Radiant's Honor (Founders Series Book 2)

by Mari Dietz

  “If you take up naked building, I might say something then.”

  William walked over to the broken grate. “Why did you pop out of the ground in my testing room? And do I want to know what that smell is?” He didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but he stayed apart from her as they left the room. The woman was nowhere to be seen as they left.

  “That was the first grate that finally opened. I’d been wandering in the dark for I don’t know how long before I finally saw the light.”

  “The masked people?”

  Vic nodded. “They trapped us. I need to get back and see if Freddie and Ivy made it out okay.” She rolled her eyes as he stepped farther away. “I get it, I smell. Do you want to walk a block ahead of me?”

  He moved next to her. They walked at a fast clip toward Nyx. He almost suggested they get a water taxi, but he changed his mind since Vic’s clothing would mess up the poor driver’s boat. His legs burned as he walked with her. He’d spent most of the day hauling around stone, and he wanted to shower and pass out.

  William focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Close to the Order, a rather large, muscular man with a short, curvy woman waited. The woman ran to them and screeched to a halt before giving Vic a hug.

  “Blight, you took another sewer bath?” the small woman stated. She craned her neck to look at William. “And you picked up a man?”

  “I guess so. I got lost, and you don’t want to know how badly I need a week of showers.”

  “Girl, I see it. We ran around in the sewers all day looking for you. We were about to start another round.”

  The tower of muscles nodded and stepped next to the woman. William swallowed at his attention.

  “This is Freddie and Ivy. They’re on my team. This is my friend William.”

  Ivy quirked her head. “He looks familiar.”

  William shifted and adjusted his harness over his sweaty shirt, but her attention had already shifted off him.

  “Team?” Ivy reached out to smack Vic but stopped before she got dirty. “You keep acting on your own. We would’ve gotten out together. You don’t get to sacrifice yourself!”

  Vic flinched away. “They were after me.”

  “So? You. Don’t. Leave. Us.” The short woman yelling up at Vic would have been comical, but William had a feeling she could win in a fight against all of them.

  The small woman glared at Vic. William had never seen Vic so cowed before.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Trust your team.” A moment of silence passed, and she sighed. “Go shower. I’m too tired to keep lecturing you. William, look after her.”

  He felt like he should salute, but he nodded instead. They walked away. “Kai’s house?”

  “Yeah, I don’t want to see Landon while covered in sewage.” They walked at a slower pace than before. “I’m sorry I didn’t come to wish you luck this morning. I was a bit busy.” She’d spent all day wandering in the dark, smelling like dry poop, and she was apologizing to him?

  William warmed at the thought. After everything she’d gone through, she’d remembered that she’d intended to stop by. “Don’t worry. I completely understand. You have good teammates there.”

  “I really do. I think I’d rather do everything myself and take the blow than let someone else get hurt.”

  They reached Kai’s house. “Is it because your sister wouldn’t let you?”

  Vic removed her boots in the doorway. “Hmm, maybe. Do you care if I wash up first?”

  William gestured to the bathroom. “Go for it. Put your clothing outside the door, and I’ll get you something to wear.”

  Vic gingerly touched the door and entered the bathroom. After a moment, he heard the shower running. He went to the room Sam slept in and grabbed an extra set of his sleepwear. William ignored Kai’s extra clothes, and he didn’t grab Xiona’s clothing, even though it would fit Vic better. He checked Xiona’s room, and it was still empty. Sam was asleep in his bed.

  He waited a long time before Vic reached out to grab the clean clothing. The smell of his body wash wafted out of the room. She emerged dressed in his blue shirt and pants. William swallowed. He liked how she looked in his clothes. She ran her fingers through her damp hair.

  “I also cleaned the shower and floor—just in case.”

  His throat felt thick, so he bobbed his head in reply. He went to shower, and the room filled with steam and the smell of cleaner. William ran the hot water and washed the dried mud off his legs. His thoughts drifted back to Vic wearing his clothes, and his skin heated. He turned the water slightly cold. Now it felt like a radiant bath.

  He shut his eyes under the spray of water. Now that he had the job, he would somehow need to hold on to it until he found out information on the vitals. The plan lacked any more details since no one knew how to get inside Haven. Even if he did, would he connect to the relic? He rinsed his hair and let the cool water pound on his back. What did it matter? It wasn’t like he cared about magic, but if he did connect with the relic, he wouldn’t be able to see her again.

  William shut off the water, dried himself off, and dressed in an outfit that matched Vic’s.

  When he came out, the floor smelled of cleaner, and the scent of melted cheese filled the room. Vic set two large sandwiches on the table. “I’m sorry I used the last of your cheese.”

  “No, that’s fine. Help yourself.”

  She used a knife to cut her sandwich in half. “So, you like blue?” Her fingers brushed his as she handed him the knife.

  William’s neck heated. “Yeah, I guess so.”

  The air grew strangely thick between them. They both looked away, and he bit into his food. “This is fantastic.” Cheese, veggies, and eggs danced on his tongue.

  “Melting it makes all the difference. My sister and I …” She stopped. “I know I talk about her a lot.”

  William lightly touched her hand. “Go ahead. I enjoy hearing about her.”

  Her lip trembled. “When I talk about her, it makes it feel like she never left.”

  “I get that. I talk to Sam like normal most days.” He glanced at Sam’s door. “He isn’t like most radiant. He mostly says, ‘Do what you must,’ and it almost feels like he’s judging me like he used to.”

  Vic furrowed her brow. “I don’t mean to sound insensitive, but maybe those with the forced change don’t take it as well?”

  “Xiona seems normal.” William debated whether he should tell Vic she wasn’t here. Bomrosy did always bring her back. He would talk to her first, then tell Vic. She’d barely finished her sandwich before drooping at the table.

  “Get some sleep.”

  Vic fought to open her eyes. “Sit with me on the sofa for a bit?”

  Why did his heart pound every time those green eyes met his? “Sure.” William tried to act normal. She came over often, so why did it feel different tonight?

  They sat on the sofa, and as they leaned back, their bodies shifted closer. They shared stories of their siblings, and Vic eventually closed her eyes, a peaceful look on her face. William moved, and her head rolled onto his shoulder. He smoothed back her brilliant red hair, and he let himself, just this once, fall asleep with her in his arms.

  10

  Vic

  The smell of clean linen surrounded her. Part of her wanted to stay in William’s arms. As soon as that thought crossed her mind, she scooted away so as not to wake him. She looked down at his sleeping form and admired his peaceful face. The ruffled hair made him seem vulnerable, and she stopped herself from putting it back to its normal order. He’d changed so much, from a person she couldn’t stand to be around to someone she found steady and comforting, almost like a journey in a calm part of the canal. Maybe this was him before he’d taken on the responsibility of a relic for his father. Samuel had mentioned how much he’d changed, and she hoped that he would be proud of who his brother was becoming.

  The door opened, and Samuel was in the doorway. He nodded at her and went to make bre
akfast. Vic didn’t want to eat any more of their food, so she grabbed her clean clothes and boots out of the laundry and changed. She felt relaxed as the smell of William surrounded her while she dressed.

  She left the brother behind and ran to the Order. Vic and Kai hadn’t had time to talk since their fight, and it left her feeling uneasy. His not understanding her frustrated her. Trying to think ahead of GicCorp was hard enough, and they needed to stand together. She understood the frustration of the early stages of planning, but they couldn’t fall apart yet. The flame had only sputtered; it was time to coax it gently into an inferno.

  Vic reached the Order and jogged up the steps to her room. She opened the door and balked when she ran into Kai. Her bed was rumpled but no different from normal. Her bed never got properly made, but from the looks of Kai’s slept-in clothes and how her blanket was folded, he must have slept in her room.

  “Where have you been?” he asked. She couldn’t read his face. She saw the same black circles under his red eyes.

  “I was checking on William and Samuel,” Vic hedged carefully.

  His eyes clouded at the mention of the former radiant. The weight of their last exchange crowded in the space between them.

  “Did he get the job?”

  “Yes.”

  The silence ate the room.

  Kai gestured at the door. “I’ve been looking for you. Maddox is here to start on the doors. I figured she’d be more comfortable with you.”

  “Oh, okay.” He walked out. “Kai?”

  “Yes?”

  She got the feeling he didn’t want to talk. Maybe he’d come last night to air out their fight, but when she mentioned William these days, he closed off. “Are we okay?”

  He looked at her without seeing her. There was no intensity in his face, and he treated her like they shared nothing between them. “Don’t make Maddox wait too long.”

  Vic’s heart sank. She took a deep breath and followed him down to his office. They needed to talk, but she didn’t want to distract him from the job. Maddox sat waiting in the office, and her brows rose as they entered the room. Vic trailed after him like she’d broken a rule and was about to be disciplined. The ease of their relationship had taken a vacation, and she didn’t know if it would return.

  “Now that you’re back, get her some of your clothes before you go down.” He sat at his desk and shoved some pens into a container.

  “Fine.”

  Vic left with Maddox without saying another word. In her room, Maddox opened her mouth to say something as Vic handed her some clothes, but she shut her mouth and got changed into reaper black instead. She eyed the masks Vic placed on the nightstand. “Do these help?”

  “You’ll still smell the lovely sewers, but they kind of help.”

  Maddox grimaced and put on more than one. Vic stifled her laughter. They avoided the other reapers and headed down to Bomrosy’s workshop.

  Bomrosy was busy putting hinges and latches into a bag, and she left a few out on the table. She swung her head around as they entered, her braids swinging over her shoulder.

  “Just in time.” She handed the pack to Vic. “I’m guessing you’re the packhorse?”

  She took the heavy pack and put it on. “Yeah.”

  Bomrosy held up the latches and hinges to Maddox. “They’ll need to face this way, and this side goes on the tunnel side. They can then be released remotely.”

  “Remotely?”

  Bomrosy practically shook with excitement. Her eyes lit up as she showed off her latest brainchild. “Yes! It sends a communication to the latches and hinges so we can close, open, unlock, and lock them. You see, this sends out the signal.” She pressed buttons and chattered on. “This way, we don’t need to rely on magic energy or running down to shut the doors in the sewers. The tracking from using that energy could get us in trouble. But it all comes down to the signal and which frequency it’s on. Since no one else uses this tech, there’s no worry that anyone will intercept it.”

  Vic’s eyes glazed over as Bomrosy spoke.

  Bomrosy poked Vic. “I lost you, didn’t I?”

  Vic started. “Oh no, very interesting transmitty thingy.” She’d gotten used to Bomrosy’s excitement over the last few weeks, but her mind wandered back to Kai and their interaction. She wanted to fix their relationship, but she didn’t know how. Shouldn’t he apologize for his assumptions? She mentally shoved out all those thoughts. She needed to stay focused to help Maddox. Even though it wasn’t too late in the day, it still wasn’t safe in the sewers.

  Maddox laughed. “I think the radiant would appreciate it more than us magic users. It’s neat, though.”

  Bomrosy groaned in a long-suffering way and put the last three items in Vic’s pack.

  “Oh, I have something for you.” The stone she’d found still sat in her pocket. She hoped it getting washed hadn’t damaged it. She handed it to Bomrosy.

  Her friend’s eyebrows shot up to her hairline. “Where did you find this?” She sat down and pulled out various tools and a microscope.

  “I hate to say it, but I got lost in the sewers and found it in a room. Is it important?”

  Bomrosy held it up to the light, and her eyes glimmered. “I don’t know, but it might be. If it is, I hope you can find that room again.”

  “It’s at the end of a swim down shit river … so I’m not sure I want to.” Vic didn’t know if she could find that room again. If she went down the feces river again, maybe, but for a few rocks, she didn’t want another bath. Maybe she could let Bomrosy have at it. Toss over a boat and wish her luck.

  Maddox pulled down her masks, her face already beaded with sweat. “You’ve developed weird hobbies.”

  Vic heard a noise in Bomrosy’s room, and her gaze shifted to her friend. Maddox hadn’t heard anything and was putting her masks back over her face. Vic leaned forward and widened her eyes at Bomrosy, then flicked her head toward Bomrosy’s room. Had she brought Xiona back?

  Bomrosy looked away from Vic and found her tools very interesting to stare at.

  Vic closed her eyes. They couldn’t talk about it with Maddox right there. “Let’s go build some doors.”

  Maddox nodded, and they went to the back of Bomrosy’s shop. Vic slid the giant stone door aside and shut it behind them. Then they walked down an extensive set of stairs to another stone door. The smell grew thicker as they continued down. Her skin itched at the thought of being down here so much. After the dunk in the river, her skin still didn’t feel clean. If these doors worked out and she didn’t need to run around in the sewage anymore, Vic swore she would kiss Bomrosy.

  Vic slid open the last door, and the smell hit them in the face. Maddox stepped back.

  Vic chuckled. “Welcome to my world.”

  “I might as well build a home down here.” Vic plodded through the sewer with Maddox at her side. She held back another yawn as they walked through the main tunnel toward the swamp. They’d decided on the line farthest from Boreus territory. With Tristan’s threat toward them if they modified the sewers, the doors Maddox built would help not make the new gates obvious, although they couldn’t be sure how Tristan gained information.

  “Gross. Why would you do that?” Maddox’s voice was muffled through multiple masks.

  “Might get more sleep if I stay down here.” The sight of people’s waste was more welcoming than Landon’s indignant face. With all her problems swirling in her mind, the second felt like an excellent target for her anger.

  Maddox cleared her throat. “So, when I came today, you weren’t sleeping in your room, but Kai was. And he didn’t know where you were, so he stayed there without you? Like, does he cuddle your pillows or something?”

  Vic’s stomach did a strange flip. She’d assumed as much when she’d run into Kai this morning. He must have sent Maddox to wait in his office while he’d stayed. She’d missed out on her chance to talk to him. “I stayed at his house …”

  “With someone else?” Maddox teased. “Could
it be the man who lifted you out of your wine puddle?” Her eyes danced with mirth as Vic’s face grew red behind her mask.

  Her teeth clamped down, and Maddox crowed with laughter. “It is! With that glare you gave me over flirting with Kai! You have another man!” She shoved Vic playfully.

  “No, he’s a friend.” Vic continued to the next passageway and handed Maddox the next latch and hinges.

  Maddox continued to laugh, and her wand glowed as it formed a door big enough to span the tunnel. “Does Kai know about this friend?” She held out the hinges, and the stone molded around them. Next, she placed the latch after swinging the stone door closed so it fit the side tunnel. The door stayed the same texture while in the wall, but it was smooth when it was shut. Someone would have to be looking carefully for the hinges and latches if they wanted to see them in the gloomy lighting of the sewers.

  Vic didn’t understand how the hinges worked. She kept Maddox safe from mogs while they placed them in the right direction. Tech stayed foreign to her, but if more people cared about Bomrosy’s devices, then the problem of blight could fade into history. Maybe she should talk her father into investing in Bomrosy’s inventions. They could squeeze that in between trying to stay alive and rebelling against GicCorp.

  Maddox finished the door and stood back to admire her handiwork. Her eyebrows rose when she faced Vic. “You aren’t going to answer my question?”

  Vic kicked a loose rock into the sewage river. “Kai knows he stays at his house.”

  “Does he know that you stay there?”

  “I don’t!” The words shot out, but she thought about most of last week, when she’d stayed on the sofa more often than in her own room. “Well, not too much.”

  Maddox stopped walking. “You like him.”

  “I don’t!”

  “You like him. Why is that a bad thing?”

  Vic continued to walk, leaving Maddox to catch up with her. “I’m with Kai. I like Kai. Can’t a woman have a male friend without it being about romance?” Like the ex-radiant? Never. Not all relationships with the opposite sex needed to be romantic. So what if she stayed over there more often than at the Order? Being with William was less stressful. It didn’t matter that she felt more relaxed with him. With Kai, they had a thing. Right?