Secrets

by Shannon Pemrick

  “No.”

  “And why not?”

  I stared at the ground and my hands clenched. “Because she’s dead.”

  “W–what?”

  My gaze snapped up at him. “She’s dead! No thanks to my father, she’s dead. Go bring that message back to him, errand boy.”

  The man didn’t seem to know how to react to my news, not that I was surprised. He hadn’t come here in eleven years. But it didn’t matter. It didn’t change the past.

  “Mom?” I turned to see Ryder running toward me. A small smile spread on my face when he grabbed onto me. “Mom, who is this man?”

  I rested my hand on his head and then glared at the man. “Someone who isn’t welcome here.”

  The man didn’t say anything, too curious about Ryder to realize I was speaking.

  Ryder hid behind me. “I don’t like him.”

  “Good, you shouldn’t.”

  The man’s gaze eased when he could no longer see Ryder. “I’m sorry, I’m just trying to process everything.”

  I snorted. “Well, process it after you leave.”

  He sighed. “I came here with a message, but I can see I’m far too late to reason with you in order for you to hear it. So, do you have one for me to give?”

  “Yeah, tell my father he’s not welcome in my life.” I turned away, with Ryder in tow. “Not that he ever wanted to be a part of it to begin with.”

  Chapter 44

  Iplayed with my earrings while Ryoko and Shva’sika argued over what dress I should wear. I wished they’d just stop and finally let me get dressed. I didn’t see why they had to fuss over me like this.

  I sighed. It’s because I’m Raikidan’s date. They always fussed when it was like this, and I wished they wouldn’t. Sliding off the bed quietly, I snuck out of my room, knowing full well if they knew I was leaving, they’d protest. But I needed something to do, so I figured I’d check on Seda. Genesis was out somewhere with some of the Council members and Seda hadn’t gone with her, meaning she was going to be alone tonight while we were at the party—and I wasn’t happy about it.

  I poked my head in her room, only to find it empty. Where could she be?

  “She went to do laundry.”

  I looked at Rylan as he strolled down the hall. He fussed with his suit jacket, as if it wasn’t fitting right. “Something wrong with your clothes?”

  “The jacket is tight again. I think someone washed it, instead of dry cleaning it.”

  “Well that could be true, since you’re not all that good at cleaning your clothes and putting them away properly,” I giggled—”or you could just be wearing it inside out.”

  “I’m what? Are you serious?”

  I began laughing when he did a frantic search and found out he was, in fact, wearing the jacket inside out. How he hadn’t noticed was beyond me. Leaving him to his fixing, I ventured through the maze we called a hallway until I came to Blaze’s room. I could hear someone rustling with something near our open laundry room, but before I could keep going, I noticed Argus coming out of his room and down the hall.

  These halls were a little small, so I leaned again one side so he’d be able to pass, but he didn’t come down this far, nor did he seem to notice me. Instead he stopped right at the laundry room.

  I noticed his hesitant posture, and it tugged on my curiosity. “Hey, um, Seda?”

  The rustling stopped. “Yeah?”

  “Well, I was wondering…” He looked like he wasn’t going to be able to say what he wanted to say. “Well…”

  Seda chuckled. “Just spit it out, Argus.”

  “Would like to be my date for the party?”

  My brows rose in surprise. That was definitely not what I had been expecting him to ask.

  “Me?” Seda sounded just as surprised. “Well, if you really want me to, then sure.”

  I watched as he smiled. “Yeah, I’d really like you to.”

  “All right then. I’d like that. I’ll see if I have something to wear after I get this load done.”

  “One thing, though. I’d prefer if you didn’t use the cloaking watch.”

  “Argus, you know I can’t go out in public unless I do.”

  Argus pulled something out of his back pocket and handed it to her. He scratched the back of his head when she took it. “I, um, fixed this up for you so you could…”

  “An identification card?” She giggled. “I’m a registered Battle Psychic, and my name is… Crystal?”

  His face reddened. “If you don’t like that name, I could always change it, or you could just not use it. It’s up to you.”

  “No, I like it. Thank you. I should finish this load so I can see if I have anything to wear.”

  “A–all right. I’ll leave you to that, then.”

  I shook my head while smiling as he went to go hide in his room. It’s a start, at least. When I figured I had given Seda enough breathing time, I walked over to the laundry area.

  “Hey, Seda?”

  She jumped out of her skin when I spoke. “By the goddess! How long have you been standing there?”

  I chuckled. “I just got here. I came to make sure you were going to be okay being on your own tonight, but from what I caught on my way over, that won’t be an issue.”

  Her cheeks reddened. “You heard all of it, didn’t you?”

  I removed my earrings. “Yeah I did, and you’ll need these more than me.”

  She smiled. “Thanks. You’re not going to say anything else about this?”

  I shrugged. “Nothing else to say. He’s a good choice, that’s about it. I’ll leave you alone now so I can let the girls know what’s going on. Maybe they’ll help you with your wardrobe and leave mine alone so I can finally pick it out myself for once.”

  She chuckled. “I think they’ve already decided, and you’re not going to like it.”

  I groaned. “I’d better go put a stop to it then.”

  She giggled. “Have fun with that.”

  “I’ll send them over to you next.”

  “Aw, thank you. That’s so kind.”

  I laughed and headed back to my room, bracing for a fight.

  Discomfort plagued me as I stood in the crowded room. Although I was uncomfortable, I knew I’d have been even more so if I hadn’t had the choice in what I was wearing.

  I had prepared myself to fight to get my way when I had reached my room, but I hadn’t prepared myself for the heart attack they nearly gave me. The dress they picked out was hideous, and they weren’t happy I’d spoken my mind about it, either. I fought with them over it and barely won, but I couldn’t give myself all the credit. I had Raikidan’s help.

  He had walked into the room to break up our squabble, and the moment he saw the dress he put an end to it, right then and there. The girls had been so surprised he hadn’t liked it, but disliking it had been an understatement. He hated it more than me.

  But that didn’t matter now. I was in the shimmery, ruby red dress I had worn many times before, and I was quite comfortable. I could hardly believe I was admitting it to myself, but I actually liked wearing this particular dress. I felt… pretty. Nowhere near as pretty as the other ladies I was around, but that was okay.

  I stayed quiet as the others around me mingled with loyal civilians and soldiers. Raikidan stood next to me, keeping me calm. We never mingled, and luckily no one ever questioned it. Seda was also keeping to herself, but after she threw another psychic across the room, I didn’t blame her. He deserved it of course, but it had made others in the party hall wary of her.

  Argus, on the other hand, didn’t notice the lack of attention they were now getting. He didn’t even react much when he had been picked on numerous times. Seda was the only thing he could focus on. It was cute, to be honest.
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  I looked around when partygoers started moving over to the designated dance floor when the music changed to something danceable. Even our friends left, leaving Raikidan and me alone.

  “Do you want to dance?” Raikidan whispered. “You don’t look like you’re in the mood to be here, but I figured I’d ask.”

  “No, I’m good, thank you.”

  No conversation happened after that. It had been like that all night, not that I minded. He had been right. I didn’t want to be here. A bad vibe screamed at me the moment we arrived, and it made me want to leave.

  “Eira, are you all right?” Raikidan whispered.

  “I’ll be fine.”

  “Eira, what’s bothering you?”

  “I’m just getting a bad feeling, that’s all. Nothing—”

  “Like something is lurking about?” I looked at him curiously. “I’m getting it too. It’s not something friendly, either.”

  “At least I’m not crazy,” I muttered.

  “Or we could be both crazy.”

  “Better to be crazy with someone than by yourself.”

  We laughed, but our laughter was cut short when the music player that was providing the dance music started skipping and then died. The room went quiet, but then erupted with loud laughter when someone began swearing at the machine. I shook my head as I tried to quiet my laughter to a chuckle.

  I smiled when I noticed Ryder making his way over to us. “Hey there, stranger.”

  He smiled back. “Hey, Eira.”

  “You look good in a suit,” I complimented.

  His cheeks flushed. “Um, thanks.”

  “So what brings you our way? Or are you just here to chat now that they’re making a fuss over that broken music player?”

  He chuckled. “Well honestly, I have something to ask you.”

  I eyed him. “What is it?”

  He held out his hand. “Would you mind playing a few songs for us until we can get that thing fixed?”

  “I’m not sure…”

  “You don’t have to sing. Just play the piano.”

  I sighed and took his hand. “All right, but only because you asked me.”

  He smiled and pulled my arms around his as he led me to this supposed piano. I was surprised by the size of it when we finally made our way through the party hall. It was definitely a grand piano, but it looked even bigger than your average grand. I sat down when Ryder pulled out the seat just enough for me. I moved my fingers to loosen them up as I took a deep breath. It’s not that bad. It could be worse. It’s just until they fix the music player.

  Ryder sat down on the seat next to me and whispered in my ear. “You can do it. It’s just a few songs.”

  I took another breath and began playing a quiet tune. It was slow, but appropriate for the atmosphere that was needed, and no one complained. As I played, I realized why this piano was so different than the other pianos I had seen. It wasn’t a typical piano. It was electric, and had been modified to be able to sound like a regular piano, or an electric one when desired. The modification was requiring it to be larger than normal.

  My gaze changed from looking over the piano to watching Rylan as he strolled past the piano and picked up a guitar. What is he up to? It was obvious he was going to play something, but what did he know that would go with my playing? Of course, knowing him, he had found some of my current writings and memorized them, including the one I had been working on, that had been inspired by my talk with Raikidan the other day.

  Blaze and Argus strolled over to the other set up instruments just as Rylan began to play. My fingers began to play along without a thought, which startled me a bit. If I played without thought, then it was possible I was going to sing without a second thought, either, which is exactly what happened.

  Once Rylan finished his verse, I took up mine in the duet. I could feel so many pairs of eyes on me, but I didn’t care. They didn’t make me want to run and hide. They didn’t make me want to stop. I felt nothing from their stares. It felt good to let this feeling out easier than I ever had before.

  My fingers slowed as the song came to its end, but the song didn’t get a chance to end properly, thanks to someone’s slow, loud clapping. I ground my teeth in anger. This guy has a lot of nerv—

  “Beautiful. Simply beautiful.”

  I froze. It can’t be. I looked up, and my heart stopped at the sight of the olive-skinned man with black hair and piercing topaz eyes, confidently strolling toward us with a malicious grin on his face. Zarda…

  His topaz eyes burned into me as he advanced. Each thump of his boots on the stone floor vibrated into my very being. I wasn’t afraid of him, but I didn’t trust him.

  This is bad. It was more than bad. It was terrible. Never had he appeared here before. Zane had even assured me once that Zarda never showed up. I glanced at Rylan and the boys, and they looked to be struggling to stay calm as well.

  “Such a talent you have, Eira. To be able to do that in a room full of people you don’t know, how do you do it?”

  He reached out and ran his fingers through my hair, a displeased scowl on his face. “You disobeyed. I explicitly told you to complete that assignment at any cost.”

  I eyed him and played dumb. “How do you know my name?”

  “I know many things.” He looked over at the group of soldiers who had been fixing the music player. “Is that thing fixed yet?”

  One of the soldiers saluted. “Yes, sir.”

  “Good, then get it playing something.” Zarda held out his hand to me. “May I?”

  I looked at him warily through my lashes. A battle raged inside me. A part of me wanted to run and hide, while another told me to stand and fight and end this once and for all, but the most logical side told me to act as normal as possible and accept his offer like any normal person would. After all, who wouldn’t want to take the chance to dance with the Lord of the city? I took his hand and reluctantly allowed him to pull me onto the dance floor.

  “High casualty loss is illogical. Resources and time cannot be replenished quickly,” I said. “To deplete such resources so carelessly, would be seen as an imperfection”—I held his gaze—“and all imperfections must be eliminated. Isn’t that right, sir?”

  He chuckled. “I love to hate that snarky attitude of yours.”

  “You’re quite the talk among my men,” Zarda said. “Many of them are quite fond of you. Quite the change from when you were one of them.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Did you really think you could keep hiding from me, Eira? Did you really think I wouldn’t find you?”

  I tried to pull away from him. “Lord Zarda, I think you’re confused.”

  Zarda chuckled. “Oh I am? Then tell me, how do you know me?”

  I smiled at him slyly. “Are you not the Lord of this City? Are you not the talk of these parties?”

  He grinned and forced me to dance closer to him. “You’ve always been far too smart for your own good.”

  The back of his hand crashed into my cheek. “Don’t you dare disobey me again.”

  I glared at him. “I told you, you have the wrong person.”

  He chuckled. “You’ve always been good at lying. You’ve always been good at manipulating to get your way, but not with me. I’ve always been able to see right through your lies, my pet.”

  I ground my teeth. “How many times do I have to tell you, you’re confusing me with someone else!”

  He grabbed me by the throat. “I own you. I tell you what to do and you do it. Fail, and you will be the next illuminated imperfection. Do you understand?

  He pulled me closer and spoke into my ear. “You can keep pretending to be the feeble, memory lost immigrant all you want, but I will have you again. I made you and I will have you. I enjoy this little
game. It’s more fun when you—”

  “May I?” I looked to see Raikidan attempting to cut in.

  “You know, it could be considered rude to cut in on a dance with the Lord of the city,” Zarda sneered.

  “It would be considered rude if I didn’t dance with my date before the night is over,” Raikidan shot back.

  Zarda chuckled and let me go. “Very well, she’s all yours.”

  Raikidan took my hand and pulled me across the dance floor. He didn’t speak until Zarda had disappeared into the crowd. “Are you all right?”

  “I’ll be fine as long as you keep dancing until the end of this song and then get me the hell out of here.”

  Raikidan nodded and held me carefully as we danced. He held my gaze and I found myself smiling a bit. He was smiling as well, and it made it hard to stop. As he spun me on the dance floor, I didn’t feel the least bit out of place, and even though dancing wasn’t my strong suit, I found it easy to keep up. All the worry I had felt while under Zarda’s malicious gaze faded away.

  A part of me felt as if I could do this forever, but the song ended, and just as I had asked, Raikidan led me out onto the balcony. I leaned on the stone railing and took several deep breaths as the tension came back.

  “Eira, are you all right?” I clamped my eyes shut and shook my head. He placed his arms on either side of me. “It’s going to be okay.”

  I shook my head. “No, it’s not. It’s not okay, Raikidan. He knows. He knows…”

  “It’s it’s going to be okay. You have to believe me.”

  “No, it’s not going to be okay. He’s known all along. It’s just a game to him. We’ve already lost this. It’s o—”

  He leaned his head against mine. “Enough. It’s not over. We can still do this. You just need to keep going and you’ll see.”

  I sighed looked out into the city. He was wrong. It was over. This… game… it was all over now that he knew.

  “Eira, I thought you should know, I think you look really nice tonight.” My face flushed and I didn’t answer. He chuckled. “What, not going to argue with me this time?”