to show up anyway. The two of you have proven to be better sparring partners than my own swordsmen. You don’t seem afraid to hit me.”

  “Not at all, my Lord,” Aren stammered when Elder glared at him. “I mean, you know how to fight, so it’s not as if…”

  Vir leaned back in his chair and held up his empty glass. “Tell my wife to make me another. There’s been a burning in my throat and the drink helps. You’re dismissed, Apprentice.” Vir summoned the servant hovering at the door, who was carrying flasks of oil, to refill the lamps.

  Aren took the glass and stared at it for a moment. There was nothing left but a trace of Cloud particles clinging to the inside of the glass where they were swirled around. Even the strong scent of Ryme was gone, and he wondered how he would be able to tell if the drink had been poisoned or not. He also wondered if now was the time when Vir’s head would meet his desk. Perhaps another second or two before the poison worked. Vir and Elder watched him with curious expressions, then Elder stomped his staff against the floor. Aren flinched, then bowed before leaving the room.

  THREE

  “Horin was clumsy,” Catar said under his breath, talking towards his book. He was leaning against a wide tree near the markers for the dead.

  Mercer watched as his companion, a big man called Copen, flirted with the Tiedan girl. “Clumsy, but it works to our advantage,” Mercer said. “The House will think they’ve caught their monster.”

  “Will he talk?”

  “Even if he did, what would he say?” Mercer directed his words at the tall slabs of shiny black glass. “This is why we try to remain isolated from each other. We don’t need any one of us ruining the entire plan. The most they’ll get out of Horin is that he was sent to kill Vir.”

  “Even if that were true, he failed on all accounts.” Catar glanced at his colleague, who ran a hand over the stones.

  Mercer laughed. “You didn’t really think he’d be able to kill Vir, did you?”

  “No, but he should’ve been able to kill the target we sent him after in the first place.” Catar sighed, trying not to let his worries impact their mission. “Also, whatever wild magic is bleeding from Tiede Wood is affecting the creature. It needs to feed, but controlling it is proving more difficult that any of us could’ve imagined.”

  “We’ll increase the sacrifices. If it makes you feel better, I hear Vir has been growing ill, so at the very least his slow death is assured.”

  “How did you hear this? We have another man on the inside?”

  Mercer’s eyes glittered with mischief. “A woman, actually.”

  FOUR

  Wearing black from collar to toe, Kaila pulled her hair up into a long tail, then headed towards the sitting room, where a demon told her Alaric would meet to discuss the night’s activities. The Keep was buzzing with news and rumors of Trum, but none of that was important to her. The new Priestess was the key, and all be damned if she didn’t do the right thing by blessing that little girl.

  Kaila summoned all of her confidence and strength and entered the room. Taia sat alone on one of the large, plush sofas, reading the various reports that came in, fed through the spells she had woven throughout the land. Kaila paid the proper respects, but Taia didn’t acknowledge her, so she took a seat on the sofa opposite the woman, who looked more solid today than usual.

  “You’re looking well this morning,” Kaila said.

  Taia looked up from her papers. “Where have you been?”

  “Tiede.”

  “Tanghi will risk his life at Trum while you lounge in a fountain.”

  Kaila forced herself to remain calm. “Even if I asked to go to Trum, Alaric wouldn’t allow it.”

  Taia set her papers down and leaned forward to confront her. “Why do you think Alaric protects you? Do you honestly think it’s because he values your mind? Do you really think yourself that clever?”

  Kaila’s thoughts rushed back to her time with Aren, when she was searching out the story behind the little Priestess. She had relinquished her powers and sat down with a mortal for an entire evening, tugging at threads of stories so that she could find out why Selina was so important. Aren had given her such clarity and insight into what had happened the day of that terrible storm, and she could now connect that storm with magic and possibly with Aalae.

  Aren had thought her very intelligent.

  “Alaric bonded with me for my power,” Taia said, interrupting her thoughts. “He needs my mind and my strength. These are not traits he expects of you.”

  Kaila wasn’t sure what to say. She couldn’t dispute that Taia was smart and powerful, and it was true that Alaric relied on her for her spells and her ability to decipher and predict complex fate lines. So what was it that Alaric wanted of Kaila?

  “You make him laugh when the entire world is falling apart. You’re like a stupid pet that doesn’t know any better. You’re a self-centered, conceited child,” Taia said, answering Kaila’s unspoken question.

  Kaila kept her gaze on the stone floor, studying the minute fissures that had been filled in with stardust. She knew it was only a matter of time before Taia confronted her, but she never imagined it would hurt this much. She took in small, slow breaths to calm her nerves. “I was in Tiede, trying to help,” she said, unable to project the strength that she had felt before she had come into the room. “I was watching the new Priestess, and I learned—”

  “This is how blind you are to your own stupidity,” Taia interrupted. “Alaric never asks you to do anything but watch; sometimes, if he knows you won’t be in too much danger, he’ll have you fight. So if you can’t fight for him or counsel him, what use are you?”

  Kaila drew in a ragged breath. She knew she was more than what Taia thought of her, and some rational, tiny part in her heart told her that Taia was speaking out of jealousy. But if that were the case, then why was she never asked her opinion on important Realm matters? Could it be that she really was blind to what Alaric thought of her?

  Taia picked up her papers and leaned back in her seat. Her form flickered once, then remained solid. She sighed as if she were tired. “It’s about time you grew up and opened your eyes to the truth. Your flirtatious infatuation with my mate is revolting.”

  “I’m not,” Kaila whispered. She couldn’t think straight, couldn’t fight back and address each accusation. She felt as stupid as Taia accused her of being. She tried to bring the topic back to what she had discovered in Tiede. “I found out things about the new Priestess. She’s just a child, but there’s great power in her.”

  “I can’t wait until you let Alaric know,” Taia said, a large, empty smile on her face. “I would bet my existence that he’ll act fascinated and tell you to keep watching her, even though Aalae already knows that the Priestess is just a child and thinks the whole thing a joke.”

  “Why are you lashing out at me now? After all this time?” Kaila managed to ask.

  “The fate lines are realigning.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Of course you don’t, foolish girl. I won’t explain the intricacies of fate lines to you, so let me be clear: stay away from Alaric. I don’t know what tricks you’re pulling, but I won’t allow you to take him away from me.”

  Kaila lifted her eyes to look at her, and the disdain on the woman’s face hit her hard. The tears Kaila tried to hold back trickled down her che
eks, and she wiped away at them, worried that the rains might fall.

  “Tell Alaric what you found out about the new Priestess,” Taia dared. “I could use a good laugh.”

  “Is Tanghi home yet?” Kaila asked, drying her eyes. Tanghi was good at keeping her steady and rational, especially when Taia was pushing her.

  Taia ignored her, returning her full attention to her papers. At that moment, Alaric strode in and said, “Taia, did you not hear her?” Taia started, surprised. They hadn’t heard the familiar stomp of his boots. “Panther.” Alaric smiled. “I think more clearly when I prowl.” Barefoot, he dropped the boots he was carrying. “Tanghi is on his way. I sent him to Thell earlier.” He smoothed out his pants and buttoned his shirt, then took a seat next to Taia and began to pull the boots on. The room was quiet, save for the sound of the buckles on the leather straps that secured his boots. As he worked, he glimpsed from Taia to Kaila and back again. “Am I interrupting something?”

  “No, my love,” Taia said. “Kaila was just telling me that she was in Tiede.”

  “Good girl. I know you find it boring, but Tiede must be protected.”

  Kaila seethed inside and had to bite her lip to keep from lashing out. Taia had been right, though; Alaric wanted her to stay in Tiede, where nothing was happening. She couldn’t tell Alaric about Selina. If he wouldn’t take her seriously, then the information on the blessing, the storm, and the powers the girl might have would mean nothing to him, and it would only enrage him that she spent her time with a mortal.

  Tanghi swept in through the open window, his fiery wings disintegrating to ash as he took on his god form. “Thell is safe for now, and I’ve spread word that Trum has fallen to the mages,” Tanghi said, taking a seat next to Kaila. “The rumor flew quickly and Thell sent scouts to confirm the news. Their army isn’t as strong as Tiede or Kaishar, but at least they’re prepared, unlike Trum.”

  “I thought you were going to allow Thell to fall,” Taia said as she turned to Alaric. “The rest of the Night Houses are far enough away and can get defenses up long before the mages move west. It’s not worth bargaining with Aalae.”

  “I can’t watch Thell fall without a fight. If anything, we decrease the number of mages who move on.”

  “Tiede might send armies to Rose because of Vir’s marriage,” Kaila pointed out. “Stifling the mages before they turn on Rose will be a good thing.”

  “Not necessarily.” Taia shook the papers in her hands. “Rose has already heard rumors of the mage uprisings and has begun detaining anyone who is marked. If Tiede goes to their aid, they could lose Illithe’s support. Illithe has little tolerance for such injustices.”

  “What a mess.” Tanghi was exasperated. “Do you want us to fight in Trum or not? I’ve no patience for tracing fate lines and debating the outcome of a war based on the color of gree shit on the solstice turn.”

  “I want you to go to Trum,” Alaric answered. “You’ll help get the Priestesses out.”

  “Will you send me as well?” Kaila asked, her blood pulsing hard in her neck as she waited for his answer.

  “Not yet,” Alaric said. He softened his tone and took her hand. “I know you’re eager to fight alongside the others, but until I know just how dangerous it is, I want you to stay away from the east.”

  Taia had been right all along, and the smile on her face only made Kaila feel worse. If Alaric insisted on keeping her as a pet, Kaila was determined to find ways to slip from her leash when he wasn’t looking.

  “Yes, my Lord,” she said, lowering her gaze.

  “My beautiful Kaila, you do please me.”

  FIVE

  Aren and Selina sat at his desk in the Library, a heavy book open before them. He flipped through the pages, skimming the various stories that had been transcribed from Ancient in his hand. Selina watched him, fascinated by his precise script and the speed at which he read the strange words.

  “You’re not going to find it,” Nianni said. Aren had set up a chair for her on the other side of his desk so she sat facing them. She was reading through a prayer booklet, her elbow propped on the desk to support her head. “It was a guarded secret until it was revealed to Selina.”

  He continued to rifle through the pages. “I thought it was alluded to in another story.”

  Nianni rolled her eyes. “Why would a well-guarded secret be alluded to?”

  He looked at her, a grin on his face. “That’s the best kind of secret, isn’t it? The one you know you’ve heard hints about and people talk about until it becomes legend. Now, you’ve disguised the truth.” Aren turned to Selina. “So the Fire god gave the Priestess a gift to show how thankful he was that she found the Water goddess’s sash?” he asked. Selina nodded. “That’s some tale!”

  “It’s no tale, it’s true,” Nianni said without looking up from her book.

  Aren brightened, then flipped to a different section of the book. “Here’s another story about the Water goddess. Fishermen have always told tales of how you can trap the goddess on Cordelacht if you steal her robe or sash or ribbon or slippers while she’s bathing. The stories say she can’t return to Mytanth without her things.”

  “Those are just tales,” Nianni pointed out.

  “Yet you believe the vision Selina had about the Fire god gifting a Priestess for returning a sash. Why would he give a mere mortal a gift if that sash wasn’t important?” Aren shot back. “These stories are all related. I’d file it under Water Goddess’s Weaknesses.” He added to Selina, “All powerful beings have weaknesses. It’s supposed to make them more relatable.”

  Nianni slammed her book shut. “I will praise the gods with such exultation on the day that I am elevated to House Priestess and can return home and never have to see you again,” she said, glaring at Aren.

  “You don’t really mean that, do you?” he asked, pulling open one of his desk drawers to retrieve a small wooden container. “I took the time to bathe just so I wouldn’t offend you.”

  “How has anyone not killed you yet?”

  Aren responded by picking something out of the container and throwing it at Nianni’s face. She put her hands up just as it bounced off her forehead. “Too slow, Priestess,” he said as he threw another paper star at her.

  “Stop it!” Nianni complained. “Selina! Make him stop!”

  Selina laughed as she scooped out the stars and began throwing them at Aren, who gave her a look of mock horror. “My sweet little sister! Traitor!”

  They continued to laugh and pelt each other until the Library doors opened. Nianni straightened up as if she had just been struck by lightning, while Selina froze mid-toss. Aren put down the box, winked at Selina, then stood up to meet whomever was visiting. Her eyes darted to Nianni, who motioned to Selina to return the stars to the wooden container. She scooted off her chair to pick up whatever had fallen to the floor while Nianni pushed the stars to one spot on the desk.

  Selina peered to see who had entered the Library. “I think it’s a Messenger,” she whispered as she put the stars back in the box.

  “Where’d he get all these little stars anyway?” Nianni asked. “Is this what he does all day?”

  Selina opened the drawer to put the box away but paused before closing it, having caught sight of a piece of paper with beautiful handwriting. She ran a finger over the lettering, and Aren, having returned from the Messenger, slipped it out of her hand and placed it in his pocket. “Secrets, little one.” He winked at her.

  “I couldn’t read it,” she said, giving him an apologetic look. “It was in the old language you like to read.”

  “Ancient.”

  “You read and write dead languages?” Nianni asked.

  “It’s part of my job.”

  “Like folding paper stars?” Selina asked in earnest.

  The corner of Aren’s mouth lifted in an impish smile, revealing a dimple. “A friend taught me how to make those last night. That’s not part of my typical workload.”

  “Was it Dan
e?” Selina asked.

  “You haven’t met her yet,” he said, reorganizing the drawer. “She had to leave this morning, but should she ever return, I’ll introduce you.”

  “Is she pretty?”

  Aren narrowed his eyes at her. “What are you getting at, silly girl?”

  Selina shrugged, giggling. “I was just asking! She must be pretty! I bet you love her!”

  Aren lunged at her, tickling her sides as she laughed and screamed for him to stop. “You’re the pretty one!” he growled.

  Nianni stood up and slammed a hand on the desk. “That’s enough! This is inappropriate behavior for a Priestess!”

  Aren stopped and Selina collapsed into her chair. He leaned forward on the desk towards Nianni. “Do you want a turn too?”

  Her face reddened beneath her dark complexion, and her eyes widened in shock. “How dare you even think of touching me!”

  Aren was about to comment when he squeezed his eyes shut. He pinched the bridge of his nose with one hand and gripped the desk with the other. Nianni frowned and looked to Selina, who jumped out of her chair and grabbed his wrist.

  “Apprentice, this isn’t the time for jokes!” Nianni said, fidgeting with a bracelet.

  Selina felt the panic rise in her chest, and she held onto Aren as his entire body seemed to convulse. He fell into his chair. She had never seen him in this much pain before. “Aren!” she cried. “What’s the matter?” Selina gasped as blood began to trickle from his nose, and she whipped her head left and right to find something to stop the bleeding. Nianni rushed around the desk with a delicate white kerchief. She hesitated for a brief moment before handing it to Selina, who pressed it to his nose. Nianni reached out to help, then pulled back, wringing her hands.

  “Dane!” Selina said. “Dane will know what to do!”

  Nianni nodded, rushing towards the doors leading out to the courtyard.

  “I’ll be fine,” Aren said, barely above a whisper. “Messenger came by to check on you. Head Priestess and Lord Vir want to make sure you’re well.” He tried to smile. “It’s my job to take care of you, sweetheart.”