“Not up here, they’re still fighting in the low ground.” She pointed, allowing me to squeeze beside her. Indeed, the gate was still firm in place. The invaders hadn’t made it past the second row of rental houses. “Fuck it all!”
She picked up the small potted plant and hurled it across the street. It shattered against the building across the way. She clenched both fists, closed her eyes, and growled like a trapped beast. “Fucking coward,” she whispered shakily, letting her weight collapse on the wall behind her.
I glanced out the window and noticed the cause of her upset. On the roof a few streets over, I made out the shape of two women and a young man.
“That is him?” I whispered. “Your intended?”
“He isn’t -my intended. He is the scumbag Atticus arranged for me to marry. I can’t stand him. I hate his whole family! They are our enemy, Chali… why are they sacrificing me to the enemy?”
The despair in her voice gave me chills. No matter how much I rubbed the side of my neck, the tingles wouldn’t stop.
“Atticus and Isabella adore you… surely they wouldn’t do anything—”
She cut me off with a laugh that ended in tears. “Atticus is evil. If it weren’t for Isabella…” Her voice trailed off.
The door snapped open, and Ender walked past as if nothing at all had happened this morning. His hand gently found my arm and he leaned out the window before nodding.
“It’s over,” he confirmed as if to himself. He tried to pull back and turn to face me, but I gave into instinct and shoved the fucker as hard as I could. His ribs rocked against the bottom of the window sill, and he banged his head off the side before whirling around to confront me.
“What the f—” he started, trailing off when his eyes met mine.
I was livid. I had liked him. I thought we were semi friends, family even, they all had said.
“Hey, Chalice listen—”
“Don’t tell me to listen. Your words lose meaning depending on who is around.” Why the fuck was I unloading on him? He was larger than I, and in his own home, uh my home—who fucking knew. It was all happening so fast.
His hand came out to cup my upper arm again. I jerked it away and tried to slide past him, but his palm kissed the wall, making a toll of sorts.
“What are you lollygagging for? Get back there and get ready for your wedding,” he coldly dismissed Reverie. I wanted to shove him away, but my heart was pounding in my chest. I was literally cornered and clearly out of my element.
Women were being gifted to men they couldn’t stomach, and supposed kin were trying to kill each other… for fun? I gave a low manic laugh as I tried to process it all.
“Chalice. Listen, please.” His tone had returned to that casual genteel element he carried about him. “That wasn’t my choice.”
A high bark of laughter escaped me, and I cut my eyes toward him. “Your choice? No. No, I see. Someone made you turn on a friend. They swung your sword and landed kicks on your behalf… to a woman. What a fucking waste,” I hissed, shoving him away.
He made no effort to stop me, instead, he moved toward the back where Reverie was trying to remove her dress. Her hands were trembling, and she kept losing the string that held the gown in place at her neck. Ender stepped behind her and laid a hand on either shoulder. His forehead kissed her back in a way that almost looked endearing.
“When you have stood eye to eye with Atticus Krypt and lived to tell of denying him… then you can judge me… us,” he amended, raising his head to look at the back of Reverie’s sloppily wrapped updo. He sighed and plucked the string at her neck. While she gathered the fallen material about her waist, he began to remove the hairpins she had haphazardly placed.
I instantly froze while Reverie shoved the gown over her hips and wiggled out of it. Ender however, kept right on working. He had a corset held out at the ready, and once she held it in place, he set to tying it as if this were a normal everyday occurrence.
I supposed it wasn’t… immoral. They were not related, and it didn’t appear to be romantic. All the same, it was bizarre to me, seeing a young woman strip and be fussed over by a man like that. I rubbed my arms, humiliated for her.
In little time at all, he had helped her into her solid black wedding dress and turned back around to face me.
I blinked a few times before realizing he had addressed me, but I was far too distracted to waste more air on him. He made a gesture with his finger, bidding me to turn around.
“Your turn.” He smiled, reaching out for the tie of my bodice.
I acted on shock and instinct, slapping his hand with a sharp crisp sound.
He jerked it away, wide-eyed, and laughed. “Oh. Okay, alright. I’ll just…” He glanced back toward the door and hitched his thumb in that direction. “I’ll go grab some more hair ribbon.”
I squinted at his back until he left the room and turned to address Reverie. “Does he… is that normal?” I asked, only to find her shoulders slumped again. I rubbed the gooseflesh from my arm and stepped forward to give her a hug. She laid her head on my shoulder and returned the squeeze.
Assuming she was collecting herself, I set to straightening my gown in the mirror.
“You can’t wear that silly.” She giggled through the shuddering. “My Momma would never forgive you. Get in the wardrobe there and pick something nice.”
I stared at the metal chifforobe and glanced back toward her. I knew my attire would not be well met by any of the Krypts at a social event, but I hadn’t exactly been given any warning.
“Maybe I shouldn’t go. I mean, no one knows me. I don’t want to intrude…” I rambled suddenly wanting time to myself. I needed to figure out what I was getting myself into.
“Nonsense. Momma wouldn’t hear of it and neither would I. You’re family!”
With her insistence, I peeked at the door Ender had disappeared through and rubbed the back of my neck. When she shrugged her lips into a pout, I sighed and opened the chifforobe.
All I could do was stare for several moments. There was fabric in there I had only heard about from travelling merchants. Silks, satins, fine leathers from the Iron Inlet. I ran my fingers down the rack of clothing before feeling guilty for having done so. Those type of things weren’t meant for the likes of me. These were the quality meant for the highest of noble women.
“Go on. Don’t be shy. You’ll have a dozen of your own come morning. Just wait til I tell Momma you haven’t a wardrobe. Ohhh...the shopping to come.” The moment she said it, her whole face fell. “Well, for you guys, I suppose.”
A dark royal blue gown caught my eye. It had a thin satin feel to it that almost made me put it back. The damn thing would cling and bare everything but my soul.
“That’s the one,” Messiah’s honey liquored voice lulled from behind me.
I whirled about, jerking the dress up against myself like I were naked. His throaty laughter chased me behind the dressing partition, and I hurriedly changed my clothes. The last thing I wanted was him thinking that I was welcoming his help.
Chills ran up and down my arms. I felt exposed in a way that I never had. The bodice was nothing more than a satin strap that covered my breasts, wrapped over my shoulder and met the V in the back. My shoulders were bared, and the material clung to me, leaving my truths on display.
I hugged myself and called from around the side, “I don’t suppose you have a shawl?”
The entire partition was moved aside. Messiah’s long-twisted hair caught my attention, but it was still in the corner. It was Atticus Krypt who stood culprit as the one who had stolen my privacy. Indignation blazed in my eyes and I fought the urge to pummel him.
As if reading my thoughts, his thin lips slowly slid into a smile and he nodded, though no one had spoken. “There is no shawl and there is no time,” he finally announced before grasping me by the shoulders and kissing my cheek. I flinched away from him the moment his lips met my skin, but he acted like he didn’t notice.
Ender came in and began to fashion ribbons around Reverie’s hair while she silently wept.
“Stop that. Immediately. For fuck sake. Do you know how many hours of negotiations I have wasted on your sorry—” Atticus spewed.
“Tears of joy, father,” Messiah spoke up. “She’s a beautiful bride, is she not?”
“A fucking vision,” Ender iced on.
“She’s something,” Aella scoffed from the doorway. She rolled her eyes so hard I was certain at least one would get stuck. Not that she would see much in that head of hers. Was anything in there but scorn?
“Indeed,” Atticus finally relented, clapping Reverie on the back as if she were his pride and joy. “Indeed. You see, Aella, if you could mind your tongue and place like Verie here… well. A man wouldn’t know what to do with himself.”
“Fuck you. And your men,” Aella spat lowly.
My whole spine went rigid. I half expected him to fly off the handle, but instead, he merely laughed and tossed her a wink. While I was dumbfounded, Ender slid behind me and wrapped a ribbon about my hair as well.
“Lovely,” he commented once he had walked around me again. “May I?” His arm crooked out in offering, but I didn’t take it right away. It wasn’t until Atticus stepped toward me that I stuck claim to Enders elbow.
There wasn’t a chance in this world or the next that I would be riding on Atticus’ arm anywhere. Ever.
Chapter Eight
What the Krypt Wants
Chalice
The Villa sprawled room after room. Floor after floor. It was a fucking palace compared to half the houses around. I had stuffed my feet in a pair of wooden heels at Reverie’s insistence. Each step I took made me contemplate if she didn’t hate me as well. The sides where the leather met the wood pinched with every step. Forget the stairs—my heel caught the edge of one on the way to the parlor, and I nearly broke my neck.
Thankfully, Ender caught me with our elbow lock and nearly dislocated my arm instead. I was jerked back to his chest with so much force, the breath flew from me with an indignant sound.
I slapped his chest where my hand had landed on it and hissed in his ear. “I thought the point of you assisting me was to keep that from happening in the first place.”
“It is,” he admitted with a smirk that met the mossy green windows of his soul. “I just wanted to see the look in your eyes when I saved you.”
I threw my elbow in his ribs and ground it so hard he squealed my name through gritted teeth.
At the bottom of the stairwell, a carriage lay in wait. I’d never been on a carriage ride. Excitement mingled with trepidation. What if the animals bolted? What if we fell under attack? Would we be trapped in the closet on wheels? All the questions flashed in my mind, but I felt too foolish to voice them, so I kept them to myself and shakily took Ender’s hand when he offered to help me up the steps.
I sat stiff as a statue as we started off. The first bump and jostle had me clutching at the window with one hand and the ceiling with the other.
Ender bellowed with laughter. “Are you really that nervous? By all that is sacred, Chalice, I’m not going to hurt you. Fuck.”
I squinted at him, unsure of what he was babbling about. “Not everything is about you, Ender,” I quipped before shifting so that my shoulder was to him and my focus out the window. His eyes burned against my back; but he was like me, he had too much pride to continue the conversation. We rode the rest of the way in a cold silence.
When the carriage jarred to a stop before the intimidating fanged entrance, I reached out and grabbed Ender before he had a chance to slide his ass from the seat.
“She can’t get married in there… it’s a fucking earthen tomb!” I spat.
He snorted, patted my hand like I was too simple to understand and hauled himself from the carriage. His hand hailed before me, but I didn’t immediately take it. For a moment, I thought maybe it was another of the Krypt family’s jokes.
The only thing that convinced me it wasn’t was the desperation Reverie had displayed. No one could fake that. And no one should be made to suffer such a thing alone. I scooted after him, swatting his hand away and found my own feet.
People slowly started to trickle in from every direction. Ender’s excitement grew the deeper we went into the mountain. He took me to the lower level, and then we climbed up the ramps just as I had seen Atticus do during the assembly. It sloped back and forth until we arrived at a set of double doors that had been left wide open.
Beyond it lay a blanket of rich green grass and ancient looking trees, and a breathtaking view of the mountain below. Three canopies were arranged near the scenic side. The middle tent had an altar.
From what I had made out, the Krypt family was gathered under one canopy, and I imagined the other were the groom’s people. Ender led me to the row behind Isabella and Atticus. We were shrouded by family, but far enough from the important ones to whisper amongst ourselves.
“So, who is he?” I hissed. A neck or two craned, but all they were met with was the sight of Ender’s hand dutifully patting mine and that political Krypt smile that stretched across his delicate features.
I ground my back teeth together and fought the urge to elbow him again. Weight settled onto the bench next to me. I wasn’t expecting it and nearly leapt into Ender’s arms until I noticed it was Messiah.
“He is a Kantor,” Ender muttered, under his breath.
“What, pray tell, is a Kantor?” I felt like he was purposely making me dig for details and I really wasn’t in the mood.
“Bottom feeders for the most part.” He sniffed and tipped his head to the occupants of the other canopy.
Messiah’s throaty sound of confirmation rang from my other side.
“They actually think by forging a union between their son and our sister, they will somehow gain power and knowledge from House Krypt,” Messiah whispered, with a snort of amusement. His hazel eyes held firm on the couple who appeared to be the center of the family.
My gaze settled on the woman. Her hair was so black it was almost a blue color. Her dark brown eyes were lifeless. When she wasn’t engaged, her face settled into an annoyed scowl, and bird like eyes would scan her surroundings.
“Wh -why for the love of all, would they union her to someone who only wants to use her?” I asked, glancing between the pair.
“Because, unlike the Kantors, collecting information comes easy to us. Collecting resources does as well. If the Kantors grow bold and try something… we will have their son in our possession,” Messiah slowly explained.
“He is a potential hostage?” I whispered loudly.
Ender coughed half way through my question. It thankfully covered my untimely query, but just in case it hadn’t, he laid his hand on mine and squeezed with purpose. I jerked my hand away and glared across the canopies at the other party.
Why? Just what would cause people to scheme against one another and force their children into such futures? Was power really that sweet? What the fuck did they even consider power or an event hostile enough to hold the new brother in law hostage?
My mind reeled throughout the entire ceremony.
The next thing I knew, the official was announcing them to be Kase and Reverie Kantor. My heart broke when I saw the pain and bewilderment in Reverie’s eyes. When the Kantor boy smashed his mouth against hers, Reverie’s hands balled into tight little fist, but she suffered through it without striking.
“Come,” Messiah urged. “There’s a feast in the city hall.”
I followed them back down the cave’s many slopes and down the street to a regal looking building with many windows. By then, I was certain the bottom of my foot was one giant blister. Every step burned, and even when I stood still, it was maddening. How the fuck did Isabella parade around like this all day?
As if sensing my thoughts, Isabella’s arm came out and snagged me as I passed. It was a crude redirecting, but she managed to plant herself in front of me so that we collided into a hug
, of sorts.
“Chalice, love… this is Uncle Icarus, Atticus’ brother,” she said in a thin voice that stressed the man’s importance.
“I say, your daughters grow more exquisite with every arrival, Isabella. Soon you will have Nayana herself seeking refuge behind you.” The man was the exact opposite of his brother. His grey eyes sparkled with life and his hair was fashionable. He wore the breast plate armor of a warrior and fashioned a fine, black kilt. “Very nice to meet you, young lady.”
He was so distinguished looking, I couldn’t help but stare. Blinking out of the day dream, I stuffed my hand in his and tipped my head respectfully.
He had none of it. The man brought the back of my hand up to his mouth and pressed an endearing kiss to it.
“You also! Un… Uncle Icarus,” I stammered, quickly looking to Isabella, uncertain if I had done it right.
She smiled and waved her hand to Icarus’ right. “Icarus has brought his two wards along, Taryn and Rekkon.” The two young men nodded to give me an indication of which name belonged to whom.
Taryn was tall with long brown hair and a well-groomed beard that climbed his cheeks. Rekkon had short blond hair and crisp blue eyes. His shoulders were broad, and his posture spoke of old money.
From the front of the dining hall, someone thumped the table. Everyone fell into a hush.
“Please, allow me,” Rekkon said. He took my hand and paraded me through the room at a slow genteel pace. A laziness that only money could afford. By the time we made it to our table, I was cursing him and the damn heels.
He made a great show of pulling my chair out for me and snapping his fingers at the servants. I wanted to crawl under the table and hide. Everyone kept glancing away from the Kantor who was giving a toast and eye balling us. I’d never been so humiliated in my life.
As I sat there, I slowly started to contemplate the reason for my pairing with the two men. Every time I glanced toward Isabella, Atticus was staring back at me expectantly.
He means to… Surely, he didn’t mean to arrange me with anyone. I won’t have it!
Chasing the Night (The Krypt Series Book 1) Page 5
