She chuckled. “You have the strangest expressions.”
“Can I ask you a question?”
Tessa nodded hesitantly.
“You’re a Guardian, right? But Silas isn’t—or wasn’t? I’m not sure I understand everything the Council said about him being a Prime and taking the Council seat or why he was a Guardian but he’s not anymore.”
She sighed and plopped onto the sofa with me, reaching for another square of protein. “That is a complex question.”
“Ugh, you’re not going to force me to trade questions like Silas, are you? Are all Aeternals so freaking difficult and secretive?”
Her face went blank with surprise, then she laughed. “No. Silas is a special case.”
That brought on my own chuckle. I leaned my elbows on my knees. “Tell me about it. I spent three days with him, and we survived two attacks—well, three if you count the drunk bikers—and I barely know anything about him other than he doesn’t trust anyone.”
“There are few he can trust, true. But...” She picked up the second goblet from the tray and drank the amber liquid. “He trusts you.”
“Me?” I barked out a laugh. “You have got that completely ass-backward.”
“Did he not trade his freedom for your life?”
“I—No. He...” I had to stop and think about that. “He didn’t want to join the Council. Honestly, I’m not sure I understand what happened.”
“You are correct—Silas was a Commander.” She picked up the glass of sparkling amber liquid and sipped from it. “He dedicated his life to the Guardians, and he fought hard to earn his rank. His family name did not help him; it hurt him. Our Lord Commander at that time disliked Silas’s father. He made it twice as hard on Silas, forcing him to prove he could make it on his own without his House’s magic or influence. But Silas is a stubborn arse who never gives over.”
I realized that she and Silas knew each other quite well, and her tone was fond. Silas had called her his friend, and I guessed she felt the same.
She continued. “So when Lord Alaric backed him into a corner, Silas resigned his commission and declared his bond-brother Prime of House Valeron in retaliation. It was a calculated move to strike back at Lord Alaric for...” She shrugged. “Well, he had his reasons. Like I said, he’s stubborn, and he wanted his freedom. But he gave up that freedom in exchange for your life.” She sighed and set the glass back on the coffee table. “The Council always gets what they want in the end.”
Well, shit. That made me feel guilty. I’d been so mad at him for abandoning me, I hadn’t thought about what he’d done to get the Council to back off their plan to drain my magic and kill me. A sudden shiver overtook me. If Silas hadn’t intervened, I would be dead.
“Was the disagreement with Alaric about Lady Aria?”
Tessa jerked in surprise. “You’re very perceptive.”
“Aria’s his daughter, isn’t she?” It was an intuitive leap, but the blond hair from the woman in the vision and on Alaric made it an educated guess.
“Yes. And she and Silas are bond-mated.”
“So that’s why Alaric was upset about the Aegis bond Silas gave me. I don’t understand why the bond with Aria made him resign his commission, though.”
“It all fell apart with that gods-damned prophecy.”
“What prophecy?”
Tessa didn’t answer right away. I held my breath, hoping she wouldn’t stop talking. I’d learned more about my mercurial protector in this one conversation than in the three days I’d spent traveling with him. Complicated feelings aside, since he was one of the few things currently standing between me and the Council, I really didn’t feel bad about prying into his life. I reminded myself that it wasn’t personal.
“There’s no reason you shouldn’t know, I suppose. Everyone in Aeterna does.” She picked up the glass again but didn’t drink. She just twisted it around in her hands. “Between Silas’s family name, the way he took his first command, and the prophecy... well, suffice to say, he’s infamous. Then the blasted prophecy surfaced shortly after our first assignment as Legati.”
An anxious feeling started growing at the base of my spine. The Fate had quoted a piece of prophecy to us, and I had a bad feeling that whatever Tessa was about to tell me would be related to that. “What is the prophecy about?”
“No one really knows what a prophecy is about. There are entire Sects among our people who dedicate their time to deciphering a Fate’s words. But his was somewhat obvious, although not highly specific.” Her gaze shifted to a far-off look, and she quoted from memory.
“Fate forged by magic’s light, the Lost Daughter becomes Eternal Might.
Marked twice, where once divided; the Chosen are bound as one, united.
Death’s Fury will fight with force, together they reclaim the Earthen Source.
Death’s Fate is set that hour, burning bright with a balance of power.”
I shivered. Everything around us seemed to disappear for a moment, leaving only her voice and the prophecy. There was power behind her words. Magic. And I recognized some of those phrases. The Fate spoke about “Death’s Fate” right before she’d sent us to Aeterna.
A three-toned chime sounded, breaking the moment. I groaned. If I never heard that sound again, I would die happy. We walked to the front room and found Stephan standing on the other side. A friendly smile spread across his face, and a feeling of comfort washed over me.
Stephan was such an interesting counterpoint to Silas. They had a similar height and build, although Stephan’s physique didn’t reflect the hard, constant use obvious in Silas’s more defined muscles. Stephan’s chiseled jaw and high cheekbones—so like Silas’s—were accented by blond hair and a dazzling smile. He was a damn fine-looking man, and so similar to Silas, yet completely opposite. It made my head spin.
His presence filled me with a sense of happiness and ease. Then I remembered he was an Empath who could project feelings onto me.
I scowled.
He laughed, and the comfort feeling let up. “Sorry. You’re emanating some strong emotions. Just trying to help.” He gave Tessa a small bow. “Second Legatis Tessa, a pleasure to see you again. Welcome home.”
“Thank you, Lord Stephan,” she said.
He held out a rolled leather case the size of a loaf of bread.
“What is this?” I took it and ran my fingers over the buttery-soft material. I unrolled it and found Ripper wrapped inside—cleaned, oiled, and in a new sheath. I ran my thumb over the perfect stitching along the seams. It was plain and sturdy and exactly right for Ripper. An over-designed sheath would have been ridiculous on a work-horse knife like the military-issued Ka-Bar. Nestled next to Ripper was the knife from the store Silas had dragged me into. The metal was now etched with the same elaborate symbol branded into my skin. His sigil.
I frowned at it.
“It’s from my brother, with his gratitude for your help.”
I barked out a harsh laugh. “Great timing. When did he ask you to deliver this?”
“I received it this morn. Why?”
“They are pissing off each other,” Tessa said from behind me.
Stephan’s head cocked to the side as he tried to decipher what she meant. I snorted softly and removed Ripper from the outer bundle. I would keep the new sheath because it was perfect for Ripper. I tossed the rest of it on the table. I didn’t want presents from Silas.
Tessa leaned over the case and whistled in appreciation. “That is a beautiful knife.”
The knife from the shop in Lower Aeterna was a work of amazing craftsmanship. I would have loved a knife like that under any other circumstances. On the streets, I could have pawned it for a month’s worth of food. “Want it?”
She picked up the knife with wide eyes. “It has the sigil of House Valeron.”
Stephan leaned over her shoulder, and she held it up for him.
“So it does.” Stephan looked at me with an unusually serious expression, which reminded
me instantly of Silas.
I let my confusion show on my face. “So?”
Tessa set the knife back down on the table. “I cannot accept it.”
I ground my teeth and rolled the case back up. I held it out to Stephan. Obviously, there was extra meaning behind a gift like this. “Take it back to him, please.”
“Can I change your mind?” He still had that thoughtful expression. I didn’t like it at all.
I folded my arms across my chest. “Not gonna happen.”
Stephan took the bundle from me, and the side of his mouth twisted into a grin. “It seems my bond-brother has finally met his match in stubbornness.”
“Tell your bond-brother to leave me alone.”
“You can tell him yourself.” He smiled to take the sting out of his words.
“I’m not talking to him.” I sounded like a stubborn six-year-old.
He shrugged. “As you wish. I came to request your company for the Exposition.”
Tessa’s mouth popped open.
“What’s the Exposition?”
“It’s the biggest event of the annis,” she said.
“The Guardians like to show off their training and hard work—etcetera, etcetera—so we make a big festival out of it.” Stephan’s tone was roguish, and his eyes sparkled with humor. “It happens to be this evening, and I’ve found myself without a companion.”
I suspected there were at least a dozen women who would break off their own arm to go with him.
“Will you accompany me?” he asked.
“Did Silas put you up to this?”
His lips twisted to the side. “I thought we weren’t talking about him.”
I laughed despite myself. Maybe it was the obvious differences between the brothers, or the subtle yet striking similarities, but I decided that I wouldn’t mind spending time with Stephan Valeron. And it would be a good opportunity to see the city and perhaps find a way back to the Earthen portal facility once I figured out how to use my magic. “Fine. I’ll go with you.”
“Well, that’s not the most enthusiastic response, but it’s... What do Earthens say? It’s a date.”
Chapter Seventeen
With literally only hours of notice, Tessa brought in a full-length gown for me to wear to the Guardians’ Exposition. The golden fabric had a full, draped skirt and two long bands of fabric, which she strategically wrapped around my breasts and shoulders. My back was completely bare, but the twisted strips of fabric tied around my waist and held the dress in place.
I wasn’t against dressing up exactly, but I couldn’t remember a time where I’d ever needed to be so... fancy. I felt like a Greek goddess. I pulled at the deep neckline and started to worry about agreeing to go to the Exposition with Stephan. It occurred to me that I might see Silas there, and the realization stopped me in my tracks until I very deliberately decided I didn’t care. Silas was married, and I could go on dates with whomever I felt like. Plus, a trip outside the Council Centre was exactly what I needed to start coming up with an escape plan.
Tessa swatted at my hand. “You are perfection. Stop tugging.”
“There’s a lot of skin going on here. Why do you get to wear that?” I glared at her uniform. I would have been much more comfortable in what she was wearing. But at least they hadn’t strapped me into high heels. A pair of gold leather sandals kept me on solid footing.
“I’m on duty.” She wiggled her fingers at me. “You won’t be out of place. Now hold still and let them finish your hair.” The servants obediently swarmed me, pulling and twisting my long locks into something intricate with multiple braids.
“So... this Exposition is a big deal?” I asked Tessa.
“It’s the end-of-level testing for combat weapons and determines the ranks for the Guardians.”
The combat part sounded interesting. If Silas’s swordsmanship was any indication of their training, this could actually be a lot of fun to watch. “Will there be a lot of people there?” I asked, eyeing the high slit in my skirt.
She laughed. “Yes. And you’re going with Stephan Valeron. You better watch your back for claws.”
Surprised, I jerked around and pulled my hair right out of the servants’ hands. “What? Are you serious?”
She let out a chuckle. “I was speaking metaphorically. The Valeron brothers are like your Earthen celebrities. Stephan cuts his hair, and suddenly half of Upper Aeterna has the same style. Silas sneezes, and all the females faint.” She motioned for me to turn back around and let the women finish my hair.
“Their family actually inspired a new naming convention—children bearing the same first letter as their House Prime. Silas and Stephan are named after their mother, Lady Sariah. Stephan thinks the mimicry is funny. He likes to see how far he can take it.”
“I like that about him. He’s so opposite of—” I course corrected around Silas’s name. “He’s not quite as intense as I would have expected.”
“Yes. Silas finds it all very irritating.”
Maybe Silas wouldn’t be there after all if he didn’t like public attention. A night away from Lord Asshole would be good for me. The whole event could be a nice escape from all my tangled feelings about him. I placed my fingertips on the hilt of my knife encased in its new sheath. After a moment’s debate, I decided to leave it but picked up a thin gold chain one of the servants had brought to weave into my hair. I threaded it through the small hole at the top of Marcel’s charm, clasped the chain around my neck, and let it fall just between my breasts.
The pressure of Marcel’s memories, running from the Brotherhood, and the Council’s politics were too much. One night away would definitely do me good.
An hour later, Stephan stood just outside the door. He wore a light-blue top that draped loosely over his broad chest. Wide pants matched the style of his shirt. His blond hair was loose around his shoulders. He looked good. Really good.
I bit my lip. The clingy dress with long slits up each thigh and a plunging neckline left little to the imagination. I wasn’t usually self-conscious, but my brain had been so tied up around Silas, I hadn’t considered what I was doing with his brother. I’d barely met the man, yet I had agreed to a date with him. Come to think of it, Stephan Valeron surely had his own motives for asking me to join him. I didn’t know what he hoped to get out of our evening together—maybe it was just a date for him, as he’d said. The whole situation was so complex and confusing, and I only had pieces of the information I needed.
He bowed at the door and held out his hand. “My lady, you are radiant this evening.”
I placed my hand in his and stepped out of the suite. Two Guardians stood on either side of my door, and Atticus waited across the hall, his eyes on the floor. When nobody tackled me back into the room, I relaxed and let Stephan lead me down the hall. Tessa, Atticus, and the Guardians fell into step behind us. We traveled outside and to the base of the mountain, where the air was fresh and fragrant. I inhaled the last rays of warmth from the setting sun. The evening sky was cloudless, bathed in shades of orange and red. I had an unexpected pang of homesickness. Everything about this realm was similar to Earth, but still so foreign.
Two silver transport pods waited near the ports to the Lower City. Unlike the last time I was there—just yesterday—I realized there were very few people coming or going. Giant, flexible net-like screens stretched above us, affixed between buildings and poles when necessary, displaying information and pictures. The tele-nets showed a ranking board of competitions for the Exposition. The screens changed to an announcement about Silas’s promotion to the Council. Our entourage squeezed into the first pod, and I ducked into the second to get away from Silas’s face splashed across every screen. Stephan slid into the seat across from mine. The door materialized, and the transport moved forward smoothly.
“Lady Maeve?” Stephan grabbed my hand. “Is all well?”
I was completely unable to articulate the strange combination of feelings coursing through me. Stephan’s gray eyes
were so like Silas’s, and the tightness in my chest thrummed again.
“I don’t know what’s going on between you and my brother, but you should know he’s trying to help you. He’s a good man.”
The last thing I wanted at that moment was to hear what a good man Silas was. He was a married man—a married man who had kissed me, lied to me, and made me feel things for him. My emotions veered, and Stephan flinched.
“You must allow me to help—what’s the Earthen expression? Mend fences. You’re both distressed. Why are you angry with him?”
“I thought...” The hurt in my voice was too raw. I closed my mouth before I embarrassed myself. “It doesn’t matter. I’m done with him.”
Stephan’s brows furrowed. “He’s not trying to hurt you.”
Like hell he isn’t. “He’s done nothing but manipulate and lie to me since I met him. Honestly, I don’t know why I trusted him. I was stupid. I barely know him.” Feelings for Silas were such a bad idea. “Dammit. It doesn’t matter. He’s married, end of story. I don’t want to talk about this.”
Stephan leaned back in his seat, and a knowing expression spread across his face. “It’s a bonded mating. It’s not like an Earthen marriage.”
“Same difference.” I folded my arms over my chest. If Stephan tried to give me the same excuses his brother had, I would lose my shit.
“His situation is complicated.”
“That sounds like a Facebook status,” I growled under my breath.
He wasn’t deterred by the unfamiliar reference. “Are you familiar with the prophecy about my brother?”
I nodded, temporarily distracted from my anger by the prospect of learning more about the prophecy.
“It’s about our House. The other half of that piece-of-shite prophecy is about Aria’s House. She is the future Prime of House Certus—the firstborn and heir.”
“Okay... What does that have to do with anything?”
“Lord Magister Alaric is responsible for interpreting prophecy. He is also Aria’s father.” He paused, letting that sink in. “The prophecy states ‘The Lost Daughter becomes Eternal Might. The two are bound as one, united.’ That last part is a literal translation of our House’s name: Valeron. And Aria was famously kidnapped as a young child by one of House Certus’s rivals: the Lost Daughter. Alaric added that together and declared it the Fate’s will that they become bond-mated. He forced them into it.”
Fate Forged Page 18
