Midnight's Blossom

by Corinn Heathers

  I hadn't anticipated this. If it was true, it gave Cyrus leverage I didn't think he had. Of course, Mother never told me about this. It was possible she didn't even know that her father altered records in order to elevate his daughter to lead the family.

  “The agreement with your House to cover the cost of your tuition is now in question,” the old woman continued, mistaking my silent contemplation for stunned shock. “The first and second terms have already been attended to, but if your House refuses to continue to pay…”

  “Do I even want to know how much it is?”

  The headmistress cackled without humor. “It would not cheer you in the slightest to know the exact number. Suffice to say it is considerable, and vastly beyond the breadth of your personal coffers, Miss Alcyone.”

  I wasn't going to let that deter me. “What if I found another sponsor?”

  “You speak of the Fiallan merchant house, Merope?”

  “What?” My eyes narrowed dangerously. “How did you know that?”

  “Your… less than proper relationship with Cassius Merope's daughter, Rose, is not unknown to us. Because the two of you have been unfailingly discreet in the past, we chose not to interfere. It is not the Academy's business to intrude into the personal lives of our students—”

  “You're intruding now!” I snapped, my hands shaking with fury. “What Rose is to me is none of your business or anyone else's.”

  The headmistress's glare went cold. “Our students' behavior is our business, as it reflects upon the Academy as a whole. However, I chose not to pursue disciplinary action. The Celestial Prophecy does not need our help enforcing their reactionary viewpoints.” She made a harsh spitting sound as she spoke the name of the Church. “So long as I did not receive complaints from scandalized young lords and ladies concerning steamy afternoon trysts deep in the library's reference section, I was content to let the issue pass.”

  I didn't feel my face heat up at the rather pithy remark, which I took as a sign I was learning to keep my head in stressful situations. “If you're not going to do anything, why bring it up?”

  “Because I would caution you strongly against requesting sponsorship from the Merope family, especially in light of your relationship with Rose Merope. In the current political climate, it has become quite difficult for business concerns to deal with the Fiallans, even when profit for the Empire is their only goal.”

  I snarled inwardly, but kept my expression as neutral as I could. If public opinion was already turning against any association with Fiallan interests, even for the purposes of trade, a huge and seemingly arbitrary gift of coin from the Merope coffers would look extremely suspicious.

  Closer scrutiny was the very last thing I needed, since in truth I'd come back to the Empire with the express purpose of breaking into the Panopticon. Until Yuka and Shion could make contact with the Antilight and convince them to help us, I had to keep up the charade. I had to act like I knew nothing, which meant I had no choice but to confront my great-uncle directly.

  “Very well,” I said at last. “I will speak with Lord Cyrus on this matter.”

  “The term has just begun, so you have some time, but I would not dawdle.” The headmistress fixed me with a piercing stare. “I am sure you understand that your chances of success are—”

  “Nearly nonexistent, yes,” I cut her off.

  “Indeed.”

  “There's nothing I can do about who my parents are.” I held out a small, slender hand, looking upon it as if it were the first time. “I know that I don't have the same rights as a human citizen of Solaria. I know that every magistrate in the Empire will look more favorably upon Lord Cyrus than me, for no other reason than the tainted blood in my veins.”

  “Yet you will do It regardless.”

  “I don't have a choice.” My tone was blunt and forceful. “My fey parent was killed before I was born. House Alcyone has all but disowned me. Mother is the only family I have left.”

  The headmistress's stare became quizzical. “Your quest is doomed to failure. Why did you not request asylum in Fialla? You were already there.”

  I turned away and began to walk toward the door. Right as I started to open it, I turned and fixed the old woman with a cool, deliberate glare. “Headmistress, I just told you. Mother is all I have left. I have to help her. I have to try, even if it's futile. I'd never be able to forgive myself otherwise.”

  “Then I wish you luck, for you will need it.”

  The door shut behind me of its own accord.

  More magic used for no good reason. The thought of it actually made me angry, and I was already feeling rather heated after my conversation with the headmistress. I held onto that anger; it was far more useful to galvanize me into action than despair, and action was desperately needed.

  Cyrus was moving fast, adapting to my unexpected return to the Empire. He would, of course, eventually try to strip me of the Alcyone name, but if his lackeys in the IPSB presented the evidence of Grandfather's tampering with the order of succession, House Alcyone would have no legal obligation to continue paying my tuition. I would have to leave the Academy and return to the Alcyone manor, where I would be much more vulnerable. Of course at this point, that didn't matter. I had to put up a pretense of fighting him as if my future depended upon it—at least until the operation to liberate Mother began.

  By the time I was outside, I glanced at the clock tower and made a note of the time. I almost tried to pull the multicom from my pocket, but recalled that it was turned off and sealed away in an enchanted pouch at the bottom of my travel satchel. I couldn't contact Rose… but there was someone else I could confide in.

  I let my consciousness drift into the currents of magic that flowed through the land, reaching out for that familiar echo. It didn't take long to find it.

  [Lily? Is everything okay?] Yuka's soul whispered.

  [Lord Cyrus is challenging Mother's claim to her previous position,] I sent back, frowning as I opened my eyes and gazed out over the Academy gardens. Here, in this place of learning that was relatively removed from daily life in the Empire, I felt a degree of safety. Cyrus was going to do everything he could to strip that from me. [IPSB discovered—or fabricated, though it doesn't matter which—evidence that my grandfather tampered with the order of succession.]

  [Oh, no.]

  [How is everything on your end?]

  I felt a ripple of frustration from Yuka's spirit. [Progress has been slow. We've made contact with the Antilight cell in the Crone's Cane, but…]

  [What is it?]

  [Willow Corvus has pledged her forces to our cause,] Yuka continued, [but her messages to the command structure have gone unanswered. She has done her best to keep this information a secret from her people.]

  A cold sensation of bleakness descended upon me. If the leadership of the Antilight was not responding to her messages, it could mean any number of things, none of which were good. If only Willow's cell were to come to our call, we would barely have enough forces to take the prison.

  There's… another… way.

  The soul-freezing chill… Eiri's legacy was tugging at my emotions again. The spirit blade ached to grant my wishes, no matter how impossible they were. I could almost understand the relic's murmurings, and sitting just beyond the cusp of comprehension was maddening. I wondered, briefly, if I should put aside my misgivings and trust in what she left behind.

  Yes.

  [Keep trying to contact the rebel leadership,] I responded after a long pause. [If we can't get more, we'll just have to make do with what we have.]

  [Understood.] There was something in the resonance that was akin to a smile, but it was a little bit sad. [I miss you, Lily.]

  [I miss you, too.]

  Yuka's soul sent ripples of paired amusement and longing. [I love you. Stay safe.]

  The connection receded, and I was left in the gardens of the Academy once again, alone. My shoulders trembled, but not from the temperature. It was cold outside, but the garde
n paths were edged with hearth blossoms. The pretty reddish-orange flowers looked like large candle flames, and they radiated enough heat to keep the gardens pleasantly balmy.

  I recalled a class from the previous term, focused on the intersection of magic and nature. The two forces existed alongside one another, and occasionally their paths would converge. Hearth blossoms were a common example of such things in Solaria. Commoner and highborn families alike often kept them in earthenware pots, to keep their homes heated in the winter.

  Standing here on the path, gazing at the hearth blossoms, I felt an odd kinship with these little flowers.

  Chapter 28

  Accelerated Decay

  The exhaustion I remembered after spending days in classes at the Academy seemed to be so far away, as if it had happened to someone else and not me. I allowed myself a small, satisfied smile; apparently my training at the Cabal had toughened me up in a number of ways.

  Rose noticed my apparently good mood and batted white lashes at me. We'd left the Academy grounds for the first time since the new term began. I suppose I should have felt nervous at stepping outside of the Academy's protective sphere of influence, but I didn't think Lord Cyrus would try anything particularly devious in Naara.

  “Can't you just, like—” Rose paused to take a huge bite of her savory pasty and made a face. I'd already made my way through half of mine, and it tasted fine to me, if a little bit mild. My Fiallan partner seemed to be offended at the fact that it wasn't even the slightest bit spicy. “—I dunno, take him out during this meeting and be done with it? Would make everything a lot easier.”

  “No, it wouldn't,” I ground out. “As I've already told you, my great-uncle is a master hydromancer. Not nearly as powerful as Mother, but enough that I know I'd be badly outmatched even if he were my only opponent.” I cast Rose a sidelong glare and sipped at my coffee. “He's not going to come to this meeting alone. He'll have guards with him, and there's no way I can—”

  “Not even with…?” Rose hinted, tracing the outline of a sword with her fingertips.

  I sighed. “I don't… I still can't understand how to use it properly. Yuka said it would… take more time, because I never knew Eiri. I was able to understand Yuka so quickly because… because, um, well, you know—” I broke off, feeling my cheeks grow hot.

  Rose snorted with laughter at my discomfiture.

  “I'm trying,” I said defensively. “It's… confusing, sometimes.”

  “I know, and I'm sorry. It's hard to resist teasing you, though. You're so cute when you get flustered.”

  I sighed again. “Will I ever get used to this? To any of this?”

  “Yes,” Rose said without any hesitation whatsoever. “You've already changed so much and you know it. I can see it in your eyes, in the way you walk, the way you speak.” A proud expression dominated her features as she regarded me. “My homeland gave you a precious gift and I'm so happy to see how you've made the best use of it you can.”

  Unwilling to let Rose see how her unabashed praise was affecting me, I made a show of being very interested in my pasty. The food was good, and it was one of the few things about returning to Solaria that actually did make me feel less out-of-sorts. Mother had never been a good cook, but she made a point to learn how to make the small, self-contained sandwiches because I loved them so much.

  Mother would take the scraps that nobody wanted, because nobody would notice. The amount of meat I seemed to require had been something of a minor scandal within the family—proof of my inhuman nature, they claimed—so Mother would do her best to feed me herself. I grew up on pasties filled with belly of pork and shin of beef, slow-roasted and covered in a dark and salty, garlicky glaze that was so wildly different from Solarian food that she likely picked it up from Eiri.

  “This would be good filled with Fiallan goat curry, I think,” I murmured absently as I chewed.

  Rose blinked, then a grin spread across her face. “That's brilliant. I'll have to tell Dad. Think this place would give me the recipe for the crust?”

  “It's Solarian food,” I reminded her. “The crust is probably just wheat flour and water and butter, kneaded and folded over and over.”

  “Good point. No wonder your mom's people are such assholes. I'd be angry all the time, too, if I had to eat food this bland day in and day out.”

  “You're already angry about it,” I pointed out.

  “This country sucks, and not just because it's full of pricks who want to conquer mine.”

  I gave Rose a warning look. “Be careful what you say. There are ears everywhere, and they're already going to be paying you special attention.”

  “Right. Sorry.” Her expression shifted subtly and I could tell that her mild annoyance with the Empire's culinary deficiencies had been replaced with concern for me. “I wish I could be in there with you.”

  “He'd never allow it,” I murmured. “You wouldn't make it two steps in the door before he'd have you thrown out.”

  “I know. I'll be in the taproom. If anything suspicious happens, I'm going to—”

  “Rose. Please. Calm down, relax. I have to talk to him, keep him focused on me. Our mission depends on it.” I leaned closer to her, suppressing the very real desire to kiss her, and spoke very softly into her ear. “If anything goes wrong, I trust you'll do what you do best.”

  A wicked little grin that would ordinarily be concerning spread across Rose's face.

  “Oh, I will.”

  *

  The meeting room was warded against seeking spells and other forms of magical surveillance, but I couldn't tell how complete or secure the protections truly were. I didn't have time to check, either, because the door opened and four men walked into the room. All wore very fine clothing, emblazoned with the seal of House Alcyone.

  The last person to enter was my great-uncle himself, Lord Cyrus. He looked far older than I remembered, though it had only been a few years since I saw him last. He looked nothing at all like Mother, who had taken after my grandmother. There was only a slight resemblance between Cyrus and his brother Janus, my grandfather. His height was somewhat less than the Alcyone average and he possessed finer, more aristocratic features. Though he was quite old for a Solarian, having lived through at least seventy summers, he maintained an impressive level of physical fitness.

  Cyrus could not quite keep the sneer off his face when he laid eyes upon me, but it was only visible for a fraction of a second before he managed to control his expression. He had the same blue eyes as Mother, but his burned with a cold, cruel fire. Unlike most of my male family members, Cyrus chose to grow a meticulously-groomed beard, heavily streaked with gray.

  My great-uncle lifted his hand in a silent command. The three House Guard mages moved to take up defensive positions near the door.

  “Lord Cyrus,” I greeted in a neutral tone.

  “I must say, I am surprised that you have returned,” Cyrus observed, skipping the usual sort of pleasantries that should have been second nature to the Head of a high House. He didn't try to hide his distaste for me, despite his bland expression. “I fully expected you to take advantage of the opportunity to distance yourself from House Alcyone, but… here you are.”

  “It was just a vacation,” I replied, trying to keep my voice earnest. “I wished to see more of the world outside the Empire. Of course I would return to continue my education.”

  “Do not insult my intelligence.” Cyrus's expression darkened. “You've always been a terrible liar, Lily. Just like your mother.” He placed his fingertips together upon the table and fixed me with a piercing glare. “Tell me why you've returned.”

  I met his glare with one of my own. “You know why.”

  “You had to have known that returning would make no difference whatsoever,” Cyrus continued without missing a beat. “You are the daughter of an accused traitor to the Empire, a woman who profited from my dear brother's felonious conspiracy to deny me the position I had been raised to inherit. All of that wo
uld be more than enough for the Imperial Court to view your position with a jaundiced eye, but of course, there's more.”

  “You thought I would abandon Mother to her death and hide from you in Fialla?” I countered with a great deal of scorn in my voice.

  “I thought you would have been intelligent enough to realize it was your only chance of survival, but perhaps I overestimated you.” The coldness in Cyrus's eyes doubled and redoubled and he glared at me with unrestrained enmity. “There is nothing you can do to save her. My dear niece has sealed her own fate. Now that you've returned, there's nothing you can do to save yourself—or that debased Fiallan whore you gave yourself to.”

  My lips curled into a snarl. “Don't.”

  “'Don't?' My dear, it's already done. I did not come here today to argue with you about your appointment to the Academy or your tuition payments. I came here to lure you into the open… and you took the bait oh-so-eagerly.”

  Cyrus raised a hand. The three House Guard mages came forward, and it was at that moment that I realized they weren't just some of the family's hired soldiers. All three men cast aside their blue over-robes emblazoned with the Alcyone sigil, and two of them drew short blades that glinted with the telltale watery pattern of corrupted aetherium.

  They were IPSB agents. I was in trouble.

  “Lily Alcyone, daughter of Juno Alcyone, you are hereby placed under arrest for the crimes of attempted defection, attempted espionage and aiding an enemy of the Empire,” one of the IPSB agents informed me. The one who hadn't drawn a blade took a step closer. “Stand. Place your hands behind your back and prepare to receive restraints.”

  I didn't move.

  “Lily, you really should cooperate,” Cyrus said in an airy, self-satisfied tone. “If you resist, they will ensure you are no longer capable of resistance. It will not be comfortable, I assure you. Your paltry barrier won't last five seconds against disrupting blades.”