“No,” Adrian answered.
“Wait wait wait,” I spoke up, only just picking up on Nik’s words. “You can still access the internet here? How?”
“The wards only make our world undetectable to the outside world, not the other way around. It’s like one-way glass. We can still pick up the outside world’s sounds and signals if we have the right equipment.” Nik explained, “It’s just that we’ve never had the technology to do it.”
“I can’t believe you can access the internet and you never told me,” I scolded grumpily. “Do you know how much good telly I’ve missed over the past month?”
“No,” Nik said.
“Well it’s probably a lot,” I huffed, then considered something. “Does that mean if I had a phone it would work?”
“Probably,” Nik answered. “I bet the signal would be useless though, as geographically we are in the middle of nowhere.”
“Humm,” I considered the possibilities of that notion.
“You do realise I have absolutely no idea what you are all talking about,” Jayson said.
I glanced over at him. “Don’t worry. Once this is all over I’ll teach you how to play Xbox games in your underwear. Only then will you be a real teenage boy.”
He frowned at me, but then Nik reminded us, “We’re getting off track here.”
“So what can we do then?” Chara asked.
“For now,” Nik replied. “Not a lot. We don’t have enough information on anything. Do you even know where Lynk is Ruby?”
I shook my head, “No. I reckon he’s found a new hiding place; especially considering Blaze’s team blew up his old one.”
“Did you really go back there?” Chara wondered gently.
“Yeah,” I sighed. “It wasn’t fun.”
“I can agree with that,” Adrian said. I imagined he did it subconsciously, however I noticed him touch his leg; the particular leg that I’d healed for him.
“We better get going,” Chara said after a moment. “We’re going to go and see if Kieran’s by the lake; and it’s at least a couple hour hours away.”
I nodded understandingly, “You will let me know what happens won’t you?”
“Of course,” she said, hugging me. “And you must too. I don’t want to not see you for a week and then discover you’re engaged to a parrot or something.”
Ah, that reminded me. I hadn’t exactly told Chara that I was going to be Bound to Jayson had I?
“Erm,” I said, suddenly feeling even more anxious. “Speaking of engagement…” I had no idea how to put it so I decided to just blurt it out. “Me and Jayson are getting Bound.”
Her reaction wasn’t unexpected. Her expression was a picture of mortification. “What?!” she yelled, standing up. She paused for a moment, then grabbed my hand and dragged me outside until we were far enough out of earshot of the others.
“I don’t understand,” she said, her voice high. “You can’t get Bound. It’s like marriage you know? A marriage you can’t break. You’ll be Bound to him for the rest of your life. You can’t have a Chosen you’re not in love with. What are you going to do if you meet someone else? And what about my brother?”
“You don’t have a brother,” I murmured, but I knew who she referred to.
“You know exactly what I mean,” she practically growled, something I’d never heard her come even close to before.
“I thought you were totally against me and Kieran?” I pointed out.
“I-“ she began, then stopped. It was obvious she didn’t have an answer.
“Do you know what he did Chara?” I asked quietly.
She shook her head, confused. “What do you mean?”
“He slept with two girls in my own bed,” I stated factually, tying to ignore the pain that boiled my blood as I spoke the words.
She stared at me in disbelief. “No, I don’t believe it.” Her eyes were full of faith and confidence as she said, “I knew he would break your heart, but not like that.”
“What do you mean?” I asked uncertainly.
She paused initially, then sighed before saying, “Something’s changed in him Ruby. I can see it now. You probably don’t realise, but I’ve known him for a long time, and he has never acted like this before. If he breaks your heart, he will do it for your own good.”
Her words both angered and confused me.
“No. You’re wrong,” I said stubbornly. But there was doubt in my tone.
We were silent for a moment, both of us lost in thought.
“Look,” I said eventually. “If I’m not Bound I can’t stay on the Council and can’t finish my deal with Silva by nominating her. I need to do this Chara.”
She gazed at me for a long time, finally sighing. “I understand, but Ruby this is such a huge deal. And it’s not fair on Jayson either.”
I could have lied and told her that I knew what I was doing, but she’d see straight through me. So instead I said, “It’ll be okay.”
She sighed again, “I hope so; for your sake.”
From the corner of my eye I noticed that Jayson and Nik were leaving the apartment via the garden; Jayson looking acutely uncomfortable. They walked over to us and Jayson muttered something about meeting me upstairs before walking off.
“Let’s go Chara,” Nik said. “I want to get there before dark.”
I gave them both a quick hug and said good luck, making sure they promised to let me know if there was any news. After that I retraced Jayson’s steps and found him sat on the sofa beside the fire in his flat; gnawing on a piece of bread like it deserved punishment. I walked over to him and sat down, nabbing a bit of bread out of his hand and ramming it down my throat and into my complaining stomach.
“You okay?” I wondered, leaning against him as I chewed more bread.
“Yeah,” he answered. “I’m fine. You?”
“Yeah,” I answered.
We were both terrible liars.
We spent the rest of the night together. We didn’t speak much, but just sat together, comforted by each other’s presence and the warmth of the fireplace. We both had a lot on our minds.
When morning came we had another long session with the Council. It was mostly petty crimes that were brought forward; which was a comfort. I didn’t think I could handle another session with Alvira. After we were dismissed I had the unfortunate experience of stumbling upon Silva, who warned me that if I didn’t kill her father by tonight she would out me.
“I’m busy tonight,” I said bitingly. I hated her and her stupid demanding voice and her silly icicle hair. “Sorting out preparations for my Binding Ceremony, you know, so I’ll be a legal Council member and therefore can nominate you.”
I was actually packing my things and moving back into the Fire Palace; while Jayson sorted out the plans for the ceremony. But she didn’t need to know that.
She huffed impatiently, “Fine, tomorrow night. But I want to be nominated by the day after.”
I glowered at her; really not caring anymore. “Whatever you say.”
“I hope you’re taking this seriously,” she warned aggressively. “Because if not, it’ll only take thirty seconds to have your head on a platter. And Kieran’s.”
“I’ll do it,” I stated.
“Good,” she smiled meanly; flashing her teeth as she walked away.
As I found Jayson and was about to leave, The High Fire Elder approached us.
“This is for you,” Cecelia grunted. “Though it’s a little early.” She was strolling towards us holding a long piece of parchment, “You need to sign it if you’re expecting your heritage.”
She passed it to me and I quickly scanned the symbols; it was basically an agreement that the Fire Palace would be inherited by me; along with all its lands, its slaves and its problems; by the sounds of things.
“Sign it?” I asked sceptically. I knew what that meant.
She nodded and I sighed; retrieving the small dagger I had permanently hidden underneath my clothes; this
time in a belt underneath my shirt. I made a tiny cut on my hand and then smeared blood onto the bank space at the bottom of the parchment; using my nail to create the messy symbol that was my name in Karisian. I hated that people around here were such ink Nazis.
“Is that it?” I asked, handing the parchment back to her.
She almost smiled. “That’s it. You’re free to do what you like with the Fire Palace. Try to keep it in good condition; though that might be difficult considering the debt you just inherited,” she added cruelly before leaving. I ignored her.
As we made our way downstairs and back to the Tribe House Jayson put his hands in his pockets and said casually, “Got any ideas about paying Lynk’s debts?”
I shook my head, “No, and apparently it’s a lot of debt. They can’t even afford to keep guests, and it’s supposed to be law or something that High Phoenix can stay.” Then a thought occurred to me and I beamed brilliantly at Jayson. “I know! What if I rent out the Palace?”
Jayson frowned at me in confusion, “What do you mean?”
“Think about it,” I began excitedly, seeing a small light at the end of the tunnel. “There are hundreds of empty rooms in the Palace; I could open them up to everyone for a price. People are sure to come. It’s a special building.”
Jayson looked at me as if I’d gone mad. “You can’t do that.”
“Why not?” I asked. “It’s my house now.”
“It’s unheard of,” Jayson said. “You can’t just let common Firebirds live in the Fire Palace. The Council would have a heart attack.”
“Not just Firebirds,” I stated. “I plan on inviting every Tribe. And who cares what the Council think? They’re a bunch of pretentious snobs anyway.”
Jayson still looked anxious, “I’m not sure about this at all.”
“Well I think it’s a great idea,” I muttered stubbornly. “And I’m going to do it.”
Jayson argued with me about it for the rest of the journey back, but my mind was set and eventually, reluctantly, he agreed to support me. Once I’d eaten something, I quickly packed my things for what felt like the millionth time, and spread the word to everyone in the Tribe House that there were rooms available at the Fire Palace for a reasonable price. I knew that the news would spread very quickly throughout Forenna. I didn’t need to advertise.
Several people laughed at me and several were seriously considering going, but most were just astounded and fearful of the idea. However I did managed to convince most of Jayson’s friends -including Flint, Anya and Elena- to join me. They, as well as Jayson, were moving in as soon as possible.
However for tonight it was just me.
It wasn’t long before I arrived at the Palace; my Palace I should say. God, what a strange thought. I couldn’t believe I owned an actual real-life Palace.
Evelyn greeted me at the door, looking the same as always; cool, calm and stunning with her seemingly endless plaited hair; curling down her back in neat blond tendrils. When we arrived at my room I was relieved to discover my mother’s chain; still safely tucked away where I’d hidden it. I put it on, vowing never to take it off again. It was far too precious not to be worn.
As Evelyn helped me unpack, I told her my ideas about renting out the rooms. To my disappointment her reaction mimicked Jayson’s perfectly.
“You can’t do that!” she exclaimed. “That’s… unheard of.”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s my house. I can do what I like with the hundreds of empty rooms in it. Surely you can see that this will solve our debt problems?”
She considered that for a moment. “It’s true,” she agreed reluctantly, “But the Council-“
“Screw the Council,” I huffed. “Do you know what else I’m going to do now I own this place? I’m going to give all the ‘slaves’ their own rooms upstairs. Nice rooms, as far as possible from the creepy basement. And I’m going to pay you when I start getting money. It’s not fair that you should work such hours with shit accommodation and no pay.”
Her eyes were wide and astonished, “Are you being serious? This is crazy.”
I shook my head, “No, it’s not. You shouldn’t be punished for something you were born with. It’s not your fault you never Changed; just like it’s not my fault I have Chyun’ju. Or that Lynk is my Father. In my house we are all equal.”
If she thought I was mad before she now looked at me as if I needed to be in a mental hospital with constant surveillance and personal supervision. “You really are crazy, my Lady, but I must admit I like the way you think.”
“Thanks,” I grinned. “One day, hopefully, everyone will agree with me. I plan on bringing this miserable place into the twenty-first century.”
“I look forward to it,” she smiled, but still bowed before leaving the room.
I honestly tried to sleep that night, but it was getting later and later and my awkward body was still finding it impossible to relax. My eyes were squeezed tightly shut for hours but it didn’t make the slightest bit of difference; unconsciousness lingered far away, drifting idly at an untouchable distance. The reason for this was most likely because I was worried. Chara had visited before dinner but she hadn’t had any success in finding Kieran; and Adrian hadn’t heard anything either. Even Ebony and her husband had been out looking for him without success.
It had been nearly three days since anyone saw him.
When I couldn’t stand it any longer I got up and began walking through the hallways of the nearly-deserted Palace. There were so many corridors I hadn’t explored, so many books I hadn’t read in the library and most importantly, so many places Lynk had previously forbidden me access to.
The guards who were on duty looked exhausted. Even Kian, the tallest most muscular guy I’d ever seen in my life, had bags under his eyes. The remaining staff were now doing ridiculously long hours, and it showed. I tried to have a conversation with Kian, momentarily forgetting that I’d probably have better luck talking to a hamster. I quickly moved on. I didn’t have a particular destination in mind as I roamed about the empty floor that had once exclusively belonged to Lynk, but I wandered nevertheless.
The neglected rooms were cold and empty; the shelves in them were coated in a film of dust and, despite being washed since Lynk had left, the curtains looked stained and dirty. It was like an abandoned hotel. The whole floor had an eerie feel about it; like there were still secrets and monsters lurking behind every closed door.
There was a feeling of unease settling in my stomach. My mouth felt abnormally dry and my eyes began darting about skittishly. I felt apprehensive. I was just about to leave when an almost-unnoticeable flicker disturbed the shadows on the floor. Turning immediately, I managed to catch sight of a foot-shaped shadow before it disappeared in the space of a second.
Feeling my heartbeat anxiously skip a beat, I stared after the ghostly silhouette as it dashed off, instantly vanishing into the darkness.
“Who’s there?” I demanded, hearing my voice shake ever so slightly. Taking a calming breath, I managed to speak with a courageous confidence, “Show yourself.”
There was no reply.
Cautiously I stepped further down the hallway. Glancing around nervously, I scanned the darkness for the slightest movement. There was nothing for a few heart-clenching minutes, and then I heard the quietest creak. Instantly I ran towards the noise, not knowing what I planned to do. All I knew was that there was someone here; someone unwelcome.
Ducking into the empty room across from Lynk’s office, I accidentally stumbled straight into whatever was hiding from me. I felt something hard kick the top of my thigh, a knee I realised, and I staggered momentarily; losing my balance. I managed to catch myself, immediately leaping after the mysterious figure as it rapidly disappeared out of the door. Raising my voice, I shouted Kian for help.
The stranger was much faster than me. I was running too quick to concentrate my vision and see through the darkness, but I could hear their footsteps ahead. Adrenalin shot around my system,
kicking in the automatic fight or flight mode.
Suddenly I heard something clatter to the floor. The figure ahead stopped abruptly, giving me the chance to ignite a flame so I could see. Instantly everything became startlingly bright.
Before me was a woman with dark brown hair pulled into a tight ponytail that sharpened her facial features. I recognised her as Briseis immediately. It took me half a second to note the lack of colour in her usually rosy cheeks, how dramatically thin she’d become, and how she’d developed thin lines around her eyes; indicating she was under great stress.
It took me the other half of that second to realise why she was here. What she’d dropped was in fact a key; she had been trying break into Lynk’s office. That meant Lynk had sent her. I’d known the attack on Lynk in the mountains had failed, but to see confirmation made me feel worse.
I was so shocked to see her that all that escaped my lips was, “Briseis?”
The next moment flew in a blur; first Briseis looked from me to the key, then launched herself towards it. Simultaneously I sprung and fortune was with me. Though her reflexes where astonishingly quick, I was closer and snatched up the key before she had a chance. I’d dived at the floor and was now throwing back my arm to launch the key as far down the hall as physically possible. I yelled again for the guards, but at least this would by me a little extra time.
Briseis was staring at me with a mean glare, then yanked out a knife and jumped on me with it raised high. I rolled out of the way in the nick of time, the blade smashing open a tile next to my head. Desperately shuffling onto my feet, I blocked the space between Briseis and the key.
She was up on her feet now, charging at me again. I fought her off as best as I could. She swung the knife towards my neck, nearly slitting open my trachea. I managed to dart backwards just in time. Using this opportunity with her guard down, I bought up my leg and planted my foot just under her ribcage. The air escaped her lungs from the impact. She staggered backwards.
Then we both heard the doors opening at the other end of the corridor.
Risen (The Firebird Trilogy Book 2) Page 32