A Soul For Chaos (The Soulbearer Trilogy)

by Crista McHugh

  “Which means Raggia might have known him,” the Empress finished. “Perhaps we should review her acquaintances.”

  His father bowed his head in agreement. “I shall review the list of those that entered the Conclave yesterday and see if I can find a match.”

  “Very good.” She shooed him away with her hand. “I’ll let you get started on the investigation. I’d like to have a word with the Soulbearer alone.”

  His father left, but Dev gripped the back of Arden’s chair. When the Empress glared at him, he said, “I’m her Protector, which means she never leaves my sight.”

  The Empress raised both brows and blinked several times. “Very well. You can overhear what I have to say to her.”

  Dev loosened his grip on the chair and waited, ready to intervene if the two women reached another disagreement.

  “Arden Soulbearer, have you ever been to Gravaria before now?”

  Arden shook her head. “I’d lived my whole life in Wallus, a small village in Ranello, until I became the Soulbearer.”

  “Haven’t you ever wondered why you look so different from everyone else in that kingdom?”

  A wave of bitterness rolled off Arden with heat even Dev felt. “I know why I look different. I’m told I take after my father.”

  “You make it sound like you don’t know who he is,” the Empress said, her words dripping with false innocence.

  Dev tensed. One day, he’d tell Arden about her father, but tonight was not it. One problem at a time.

  “I don’t know who he is,” Arden replied, each word clipped with anger. A new wave of magic rose from her, one that made him fear the Empress may have pushed her too far. “He abandoned my mother before I was born.”

  If the Empress had any idea that she was treading on a dangerous subject, she gave no indication. She cocked her head to the side, staring at Arden as though she was mentally cataloging their similarities. Then she rose and came toward them, stopped less than a foot in front of Arden. “That is a beautiful necklace. May I take a closer look?”

  A string of curse words tore through his mind, but he dared not utter them in front of the Empress.

  Arden clamped her hand around the pendant. “Why?”

  For once, the Empress did not adopt her usual haughty “how dare you challenge me” demeanor. Instead, she crouched so she was at eye level with Arden. “I need to know what it says.” When she saw nothing had changed, she added a word she’d probably only used two or three times in her life. “Please.”

  One by one, Arden’s fingers unwound from the pendant. She held it out for the Empress.

  Marist read the Elvish inscription. “Do you know what it says?”

  “It’s just some scratches.”

  “No, this is the language of the elves. It says, ‘To Alisa, the brightest star in the sky.’ It’s quite a compliment.”

  Arden looked to him, her eyes full of questions. “You knew what it said, didn’t you?”

  He nodded, not trusting what would come out of his mouth if he opened it.

  Marist then turned the pendant over to reveal the Milorian rose. Her face paled. She let the pendant slip from her fingers and stood, focusing her attention on Dev. “My uncles have been demanding to see her.”

  The Empress’s voice filled his mind. “And now I know why. Which one is her father?”

  Dev squirmed. It was one thing to have her glare ripping him apart, but having her invade his mind so easily left him feeling exposed. Now he understood what Arden must’ve experienced every time Loku spoke to her. He pushed the name of Arden’s father to the front of his mind before the Empress uncovered any more of his secrets.

  She nodded and back away. “You should introduce her to my uncle, Varrik,” she said in a tone that indicated it was more of an order than a request.

  “If you think I should.” His gaze flickered to Arden, who watched them with a defiant tilt of her chin.

  “Would you prefer she meet Caz?”

  A threat, and one he preferred to avoid. He bowed his head. “Where is Varrik?”

  “In the library, of course.” She turned around, her skirts whirling around her ankles, and returned to her desk. “I have a few matters I need to attend to in peace. You may go now.”

  Dev helped Arden out of her chair and steered her out of the room.

  Thankfully, she kept silent until after the doors were shut. “Why does she want me to meet her uncle?”

  He hesitated. Part of him wanted to tell her the truth now, before she met him, but he knew the truth would be easier for to take when the man was standing in front of them. Of course, he was going to have to construct a shield around Varrik in case she attacked him. Either way, he wouldn’t have to keep this secret from her for any longer. “You’ll see.”

  They found Varrik reading a book whose vellum was so delicate, it looked as though it was about to crumble from his fingertips when he turned the page. He looked up at them, his mouth hanging open. Then he rose from his chair, his movements slow and cautious. “Is this the Soulbearer?” he asked.

  For her part, Arden regarded him in the same fashion. Her breath hitched, and her fingers dug into Dev’s arm. Any idiot could see she had Varrik’s eyes, his high cheekbones, his pointed chin, his slender build.

  When she didn’t answer, Dev said, “Yes, this is Arden Lesstymine.”

  Varrik came closer, staring at her as if she were a ghost instead of a living person. “Lesstymine?”

  “My mother’s family name.” Arden’s voice shook, and even Dev could feel the magic welling up inside her.

  He offered a quick prayer to Lady Luck that this would end without any bloodshed or damage to the palace.

  Varrik seemed to sense her unease and halted. His gaze fell on the necklace, and his eyes widened. “Alisa.”

  The magic flared inside of Arden. Her breath quickened. “You knew my mother?”

  Dev moved between her and Varrik. He sent a trickle of soothing magic toward her, hoping he could diffuse her anger before she blew up. “Arden, calm down. Let him speak.”

  She shot his magic back to him with the sting of a cracking whip. Betrayal burned in her eyes. “You knew?”

  “Let me speak to her.” Varrik grabbed his shoulder and gently pulled him back. A shield wrapped around both of them. The younger Milorian may have been shocked to learn he had a daughter, but he was wise enough to know a brewing storm when he saw one. “I knew Alisa. Very well in fact.”

  “I bet you did,” Arden spat. “You had your fun with her and then tossed her aside when you had to go home, right?”

  The skin above Varrik’s nose wrinkled, and his shoulders dropped. He reached out to her. “No, it wasn’t like that at all. She was the one who left me.”

  “Liar!” The air around them crackled. The green ring flashed in her eyes, but Dev had no idea if Loku was trying to talk some sense into her or further incite her. “You left her alone and pregnant, you bastard.”

  “I never knew about you.”

  The loose papers on the tables rattled in the wind swirling around the room.

  “You expect me to believe that?” She then looked to Dev. “And you—you knew how I felt. How—Why?” She threw her hands up in the air and turned her back to them, but not before he caught a glimpse of the tears gathering in her eyes.

  “I told you I knew your father was an elf.” He wished he could take her into his arms and ease her pain, but Varrik held him back. “Your mother’s necklace gave me the clue to his name.”

  “You said you wanted to protect me, Dev.” Her words came out as broken whispers. “Why did you bring me here?”

  The same painful tumble of emotions played out on Varrik’s face as he watched the daughter he never knew he had treat him like some sort of monster. He reached to put his hands on her shoulders. “Arden, please—”

  Arden whirled around, firing a bolt of magic that rocked both men back on their feet. Her spell could’ve easily caused them serious harm if the s
hields hadn’t been there to deflect it. “Stay away from me, both of you.”

  She ran out of the library, slamming the door behind her. A flash of blue burned around the frame.

  Dev ran to the door, but it wouldn’t budge no matter how hard he pulled. He banged his fist against the solid wood and leaned his forehead against it. “She’s sealed us in here.” And is on her way to who knows where.

  Varrik pressed his hand against the wood and closed his eyes. “It’s a solid ward, but I should be able to break it in a few minutes.”

  Dev stepped back to give Varrik room to cast. His heart pounded. He prayed someone would catch her before she left the protective confines of the palace. He didn’t want to think of the consequences if she got free.

  Chapter 28

  Arden ran down the hall, her eyes burning with unshed tears as her whole world sat on the brink of crumbling. Varrik was her father, the man who’d abandoned her mother. Or at least, that’s what her mother had always told her. But the scars along the tops of her ears reminded her that mother had never been completely honest with her. Her mother had hidden her elven heritage from her in order to protect her. What other lies had she spun in order to keep the truth hidden? Who was she to believe when everything she’d grown up knowing was cloaked in secrets?

  She rounded a corner and stopped dead in her tracks. The open doors to the throne room loomed ahead, full of curious gawkers. No one needed to know what she’d just been through. She spun around and ran back in the direction she came from, hoping to find the door that would lead back to her quarters.

  “Arden, wait,” Kell called from behind her.

  She slowed her steps, allowing him to catch up with her. He’d been her friend when she needed one. He’d be willing to help her out of this place and back home.

  He drew her into his arms. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” she replied into his chest.

  “I don’t believe you. You look like you’ve been crying.”

  “I haven’t shed a single tear.”

  He lifted her chin and studied her face. “Maybe not, but they are threatening to spill over any second now.”

  “Aw, he thinks he knows you as well as I do.” Loku spoke for the first time since he cautioned her to control her anger earlier.

  She took his hands in her own, prying them away from her face. “I can’t stay here a moment longer, Kell. I want to go home, away from this place, away from all the lies and secrets.”

  He pressed his lips to her forehead and led her down the hall. “Then we shall leave at once, my dear. When we arrive in Trivinus, we can start planning the wedding—”

  She dug in her heels, stopping him midsentence with a jerk. “The wedding?”

  “Of course, Arden.”

  “Kell, I…” She silently cursed. If she told him the truth—that she couldn’t marry him—would he still be willing to help her?

  Kell’s lips thinned. “You weren’t accepting my proposal, were you?”

  “Lie to him,” Loku urged. “You can always break his heart later. Or maybe you’ll decide to fall in love with him on the ship. It certainly helped get your dress off last time.”

  Her throat tightened. “I can’t do that to him.”

  “Because you still think you’re in love with Dev, the man you just accused of betraying you?”

  She closed her eyes. When did my life become so messed up?

  “Arden?”

  Kell’s question brought her back to the man standing in front of her. She released his hand. “I’m sorry, Kell, I can’t marry you.”

  His eyes darkened, and his nostrils flared. “Why?”

  “Because I—” Her voice broke on her. She bit her bottom lip, preparing for the worst, and said, “I’m still in love with Dev.”

  Kell released her with a curse. “I knew it. I knew it all along. How long did you wait before you hopped into bed with him? A day? A week?”

  Her skin burned with fury. “How dare you accuse me of sleeping with him. It’s not like that.”

  “Of course it’s not.” He paced the width of the hall, not letting her past him. His face turned violent from rage. “I bet you two had a good laugh at my expense.”

  “You’re jumping to the wrong conclusion.” As soon as she said the words, she heard Dev’s voice in the back of her mind. Kell was assuming the worst, just like she had with Dev, and realization doused her anger. “Dev doesn’t care about me.”

  “Then why do you continue to hold out your heart to him? Why can’t you give it to me?”

  A stray tear finally broke free. “I don’t know. I tried to love you, Kell, I really did. But I can’t rationalize the way I feel.”

  His face hardened with a mixture of pain and resentment. “You’re just like your mother, pining away over a man who doesn’t want you. And you’ll end up just like her as well.”

  She slapped his face. It was one thing to insult her, but her mother’s heartache was too raw, especially after meeting her father tonight. Frost laced her words as she said, “I see now I made the right decision not to accept your proposal.”

  Her hand left a print on his cheek, but he didn’t try to soothe it. Instead, his eyes turned cold, and his voice grew sharp with malice. “I couldn’t agree more.” Kell walked back toward the throne room, not even glancing at her as he passed.

  Arden stood in the middle of the hallway, another renegade tear falling from her eye as she watched him disappear around the corner.

  “Well, that went well, don’t you think?”

  “Shut up, Loku.” She’d lost a dear friend, and that stupid chaos god was making light of it. Now she had no one she could depend on, no one she could trust.

  “You still have me,” he offered.

  “And what good are you to me?”

  Instead of answering with a huff, Loku retreated to the deepest part of her subconscious until she no longer felt his presence.

  Perfect. I’ve managed to piss off everyone tonight.

  The rumble of voices came closer, and she ran down the hall before someone caught her. She meant what she said—she couldn’t stay here any longer. She’d find her way back to Ranello, even if she had to travel alone.

  She breathed a sigh of relief when she found a door leading out into the gardens. Her tears dried up. She knew what she had to do, and no one would stop her.

  ***

  The high priest of Nelos stood twenty feet away from the main building of the palace and snarled. Ivis had interfered. That stupid goddess! She’s set up a protective shield around the palace that would alert her and her servants if he or his master entered. As long as the Soulbearer remained inside, he couldn’t get near her.

  Nelos laughed. “Patience, my servant. We will not have to wait long for her.”

  “Yes, master.” He pulled his cowl lower to hide his face and hid deeper in the shadows. No one could know he was here. If they recognized him, then he’d be forced to dispose of them as he had the Mage Sextus. He was carrying out the work of a god, and these infidels were standing in his way.

  “Go to the Grand Canal and await my orders. We will destroy Loku before the sun rises.”

  The high priest nodded and hurried through the gardens, his heart fluttering. Tonight, they would rid the world of chaos.

  ***

  Dev stood behind Varrik, tapping his foot. The man said he only needed a few minutes to break the ward, but each second felt like an eternity.

  “I think I have it,” Varrik said at last.

  A flash of blue surrounded the frame, and Dev forced the door open. The hallway was empty. No clues remained where Arden had gone, but that didn’t matter. He knew one person who could always find her.

  He ran toward the Soulbearers quarters to get Cinder and slammed into Kell. “Have you seen Arden?” he asked as soon as he regained his balance.

  Kell answered with a right hook to Dev’s jaw, sending him sprawling onto the floor. “That’s for trying to steal her away f
rom me.”

  Dev rubbed his aching jaw. “What are you talking about?”

  “Don’t play naïve with me, Dev. I know you were seducing her the whole time you were up there. You couldn’t wait to get her alone and into your bed.”

  “Do you have any idea how stupid you sound?” He picked himself off of the ground. “Nothing like that has ever happened between us.” Except for that night I was drunk.

  Kell’s eyes narrowed. He reached for his sword. “Then why would she leave me for you?”

  Dev’s pulse quickened. Arden had chosen him over Kell?

  Varrik moved between them, shoving them aside. “Gentlemen, please, we need to find my dau—I mean, the Soulbearer.”

  Dev almost smiled. Varrik had just met Arden, and already, he was referring to her as his daughter. Maybe there was still hope that she could form a relationship with her father. But first they needed to find her.

  Kell kept his hand on the hilt of his sword. “Why do we need to find her? Is she in danger?”

  The air around them dropped at least ten degrees. A shiver coursed through Dev’s body, and Kell’s eyes grew larger. Dev exchanged glances with the prince. “What do you think?”

  “I last saw her this way.” Kell pointed down the hallway he’d just come from.

  Dev nodded. It would eventually lead to the west gardens and the Grand Canal. “Varrik, you stay with Kell. I’m going to get Cinder and meet you in the gardens.”

  As he ran back to his quarters, he kept praying to Lady Luck over and over again, Please don’t let her have done something stupid.

  ***

  Arden wandered through the gardens, refusing to admit she was lost. All she needed to do was find the wall that surrounded the complex and then follow it to a gate. From there, she would be able to find her way to the sea.

  Two of the moons had entered the dark stage of their cycle, and the third only provided a thin crescent of light. The farther she travelled from the main building of the complex, the darker the gardens grew. Her feet tripped over the roots hidden in the long shadows. A chill snaked down her spine. She rubbed her arms and slowed her steps.