My only advantage here was that I also knew Katherine better than anyone. Nobody had seen every facet to her personality, except me. I’d been there at the beginning of all of this, and I was sure as hell going to be there when it crumbled. How do you like me now, Ma? But what could I do with that knowledge, gussied up as Pieter Mazinov? How far was I willing to go? Right now, I wasn’t sure. My mind was still racing.
“Pieter Mazinov, yes?” Katherine spoke. You could’ve heard a pin drop.
I nodded. “Yes, Ms. Shipton.”
“Eris will do. We should start as we mean to go on,” she replied with a smirk. “I’ve got to say, you look pretty good for someone who had a nasty mauling. I thought your face would be hanging off or something. Or there’d at least be a rugged scar. Chicks dig scars, apparently.”
“A ruse, Eris. A ruse to keep the authorities off our case.”
“I’ve always thought faking your own death to be a little trashy. It shows a lack of resolve, to be quite frank. But I guess it worked out for you and your sister, since the authorities think you’re in the belly of some half-starved polar bear.”
I smiled at Harley-slash-Volla. “I wanted to protect my sister.”
“How sweet.” The words dripped sarcastically from her lips. I knew she was checking for lies or deceit. Her face didn’t say much, but it didn’t have to. I knew her style.
“Family is everything, Eris. Where we’re from, it comes first above all things. In a way, this place is like a family, full of all the people that the magical world has cast aside—the black sheep that nobody cares about. And once we’re part of this cult, our family values will extend to the rest of the members here. The cult will be prioritized above everything else.”
Katherine chuckled. “I thought I kept the nature of the third trial a secret.”
“That’s true. We didn’t know anything about it, Eris.”
“Then why does your reply sound rehearsed? Or do you just practice that in the mirror every morning while you’re brushing your teeth? A little ego-stroke to start the day?”
I felt heat rise to my face. “Something like that. It’s been on my mind a lot since we decided to come to you and devote ourselves to your supreme mission.”
“Goodness, my behind must be starved of affection.”
I frowned. “I don’t follow.”
“You seem intent on kissing it.”
“I’m a little nervous, that’s all. It’s not every day that I get to meet someone as inspiring as you.”
“You should really put on some Chapstick if you’re going to keep doing it, Pieter,” she replied with an amused laugh. Despite what she was saying, I was winning her over. She loved an ass-kisser. That’s why Kenneth Willow still had a position here. Ass-kissers were useful—they’d do anything she asked, without hesitation.
I bowed my head. “I’m sorry, Eris.”
“Tell me, where is it you’re actually from? Where do all these ‘family values’ come from?”
“We come from St. Petersburg, but we’ve moved around a lot.”
She nodded slowly. “That must be where the strange accents come from. Not quite Russian, not quite Eastern European, not quite Transatlantic. A bit of a mishmash. Do you enjoy the ballet? I hear it’s exceptional in St. Petersburg.”
I shook my head. “I’ve never liked it. My sister got the artistic gene; I got the practical one.” She was testing me with simple questions. If I faltered, she’d know I was lying. This was where things got scary. It sounded innocent enough, but it was anything but. There was logic in everything Katherine did and said, and this was my polygraph test.
“So what do you like?”
“I like to hunt. And I enjoy winter sports. Skiing, snowboarding, skating, anything like that.”
“How very Russian of you.” She eyed me curiously. “I imagine you put those polar bear pelts to good use?”
I smiled. “No polar bears were harmed in the making of our fake deaths, Eris.”
“Tell me of your parents. Are they proud of you? Do you stay in touch?”
Oh, the irony.
“To keep up the ruse, we had to convince our parents we were dead. Otherwise, the authorities would have gone after them. We haven’t spoken to them since we were in the Arctic. It hasn’t been easy, but it had to play out like that. Like I said, protecting family is our priority.”
Her eyes didn’t stay on my face as I spoke. Instead, they drifted across me, scouring for any telling body language. “Do you get along with your sister?”
I chuckled. “Most of the time. We squabble like any siblings do, but we care about each other. And hey, we’ve stayed together this long without killing each other. Why break the habit, right?”
I had to sell every word, like my life depended on it. Because, at the end of the day, it did.
Katherine turned to look at Harley. “Now then, how about you?”
Twenty-Five
Harley
My blood felt like it had frozen solid in my veins. I couldn’t even look at Katherine without wanting to vomit or throw something sharp at her. Finch had dealt with his interview like a pro, keeping it casual but reverent, with a touch of nerves thrown in for good measure. After all, this was Katherine Shipton we were talking about here—there were very few people who could stand in front of her without losing their nerve. I thought I was one of them, but apparently not. I put it down to being Volla Mazinov. She was definitely crapping her pants.
“What Pieter said was very interesting, if a little saccharine. Let’s see what you’ve got to say for yourself, shall we?” Katherine smiled back at him, but her verdict remained unclear. He was still standing, which I guessed was a good thing. No Death by a Thousand Cuts just yet.
Finally, the moment I’d been dreading had come. She was staring right at me. My hands were already shaking, but not with fear. Anger bubbled through every cell, threatening to spill over. I just hoped it came across as nerves instead, or else she’d figure me out right away. I tried to send out a slither of Empathy, to feel out what emotions were coming off her, but I hit the same wall I always hit. Every time I came face-to-face with her, I became more convinced that she had Shapeshifter abilities. Finch had likely inherited his own ability from her. Thinking back to O’Halloran’s reaction in the Luis Paoletti Room, I wondered if I should try some reverse Empathy on her, to see if that would break through the wall. But that was a risk that didn’t seem worth it right now. If she sensed it, in any way, I’d be screwed. No, I’d have to win her over the non-Empathy-assisted way.
“Cat got your tongue? Maybe you think I don’t even need to ask who you are, since your brother has gushed enough about you.” Katherine chuckled, the sound filling the eerie silence of the arena. Nobody in the stands was moving a muscle; they weren’t even whispering to one another.
I dipped my head in a bow. “Not at all, it’s only polite to make an introduction. Volla Mazinov, at your service.”
“What, no salute?” she teased.
“Should I?” I made myself sound suitably dumbfounded and anxious.
She laughed raucously. “No need to just yet, Volla. I don’t really go in for the whole saluting-your-superiors thing. It’s a little too ‘National Council’ for my tastes.”
“Good to know.”
“You’re feistier than your brother, huh?”
I shrugged. “He can get a little nervous around beautiful women. That’s why I’m always his wing-woman. He’d be hopeless without me.”
“Don’t tell me you need the Chapstick, too?”
“Not just yet, Eris. I don’t really go in for the ass-kissing thing.” I mimicked her, hoping she’d be amused. I remembered just how much she loved a bit of banter. It was mostly to hear the sound of her own voice, I was pretty sure, but I figured it could work in my favor. She liked strong women—women who weren’t afraid to stand up and speak their minds. That was why she surrounded herself with them. Well, that, and the fact that she detested men at their b
ase level, thanks to my dad and his life choices.
To my relief, she howled with laughter. “How very refreshing.”
“Really? Apparently, my personality is an acquired taste.”
“Good thing I enjoy unusual flavors,” she parried. “I hear Russian food is quite unusual. What’s your favorite dish?”
“On a good day?” I racked my brain for knowledge of the Mazinovs, trying to remember what had been written in their file. There’d been a picture of Volla and her brother in a grand restaurant, clinking shot glasses with a plate of caviar on the table in front of them. I figured it was a good enough guess. “Beluga caviar with a side of decent Russian vodka. I miss that the most. I haven’t tasted it in so long.”
“I’ve always found caviar to be a little barbaric, but I wouldn’t want to insult your heritage,” she said.
“Have you tried it, Eris?”
“I confess, I haven’t.” She laughed again, which I hoped was a good sign. “And why have you come to this place with your brother? My lieutenant tells me you made quite the scene with a couple of unruly security magicals. You must have been desperate to get her attention.”
“I don’t believe security magicals have any place in a bar like that, Eris. It only ever ends in round-ups and false accusations,” I replied. “We did what we thought was right. As for why we’re here, we’re eager to find our place among like-minded individuals—people who are tired of the status quo and want to make an actual change. Why should humans have the monopoly on this planet, when they’re so much weaker than we are? And why should those who pander to them have any right to bear Chaos? Some call it far-right thinking; I call it the right way of thinking.”
“You speak well, Volla. I’ve got to say, I’m enjoying your attitude.”
“What can I say? I was born with it.” I flashed her a grin.
“And what do you think you can bring to our organization?”
What is this, a job interview? I supposed it was, in a way. “Loyalty and strength. My Water abilities are renowned, and I figure they might as well be used for something important. Plus, I’m always game for a bit of patriarchy-smashing.”
I quickly realized that these weren’t simple questions. They were intended to gauge my body language, my hesitation, and any deceit that might be lingering in my words. I figured I’d done well so far, but it wouldn’t be enough to win Katherine over. She didn’t like the ordinary. She didn’t like the same old people, with the same old answers.
“And what would you say are your greatest strengths and weaknesses, aside from your abilities?” Katherine continued. I was about to make a very risky move, and I prayed it paid off.
I smiled. “I get why you’re doing this, Eris—asking all the simple, businesslike questions to try and gauge my body language and read between the lines. Also, I’m pretty sure you’ve got people at the hut right now, checking for the surveillance hexes. I should warn you, you won’t find any. We aren’t stupid. That was the first thing we looked for. If you want to know our deepest, darkest secrets, then ask us outright. You don’t need to bother with all this fluff. We’ve got nothing to hide.”
Dangerous silence drifted across the arena, peppered by a hissing gasp that rose up from the crowd. I doubted anyone had ever spoken this boldly to Katherine before, but I was certain I was doing the right thing. Either that, or it would get us killed. The thing was, she admired strength and ferocity above all other things; that was why she had a freaking tigress as her lieutenant.
Beside me, Finch had turned pale, gawking at me in disbelief. But the truth was, I wasn’t willing to play Katherine’s game. If I did, I got the feeling it would get us both rejected. She wanted exceptional soldiers, not your everyday, run-of-the-mill sheeple.
I fixed my gaze on Katherine. Her expression hadn’t changed. It still carried that hint of dark amusement that always rested on her face.
“I’m curious, Volla. Why are you choosing to do this, in the middle of your last trial? You know it could get you killed, right?”
I smiled brazenly. “I’m aware of the consequences, Eris, but you need people who think outside the box. You need people who have minds of their own, not coven drones and hapless rejects with nowhere else to go. Pieter and I have stayed alive, and under the radar, for this long precisely because we’re neither of those things.” I put my hand on Finch’s shoulder and squeezed it. “Pieter might come across as compliant, but that’s because you made him nervous. Beneath all that, he’s just like me. We’ve answered all the simple questions we’re going to. If you want the truth, the really good stuff, then it’s time to lay it all out in the open. Just say the word.”
For the longest time, Katherine said nothing, and I began to think I’d made the wrong move in calling her out like that. Finch’s shoulder was as tense as a rock under my hand, letting me know he was thinking the exact same thing. Well, go big or go home, right? Although, here, the option was live or die.
And then, she laughed. A bright, wild laugh that shattered the tension in the arena. “I have to say, I’m impressed by you, Volla. You remind me a little of myself at your age. Fearless. I like fearless.”
I’m not a Shipton, Katherine. I’m a Merlin. And Merlins don’t bow down to people like you.
“Good, because I’m not in the market for a skin-slashing. Do you know how many moisturizers it takes to get skin this smooth?” I shot back, grinning through sheer relief.
She held her stomach as she collapsed in hysterics. “You know, others bend over backward to try and win me over, but you—you seem to have gone for a different approach. And it’s so very refreshing. Really, it’s like a breath of fresh air.” She paused. “Although, naturally, it doesn’t mean you have won me over. That remains to be seen. Yes, this should be interesting. Very interesting.”
“Ask whatever you want.”
She stopped laughing and smiled strangely. “Very well, then I have my question. If you get it right, you get to live. If your reply doesn’t satisfy me, you die. Sound fair?”
“I’ve got no complaints.”
Her eyes darkened. “Who is your intelligence source on the National Council?”
“You heard about that, huh?”
“Naima tells me everything. I want to verify your source with my own, to make sure we’re all on the same page here.” She chuckled wryly. “You see, you aren’t the only ones with information. I’ve got my own mole in the National Council, and I’d hate to get any wires crossed.”
Bullcrap!
“You don’t have a mole in the National Council, Eris. If you did, you’d know who the traitor within this organization is.” The words poured out of me before I could stop them, impulse and adrenaline driving me to call her bluff. “You’d have had them strung up like a Christmas ham and let them dangle from one of your titans like an ornament. You’d have made an example out of them so everyone would know what happens to snitches. They don’t get stitches, they get a noose around their neck.”
Katherine smirked but said nothing, while another gasp went up from the crowd. Nobody spoke to Katherine like this and got away with it.
“I won’t reveal our source to you, Eris, because it’s the only way to keep our source safe. A secret isn’t a secret once more than one person knows about it, Pieter being the obvious exception,” I continued, spurred on by pure energy. “And, no offense, but I don’t trust anyone. You’d be foolish not to feel the same way, and I know you aren’t a fool.”
The tension around the arena was at an all-time high, everyone’s gazes flitting between me and Katherine like they were spectators at a tennis match. They were clearly shocked by this exchange. Beside me, Finch looked like he was about to keel over.
“Oh, I like you, Volla Mazinov,” Katherine purred, at last. “Here I was, thinking I’d get the usual bowing and scraping, and then you come along like a blonde bulldozer and make my day that little bit more interesting.”
“You’ll have to spell it out for me, Eris. Are
we dying today?”
She chuckled. “You could set cities on fire with that fighting spirit. I’d love to let you loose amongst some of my more stubborn enemies. As for whether or not you’re going to die today?” She tapped a finger on her chin. “Let’s just say, I’m content with the answers you’ve given. Well, I can’t do anything if you suddenly get bitten by a poisonous snake the moment you leave this arena and end up with jelly for blood. But you won’t be dying by my hand or anyone else’s here.”
“So we’re in?” I asked. Finch visibly relaxed.
“Welcome to the Cult of Eris, my children,” she replied with a nod.
I thought I might unravel with relief, but I had to keep up the act. I dipped my head in a casual bow and kept my gaze fixed on the devil herself. “Thank you, Eris. We won’t disappoint you. You won’t find more loyal soldiers than my brother and me.”
“Don’t ruin it now, Volla. My ass has been kissed enough for one day,” she retorted, grinning. “But your day is not yet done. Now that you’ve been welcomed into the cult, it’s time for the pledge. The last step before you can call yourselves true followers of Eris. Naima, if you would care to do the honors?”
I turned over my shoulder to find Naima prowling toward us with a small iron pot in her hands. I could see a surface of solid gold inside, and my heart lurched at the sight of it. Behind her, Tess carried the rest of the tools needed to make the Apple of Discord tattoo. Although, “tattoo” didn’t really cover it. This wasn’t a simple tattoo—this was going to be a freaking pot of molten gold poured right into the skin, branding me forever.
This is going to hurt.
Twenty-Six
Harley
“Kneel,” Naima growled. Finch and I didn’t wait to be told twice, even though I wanted to run across the black disc of the arena and dive over the edge, just to avoid this. Molten metal combined with skin could only mean a world of pain.
Harley Merlin 6: Harley Merlin and the Cult of Eris Page 20
