“Maybe,” Fel agreed.
“Oh, that’s very helpful.” Aldon crossed his arms. “We’ll go to my place for now. Just for tonight. So I can do this with a level head. And I just want to sleep in my own bed again. Come on, this way.”
Fel followed with an easy gait. With each moment, he was growing more confident with his choice. Aldon was a good person and Fel had only met one of those in his life. He truly wanted to trust him.
Don’t get too close or comfortable because it never lasts. He may leave you behind one day, then where will you be?
Maybe, he argued with himself, Or maybe he could surprise me.
He could die. Like Vida.
True, but Aldon’s not ninety and I can protect him, Fel countered, then Aldon’s voice interrupted the ones in his head.
“I’m just here,” Aldon motioned to a large gate. He approached the gatekeeper and proceeded into a private cluster of buildings. Landscaped. Sidewalks. Extraneous details so there was no question of its expense. People jogging. This was a rich neighborhood.
Fel eyed the nicely edged lawns and flower beds plucked of weeds, metal bent into superficial loops and patterns adorning letterboxes and private gardens. Each detail was a splash of cold water over his face. Fel stuffed his hands deep into his cardigan. They were from two different universes. A woman walking a small dog stopped to greet Aldon and nearly tripped over her yapping terrier when her eyes met Fel.
“Aldon, my word, we were worried you’d finally moved into the Court full time,” she commented with a laugh, and her eyes kept straying to Fel as if he were about to lunge. His impulse was to stare straight at her without blinking, but she was obviously friendly with Aldon so he kept his eyes on the dog.
“No, Miss Tess, I was…” Aldon sighed, “Did no one mention why I was gone?”
“Not to me,” she replied.
“Oh. Well, I was on a bit of a vacation, Miss Tess,” Aldon sounded exhausted as the words came out, his shoulders sagged.
“Who’s your new friend?” Miss Tess said, with such saccharine cordiality it had to be forced politeness.
“Yes, this is Fel. We,” Aldon gave him a knowing sort of smile, “We met while I was away.”
“I did hope you’d meet someone...nice to settle down with.”
“What?” Aldon’s eyes grew wide. “No, Miss Tess, it’s not like that. He’s a friend.”
She looked between them then nodded, “Whatever you say, dear— ”
A team of Legionnaires rounded a corner then proceeded toward the front gate. Miss Tess watched them with unchecked annoyance.
“What’s going on with the Legion?” Aldon asked.
“They’ve been going round to all the buildings. Apparently, they’re looking for Chanters. Though, why they think any of that sort live here is beyond me.”
Fel tensed, but not because she’d been unintentionally rude, but because the soldiers were still in sight. He really didn’t want to fight right now. Or maybe ever again.
“Why are they looking for Chanters?” Aldon asked.
“I’m sure I don’t know. The rumor is that it is the Queen’s express orders that all Chanters be brought in for questions.” Miss Tess tittered and adjusted her dog’s leash that had wound around her leg. “Bout time if you ask me.”
Damn it, Kade. This was because of Meraton. And it would only get worse. They never should have taken the Rosewall Ambassador. But no one had told Fel that Kura was working with the Queen, and Free Chanters by proxy. Not all the ambassadors knew. Taking him had been just the catalyst Kade needed to prove that Free Chanters would no longer be directed by the Queen. But now, all Chanters were a threat.
“Thank you, Miss Tess,” Aldon said quickly and inching around her so that he remained as a barrier between her and Fel. “It’s been a long day, please excuse me, I’d like to get some rest. Good night.” Aldon took Fel’s hand and pulled him the rest of the way to his building.
“I don’t believe this,” Aldon seethed, his voice low as he stepped into an elevator— that’s what the Faraday had needed! An elevator. All those damn stairs— he slammed a hand into the floor number and then stormed up to a door labeled 5B. “How could she do this?”
He unlocked the door and stomped inside. Fel rubbed the lingering warmth in his fingers as he crossed the threshold, pulse a bit erratic. A surprising mix of emotions settled in Fel’s chest as he entered the apartment. The culture shock was worse here. Glaring proof that they were from different social classes everywhere. It was an open space, large and nicely furnished. New. Clean. Not like any place Fel had ever lived. But once the initial jolt had subsided, he began to take in the details and realized this was Aldon’s home. Aldon was everywhere, too.
Small piles of clutter on shelves, counters, and tables. Papers, books, mail. Clothes tossed over chairs or door knobs or doors. Shoes sitting neatly on a rack. Pictures on the wall of art— landscapes and nature— others photos of Aldon and a man that had to be his father. Awards and certificates sat in frames. Some old toys, well worn, were collecting dust on a shelf.
“Sorry,” Aldon mumbled, swiping up some of the clothes and tossing them out of sight.
Fel smiled.
“Anyway, make yourself comfortable.” He sounded frantic as he flitted around the space, clearly comfortable and familiar with it in a way Fel had never experienced. The Faraday was the longest home he’d had, but his space had been a hole in a wall, and he’d never been comfortable. “There’s food in the kitchen...or there might be, but you’re welcome to whatever’s there. Just, uh, check the dates first.” Aldon moved to walk past him, then paused. “I’m going to the Court.”
Fel’s smile faltered. “Wait, what about me?”
“You’re a Chanter. Do you really think it’s wise to go waltzing up to the Court right now?” He had a point, though Fel didn’t like it. “I know I wanted to wait, but I won’t get any sleep knowing that she’s...” He huffed, his green eyes smoldering with controlled anger. “I have to talk to her tonight.”
Fel cast another look around the apartment.
“You can sleep in the bed, but honestly, the couch is more comfortable.” Aldon said as he opened the door. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
He lingered for a second, hand on the door, eyes on Fel. They waited for something to happen, but nothing did. Aldon nodded goodbye and left.
Fel let out a breath. Hopefully, he could find something in this place to distract him from the negative voice in his head reminding him that Aldon had just left him behind.
2
Aldon shut the door to his apartment. He stared hard at the plain, pristine white paint surrounding the shiny 5A. He still held the handle. Waiting for his thoughts to catch up to him.
He had been so focused on his righteous anger that he had failed to pay heed to the fact he’d just left a near stranger alone in his home. What was more alarming was that, truly, he wasn’t worried. He trusted the man who’d abducted him more than his own Queen.
“Focus,” Aldon whispered, alone in the hallway, “There are more important things to worry about than the one friend you’ve managed to make in twenty-four years.” His mind tried to grasp the concept of friend and Miss Tess’s presumption earlier, but he decided not to follow that train of thought.
He headed for the Royal Court, the walk familiar so that he could manage it without thinking. Which left him free to draft what he would say.
He entered through his normal way, one of the east doors with the waterfalls and the overflowing garden beds, but his presence started a small commotion. Gasps and wide eyes, those that recognized him and knew what had happened. They were all shocked. Not one person looked relieved or thankful or offered him any sort of concern. It didn’t matter. These people were colleagues and work associates, not friends. He avoided all of them, set on his course, until he reached Havinnia’s office.
As heat engulfed him he realized he’d never been to her office. It was very her, he thought as he observed
the pinks and lace and cozy touches that couldn’t have been from the previous King and Queen. A real fire roared in a hearth. The Queen, however, was not there. Only a maid who had been dusting horse figurines on a high shelf.
“Could you please tell the Queen I’d like to speak with her? It’s urgent.” Aldon said, trying not to let his anxiety show. His palms were sweaty and his clothes felt grimy. He should have changed and showered before barreling out of his apartment. He shouldn’t have left Fel behind, either. It didn’t seem right to do this without him, yet it had been smarter to leave Fel behind for now.
He waited for the maid by fussing with his cuffs and hair. This waiting would have been much easier with someone to talk to, someone to calm him down. His mind wandered fondly to Fel’s droll, honest assurances. Picturing it made him feel a bit better and even made him smile—his tongue traced over the filmy remainder of his previous meal and the last thing he needed was a reminder that he hadn’t brushed his teeth either.
“Aldon!” Havinnia swooped in and took him by the shoulders, nearly hugging him before thinking better of it and pulling away. Around her shoulder appeared her wife, Queen Jordana, who Aldon had never officially met and rarely saw in the years they’d reigned. “I’m glad you’re back and unharmed.”
His mouth soured, a bad taste ruining the act of her sincerity. “I’m sure I was never in any danger, Highness.”
Her smile faltered. “Forgive me, I’m sure it was still very traumatic for you— ”
“I’m well past facades, Your Majesty, so you can be honest. While my imprisonment was in no way convenient, it was quite illuminating.”
Jordana leaned to whisper in the Queen’s ear before shutting the door. The three of them were now alone in Havinnia’s sweltering office.
“Very well, Aldon. What did you learn?”
That did it. “For a start, it seems Kade and his associates, you know, the terrorists we’ve been working to dissolve, are in fact doing exactly as their Queen ordered. The Ambassador, whom I thought to be in as much danger as myself, was also in on the joke. These people terrorizing our nation, sewing seeds of hostility and mistrust, and you’re their puppet master? Then I learn we’ve been putting Chanters into labs? Children? I finally get home, no thanks to your brilliant plan to cover your tracks with the Ambassador's ‘abduction’ to hear you’ve given the official order to start rounding up innocent people like criminals for, I can’t even fathom the reason, given that your work with the Free Chanters has been mere theatrics. Or was their slaughter of Meraton not part of the plan?”
Silence followed his tirade. His chest heaved as he caught his breath. He had meant to be calmer, more articulate. He’d meant to have a conversation, but once he started it all came out at once. He didn’t know what reasoning she could give to justify this, but a part of him, the part that had been her friend so many years ago, hoped there was one anyway.
Havinnia and Jordana shared a look and then a nod. It was odd, seeing them work together like this, so synced and united. Jordana was not a part of the political world, she was always removed from it. By choice, he had believed, though it seemed that had changed since he’d been gone. The connection made him realize, for the first time, how well Havinnia looked now. Much brighter, happier, even if she didn’t appear happy just then.
“Please sit, Aldon.” She gestured to a chair and he was too worked up to take it. “Please, there is a lot you don’t understand, but I’m doing things differently now.” She took Jordana’s hand. “We’re doing things differently. I have plans for Vacua, for the future, and I think you could be a part of it. If you’ll let me explain.”
Reluctantly, Aldon sat.
“First, may I address the issue of these labs taking Chanter children? That was done before my time and upon my learning of it, was immediately shut down. The labs were the work of my grandfather and my parents never saw a reason to question it. I’d like to think they were better people than that, but I’ve learned that nothing is clear when you’re in this position. I only know that my conscience would not allow the practice to continue.”
He nodded.
“As for the rest of your claims, please know that while I did inherit problems outside my control, I have not been as quick to change the course. You see, Liore is at the brink of crisis. One we may have avoided in the past, but now it is too late. The truth is, Aldon that we were never supposed to use enchantments.”
That took him aback. “Enchantments? What does this have to do with that?” The world had always used enchantments. Well, now he thought about it, not always. There was a time before enchantments, but that was ages ago.
“The process we use to refine Glint creates small amounts of radiation that, over time, build and corrupt. The process is killing the world, changing it, and eventually, kill it.”
“But...what about the people?”
Havinnia smiled, not unkindly at his lack of articulation. He was too blindsided to be eloquent. “I’d imagine we’d perish with it, though nothing is certain. Which is why it is imperative we cease enchanting.”
“We can’t just stop. Everything runs on enchantment. It would be chaos…”
“I know,” Havinnia said, looking at him like he’d just voiced the very heart of the problem. “I know we can’t. It was the hope of my predecessors that Chanters could be the solution. Their way of enchanting is clean, safe. If all enchanting processes diverted to them, we might still have a chance to keep things from getting worse.”
The implications began to sink in. He shook his head, looking at his fists. Sure, he had wanted answers, but an apocalypse was not one he’d anticipated.
“So, it was the decision of the Five Nations to support and organize the Free Chanters, as a way to instill fear and suspicion in the Chanters to force the government’s hand. Despite my efforts and arguments that this method was cruel and wrong, it is not in my power to change it. After Meraton, which was not part of our plan, the Five decided to start collecting Chanters. They see it as the only way of stopping the end of the world.”
Aldon rubbed his face with his hands. He was so tired. When was the last time he’d slept? He should have stayed home. He shouldn’t have demanded answers. He should have stayed with Fel and tried to find a bit of happiness and let the world turn on its own.
But he hadn’t. And if he could go back, he wouldn’t. He wasn’t the type to leave things alone, ignore the problems, leave them to someone else.
“I’m not going to ask for forgiveness. I realize that I’m still responsible for my actions as Queen. I’m telling you this now because I plan to stop being that sort of Queen. I want to make this right.”
He shook his head. “How? Tell everyone to stop enchanting? They’d never listen. Either we unjustly enslave thousands of people or we all die. What kind of choice is that?”
“An impossible one, I grant you.” She smiled now while he didn’t think he’d ever smile again. “But I’m working on a solution. Jordana and I have a start, but we won’t give up until we find a better way.”
“A start?”
“Well,” Jordana spoke, her body leaning into Havinnia’s desk, her posture and bearing a lot less regal and refined than her wife, “I need a bit more time to research. In fact, we were just heading out to the college library for some more digging. I’ll need outside help eventually,” she adjusted her glasses, “I’m a researcher, once I find the information I’m not quite so useful on acting on it. I’ll need someone to help with that, whatever it may take. It may be dangerous and risky, given the unrest out there, but the road to discovery is never easy. We could save everyone if we succeed in finding a better solution. And we can do it the right way.”
Her tone was contagious. She spoke like she was preparing for a sea-ward adventure of mystery and discovery and not racing the clock till doomsday. Aldon liked her a little more every second.
“You’re being rather cryptic, but I’ll agree to help on one condition.” His eyes moved to Havi
nnia. “I assume it’s impossible to call off the order against Chanters?”
“Currently, yes.”
“Fine. But if I’m to do this, I want my friend to be given a special pardon. If I do this, I do it with him.”
Havinnia smiled oddly, sharing it with Jordana. It was exceedingly annoying. “Your friend is a Chanter?”
“Yes, he rescued me,” Aldon said, the words hitting him a bit hard now. He was alive because of Fel. Gods he must be exhausted because the thought almost had him crying.
“I wouldn’t go around flaunting that he is a Chanter, but you have your pardon. I can make an official paper to carry with him, though some may still question him or not believe him at all.”
“I understand.”
“We were heading to the library now,” Jordana said, hopping to her feet and with a look like she was about to be served her favorite meal, “Why don’t you fetch your friend and join us?”
“Thank you, but I need to sleep. I came straight here and haven’t even properly showered. Plus, my world has sort of shattered for the second time in less than a week. I’ll probably sleep for the next day or two before I join you, if that’s suitable?”
He couldn’t recall the rest of the conversation. He meant what he said. He was going to shower then sleep for two days. Then order from every restaurant with a menu. But the first thing he would do when he arrived back home was tell Fel everything.
3
Dian finished dressing, fussing with the cuffs of his shirt before giving up and rolling them. His sword had returned to his holster where it belonged. His leg had never felt better. The motion was smooth and its response seamless. It was much improved over what the Legion enchanters had provided. Gideon was a genius. A bit odd, but a genius.
He checked his reflection for disorder before leaving his room. The Legion had contacted him that morning about relocating and a small envoy was being sent to escort the remains of Cobalt CCU to Azlemaine. They were due to arrive that day, though there was no specific time given, which meant he didn’t know how much he had left.
Catalyst (The Second Cycle Book 1) Page 27
