One thing was for sure—Ovid had crossed a line, and I had no clue how far Kaya would go to stop him from getting the extra five hundred years his heart desired.
Twenty-Eight
Kaya
I left Mr. Doncaster slumped against the glass, his head lolling against the pane and his beady, obnoxious eyes threaded through with a network of scarlet veins. I imagined them as the infrastructure of Atlantis seen from above, the capillaries very like the interconnecting streets which led to Atlantis’s beating heart.
It was not in my nature to resort to torturous means, but I doubted anyone would have been able to resist inflicting such long-overdue punishment upon someone who had attempted to have them killed. That was human nature—base and primordial. On occasion, even I was not able to rise above it.
“I will not waste another moment on this wretched creature,” I seethed, though I had an ulterior motive for wanting to depart. I had allowed some of my darkest, most agony-inducing spells to slip out for the sole purpose of harming Davin, and yet he had not reacted in the manner I had expected. He should have been unconscious, yet his eyes continued to blink, albeit slowly, and he did not seem anywhere close to fainting. The Necromancer had an impressive tolerance for pain, and I had to give credit where it was due.
Davin smirked pugnaciously, his lips now an alarming shade of blue. If he knew my ulterior motive, he did not say so. Perhaps that was to my benefit. I did not wish to walk away from this scene appearing weak. Not with my father standing there, gaping at me like a dying fish.
“Once I am queen, we shall discuss putting you in more suitable surroundings, Mr. Doncaster,” I said. “Perhaps I shall put you in a cell constructed solely for you and have it submerged in the depths where we keep marine Purge beasts. I am certain the sirens and selkies will sing you entrancing songs, until you have gone quite mad from the sound.”
Davin had the decency to look frightened. I never made empty threats, and the idea did seem like a perfect solution for the rogue. Why, I did not even have to wait until my coronation. I would have the architects and engineers begin the cell construction right away, for then it would be even harder for my father to go behind my back and have these furtive conversations with my would-be assassin.
“Kaya, I am still the king,” my father protested.
I cast him a disappointed look. “So you continue to tell me, but that does not change anything I have said. Mother is awaiting you, and while I do not want you to die—I truly do not, even after seeing you consort with my attempted murderer—I also cannot allow you to disgrace centuries of rules and tradition. Rules and tradition that you instilled in me from infancy.”
I turned and strode away along the main walkway, intending to return to the elevator shaft. However, I took pause before the doors and waited for my father to catch up. He had been caught in the act of selfish deceit, and he would endeavor to try and win me over with words. He would follow me. I knew him better than anyone. Perhaps even better than he knew himself.
“Kaya, if you would allow me to explain. You do not seem to understand the magnitude of my wishes.” As timely as clockwork, his voice echoed over my shoulder.
I did not turn. Instead, I waited for the elevator doors to open and stepped inside, my father and the guards joining us in the cramped tube. They did, however, enforce a circle of space around me where none dared to tread. Though that did not stop my father’s voice from intruding.
“I will cease to exist!” he cried, with a rather unbecoming squeak.
I sighed. “No, you will merely transform to a different state of existence. As water freezes, or turns to vapor, or liquid, you will progress from this physical form into one that is more heavenly. An ethereal being, existing contentedly in the afterlife.”
“I do not want to be ethereal. I want to be here, in this form, as I am,” he replied petulantly, like a child who had not been given their preferred gift during the Feast of Ganymede.
“No.” Sometimes that one word was the only one needed.
“No? What do you mean, no?” he spluttered. “You dare to tell me no? I am still the—”
“The king. Yes, I know,” I interjected. “You have become like a broken music box, unable to stop repeating the same phrase over and over. Do not mistake me, Father; I am not without sympathy. I understand your fears and anxieties. I imagine I would share them if our positions were reversed. Indeed, I have feared for my life before, when Davin’s assassin sought to plunge a knife into my heart. But even then, I would not have sold my proverbial soul to be granted renewed existence, and I certainly would not have asked Davin for it. I felt saddened that my life was to come to an end, but I was not thinking of how I might deal with the devil to prevent it.”
I paused for breath, awkwardly aware of the guards’ presence. This was much too public. “And, since you are still the king of this city, it is up to you to lead by example, and show grace and courage in the most trying of personal struggles. Mother did so, and so must you.”
“Kaya—” he began again, but I curtly interrupted him.
“This is neither the time nor the place, Father. I will not utter another word on this matter here. If you have more to say, we can discuss the matter at the palace.” I gave a pointed look at the guards surrounding us. “In private.”
His lips clamped shut, and a faint flush of scarlet entered his cheeks. Desperation had caused him to lose all sense of propriety, it appeared, including how he ought to behave in front of his inferiors. His personal guard and my own would naturally not breathe a word of what they had seen or heard today, as spreading such information would be tantamount to treason. Being within the prison itself would serve as a deterrent to any gossiping impulses. Nevertheless, it was best not to give people anything to gossip about in the first place.
We left the prison in silence and made our way back through the city. Despite the less-than-pleasant circumstances, the walk offered me a chance to observe how preparations were coming along for the wedding and for my father’s Death Day. Everyone we passed seemed diligent in their toil, setting up lights and tables and hanging fresh baskets of flowers along the streets. Plinths were being positioned in the piazzas, where ice sculptures would be placed on my wedding day.
Once we reached the palace, I dismissed my personal guard and stepped into a nearby drawing room, one which looked onto the gardens. A hive of activity thrummed on the lawns. I would have relished the opportunity to stand and enjoy the sight for a moment, but it was not to be. My father came into the room after me, his own guard dismissed, and picked up directly where he had left off.
“I do not understand why you will not even entertain the idea!” He marched back and forth, like a sentry eager for the changing of the guard.
I controlled the rising tide of irritation flowing through me. “I have already explained my reasoning, and I will not repeat myself. For my part, I cannot understand why you seem determined to ignore everything I say.” I twisted the ring upon my middle finger in numerous circles. “You will not listen to me, and I will not be swayed by you. As such, we have reached an impasse. You will not disregard our laws for your own selfish reason, and that is my final say on the matter. Now, I have a dress fitting to attend, and you have your own preparations to proceed with. There is much to arrange in three days’ time.”
He stared at me with such fury and disappointment that it splintered my heart, creating a narrow crack that had not been there before. I hated the notion that he thought me cold or unfeeling, or that I did not care that I would lose him. I cared with every atom of my being. But we had signed an unwritten contract upon our births that bound us to do what was right for our nation, regardless of personal feelings or desires. For him, that meant dying with dignity and honor, the way countless kings and queens had before him, so the equilibrium of Atlantis would not be disrupted irrevocably. For me, it meant marrying a man I did not love, in the hope of saving our world from imminent devastation.
“Very w
ell.” He sighed with such vehemence I heard the breath rattle in his lungs. “Then… I hope the memory of watching me pass into the next life remains with you for as long as you live. I hope it haunts you when you are at your lowest ebb of loneliness, praying you still had me to guide you through your hardships. And I hope it stings like a barb, knowing that you could have prevented my death, had you only opened your mind to the possibilities.”
He turned and strode right back out the doorway, leaving me alone in the drawing room. I maintained a stance of strength, my chin held high and my shoulders squared for several moments after he left, in case he came back to say something more.
Only when I was absolutely certain he did not intend to return did my resolve falter. I stooped and braced my hands against the windowsill, my body shaking with such violence I thought I might be sick. I heaved painful gulps of air while a cold sheen of perspiration prickled the length of my spine, coming to an uneasy halt at the nape of my neck.
I have signed his death warrant. My hands will never be clean again… I stared down at them and watched them tremble against the windowsill, my knuckles whitening with the intensity of my grip. How could I think about wedding dresses now? How could I look upon the gardens and all the pretty decorations that were being installed, after what my father had just said to me?
A nagging concern swelled in my mind. As I stood in the way of his prolonged existence, would he take it upon himself to stand in the way of my wedding? Surely some higher sense of duty remained in him. Surely he would not threaten the future of Atlantis.
Perhaps he meant it. Perhaps there is nothing he would not do to secure his continued existence. Already, I had witnessed him drown less fortunate sections of the city as a means to save the rest. He had done so in secret, without informing those who would lose their homes and lives—the unwilling sacrifices. I had found out about the scheme much too late and had been unable to put a stop to it. The blood of those innocents was also on my hands, and their deaths would always weigh heavy on my shoulders. However, the act had never seemed to weigh upon my father’s far broader shoulders, if he felt any weight at all.
Standing to my full height and drawing deep breaths, I decided to visit Finch. I needed to talk to him about the upcoming wedding ceremony, to ensure he was still feeling mostly compliant about the event. He had not attempted to escape, which boded well, and yet… worry prevailed. After all, Finch Merlin was an extraordinary magical, with blood more ancient than my own and an incredibly sharp mind beyond the subterfuge of humor. To my mind, his jester façade was nothing more than a smokescreen to hide the true power beneath. As such, he would continue to be a considerable liability until the moment the love spell took hold.
And with my own errant heart fixating upon another, that moment could not come soon enough.
Twenty-Nine
Kaya
I hurtled through the palace hallways at a most unqueenly pace, not caring about the stares of the guards. I almost upset one of the priceless vases perched on a side table. It teetered and rocked, coming precariously close to tipping. I did not wait to see if it fell, though there came no ensuing sound of ceramic shattering into a thousand pieces.
I hadn’t a shred of patience to delay this visit with Finch. I was in dire need of comfort, however small. If I could put just one of my qualms to bed, it would put me in a far better stead for the wedding day. Wishful thinking, perhaps, but I needed a dose of positivity.
However, as I rounded the corner leading to my bedchamber, where Finch perpetually awaited me like a romantic hero in a somewhat saccharine, entirely unrealistic novel, I almost careened directly into another figure. My reflexes were fortunately sharper than my eyesight, prompting me to halt a mere inch from tumbling straight into… him. That three-letter word that could sting or thrill, depending on the context. Truly, with my attentions otherwise engaged, I had not seen Erebus standing there by the wall, as though he, too, were perpetually waiting for something.
Me? I swallowed the thought and fought to muster my regal demeanor. My heart, on the other hand, decided to flutter roguishly in my chest as I looked upon his handsome face. His new appearance never failed to amaze me. Why, he seemed as though he had been chiseled from pure black onyx. At least I could be certain it was his face I was looking upon this time, instead of the commandeered body of an unsuspecting citizen. I much preferred it, in truth, though I dared not be so outwardly honest.
“Kaya,” he breathed in a raspy tone. How that sound managed to render me entirely useless in the space of one single word, I did not know. Nevertheless, my head and my heart were in utter mayhem, and all because I had almost run bodily into him. Might he have caught me, had I not stopped in time? Might I have felt those strong hands upon my arms? Might I have pressed my own palms to that broad, muscular chest, visible even beneath his sleek clothing?
Control yourself! My mind scolded at precisely the necessary moment.
“My apologies, Erebus. I did not notice you there.” I picked at an invisible mote of dust upon my dress sleeve and gave up on the battle not to gaze into his enchanting eyes. They held the same mystique and wonder to me as the depths of the ocean, full of secrets and undiscovered things which frightened and excited me in equal measure.
“I hoped you would come this way.” He closed the gap between us and seized me in his arms with sudden passion. My lips parted, half in astonishment, half in preparation to chide him. In the end, not a single utterance passed them before Erebus pressed his lips to mine and silenced everything. Everything, that is, apart from the rousing thunder of my heart.
Before I knew what was happening, my mouth responded. Muscle memory could be a powerful mechanism, and my lips had not forgotten what it felt like to kiss Erebus. Even if back then, his lips had not been his own. Now they were, and… they felt wonderful. Soft and firm all at once, moving with mine in a heavenly rhythm that could have stirred oceans.
I had never understood the sickly sentiment of a heart melting, but mine felt the heat of his proverbial flame. Indeed, my entire body followed suit, melting and molding to his as though I had been made to fit within the contours of his form, and he mine.
“Erebus,” I whispered.
“If you ask me to stop kissing you, I fear I may die,” he murmured back, one of those mighty arms grasping me around the waist. With effortless athleticism, he literally swept me off my feet and pressed me against the wall of the corridor. His kiss intensified, his hands upon my waist and my neck and face and spine until I could no longer follow the frantic dance of his fingertips. Nor could I follow the rapid spiraling of my emotional whirlpool as it engulfed us both and sent everything else spinning into the ether.
I clung to him as though he were my last hope as I disappeared into his kiss. As long as we were connected, it seemed as though nothing else mattered or even existed. My father, Atlantis, Finch, the future… it all vanished like sea foam upon the froth of a wave, dashed to nothingness upon the shore. Erebus’s arms around me and his lips upon me were the only things I knew.
Am I dreaming? Time travel was impossible, but for a moment his kiss made it happen. I was transported to bygone days; I had not realized until now just how much I had missed his closeness.
An external sound shattered the delicious illusion. The gravelly rasp of a throat being cleared. I pushed my hands against Erebus’s chest, tearing away from the intoxication of his kiss. Ryann stood directly beside us, though I had not heard her approach. Indeed, I had to resist the urge to shriek at her alarming proximity. How had she managed to get so close without us realizing?
She smiled strangely, a cruel, cold grin that I would not have expected from her, and her eyes lit with two glowing discs of fearsome white. It made me push Erebus even farther away, though I could not for the life of me explain why. With some distance between us, I looked to him for explanation, only to find his own eyes wide in surprise. Or… was it fear?
I found my voice. “Erebus? What is the meaning of th
is?” I had believed Ryann to be human, but the strange glow in her eyes was nothing of the kind.
Erebus grasped for my hands and held them with nervous vigor. “I cannot explain now, Kaya, but this is something I have to take care of immediately. Please, forgive me. I must take my leave of you, but I will come back for you, I swear it. It is nothing you need to worry about, just… interference that needs to be dealt with.”
Confusion ran rampant through my mind. Our idyllic moment had soured so swiftly. What did he mean, an interference that needed to be dealt with? Why did he think he could simply expel me from any sort of explanation? I felt flustered and found myself panting rather ungraciously, the formerly pleasant flush in my cheeks transformed to an uncomfortable sear of embarrassment and irritation. Not at Ryann, but at Erebus’s disrespect of my position as future queen of this nation.
“An interference?” Ryann laughed with unsettling bitterness, her eyes glowing brighter. “Is that what you deign to call me, after all these centuries together? I suppose ‘wife’ would struggle to roll off your tongue, since it has been overworked in that distasteful display of passion I just witnessed.”
“Wife?!” I spluttered, entirely baffled. “No… you are Finch’s paramour, are you not?”
Ryann turned to me with that same Arctic smile. “The body I am using, temporarily, is that of Finch’s ‘paramour.’ I, however, am Lux. Child of Chaos, Child of Light, and eternal partner of Erebus. Perhaps that is why he cannot call me ‘wife,’ as it does not quite encompass the magnitude of what we are to one another.” She paused. “And if you think your inferior little spell will expel me from Atlantis, you may think again. In this form, I cannot be, just as Erebus cannot be. Which reminds me—how is your research into expelling us going? Last I heard, you had asked your mages to set it aside. Presumably because you wanted to keep Erebus here a while longer. How silly of you.”
Harley Merlin 15: Finch Merlin and the Everlasting Vow Page 24