“I am sure you understand why you are here.”
“I am sure I don’t, my Lord—my first sight of my brother in almost twenty years was this afternoon, and we didn’t speak.”
“So you have had no contact with the boy?” Lady Terra snapped.
“None.”
“You know he paralyzed one of my prize students?”
“I did not know that, no.”
“Your brother left him paralyzed for months.”
“I cannot account for his actions, my Lady.”
She sat back in her chair, clearly irritated by the mask of calm he presented them. “Can you account for your fiancée’s actions, then?”
Alan saw Keopelani stiffen out of the corner of his eye. “I have not seen Leiani since last July. To which actions are you referring?”
“I hardly think this is relevant!” Keopelani protested, knowing from Manas’ earlier testimony where this was going.
Lady Terra turned to Lord Artifex in appeal, one eyebrow raised.
“It is relevant, unfortunately. Explain the situation to Mr. Aeron, Veronica.”
“Our intelligence tells us that your fiancée spent much of the year in the company of your brother—intimately.”
Alan frowned. “I’m afraid I still don’t understand.”
“Lady Younger Aqua was tempted by the younger Aeron brother, it seems,” Lady Terra said smugly. “More than tempted, if our source can be believed.”
Though he looked calm, Keopelani could see murder in her prospective son-in-law’s eyes. She took a deep breath, her eyes half shut. Leiani, what have you done?
When he spoke, each word left his mouth with a formality and sharpness that surprised even him. “I still do not see how I can help you, my Lords… and Ladies,” he corrected himself with a nod in their direction. “I know nothing about any of this. Perhaps you should ask Leiani herself.”
“We shall. Until then, we have your word that you will report to a Council member immediately if you hear from your brother?”
“You have it, and gladly.” He stood, even though he had not been dismissed. In that moment, they saw more of John Aeron than they had ever seen in this Water scion before. He bowed before them and left the room without another word.
“Was that necessary?” Keopelani snapped at Veronica the moment the door closed, ignoring Azar’s restraining hand on her thigh under the table.
“Yes.”
“Why? For Neptune’s sake, you may have just ruined the succession!”
“If I did, it’s Leiani’s own fault. This way, Alan has a reason to inform us if his brother appears.”
“Ladies, please,” Michael said with a small smile. “Let us call in the next witness.”
Lady Tempus left the room and returned with Gia in tow, announcing her as she had all of the others.
“Lady Younger Zephyra, please have a seat.”
She inclined her head and sat down, folding her hands primly in her lap. Arias was watching her every move, as was Shui’s brother, Jun.
“Giada, we would like to have whatever information you have on Nolan Aeron.”
“That’s a very broad question, Lord Artifex. Could you be more specific?”
“Don’t give him attitude, Giada!” Arias snapped.
“Peace, friend,” Artifex said, raising a hand. “Gia, we have Nolan’s best interests in mind. We need to bring him back to Caer Anglia before something happens to him. We’ve been waiting for him a long time.”
“Then why did you try to have him arrested?”
“Jonas Keller spent the second half of his teach year stuck in a bed due to Nolan’s actions. He must be held accountable for that, but we need his side of the story. To get that, he needs to come back.” Artifex leaned forward in his chair, making direct eye contact with her. “What is he like?”
“He is more powerful than you can imagine—but also more powerful than he can imagine. He has no idea what he is.”
“Powerful as a numen?”
“No—he inspires loyalty, my Lord. Something you haven’t seemed to manage yet.”
Gia knew she was pushing her luck, but she was too angry and tired to care.
“Michael, let me speak with my sister alone. We must rehash her manners, I’m afraid.”
“No, Lord Zephyrus. Your sister is one of us—she’s earned the right to speak candidly, and I respect that. Let me now be candid with you, my Lady,” Artifex said. “We will find Nolan Aeron, with or without your help. It is no less than our sacred duty. If we find that you have willfully obstructed us in that duty, it will go poorly for you, regardless of your status. Am I understood?”
“Perfectly, my Lord. Let me make my own position clear. Regardless of your opinion, I believe Nolan Aeron is the Swordsmith. As such, my loyalty is to him above all things… as it should be. If you’ve forgotten that during your time as de facto head of this Council, I’m afraid things will go poorly for you.” She avoided looking directly at Arias, even though she was sure he was bright red and furious.
A sudden burst of laughter from the back of the room made them all turn. “Ah, sister-in-law, you lighten my heart with your wit,” Jun said, wiping his eyes. “If only you had been older when my people and yours were bound in marriage, you would have made me a fine, spirited wife. What a shame.”
“I believe your current, third wife would disagree, Jun,” Arias said. Though he was still clearly angry, Gia was no longer afraid he was going to leap across the table and strangle her with his bare hands.
“Thank you for your help, Lady Younger Zephyra,” Artifex interrupted, attempting to bring things back under his control. “If you hear anything of Nolan Aeron, the Council demands that you let us know.”
She nodded and left the room as quickly as she dared, refusing to look back.
As the door closed behind Gia, the Council broke into chatter and whispers.
“Order!” Warrington barked out, slapping the table lightly with the palm of his hand. “I will have order!”
“Why don’t we talk about it, then?” Nerys Tew called from the back.
“About what, madam?”
“Nolan Aeron. We’ve interviewed them all, heard what they have to say. Now, how are we getting our Swordsmith back?”
“We still have to interview Lady Younger Aqua—and we don’t know he’s the Swordsmith!”
“Two thousand years of tradition and my gut tell me you’re wrong, Mickey.”
He clenched his jaw at the hated nickname and attempted to reign in his anger. “We are setting searches in place. We have eyes all over the world…we’ll find him. We’ll send out search parties tonight—they should be able to catch up with him once he stops to sleep. With any luck, it will all be resolved before the numina are dismissed in July.”
“And without luck?” Arias asked. “What then?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Now, about the Sword itself…”
“It should remain here,” Keopelani said.
“What if he comes back for it?” Mina asked with wide eyes. “Can the students be protected?”
“No,” Warrington interjected before Keopelani could respond. “They can’t. As de facto head of the Council, it is my responsibility and mine alone to make sure that the Sword stays safe. As Rebecca is the only person here who can handle it, she will accompany me to my home in Greenwich, where we will place it under high security.”
“Now wait a minute!” Tew frowned. “I think something this important should be put to a vote.”
“We’re not going to win this vote, Merry,” Tedesco said under his breath, but she wouldn’t be silenced.
“The Sword spent millennia in Wales—if the Swordsmith is not wielding it, it should return there.”
An explosion of protests met this outcry, every person in the room putting forth their reasons for placing the Sword in their own safekeeping. Frustrated to the breaking point, Warrington rose to his feet and slammed his fist down on the table
in order to silence them all. When they all turned to stare, he spoke in a low monotone that made them uncomfortable for reasons they couldn’t explain.
“The Sword will remain in my safekeeping until Nolan Aeron has been put on trial and his fate decided, one way or another. That is not up for debate, nor are we voting. Send in Lady Younger Aqua… let’s get this over with.”
Their time interrogating Leiani was incredibly short—she claimed to know nothing about Nolan’s location, and they believed her. All that remained were the fates of Elliot Chancery and Samuel Tomen, which were fairly standard cases. Elliot was doomed to repeat his teach year, putting him at a distinct disadvantage—since Monique survived his attack, nothing more would be done to him. Samuel Tomen, on the other hand… the man had attacked a member of the Nine Families in front of witnesses with a stated intent to kill. Without Nolan present to plead for leniency, his life was presumed forfeit.
Artifex dismissed the Council and the sub-Lords and left the room without giving them a chance to ask him questions. As he strode back to his rooms, still fuming, he ran over his plans one final time. Things were progressing nicely, although Nolan’s disappearance slowed things down. He wouldn’t remove to his home in Greenwich until the numina were dismissed in July, just in case something unexpected developed.
He paused in the hall outside his suite for just a moment, glancing though the full-length windows at the expanse of forest below as his lips twisted in something close to a smile. With Nolan Aeron, it seemed like something unexpected was always developing.
***
Knowing the Council would be preoccupied, Gia took the opportunity to head to Proctor Jenkins’ rooms, where she wasn’t the least bit surprised to find some of the others the Council interrogated. They sat in silence until Leiani slipped through the door to join them, her face flushed.
Jenkins took the initiative, as usual. "We’re stuck here for another month, but we'll need to plan how we'll split up to look for him when we leave."
"Where do you think he went?" Mara asked, latched on to Leiani as if she were a lifeline.
"Hard to tell—we'll have to cover the most likely areas and hope someone's heard something. I will take Europe—Mara, you're welcome to come with me, you enjoyed Europe when we went years ago."
"It would be nice to go back—and hopefully Nolan will be there."
"Alan and Leiani, if you could cover the West Coast—specifically San Francisco, I've spoken to Nolan a few times about Aqua Court friends out in that direction who are particularly fond of your mother."
“Perfect—Leiani and I can use the trip as our honeymoon,” Alan said, forcing cheer into his voice.
“You can’t—you mean, we’re still having the wedding this month?” Leiani asked, stricken. “Without your brother here? Don’t you think we should postpone it?”
The look on Alan’s face told Gia that someone had already spoken to Alan about the relationship between his brother and fiancée over the course of their teach-year. When he spoke, it was in the same cheerful tone, though his eyes were hard. “No, Leiani. We’ve had the wedding planned for years. You’ve passed your Rite of Passage… it’s time.”
“What about Nolan?” Mara asked. “Who will stand up with you?”
“I never intended Nolan to stand with me,” Alan said, ignoring his mother’s gasp of distress. “I’ve already asked Trafford to do it.”
“Alan!”
“Nolan is a stranger to me!” Alan finally shouted, losing his composure. “Brother or not, I’ve never even spoken to him! I’m not delaying my wedding for him. If he wants to hide, why are we even looking? If he's hiding, trying to find him will just help other people find him—we're sure to be followed!”
"Alan Trevor Aeron!" Mara cried out, hands on her hips. "He is your brother and he may be in trouble! He had to leave here with nothing but the clothes on his back, and without the Sword.... the Sword!" She turned to her brother in panic. "Rebecca has the Sword."
"Nothing to be done about it now," Jenkins said. "Nolan is the only other person in this country who can touch it. We'll have to just keep our eyes peeled and hope that Michael keeps it close."
They were drifting away from the most important conversation. "So, Alan and Leiani on the West Coast," prompted Gia. "What about me? I'm helping, too."
"Gia, I want you to fill Pyrrhus in and cover the Northeast Coast—start up in Boston, work your way down to Beachhead. I don't think he'd go much further south than that, but we can widen our searches if these turn up nothing. Above all, be discrete," Jenkins instructed. "Alan's right—if it looks like we're looking for him, we'll be watched."
They all nodded.
"Now, I recommend we keep contact between us to a minimum during the next month—in fact, we should start to subtly spread around our reasons for our trips long before we go. It will get back to Michael, I'm sure, but it's a calculated risk. If we can come up with good enough reasons...."
"Our reason is perfectly good,” Alan said. “If we have the wedding here, in front of everyone, no one will think twice about us going off alone together.”
"Pyrrhus and I will think of something," Gia promised.
"And I'll tell the truth," Marama said with a smile.
"What?"
"Of course. I’m his mother—using any other excuse would be transparent."
Jenkins nodded slowly. “I agree. Everyone exchange phone numbers—I don't want to meet again in the big group until we've found him.”
They all did so, saving the numbers with innocuous fake names, each lost in their own thoughts. They left the room one at a time, careful not to be seen.
As they left Jenkins’ rooms, Alan wordlessly pushed Leiani along the hall with a hand at the small of her back. She followed him into his personal rooms on the second floor and stood watching as he locked the door behind them. Both were silent as he paced back and forth, not looking at her.
“Are you going to speak to me?” she asked finally, irritated. “Or am I to just stand here and watch you bounce between the walls?”
He spun so fast he almost lost his footing. “A year, Leiani. A year apart, and this is what I come back to?”
She took a seat on the edge of his bed, swinging her legs up to a more comfortable position. “What exactly have you come back to?”
“Stop playing games with me!” he snapped. “I know you spent the first half of the year trying to lure my own brother into your bed!”
“I’d be more than happy to break our engagement, if I repulse you so much,” she said, heart beating hard as she tried to sound nonchalant.
“Oh, no. That’s what you want, isn’t it? I blame Nolan, too, of course—he should have known better. But you… how could you?”
He looked genuinely hurt, and she struggled to remember her anger at his indifference. Instead, she opted for avoidance. “I have a lot to plan if the wedding is happening in less than three weeks.”
He grabbed her wrist as she pushed past him. “We’ll discuss this after the wedding, but you’d better be the happiest bride Caer Anglia has ever seen. I don’t want to have to explain to Mother Keo that her choice wasn’t good enough for you—though I’m sure she already knows, after that Council debacle.”
She wrenched her arm away. “I always do my duty. You know that.”
“Then do it with a smile.” He looked as though he wanted to say more, but she flounced out before he could gather the courage to say it.
Meanwhile, Gia headed right for Pyrrhus's room, hoping he hadn’t moved back into the Ignis Court’s rooms yet. Luckily, he was still packing when she arrived, but he wasn’t alone. When Pyrrhus opened the door, Gia could see Manas standing in the room behind him, watching them curiously.
She bit her lip and leaned forward, trying to look seductive without being ridiculous.
“Can I see you for a few minutes... alone?”
Pyrrhus's expression was screaming 'what the hell are you doing?’ but he did a wonderful job
of keeping his voice level as he replied, “Of course… anything for you. Give me a few moments—I’ll meet you in the usual place.”
He closed the door, trying not to look at Manas's leering face.
“You and Her Majesty? I would have sworn that she was all about Aeron.”
“Well, he's not here, is he?” Pyrrhus snapped.
“Whoa, whoa,” Manas said, hands up. “I just meant--”
“He’s been missing for months. I...consoled her,” he said, entirely truthfully, but implying much more.
“Good for you!” Manas said, clapping him on the back. “Safer for her, you know? Aeron's a dead man... his body just doesn't know it yet.”
Pyrrhus ignored that last statement, saying only, “I'll be back in a bit.”
“Take your time, lover boy,” Manas chuckled, in a good mood. Even though he hadn't managed to kill Nolan as his father wished, he had succeeded in forcing him to run, making him look even guiltier. Jonas would have time now to spread his story, getting his foot in the door and selling his version to the gullible numen.
Pyrrhus was thinking much the same thing as he headed straight for the roof. He knew he wasn't going upstairs to an eager lover—Gia was lovely, but he wasn't her type. She always had her reasons, though, and he was sure this one was a doozy.
It was.
“Let me get this straight. You want to pretend to date me, so it's less suspicious when we spend the next year hunting for Nolan?”
“Yes.”
“Mmm. You know this goes against my 'no lying' rule, right?”
“Yes... think of it as a challenge.”
Pyrrhus laughed. “What—to get through this without verbally lying? Every gesture we make will be a lie!”
“Pyrrhus, listen. You and I know Nolan better than anyone. I really believe we will find him.” She was leaning forward, her hands clasped around his in an iron grip, and the earnestness in her face was almost painful. “We've got the best chance of finding him, I know it. We need a good reason to be spending so much time together. It's not like I'm an unsuitable match, you know...”
“Gia! Your suitability is not the issue!”
“It is, though! You'll need to ask my brother for permission to take me on a trip this fall, and ask your father for the time away from Court. They wouldn't let us just go with anyone, but an alliance between the Ignis and Zephyrus Courts would be a plus for both of them, so they'll let us go if we frame it right.”
The Complete Chosen Trilogy (The Chosen #0) Page 23