Copper Veins

by Jennifer Allis Provost

  I giggled. “Is Micah in our rooms?” I asked.

  “I suppose,” Sadie replied, bumping my shoulder with hers. I didn’t bother defending myself, since what she was insinuating was completely and totally accurate. Instead, I left the supervision of the ice cream to her and practically ran up the stairs.

  I opened my bedroom door and was greeted by the sight of Micah taking off his shirt. His back was to me, so I was treated to an excellent view of his mark, beautiful tendrils of silver arching across his shoulder blades and trailing down his back like an abstract pair of wings. When we’d first met, Micah’s mark had been as masculine as he: hard, angular streaks against his caramel skin. Since his recovery in the silver cairn, his mark was more delicate—feminine, even—and what were once strong lines of silver were now airy filigrees. I wondered if the change was due to my presence while he healed.

  I eased the door shut and made it across the room before Micah turned around, gently tracing the metal on his back with my fingertips. He sighed as if I’d put a warm compress against his skin. He was no stranger to the unbridled sensuality of fingers caressing his mark, and neither was I.

  “Back so soon?” he murmured, reaching to wrap an arm around my shoulders.

  “Yeah. Dad wanted to go to the old basement at the Raven Compound. He didn’t know it was here.” I took Micah’s shirt from his hands, letting it fall to the floor as I sat on the edge of our bed. “So. What’re you up to?”

  “I was about to bathe,” he replied, setting a knee on either side of my hips.

  “Bathe? Why?” I pressed, giving him my best eyelash-flutters.

  “For you, of course.” Then his arms were around me, his lips nibbling my neck as he pushed me into the center of our bed.

  “No boots in bed,” I said coyly, nodding toward his footwear. Micah blew out an exasperated breath, but shed the boots nonetheless. Then he was on top of me again. Only, I wanted to be the one on top.

  He laughed when I flipped him over, only to fall silent as I kissed his lips, his chin, his neck. I let my hands trail over his chest, down to his abdomen and to the smooth leather laces of his pants. I fought with them for a moment, but a few bits of leather were no match for a bride the day after her wedding. I sank my fingers into the soft, silvery curls at his groin, my mouth following close behind. Micah groaned, thrusting his fingers into my hair as his back arched in pleasure. I wondered how long I could make him suffer.

  “Sara?” Sadie’s voice wafted through the bedroom door accompanied by an impatient knock.

  “Not here,” I murmured before returning to the task at hand.

  “Sara, Dad wants to talk to you.” Before I could yell something a bit more forceful at the door, Micah tilted up my chin.

  “If your father desires a word with you, you should speak with him,” he said.

  “But—”

  “We have forever,” Micah said, smoothing back my hair. “A conversation or two won’t delay us overmuch.” I heard what Micah left unsaid—that he’d give anything for one more conversation with his parents.

  I smiled, agreeing with him. I yelled to Sadie that we’d be down in a moment, and straightened my clothes while Micah redressed himself. I knew he was right, that we had forever and that granting my long-missing father twenty minutes of my time was nothing in the greater scheme of things, but that didn’t ease my frustration in the slightest.

  “If we don’t get to fricken’ do it soon I’m gonna go fricken’ crazy,” I muttered.

  “If we don’t get to do what?” Micah asked, all knowing smiles and devious eyes. I swatted his elbow and went downstairs to find out what the heck was so all-fired important.

  A few minutes later, all of the Corbeaus and Silverstrands were clustered in the sitting room, watching as Dad paced before the hearth. Micah and I had tried to claim the couch for ourselves, but Sadie had gotten there first and refused to budge. Luckily, it was more than big enough for three.

  Max sat across from Dad, gazing at him with blatant reverence. Mom was seated beside Max, but she watched Dad with something closer to incredulity. I figured she was still mad over the disappearing act he’d pulled last night, as well she should’ve been.

  Once we were all accounted for, the silverkin passed around bowls of ice cream, tiny perfect scoops of black raspberry and double chocolate. It was a little runny, but the big chunks of raspberry and deliciously bittersweet chocolate more than made up for it. It was their first crack at ice cream, after all.

  “We in the resistance have learned some important things recently,” Dad began, forgoing any sort of introduction. “We have the details regarding certain sudden and devastating weaknesses that have appeared within our government, and within the upcoming election. It looks like your toppling of the Institute for Elemental Research shook the Peacekeepers to their core,” Dad added, with a nod toward Sadie. “It took the remaining staff nearly two weeks to escape the metal dome you created.”

  “That wasn’t me,” Sadie said around mouthfuls of mint chip. Why hadn’t I gotten any mint chip? “Sara created the dome.”

  Dad’s brow furrowed. “Our reports stated that the Inheritor was responsible for destroying the facility.”

  “Reports were wrong,” I said, craning my neck to find Shep. “The Peacekeepers said that they wouldn’t let us leave, and I freaked. Next thing I knew, all of Ferra’s warriors and the Peacekeepers’ drones and weapons were squashed into a dome. I don’t even know how I did it.”

  “Interesting,” Dad said, rubbing his chin. Dad went on, but I had no idea what he was talking about since Micah had managed to secure a bowl of mint chip for us to share. We were laughing, spooning the ice cream into each other’s mouths, until Dad decided to blow a gasket.

  “Sara!” he bellowed. Confused, I tore my gaze from Micah to Dad. “Is it too much to ask that you pay attention when I speak?”

  Mortified, I set the bowl down in my lap. “Sorry. You said there were events affecting the election?”

  Dad glared at me for another few moments, then he continued. “Yes. It seems that doubts have been raised of late regarding the effectiveness of the frontrunner, one Michael Armstrong.”

  “Really?” I said, looking at Max. “When Max and I went to his political rally, it looked like he had all the support in the world. He didn’t even have a party backing him, but both the Pacifists and Mirlanders were all about him. The Mirlander candidate was pretty much booed out of the place.”

  “New intel says otherwise,” Max stated.

  “Yes,” Dad continued. “Once reports were leaked about the destruction of the Institute, the public began to question his competence. ‘If Armstrong can’t manage one facility, how could he manage an entire country,’ things of that nature. We should plan our strike soon.”

  “Strike?” Micah repeated. “Exactly what have you been planning, Baudoin?”

  “The same thing I’ve been planning since I got the call to war,” Dad replied. “To end the Mundane government.”

  As a whole, our mouths gaped and our eyes nearly fell out of our heads—all of us except for Max. He was grinning at Dad like one of those fanatics you find in cults, the ones where they all wear the same sneakers and drink the funny punch. I’d always known that the council of war mages had been put into place to stop the Peacekeepers, but to end the entire government? That government had served Pacifica well for five hundred fricken’ years while the Peacekeepers had only been around for a few decades. Surely Pacifica’s government could be saved. If we got rid of it, who the hell was going to run things?

  “Who are you planning this with?” Mom asked quietly. Startled, Dad turned to face her—I think he’d forgotten she was there.

  “Other war mages, like myself,” he replied.

  “Which war mages?” Mom pressed. When Dad’s brow wrinkled, she added, “I’d just like to know who you’ve been keeping company with all this time.”

  “Yes, Baudoin,” Micah added, “I believe we would all l
ike to know who else is involved in this endeavor. Why don’t you bring them here? I will give you full use of the manor and its land to further your cause.”

  Dad, normally such a smooth talker, didn’t have a reply for that. “They…they wouldn’t like that,” he said slowly.

  “Why?” Mom asked, rising to her feet. “Is it the same council? The one I helped form?”

  “There have been some changes,” Dad replied.

  “Nevertheless, I’d like to meet them,” Micah repeated. “I do not like the thought of my wife rushing off to assist a council I’ve never interacted with. I need assurance that their course, whatever it may be, aligns with Sara’s best interests.”

  “This council’s objective is to release the Mundane world from Peacekeeper control!” Dad shouted. “That is in Sara’s best interest!”

  “Hey,” I said. “Sara’s right here, and she’s got a pretty good handle on her interests.”

  “Forgive me, love,” Micah murmured, his hand at the small of my back as he pulled me close. “I do not mean to decide your actions for you. However, I do not see the value in implementing a plan when we have not met those who have designed it.”

  “Dad’s word is good enough for me,” Max said. “You’d feel the same way if you’d ever lived under Peacekeeper control.”

  “I have not said that I will not support the council’s actions,” Micah said. “I just wish to be better informed. Surely, Baudoin, your resistance would welcome the assistance of another metal Elemental, and a lord at that.”

  Dad nodded, but I could tell he wasn’t pleased at Micah taking over his show. “I will bring up your suggestions when next we meet.”

  Micah nodded, gracefully accepting his victory. Talk died down after that, and we concentrated on our half-melted ice cream. Then Sadie opened a book, which effectively signified the end of our meeting. Dad glared at each of his daughters in turn before stalking out of the room, Mom following close behind. After shooting Micah another glare, just for good measure, Max followed them out.

  “You and Dad sure aren’t getting along,” I murmured, gazing at the doorway.

  “It is not a matter of getting along,” Micah said. “I will not have you following a plan that I’ve not been thoroughly informed of, regardless of whether or not it is your father’s plan.”

  “I thought you wanted to overthrow the Peacekeepers. You know, stopping the evil and all.”

  “Yes, but in a sound manner. The way Baudoin spoke…” Micah shook his head. “He spoke like a man crazed with vengeance. That is not how a war leader should behave.”

  “What’s wrong with vengeance?” I asked. “The Peacekeepers caused him to lose his family, his home, everything!”

  “By his own account, he’s been living quite well here in the Otherworld,” Micah said.

  “Do you have a problem with my father?” I demanded—then I remembered that Sadie was still sitting next to me. I glared at her over the edge of her book—she slammed the cover shut and left. Once she was gone, I turned back to Micah. “Well?”

  “I have no problems whatsoever,” he bit off. “However, I do not like that he has your part in this plan fully formed without consulting you or me. I do have a say in whether my wife goes off to war for a realm she has no ties to.”

  “No ties? Micah, I’m from there! I lived there most of my life!” I was so mad my hands were shaking, so I sat on them. “I’m a Mundane human, just like the people Dad wants to save.”

  “My Sara, nothing about you is Mundane, in any meaning of the word,” Micah murmured. “You are a metal Elemental, as am I. You belong here, with me.”

  He reached around my back to rub the copper raven, my own Elemental mark, but I jerked away. I couldn’t believe that Micah was so against Dad’s plans, and that he had so little regard for the Mundane realm or my own opinions. It made me wonder what he really thought about me.

  “I’m going for a walk,” I said, leaping to my feet.

  “I’ll come with you,” Micah said, rising beside me.

  “No,” I said quickly. “I want to be alone.”

  Micah grabbed my shoulders. “Sara, do not be angry with me” he implored.

  “I won’t be, after I’ve had my walk.”

  With a frown he released me, and I headed out the door.

  7

  I quickly learned that while this was one of only two times I had ever been angry with Micah, I did not enjoy the emotion any more the second time around. My head hurt, my eyes burned, and my stomach was threatening to expel all of that delicious ice cream.

  What is wrong with him? Can’t he see that Dad only wants what’s best for his family? Can’t he see that the Peacekeepers need to be stopped? Why can’t he just get along with my father?

  I was so busy fuming over Micah’s total lack of regard for me or my fellow human Elementals I didn’t even notice that my feet were taking me toward the Clear Pool until I stood on its shore. I stared at the glasslike surface and willed myself to calm down.

  “Have you come for a swim in my waters?”

  I looked to my left and saw the Bright Lady reclined on the bank. As always, she was naked save for her carefully arranged blue hair, so long it reached her knees. “I am expecting a bit of company, but you will have your solitude for a time,” she continued.

  “Solitude.” I sat beside her in a heap, my elbows on my knees and my head resting in my hands. “All I’ve had lately is solitude.”

  The Bright Lady arched a perfect blue brow. “Did you not marry our Lord Silverstrand just yesterday?” she asked, and I nodded. “How is it that a new bride has found time to be alone?”

  I sighed. “Thing are...complicated.”

  “Are they?” she asked, setting her hand atop my knee. “If you love him, and he loves you, what more is there to know?”

  I began to tell her about how Micah and my father, and then Micah and I, had butted heads about the Mundane realm, and about how Micah and I still knew almost nothing about each other, when the Bright Lady looked past my shoulder and smiled. I turned, and saw Ash, the Satyr and the blacksmith that had crafted my sword, exiting the wood. Since he wasn’t at his forge, he was actually clean for once, and I saw that he had deep mahogany hair, with the fur on his legs a few shades lighter. Usually he was coated in such a thick layer of dust and grime that his hair appeared gray. Also, because he wasn’t at his forge, he wasn’t wearing his leather apron, which meant he was as naked as the Bright Lady. My gaze dipped lower, and I decided to get out of there as fast as possible.

  “You two have fun,” I mumbled, although it was clear that nither one of them was paying attention to me. As I walked away from the Clear Pool, I concentrated on not hearing the noises emanating from the shore, so much so that I almost stumbled right over Mom. I opened my mouth to complain about my pigheaded husband when I saw Mom’s red face, her wet cheeks. I guessed that I wasn’t the only girl mad at her spouse.

  “Hey,” I said, plopping down beside her. “What’s up?”

  “He’s so cold to me,” Mom murmured. “He won’t touch me. He hardly even looks at me.” I opened my mouth to ask who she meant, only to clamp it shut. Obviously she meant Dad.

  “It’s been a long time,” I said. “Maybe he’s nervous.”

  “My Beau is not a nervous man,” Mom said. “My Beau couldn’t keep his hands off me. This Beau doesn’t want to be in the same room with me.”

  “Where is he now?”

  “Off meeting with his all-important council. I tried to accompany him, but he said they wouldn’t like an outsider just showing up.” She bowed her head, supporting it with her hands. “Me, an outsider! Once, we were partners in all things, but now…”

  I patted her shoulder, if for no other reason than I had no idea how else to comfort her. “Where’s Max?”

  “Off on some errand of your father’s. Max he’ll speak with, but not me.” She leaned back against a tree, staring up into its branches. “He has found another. He must hav
e.”

  “Mom! You don’t know that!”

  “What other explanation can there be?” she demanded, raising her head. Her blue eyes shone with tears of rage and abandonment. “I would understand if he’d felt the need for a companion, if only he’d come clean about it. You are right, Sara, it has been a long time.”

  “You never found a companion,” I pointed out.

  “True. But men…men have needs.” Mom sighed, and rubbed her nose. “Men do not do well when they’re alone.”

  I looked toward the manor, where I’d just left Micah alone, and ignored the guilt stabbing at my heart. Besides, if I ever found a woman with Micah, I’d kill her, and then drown him in her blood. “Maybe you just need to remind him of how happy you two were.”

  Mom smiled at that. “Aye. We were nothing if not happy.”

  “If you’d like, I can ask the silverkin to set something up,” I suggested. “Maybe you could recreate when you first met, like a date.”

  “It wasn’t what one would call a date,” Mom said. “He’d evaded my guards and breached my court. I nearly had him thrown into a cell.”

  “Okay, maybe not that. Unless you’d like him in chains?” I waggled my eyebrows, and Mom laughed. She’d laughed so rarely since Dad disappeared. With a bit of fine-tuning, their relationship would be as close as it had always been, I was sure of it.

  “C’mon,” I said, pulling her to her feet. “Let’s go talk to Shep. Those silverkin can whip up more than just food.”

  8

  Mom and I ended up spending the rest of the day in the far orchard, the one where the trees looked the least like anything found in the Mundane realm with their pinkish leaves and bright blue fruit hanging in clusters reminiscent of grapes. Unusual as the trees were, that orchard also just happened to hold a lovely green hill at its center, which the silverkin had decided to convert into a brugh in their own inimitable way. Due to the hill’s soft earth, making it into an actual hollow hill wasn’t a good idea, but they had managed to install a fairy door for aesthetics if nothing more. Once that was done, they busied themselves arranging the most epic of picnics on the lawn.