So basically, he devastated them all over again. I think deep down they already knew the answer, but before they heard him speak, there had still been a sliver of hope. Once he answered them, there was none.
Some cried, some raged, but only to a point. Most remained silent, letting their anger stew. Aries wasn’t human. He was obviously the most powerful being they’d encountered and pissing him off was a bad idea. Any resistance was dealt with by one of the eleven remaining Guardians who dragged the dissenters away.
Suddenly, Aries raised a hand and his nostrils flared. He went still. Scary still. His eyes fixed on something I couldn’t see in the distance.
He snapped out of the daze and his eyes speared mine as he growled. He disappeared, reappearing within the space of a few seconds, holding the head of a man who looked like he’d been in his late forties, judging by the thin hair strung between Aries’s fingers and the wrinkles etched into his skin – which was still ruddy despite the lack of… a body.
I clamped my fingers over my mouth, horrified. Ribbons of veins and arteries hung from the man’s neck, along with the trailing column of his cervical spine. Blood dripped onto the stone at our feet, the coppery scent filling the air.
A chorus of gasps and screams erupted. Some hurried to cover the eyes of children standing nearby. Everyone waited for an explanation.
Aries tossed the head toward the concentric column rings behind us. It rolled and thumped along until losing momentum and slapping into the base of a column, the squelching sound making my stomach turn.
His voice boomed over the assembled crowd. “Let it be known that there are laws in my sliver of earth. Murder, rape, theft, and lying is forbidden.” He ticked each sin off on his clawed hand. “If you break these laws, I will know it and you will suffer a worse fate than he.” He pointed in the direction the head had tumbled.
The crowd was quiet, but I could almost feel them trembling. Or maybe that was me.
I was about to suggest we end this weird Q & A session for the day and hold any further questions for tomorrow, but Aries quickly calmed himself. Once the head was out of sight, it soon seemed to vanish from everyone’s mind. Or at least they had the good sense to pretend it did.
Aries never apologized for beheading the man or explained which offense the man had committed. He didn’t excuse himself for bringing the head back with him, or even lobbing it into the air like he was pitching the last game at the World Series, but he did gently call forth the next person in line.
An ebony-skinned woman with beautiful graying hair swept up into a chignon shuffled forward. Her back was hunched, but she was determined to see Aries. He descended the steps so she didn’t have to climb them. She spoke to him in a language I didn’t recognize, and then cupped his cheek with her bowed hand, giving him a kind smile.
His deep tone slid up the stairs to me, pebbling my skin.
Their exchange almost made me forget about the head of the fellow he’d just tossed behind us.
Almost.
Aries smiled at the woman. He chuckled and took her hand, covering it with his other. Then he bent and placed a kiss on her cheek. His eyes caught mine as she shuffled back through the crowd, and he watched me as he ascended the steps and stood beside me.
I wanted to ask him what she’d asked him, but just then, someone stepped forward.
A balding man with white, wispy hair opened his mouth to speak. “Excuse me?” He wore a suit and postured confidently, like he thought he was important and Aries should feel that way, too. “How many Zodia have sections?”
Aries crossed his arms over his chest, already irritated by the man’s demeanor. The man did not value his head. At all. “There are twelve territories, one Zodia ruling each,” Aries answered.
“Then who is she?” the man asked, nodding to me. “Is she human or Zodia?”
“She is none of your concern,” Aries replied in a calm, cold voice.
The man stiffened. “I meant no disrespect. I just don’t understand how things work here. You say you’ll keep us safe, but you’re only one man. How can you possibly police an entire sliver of earth from north pole to south?”
Aries huffed a laugh. “I am no mere man, and as you might have noticed, there are Guardians to see that my laws are adhered to.”
“But how do we tell them apart from everyone else?” the man argued, throwing his hands up. “They look like us.”
I looked at Aries and was about to ask permission to speak, when he gestured for me to go ahead. “Consider them like unmarked police cars. They could be anywhere at any time. But if you’re wise, you won’t have to worry about them. All you have to do is behave like a respectable human being. Aries’s laws aren’t hard to abide by. It’s not that hard not to murder, rape, steal, or lie, sir.”
Aries smiled approvingly at me and I quickly looked away. My face heated, threatening to boil or burn off the bloody marks dissecting my eyes.
For the rest of the day, Aries took their questions, reassuring his people as best he could, and by nightfall, he sent those who remained in line home, promising that dinner awaited them there. He vowed to come back tomorrow to speak to anyone else who had questions for him. He waited as the people dispersed and entered their new homes, until the sky grew black and the wind turned frigid again, the warmer respite swept away by the mountain winds.
When they were gone, he turned his attention to me.
“I would like to show you something,” Aries rasped, holding out his hand. “Would you come with me?”
My stomach growled and his eyes dropped to my belly. I hadn’t eaten today and was starving.
“One of my guardians is a brilliant chef, and he is preparing dinner. I’m sorry I failed to intuit your hunger. I’d like to show you a place I think you’ll love, and then I’d like for you to dine with me.”
“Okay,” I relented. This was dangerous territory. I was starving, true, but beyond that, I was curious, like anyone would be. But sometimes curiosity killed cats and got kids kidnapped because they wanted to see puppies in the backs of creepy utility vans.
Still… the bathroom and my bedroom were breathtaking, and that was what he revealed the last time he said he wanted to show me something. What if he’d reno’d something else?
Ugh. Renovations were my puppies.
ARIES
My hands still shook. The disgusting lout whose head I tore off was assaulting a young woman with hair the same color as Larken’s. A Guardian managed to stop him in time, but called for me to mete out justice.
For a moment, I lost myself.
I lost my temper. I lost all control and tore his head from his body.
The expression of horror and disgust on her face when I brought his head back was hard to stomach, but it had been necessary. My people needed to be informed of the law, and I made an example they would not soon forget.
Ruling by fear was not something I wanted. But if fear kept the humans in check as they grew accustomed to this new life, then it would be fear that I used.
The moment her soft skin touched mine, every thought fled my mind. There was just her. Her hand was cold, and I wanted to clasp it until it warmed and she was comfortable. I wanted to keep her inside, locked away so no one else could set eyes on her.
When I thought about someone looking at her the same way that lecherous man leered at the young girl… My hand tightened around hers protectively.
Taurus knew about Larken. Soon, the word would spread to every territory. Soon, one of the Zodia would strike. Perhaps all of them would in turn, or perhaps they would unite and strike together.
“Where are we going?” she asked, a nervous lilt to her voice.
I smiled. “You’ll see.”
Larken liked surprises. Kes’s memory indicated as much. She liked surprise gifts and parties. She gave a small, half-hearted groan, teasing, “So m
ysterious.”
When she smiled, my heart swelled until it sat uncomfortably tight in my chest. I never knew that something so simple could be so dangerous. The pledge was something I did not anticipate. No one had dared ask so much of me, but now that I saw her and I learned more about who she was, I understood why my favorite Guardian did it.
I knew why he wanted to protect her above all others, asking me to give myself over to Larken. If I had known how terrifyingly, completely the pledge required exactly that, I would have done everything in my power to avoid it.
And yet… because of her I felt whole. An energy coursed through my veins that wasn’t generated by my people. It radiated from her.
I could feel it in her pulse as her hand pressed against mine. I heard it in her breath. Smelled it in her scent.
8
Aries led me back to the castle. Most of the rooms were identical, carved of dark stone with barely any furniture adorning the rooms. We passed them quickly as we wended through halls and traipsed up staircases, ascending several stories until we came to the uppermost floor. I tried to hide how winded I was when we reached the top because he showed no signs of exertion. I wasn’t sure how many floors we climbed, but there were a lot. I was in shape, but almost groaned when he pointed out a narrower set of steps that led to a wooden door. He pushed it open and the stars appeared beyond him.
Finding a second wind, I jogged up to see them.
We stood on a balcony. From up there, you could see all the houses Aries had built. Candlelight flickered in some of the windows, candles he must have provided so they could have light. Other houses were dark, with the residents probably sleeping or trying to.
Civilization stretched as far as I could see.
We were all on the same playing field now, no one more or less important than the human beside him. On this sliver of earth, there was only Aries; across the planet, there was only the Zodia.
Seeing the stars twinkle without lights stifling their brilliance resonated from some place deep within.
“Thank you,” I said, spinning in a slow circle, “for showing me this place.” If he hadn’t already replicated my room, I might never have left this balcony.
“Would you trust me to show you something else?” Aries posed cryptically.
“What?” I slid my eyes to his to see the pink hue had softened. Or maybe his expression had.
“I would need to place my forehead against yours.”
My pulse quickened. The thought of being so close, of him sharing something so intimately, both thrilled and scared me. I couldn’t help but wonder what he was trusting me with, and why. “Like you did with Kes?”
Aries nodded. “I want to show you how it was before the slumber.”
“But you won’t suck my memories away?” I asked, just to be sure.
“I would never take something you did not willingly offer, Larken,” he breathed. “I’m not a monster.”
I was starting to think maybe he wasn’t. My eyes raked down the length of his coiled horns. “Will you show me what happened today, too? With the man whose head you tore off?” I needed to know why he did it. What had rattled him or angered him so badly.
He gave a gruff nod.
“Okay, then.”
My skin prickled as Aries stepped forward. Some of his dark hair brushed mine as he leaned in, but the emotion roiling in his eyes made it hard to breathe. His skin pressed against mine and he cupped my face.
A scene built in my mind. An incredible, indescribable scene—
He stood on this very balcony, looking out over his domain. In the distance, children laughed, chasing one another between homes, their bare feet slapping against the tightly packed dirt paths. The sun began to set in the west, casting a warm, orange light over the land. The glow caught on the features of elaborate wells and fountains, sculptures and statues painstakingly carved from the dark rock.
Men and women worked together to draw water, and then helped one another haul their pots home. I couldn’t understand their words, but I understood their smiles and laughter. I could read their body language.
Aries leaned his forearms against the balustrade, and I could almost feel him smile. Contentment radiated from him. Things really were good back then. His people were happy, and Aries felt calm and serene. There was joy in his life and heart.
The scene changed.
Aries stood in front of a golden throne where Taurus slouched lazily as he ordered humans around like they were worthless. Urns of more wine than his entire slice of earth could drink were scattered about, as well as heaping platters of decadent desserts. Aries walked to a nearby window and stared out at the stars, just as I often did. He found comfort in the knowledge of light defying the darkness.
Then he looked down to the hovels below. The stench of Taurus’s people and their living conditions wafted upward, stinging Aries’s nose.
He isn’t even the worst among us, Aries thought. He gripped the cool, gilded window ledge as a delicate hand slithered across his shoulders.
He turned to face the one touching him.
I sucked in a breath, blinking, but Aries held my head tightly.
The woman wasn’t human. Her skin was the color of freshly fallen snow. Her irises, hair, and brows were so starkly white, it was hard to distinguish one feature from the next. It was like she had walked into a blizzard and the snow had overtaken her. She wore no clothing, and the closer I looked, the more I could see that she didn’t have skin at all. Tiny, opaque scales covered her from head to… tail. The woman was part serpent. The bottom half was thick and muscled enough to hold her upright. She slithered closer.
I couldn’t understand what she said to him or what he said in return, but I felt his reaction to her. Disgust and rage warred within him.
The woman was either oblivious or didn’t care that she repulsed him.
He cringed as she raised her hand and brushed her fingertips down the length of his horn. He tore away from her and walked away, anger fueling his steps.
The scene was suddenly gone, taking the warmth of his hands and breath with it.
“What happened?” I croaked.
Aries stood on the other side of the balcony, composing himself, almost panting. He didn’t react like that after Kes gave him all his lifetimes’ memories. What was wrong?
“Who was that woman?” I asked, although I assumed the serpent woman was a Zodia. My balance suddenly felt off and I staggered toward him.
He flicked his pink eyes toward me, a warning in their depths. “She is Libra.”
I froze. “That was Libra? Not a woman holding scales… but a scaled woman,” I breathed. My stomach plummeted with the realization. “Oh my God, my mom is in her territory! Kes could be there, too. What if she caught him snooping around? I need to get Mom away from her and get Kes back. Is there anything you can do?”
Aries shook his head, running a hand down his dark tunic. “I cannot make demands of her. She is my equal. And even if there was something she would ask for in exchange, it’s too great a price to pay.”
“What would she ask for?” I didn’t know if the Zodia valued money or land or people.
His pale pink eyes fastened on mine. “She would want you, Larken. Now that I am pledged to you, you are everything.”
I shook my head disbelievingly. “That’s crazy! You don’t even know me. It was a silly promise you made my brother, to protect me from having to go with Taurus. It doesn’t mean I’m important to you or to this world.”
He inched closer. “Only one other Zodia has pledged themselves to another. It almost killed her.”
I shifted uncomfortably. “Who?”
“Virgo,” he croaked, suddenly in front of me. He brushed a knuckle down a strand of my hair, staring at it instead of me. “She fell in love with a mortal and pledged her life to him. The bond somehow s
trengthened her, and she became more powerful for it. The Zodia learned of her advantage and tore her mortal lover to pieces. Virgo was never the same, and never as strong.”
His words sank in, causing my stomach to drop. I’m going to be torn to pieces, aren’t I? What had Kes done? I grasped at straws. “But you don’t love me! We aren’t in love, so it’s different. It’s different, right? Love strengthened them; not the pledge alone.”
“I will protect you,” he vowed, lifting my chin so I faced him. Oh no. It was the pledge.
“The way Virgo protected the one she loved?” I challenged. He pressed his lips into a tight, thin line. “Did Kes know?”
“Yes,” he answered.
“Did you help kill her lover?” I asked, fearing the answer he might give.
“No,” he whispered, his dark brows knitting.
“Why not?”
“Because I didn’t care how much power she had as long as she didn’t use it against me or my people. And she hadn’t taken action against me or them yet.”
I swallowed, unable to look at him anymore. I kept picturing Virgo’s lover drawn and quartered, the parts scattered among the territories. I could almost see blood spilling from Libra’s mouth, crimson on snow-white scales.
Aries’s attention melted away and he stared off into the distance, his body going deceptively still. I was about to reach out and shake him when he finally moved and fastened his pink eyes on mine. Was he about to decapitate someone else?
“Larken, your mother is safe. Libra likely doesn’t know about her existence at all. I believe that she will be safe in Libra’s territory. She’ll live among the people and begin anew, like everyone else. But that isn’t true for Kes, and right now, he is in distress. He is not dying, but he is frightened. I can bring him back here, but I want your permission to do so.”
Things That Should Stay Buried Page 8
