“Mom…”
Eleuia scoffed and continued her argument. “Do you even realize that boy has more power than Sarian, or anyone from his realm? And he is inherently programmed to use his power for evil. Nothing, and I mean nothing can change that.”
Zanya balled her fists. “Excuse me.”
“That is not up to you to judge, Ellie. There are some circumstances that call for a more thorough explanation.”
“Yeah, how about that? Let’s start with how you could let him in my house to begin with!”
Zanya ground her teeth. “Hey!” The two froze and stared at her. Zanya exhaled. “Can you guys shut up for two seconds?” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “First—” she looked at her mother “—you seriously need to lay off. Whatever you think Arwan is, he’s not. He’s fought with us this entire time, and if it weren’t for him, I never would have bonded with the stone. How can you forget how much he’s helped us?”
Eleuia’s eyes narrowed. “You’re right.” Her tone had softened. “I wish I could have recognized him sooner. I was so stupid.” Her mother turned and paced in front of the fireplace. “A timebender. I knew it wasn’t possible. Only deities or crossbreeds have the ability to do that.”
“Stop calling him that.” Zanya crossed her arms as her mother paced like a madwoman. “And stop treating him like a criminal for something he can’t control.”
“It’s the harsh truth, Zanya.” Eleuia stopped pacing and squared her stance. “Sometimes life deals you shit and you can either wallow in it or make the best of your situation and keep going.”
Zanya’s shoulders dropped. She examined her mother’s sharp features. “What happened to you? You were so different when I first met you. You were strong and elegant. You were…my mom.” She tilted her head. “Now you’re like someone else. Someone I don’t even recognize.”
Her mother cast down her gaze. “I’m sorry. I’m not the same woman you met. I wish I could do it all over again. I never wanted to lose you, but that’s what life dealt me.” She glanced at Renato, this time with a bit of humility. “And I chose to survive.”
“Survive what?” Zanya asked. “What happened? You still haven’t told us how you escaped Sarian. How? When?”
Eleuia slowly lowered herself into a chair. Zanya remembered watching her mom in the same exact spot when they had gone back in time. Back when her mother wore a pregnant belly, and soft waves cascaded over her shoulders. Now she was half the woman, in more ways than one.
Zanya and her uncle cautiously sat in the chairs beside her. Renato still hadn’t lost his intense focus. She didn’t like to see him so conflicted, but something had happened. Something that had changed the ripples of life.
“After you came to the house…” Eleuia settled deeper in her chair. “After you bonded with the stone, my fate was sealed. I was stripped of my powers. The only gift a guardian retains after they give the stone to the next in line is their longevity. But the future had to play out the way it had the first time. So I had you and then sent you away with your father.”
Zanya sat up straight in her chair, hope swirling in her chest.
“No.” Eleuia lifted her hand. “He isn’t here. It just wasn’t meant to be.”
Zanya slumped back. It would have been too good to be true.
“Sarian found me and expected to find the stone,” her mother continued. “Except this time it was gone. I was powerless, and he was angry over all of the wasted years he’d spent chasing me.” She rested her hand on her chest. “But he found other ways to keep himself entertained.” She let out a shaky breath. “And he kept me alive for years.”
Nausea slithered in Zanya’s gut. She had seen that same expression on Tara’s face every time she spoke about her abuse. Now her mother’s features were riddled with shame, and Zanya couldn’t do a damn thing to make it better. “He was supposed to kill you. What happened?”
“Sarian and I spent a lot of time together, Zanya. After being his prisoner that long, he began to open up to me. He bragged about his plans. That’s when I found out about that boy and how Sarian was going to take down the king of the underworld and kill the prince. He wanted the king’s realm but couldn’t have it as long as an heir was around.”
“Mom.” Zanya leaned forward in her chair. “Are you saying Arwan is a demigod like Sarian was?”
“Something like that. To be honest, we aren’t really sure, exactly.”
“The prince?” Zanya sat back. All this time and he hadn’t told her. He’d had every chance in the world, and he’d still hidden who he truly was.
“What do you mean, we aren’t sure?” Renato said.
“I’m not the only Riyata left. There are others, like us, who have been helping me survive all this time. I couldn’t do it alone. Not without my abilities. Not without the stone.”
He rubbed his chin. “Are they willing to fight?”
She nodded. “For the right cause.”
“Fight who?” Zanya said. “Sarian’s gone.”
“Which is what I was afraid of.” Eleuia traced her fingers over a scar on her wrist. “I’ve seen what would happen if Sarian died. I’ve seen a lot of things I shouldn’t have. Things only gods and underworlders are meant to see.” Sweat collected on her brow. “Now that Sarian’s gone, the doors are open to someone much worse, more powerful, with absolutely no moral boundaries.”
“Contessa,” Zanya whispered.
Eleuia examined her carefully. “How did you know?”
“Um…” Zanya exchanged glances with Renato. “We sort of asked her for help a while back.”
“What?” her mother snarled through clenched teeth and peered at Renato. “You brought my daughter to see that demon?” She slammed her fist against the table beside her, rattling the tiny crystals that hung from the lampshade. “What the hell were you thinking?”
“It was my idea,” Zanya said. “So stop freaking out on him. It’s not Renato’s fault. He hasn’t done anything but worry about me and protect us this entire time you were—” She bit back the rest of her sentence.
“I know I haven’t been here. But I am now, and that’s all you can ask of me.”
“That—and some humility.”
Her mother’s lips parted. “Excuse me?”
“Arwan may be a lot of things, but he’s not evil.” She’d deal with his half-truth confession later. For now, she had to convince her mother to let him back in the house without trying to kill him. “As far as I’m concerned, he’s one of us.”
Eleuia sat up straight, her hands draped over the armrests of the leather chair. “This is my house, and I will say who is welcome and who is not.”
Zanya pushed to her feet. “Fine, but I’m the guardian now. You may regret that, but you can’t take it back. As long as the stone and I are bonded, I have to do what’s right for us.” She squared her shoulders. “It’s time for me to step up and be the leader I’m supposed to be. Not just for me, but for everyone.” She turned and walked toward the door. There clearly wouldn’t be any smiles, hugs, or nights spent reminiscing and telling stories about their lives. Things would be different. Colder. More distant.
When she reached the threshold, her mother spoke. “I hope you’re not in love with him.”
Zanya paused at the door.
“You can never be with him. He’s an underworlder and you’re Riyata. You’re not compatible, and you never will be. There is nowhere in any realm where you both belong.”
“Ellie,” Renato scolded.
“No. She needs to hear this.”
Zanya listened with her back still turned, her chest rising and falling with every short breath.
“Even if you do love him, you need to let him go. He’ll only bring heartache and destruction to you. To us all.”
Chapter Nineteen
Zanya descended the spiral staircase in the main wing. It was early, and the hike to Drina’s would be a long one. They needed to find out more about the salvaged pages of the book.
Thankfully, Renato was an early riser and had already begun his day in his study.
She paused in the entrance, expecting to see her mother as well. Instead, Renato sat at his desk in the otherwise vacant room.
She’d sort of hoped her mom would be there so they could talk about the night before. What her mother had been through was unfortunate, but Zanya’s life hadn’t been peaches and cream, either.
Renato studied her as she approached his desk. With his brow raised, he leaned back in his chair. “May I ask the occasion?”
Zanya squirmed under his gaze. The amount of skin her gear showed wasn’t at all in her comfort zone. “No occasion.” She adjusted the braided shoulder strap, showing off her torso in the corset-like training shirt with leather chest shields.
He laced his fingers and rested his hands on his desk. “You look exactly like your mother in her old training gear.”
“It was in my closet.” At the bottom of her closet, actually. In a box…that was locked. She’d broken the lock to get in…after smashing it with her stone. “I didn’t think she’d mind.”
“It is good to see the gear in use. Are you training today?”
“First I have to find Drina and ask her to look at the pages of the book. We need to know exactly what they say. At least I know she’ll tell me everything.”
Renato tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. “Is there something on your mind?”
“I just can’t help but wonder why nobody told me the truth about what’s really going on here.”
“We have been truthful with you, Zanya. As truthful as we could be.”
“Oh, don’t give me that crap. You knew about Arwan and you didn’t tell me. That is not being truthful.” She turned and walked toward the door.
“You shouldn’t try to find Drina’s home.”
“Why not?”
“Because you don’t know where she lives, and you may get lost in the jungle.”
“My stone will guide me.” She paused in the threshold and glanced over her shoulder. “Or did you forget that now I’m the guardian?”
Renato stood and straightened his jacket. “I understand you are angry, but I am trying to reason with Ellie. She has been through more than you can imagine, and you can’t blame her for having some trouble adjusting.”
She turned to face him. “That’s fine. She can take all the time she needs to adjust, but I have to do what I am meant to do—what you dragged me here for.”
His shoulders dropped, as did his gaze.
She bit her lip. Being pissed at Renato sucked. He didn’t deserve her shitty attitude, but she was sick and tired of being sick and tired, and her anger was all she had to grasp on to. Still, they would have to work together if they wanted to make any progress. She drew in a deep breath and swallowed the urge to deliver another dose of resentment. “Contessa is up to something, and we need to find out what.”
“Agreed. But please take someone with you, just so I know you are safe.”
“Safe?” How could he continue to treat her like a child? After almost being killed by some cave demon, a bloody battle against Sarian’s incubi, traveling through time, winning back the stone at Jayden’s expense, and then venturing to the depths of the underworld where she was almost eaten by the tree of Yaxche, apparently she still hadn’t proven herself.
Zanya stepped toward him and cued the light in her chest. The tips of her fingertips burned while she formed an energy ball in her hand. She pushed harder, sending electrical currents over her skin and causing the current to roll and spark in her palm. Her breathing steadied and she widened her stance, focused on conjuring winds. “I’m pretty sure I can take care of myself,” she shouted over the low roar of the building cyclone. The air current picked up, snatching up papers and tearing a few photos off the walls. Renato squinted through the windstorm. His tie danced over his chest, and his usually manicured hair was tousled in the spinning current.
She dimmed her light and let the winds die out. Loose papers glided silently to the floor.
Renato ran his fingers through his hair and straightened his tie. “Was that entirely necessary?”
“Apparently it was. You don’t think I can tap into my powers. I had to show you otherwise.” She lowered her hands and took a normal stance. “And with this solstice thing around the corner, my abilities have gotten stronger.”
“Ah.” He straightened his button-down vest. “Your mother and I were just speaking about our travel plans.”
“Where are you going?”
“We. Where are we going?” He rounded his desk, stepping over broken glass from one of the small paintings. A tinge of guilt streaked through her. “The solstice is an important event to our kind, and your mother hasn’t been able to attend a ceremony since before she left. She’s rather looking forward to it.”
“Where is she, anyway?”
“She is staying in a room in my wing.” He averted his gaze. “I believe staying in the room she and your father once shared was too painful for her to even consider.”
“Oh.” She relaxed her shoulders and leaned on the wall. “How is she? I mean, is she okay?”
“She is coping.” His deep brown eyes carried unwavering wisdom and confidence. “But I cannot begin to imagine how difficult this has been for you. I know you are hurting, and not just over your mother.” Renato walked toward her and stopped several feet away. He pushed out his chest and rested his hand over his heart. “I’m sorry I’ve failed you, Zanya. I never intended to keep secrets from you, but some secrets were not mine to disclose.” His tone carried more pain than she was prepared for and more hurt than he deserved.
She wouldn’t lie and say she wasn’t still angry. But it wasn’t all his fault. They were Arwan’s secrets, after all, and he was the one who should have told her the truth.
“The solstice ceremony will be on the twenty-first of December—the shortest day of the year.”
“December twenty-first? Isn’t that the day everyone was freaking out over the world ending?”
“Back in the year 2012, yes. But it was an unfounded concern. Our ancestors did not predict the end of the world. It was merely the end of the thirteenth baktun.”
If she’d kept up with her reading like she was supposed to, she’d know what that was. “Okay, I’ll bite. What’s a baktun?”
He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “A baktun is a cycle of time equaling nearly four hundred years. And unlike the belief of many, the end of the thirteenth baktun was a time for hope and change. But it is also a time for bonding and reuniting with long-lost friends. It is a family gathering of sorts, with the purpose of creating new spirit bonds.”
“You keep saying bonding, and I’ll be honest, it’s kind of freaking me out.”
Renato walked to a bookshelf and slid a book out of the long row. “Bonding is the unity of two souls, much more powerful than any vow of a traditional marriage.” He opened the book and searched through the pages while walking toward her. “It is a commitment solidified by the lights of Aurora. A solidification that cannot be revoked.” He extended the book. “It is a sacred event for all Riyata.”
Zanya took the book and skimmed over the text about the ceremony. “So…” She glanced up at him. “Why are we going? I mean, nobody here is bonding.” Her thoughts flashed to Arwan, who hadn’t been back to the house since her mother returned. She missed him, and worse, she was worried about him. Maybe later she would try seeking him, even though she promised herself she would give him the space he was clearly looking for.
“Because it is a tradition for our people, begun by the earliest of the Maya. It marks the shortest day and the longest night of the year. Every day to follow will be one step closer to spring, and therefore new life. It is not strictly for bonding. It is a holiday. A celebration of life.”
“Oh.” She closed the book and held it up. “Can I take this back to my room?”
Renato nodded. “As long as you return it with the others you took last
night.”
“Uh, yeah. Sorry about that.”
“And before you leave, kindly clean up this mess.” He nudged a piece of paper on the floor with the polished toe of his shoe.
Zanya looked around the study and dropped her shoulders. “Right.”
“Perhaps this is your first training lesson.” He sat behind his desk. “Do not use your abilities unless you can clean up after them.”
***
The jungle had always stirred a sense of curiosity in Zanya. She marveled at the trees, so tall and vast, reaching toward the sun like living skyscrapers. But unlike the times she’d hiked with Arwan, today the forest was nearly silent, and a layer of thick fog blanketed the ground.
Zanya chose each foothold with care. She stepped over a fallen tree, slicked with moss. A humid breeze wove through the foliage and swept her hair off her shoulders. The cool air soothed her flushed cheeks.
A fork in the path presented itself. One sloped toward the coast and what looked like a village. She peered at the pitched roofs of tiny huts, all clustered together near the tree line.
The other path wound up the side of a steep incline and over a peak.
When she’d first arrived at Renato’s house, Arwan gave her a tour of the estate. He’d mentioned nearby villages he often visited. She pivoted toward the descending path. Maybe that was where she’d find him.
She’d tried to call him, but each attempt was forwarded straight to his voice mail. Peter had told her Arwan had left his phone in the west wing. Apparently he hadn’t taken anything with him, which was worrisome.
Her stone vibrated in her pocket, and she traced her fingers over its smooth surface. Its whispers directed her to the inclined path. She bit her lip. It was important to find Drina, but her stomach had been in knots since Arwan had left, and she wanted to be sure he was all right.
The stone sent a more forceful current through her this time. She swallowed and secured her hold around it. “I hear you. You don’t need to yell.” She exhaled and started up the inclined path. The farther she hiked, the steeper the trail became. Before long, she was forced to cling to trees and rocks for leverage.
Lights of Aurora (The Stone Legacy Series Book 3) Page 14