Beside me, Aren says, “I won’t mention to Lena the way you’re taking control of her people.”
“I haven’t taken control of anyone.”
“Everyone here who understands English will follow your order,” he says. “No one wants to cross the nalkin-shom.”
“You really have to stop spreading rumors about me.”
He grins. I roll my eyes.
I feel good, though. Compared to the place I held in Atroth’s Court, this is a welcome change.
It’s the middle of the day in Corrist. The city isn’t deserted like it was the last time I passed through it, but there’s still a noticeable difference in the number of fae on the streets now compared to the number on the streets when Atroth was in power, and everyone we pass seems to be on edge.
Aren doesn’t take back roads to the palace this time. He leads us down the Avenue of the Descendants. In the plaza outside the palace, guards question and search the fae who want an audience with Lena or with one of the high nobles. They have offices in the palace as well as in their residences, both here in the Inner City and back in their home provinces.
The guards let us enter after talking to Aren. We step inside the huge greeting hall in the palace’s south wing. It’s designed to impress visitors. Twin staircases arch up to the left and right, joining together beneath a chandelier lit with magic in the center of the room. The banisters are a shiny, untarnished silver. It’s an extravagance. So are the silver drapes making waves on the high ceiling.
“Well, this is fucking beautiful,” Paige says, stopping to take everything in. I almost smile. I’ve always appreciated her bluntness.
A fae approaches us, one of the guards Aren talked to when we entered. He hands two heavy cloaks to Aren, who then holds one out for Paige and the other for Lee. Both humans are drier than they were before, but the air in Corrist is cool. They have to be freezing.
Lee takes his, but Paige keeps her arms folded. “I’m fine.”
“To cover the lightning,” Aren says without a pause. It’s a lie. We don’t need to hide our chaos lusters in the palace, but it gives Paige a reason to accept the cloak without feeling like he’s doing her a favor.
It works, and I give Aren a small smile when he returns to me. He didn’t have to do that, but it was considerate of him.
“Paige has…an interesting personality,” Aren says, as she and Lee trail the two fae leading the way deeper into the palace.
“Yeah,” I say, watching her pull on the cloak while she looks around the greeting hall again. I recognize the expression she’s wearing. I wore it ten years ago when I first came to the Realm. I was intoxicated by this world and its magic. So is she, and it’s weird, seeing chaos lusters on her skin. They seem to go with her personality, though. They’re as spontaneous as she is, and they dart across her face and hands like they’re accessories.
“She can see us,” he says, sounding as if he’s speaking more to himself than to me. He’s just as confused as I am. Paige has the Sight; she didn’t before. Something changed since the wedding. Something or someone gave her the Sight.
“Could a fae have done it?” I ask. “Maybe with a magic that’s supposed to be extinct?”
“I’ve never heard any rumor of it. Humans are either born with the Sight or they’re not.” After a moment, he adds, “I suppose there’s a chance it might be possible. What about the other human? What do you know about him?”
“Just that he’s Naito’s brother.”
“Right. Trev,” Aren calls. The other fae approaches. To me, he seems kind of reluctant, but when Aren orders him to find Naito and bring him to Lena, he nods.
After Trev leaves, I tell Aren, “I think the remnants told Paige you kidnapped me.”
“Well, that’s true,” he says, throwing me a quick grin that makes my stomach flip.
“Yes, but all the time she’s been around the fae, she thought I was being held captive and that she was with the good guys.”
“You need to talk to her,” he says, as we enter the northern wing of the palace.
“Alone, if possible.”
He nods. “We’ll talk to Lena first, then see what Naito has to say.”
The huge, gilded doors to the throne room are closed when we get there. The smaller door set into the left side is cracked open, though. It’s dark inside. The fae who led us here stop and motion for Paige and Lee to wait, but Aren ushers me forward.
It takes a second for my eyes to adjust. When they do, I see that fae are covering each of the room’s tall windows with black cloths that are stretched between a series of long poles. Lena is sitting on the throne. She doesn’t look comfortable there. She’s sitting straight and staring at a fae clad in black in the center of the room. So are the nobles standing on either side of her dais. They aren’t all high nobles, but I do recognize Lord Kaeth and Lord Hison. A few other important fae are here, too. Even the archivist, Kavok, has come out of his hole for this. Like Lena, they’re all staring at the black-clad fae.
The fae doesn’t leave his position in the center of the room, but his arms are almost in constant motion.
“I wish you could see this.” Aren practically breathes the words. His gaze is riveted on the center of the room, but I was wrong about what the others are watching. They’re not staring at the black-clad fae; they’re staring at the illusions he’s creating.
That has to be what this is. I’ve heard of fae who have the ability to turn a darkened room or an amphitheater into entirely different settings. Some tell entire stories with their illusions. Others are only strong enough to add special effects to a stage show. I think this fae is different, though. The way Aren’s gaze sweeps the room, following an object to the ceiling, then back down again, makes me think this is pure art.
The fae’s arms go still, breaking the spell he has over the throne room. The windows are uncovered then, and the nobles clap. Lena waits until they’re finished before she says, “Thank you, Daron. I will let you know.”
“Let him know what?” I ask Aren, keeping my voice low.
“Daron wants to be named Lena’s Court Illusionist,” he says. “It’s a respected position and will signify he’s one of the best illusionists in the Realm. I promised him he could perform for her if he created a lightning storm in Rhigh.”
“He did that?” I look at the black-clad fae again.
Aren nods. “He’s an old friend of mine.”
The fact that he doesn’t say more than that tells me they were friends back when Aren worked with Thrain. That darkens my mood.
At the other end of the throne room, Lena’s voice rings out. “You may go.”
Daron gives her a respectful bow. Lena watches him retreat. Then she must see Aren and me standing here because she adds, “You may all go.”
The nobles look reluctant to leave, but eventually, they make their way out. Kavok follows them, giving me a pleasant smile until he sees Paige and Lee waiting just outside the door.
“Are they shadow-readers?” he asks.
That’s actually a good question. I look at the two humans, take a guess. “I don’t think so.”
He seems disappointed by that. I don’t know if I am or not. It would be nice to have another shadow-reader just like it would be nice to have more Sighted humans. It would lighten my responsibilities, give all of us more time off. I might even have a better chance at getting and keeping a job. On the other hand, I don’t want to bring anyone else into this war. I especially don’t want Paige to be involved in it. It’s not that she needs protection or can’t handle this new world or anything, but she’s been perfectly fine and happy before all of this. The only reason she’s here is because of me, and I hate being at fault for that.
“Can I find you in the archives later?” I ask Kavok, before he leaves. Maybe he’s come across a story in the Realm’s literature or history about a fae giving humans the Sight.
“Of course,” he says with a smile.
He and the rest of the fae
exit the throne room, leaving behind only the guards, Lena, and Kyol, who’s standing to the left of her dais. Aren dismisses the fae who escorted Paige and Lee here, then we all approach the throne.
“Obviously, it turned out not to be a false lead,” Lena says, standing to study the two humans. “A trap?”
Paige rolls her eyes when Lena switches to Fae. She never would have worked for Atroth. There’s no way she’d put up with his rules. I honestly don’t know how I did for so long, now. Habit, maybe. In the beginning, I wanted to be near Kyol, the king was nice to me, and it felt good to be needed. I didn’t understand the Realm and its magic, so I was willing to follow the rules just so I wouldn’t harm it. All those reasons seem weak now; they didn’t at the time.
“Atroth’s Sighted humans were there,” Aren says. “They were dead.”
“Dead?” Lena asks sharply. “Are you sure?”
“Tortured and killed,” Aren says. “I’m sure.”
Beside Lena, Kyol straightens. “It doesn’t make sense for the remnants to kill them.”
Kyol is an expert at hiding his emotions, but his words are so monotone and spoken so softly, I know he’s not unaffected by the news. He worked with all the Sighted humans at one time or another, and he recruited at least one of them. It’s not his fault they’re dead, but he considered protecting them one of his many responsibilities.
“It makes slightly more sense if they can make more,” Aren says. Kyol and Lena focus on him, but he doesn’t elaborate. He’s looking back at the entrance to the hall. Naito’s there, walking toward us with his hands in his pockets and his gaze focused on the strip of carpet beneath his feet.
I glance at Lee. He sees his brother, too, and turns to face him fully. Naito doesn’t look up until he reaches us. He takes everyone in, lingering for a few seconds on Paige, then finally resting his gaze on Lee. We’re all quiet, waiting for one of them to say something. Lee breaks the silence first.
“Naito,” he says, his jaw visibly clenching and unclenching.
Not even a twitch from Naito to show he recognizes Lee. Aren looks at me. I give him a tight-lipped smile in return. Aren and Naito are friends. We both want him to get better, but neither one of us knows how to help.
Lena turns away from them, faces Aren. “What do you mean, ‘make more’?”
“She didn’t have the Sight three weeks ago,” he says, motioning to Paige. “Someone gave it to—”
I don’t know where the knife comes from. One second, Naito is standing there all still and sober, the next, he’s closed the distance between him and his brother. Light from one of the hall’s tall windows glints off Naito’s blade as he slashes out.
EIGHTEEN
LEE’S QUICK. NAITO aims for his heart, but he turns his body sideways and bends out of the way.
Naito’s momentum takes him past his brother. He swings his left fist back, manages to hammer Lee in the face as he brings his dagger around a second time. But Aren steps in, blocking Naito’s attack and disarming him in a move too quick to follow.
“Naito, stop!” Aren gets his arms around the human. “Stop!”
Naito struggles, trying to get at Lee. He hasn’t been this animated since Kelia died, and it’s as if he’s unleashing all his bottled-up rage and pain at once until, all of a sudden, he stops.
Cautiously, Aren loosens his hold. “Are you done?”
“How did you get here?” Naito demands, his chest rising and falling as if it can barely contain his fury.
“Nice to see you again, too, brother,” Lee says, running a hand over his jaw and working it back and forth.
Naito’s nostrils flare. I swear he’s about to launch himself at Lee again, but then, his forehead creases. He looks from Lee to Paige, then back to Lee again.
“Son of a bitch,” he says. “He did it.”
Lee’s face hardens. He sticks his hands in his pockets but doesn’t break eye contact with his brother.
“Did what?” Aren asks.
Naito remains focused on Lee as well. “He was trying to find a way to give normal humans the Sight.”
Lena, who’s been watching the interaction between the two humans with a mildly curious expression, suddenly appears to be very interested.
“What?” she demands.
“I should have realized it in Germany,” Naito says. “Or in Montana. I thought my father had a lot of humans with him, but I didn’t think…”
Lena takes a step toward him. “What do you mean?”
“Nakano gave them the Sight?” Aren asks, turning to look at both Paige and Lee.
“Lee gave me the Sight,” Paige says. “I’ve never met his dad.”
Lena grabs Naito’s arm. “Why didn’t you tell us this before?”
He jerks his arm free. “I didn’t know. I thought most of them were firing blindly whenever they saw the underbrush move. That’s what they’ve always done.”
“Lena.” Kyol speaks her name softly but firmly. A muscle in her cheek twitches then, all the emotions she shouldn’t be showing in front of her guards—anger, worry, fear—vanish.
“How does he give people the Sight?” she asks, her voice cool.
Naito slides his hands into his pockets and says, “He was working on a serum.”
“And you didn’t think to tell us about this before now?” Lena is still calm but just barely.
Naito shakes his head, more in disbelief than in response to Lena. “I never thought it would work.”
I glance at Paige. Well, clearly it did work. Paige’s life has been turned completely upside down, all because Lee wanted to find me.
Lena’s mouth narrows into a thin line as she looks at Paige. I know why she’s worried. If the remnants know what we do, they’ll try to get the serum. They might already have it. If they do, they have the ability to make an army of Sighted humans with who knows how many shadow-readers among them. Our illusionists will be useless. We’ll be unable to fissure to safety. In short, we’ll be screwed.
“Do the remnants know about this?” For some reason, Lena’s asking Paige, not Lee. Maybe it’s because Paige is my friend and, therefore, more likely to help us than the son of a vigilante, but Paige meets Lena’s gaze, and says, “I don’t know.”
She’s lying. One of her ex-boyfriends discovered her tell a few years back. He was a wannabe pro poker player, and he noticed she always jutted her chin out after a bluff. It’s jutted out now, just the slightest bit.
“How do we get it?” Lena demands.
“You captured a fae yesterday,” Paige says. “Tylan. I want to talk to him.”
Lena raises an eyebrow. “Do you?”
It’s the wrong tone to take with Paige. She squares her shoulders and doesn’t look away. She has no clue how dangerous Lena is. She has no clue how dangerous all the fae are.
“Let me talk to him, and I’ll consider telling you where the Sight serum is,” Paige says.
“Paige.” Lee takes her arm, whispers something into her ear. I can’t hear it. The fae have better hearing than I do, but by the way Lena leans toward them, I’m not sure she picks it up either.
“We don’t need her to tell us where it is.” Naito’s voice is cold. He meets Lena’s gaze. “Send me back to Earth. I’ll get it.”
In my peripheral vision, I see Aren shake his head. Naito sees it, too. He rounds on the fae. “You should want him dead as much as I do.”
“We’re not protecting your father,” Aren counters. He doesn’t back away even though it looks like Naito’s one second away from ripping out his throat. “People make mistakes when they’re angry and mourning.”
Naito’s eyes are hard. “I won’t make a mistake.”
There’s a harsh laugh from my right. Lee. His jaw is swelling, but it doesn’t seem to be bothering him anymore. He glares at Naito with eyes that are just as dark and angry as his brother’s.
“Dad was right,” he says. “You’ve gone native, and you aren’t coming back. You’re turning your back on yo
ur family.”
“My family”—Naito practically spits the word—“turned its back on me first. I know why you’re here, Lee. I was born with the Sight. That made me Dad’s favorite. Now, you can see the fae, and you have Dad’s blessing to kill me. You’ve been dreaming about this day for years, haven’t you?”
Before Lee can answer, Paige’s eyes go wide. She turns on him. “God, tell me that’s not true.”
Lee grimaces. That hits me as odd. There’s major family drama going on here, and Naito’s tone has been scathing this whole time. Lee hasn’t flinched once. But at Paige’s comment? I don’t have much evidence to go by, but I’d bet everything I own that Lee has a thing for Paige. It’s not a surprise. I can’t exactly explain what it is about her, but she’s the type of girl that all guys want. The way she presents herself draws attention. She’s the life of the party, the girl you call if you need a friend to hang out with. In short, she’s fun. I wish I could be half as lighthearted as she is—I was back in high school—but the last decade of my life has been spent reading shadows and seeing fae. Seeing so much death and violence kind of puts things into perspective.
“Paige, you don’t understand,” Lee says. “My father lost his arm—”
“‘I haven’t seen my brother in years.’ ‘I need to know he’s alive.’” Paige’s mocking imitation of Lee is actually pretty good. “I was helping you because I thought you cared about him.”
“That’s enough of this,” Lena cuts in, descending to the middle step of her dais. She looks at Naito. “You know where your father is keeping the serum?”
“I can find out.”
“I’ll have Trev fissure you home,” she says. “But you have to promise not to go after your father on your own. We need the serum first.”
We need more than the serum, actually—all his father’s notes and research, his backed-up documents, hell, maybe even his scientist—but something in the way Lena’s talking about all of this bothers me. It’s like she’s hinging all her hope on winning this war on getting the serum. Or, more specifically, getting more Sighted humans.
The Shattered Dark Page 19
