by Eva Brandt
Their obvious suffering would’ve been more than enough to take me aback, but it was Eranthe who truly worried me. The roses in her hair grew thorny stems, and the sharp tips crawled over her body, digging into her flesh. The scent of her blood filled the air, sweet, sharp, screaming with anguish and fear.
I wanted to rush to her aid, and I almost did exactly that. Adrian grabbed my arm before I could make a horrible mistake. “You can’t interrupt,” he snapped at me. “If any of us step in right now, we’d ruin the whole ritual.”
“Eranthe trusted us to be present here and not intervene,” Baltasar said darkly. “We can’t fail her.”
They were right, and I shouldn’t have needed the reminder when I was well aware of the stakes. But recent events had shaken me so much that I’d apparently forgotten even the most basic precautions involved in ritual magic.
I’d thought I’d known who the Grand Lich was. I’d cared about the mysterious shadowy figure, in a sort of distant uncle kind of way. To find out that he had been a version of my soulmate was staggering.
Eiar had mentioned that she wasn’t the original Grand Lich, but to my shame, I couldn’t recall a time when the Grand Lich had been any different. Was it just because during my lifetime, it had always been Eiar, or had I just been that blind to what was going on in front of me?
I’d never once noticed any close connection between us. What did that say about me? Adrian and Baltasar hadn’t spent nearly as much time with the Grand Lich as I had, so they could at least claim that they’d had no way of knowing. But me? I should’ve sensed something sooner.
“I can’t help but feel that we’ve already failed her,” I whispered. “None of this should’ve happened. We should’ve stepped in much sooner.”
“We couldn’t have known,” Adrian replied. “They kept this secret well-guarded.”
He didn’t sound like he believed his own words. If anything, he seemed more distraught than I was.
“There’s very little we can do,” he belatedly added.
I wondered if Eiar had told him anything when he’d pulled her aside. It had been brave, but stupid, since Eiar was still the Grand Lich, and had not appreciated being pushed around by someone who should’ve been obeying her orders. I hoped his defiance had been worth it, since it had made Eranthe take yet another chance by healing Adrian from his injuries.
But maybe Eranthe was right and we couldn’t expect her to hold back when she had to face and maybe fight her dark side made flesh. I hoped it wouldn’t come to that, but I suspected Eranthe’s pessimism was more than justified.
In front of me, Eranthe let out a small gasp. More blood trickled down her pale arms. She buried her fingers in the grass, and the vegetation withered under her touch, only to become verdant and alive mere seconds later.
The heat around Tarasia flared brighter, like a miniature explosion that made the entire orchard shake. Her eyes suddenly filled with tears, but they evaporated as soon as they hit her skin.
Eranthe wasn’t crying, but her reaction was perhaps worse than her sister’s. Violent tremors had started to shake her body, and her teeth were chattering so badly that for a few seconds, I thought Cassia’s winter magic might have spilled over.
The explanation behind the phenomenon wasn’t anything so straightforward. “Something is seriously wrong here, Adrian,” I said. “It’s not just the natural power of the seasons that is hurting them. We have to step in!”
“And do what?” he snapped at me. “If you have any ideas, I’m all ears, but I’m not willing to add my death magic to a ritual that is supposed to not have anything to do with that. Knowing our luck, we might end up splitting Eranthe’s mind all over again.”
I wanted to say that was unlikely, but I didn’t understand what Eranthe’s parents had done originally, during the power transfer that had allowed her to become the avatar of spring. Adrian might be panicking over nothing, but he might also be correct.
Could we afford to take that chance? I’d always trusted Adrian when it came to issues of magic, but this time, I was beginning to have my doubts.
As it turned out, Adrian was both right and wrong. As soon as the magic faded, Eranthe slumped back onto the grass, breathing hard and still shaking. Since the ritual had ended, we rushed to her side, hoping we could help her now that our presence no longer endangered her so much.
“What is it, Eranthe? Are you ill?”
“Don’t ask any questions now,” Cassia said tightly. “Just take her to her quarters. She needs to rest.”
Eranthe immediately started to protest. “That isn’t true. I don’t...”
“Eranthe, please,” Cassia cut her off. “You need to take a few moments to clear your head. You won’t be able to deal with this otherwise, and honestly, neither will we. Go, please.”
I shared a look with my fellow vampires. Eranthe seemed coherent, not physically harmed, but obviously shaken from whatever had happened in the ritual. On the faces of her sisters, I could see questions very similar to my own.
What had happened? Why were they so upset? What had they seen during the ritual that had shaken them so much?
I decided to trust Cassia on this and picked Eranthe up in my arms. She felt light and fragile, almost as if she would break any moment now if I tried to hold her a little too tightly. The only good thing about the whole mess was that Eranthe set her head against my shoulder and relaxed in my embrace.
Once again, I felt helpless, and that didn’t change when we left the orchards and reentered the palace. Cassia had indicated that we should head to Eranthe’s rooms, but I’d never actually been there, so I was left standing in a corridor I was unfamiliar with, carrying the dazed Eranthe, with my baffled friends trailing after me.
I didn’t let that confusion deter me for too long. If there was anything I’d learned throughout my long life, it was that most palaces were all alike. If someone ever had a problem getting around, all he or she needed to do was to ask the servants for directions.
It wasn’t difficult to recall the name of one of the leprechauns I’d spoken with before our departure to Hades. “Maeven, would you mind guiding us to Her Majesty’s quarters?”
The results of my request showed up almost instantly. Maeven didn’t appear, but a trail of gold-covered four-leaf clovers manifested in front of us, pointing us in the right direction.
The path unerringly led us to the royal wing. Guarded by several groups of tree demons and layer after layer of additional wards, it was perhaps the most secure area in Tis Ánoixis. I still didn’t deem it enough to keep Eranthe safe, and not just because of the potential attack from the undead.
My fears were proven correct the moment I set foot in Eranthe’s apartments. Eranthe released her hold on my neck and smiled weakly. “Thank you for carrying me here. Can you put me down now?”
I had no desire to do that, but I respected her request and hoped she’d share her troubles with us anyway. As I set her down, though, she showed no inclination of explaining what she had in mind. Instead, she made a beeline for the wall and pressed her hand to the wood.
We watched in silence as the branches parted, revealing a small, secret compartment hidden beneath it. I wasn’t really surprised at its existence. A lot of magic users kept their valuables in such caches, and royals resorted to this practice a lot. My father had a similar safe, although his had been secured through someone else’s skills.
From her stash, Eranthe extracted a white crystal that teemed with power and glowed with an almost blinding light. Had I not been exposed to Tarasia’s far more intense magic and the recent ritual, I might have shied away from it.
Instead, I was mildly intrigued and a little alarmed. That crystal felt like it was alive, but at the same time, it didn’t have a consciousness. It reminded me a little of the soul spheres some necromancers used, and that made me antsy. “What is that?”
“This is the essence of Cassia’s lieutenant, February,” Eranthe explained. “I’m not sure if I m
entioned it, but he betrayed her and was executed for his crimes. Since he was the embodiment of a month of the year, his power stayed behind after his death. I was supposed to find a way to create another February, at Cassia’s request. I couldn’t do it.”
“Eranthe, that kind of magic would be a challenge for anyone,” Adrian pointed out. “You shouldn’t blame yourself for that failure. I’m sure your sister would agree with me, don’t you think?”
Eranthe snorted. “Of course Cassia would agree. In fact, I suspect that if she’d known then what we know now, she’d have never asked me to do it.”
“You don’t sound too happy about that,” I said.
Eranthe let out a heavy sigh. “That’s because I’m not. I probably shouldn’t be dumping this on you, but... Have you ever had a moment when you realized that everything you’ve ever done is completely useless, that you’ll never be what the people around you want you to be?”
I stared at her in disbelief. It had been obvious from the very beginning that Eranthe tended to feel responsible even for things that weren’t her fault and was always very harsh on herself. Still, this was a little much.
I wanted to address her lack of faith in us, but Baltasar spoke first. “You know that we have,” he said softly. “Adrian is a fae turned strigoi. I’m a half-lamia and Cezar a dhampir. If we tried to make a list of everyone who finds us lacking, we’d never finish. But their opinions of us don’t matter. It’s the same for you. If anyone has offended you, they’re not worth your time or your pain. You know better than to let that kind of nonsense get to you, Eranthe.”
“I wish that were true,” Eranthe answered. “I wish I did know better. But these days, it seems I don’t know much of anything. I don’t even know what my parents are thinking.”
Uh-oh. That sounded like an awfully specific comment. Had Eranthe seen something else that her made her warier of Selene’s intentions or was her current turmoil due to everything Selene had recently revealed?
I walked up to her and finally decided to take the plunge. “Eranthe, I know that so far, our relationship hasn’t been ideal. You were right earlier. We haven’t had time to communicate, to make everything clear between us. But even so, I believe in you, in what we have. No matter what, we’re here for you, and we’re here to stay. Whatever is on your mind, you can share it with us.”
“And I’d like to stay with you as well. I think that maybe, you’re the exception to the rule.” Eranthe smiled sadly. “Eranthe the nymph was supposed to have died a long time ago. Queen Eiar is the one the people of Tis Ánoixis are loyal too. I’m the impostor, not the Grand Lich. I’m the one who is the extra, and Chronikos knows it.”
Nine
Blood of a Nymph
Eranthe
It was difficult to understand and process the message your own world was giving to you when that message was brutally painful. If I had known it would hurt so much, maybe I’d have avoided it. Then again, maybe not. I was terrible at avoiding things that hurt me and if nothing else, our ritual had helped Chronikos.
I’d deemed myself prepared for any actions I might have to take. I hadn’t been prepared for this.
My soulmates didn’t seem to know what to make of my confession. “You’re an extra?” Cezar repeated. “Eranthe, you can’t possibly mean that. Why would you think that? What did you see?”
“Every single person here knows Eiar is more powerful than me. I’ve only ever been treated like a helpless child. I’m no queen, Cezar.” I clenched my fists, hating myself for falling into this bout of self-pity. “I’m barely a person. I haven’t been one since Eiar left me.”
I had seen it so clearly during the ritual. Chronikos had shown me why I was not enough. I’d deemed Eiar hostile and cruel, but in truth, I was the one at fault.
I could still hear the voices of Chronikos, pointing out the flaws in my logic and my deeds. As much as I wanted to pretend otherwise, I was hiding. A queen couldn’t hide and couldn’t pretend that the truth was different from what she knew it to be.
Eiar might be my dark side, but she also carried my strength. If she came back, I would no longer be Eranthe at all. But if we killed her like she had suggested, something even worse would happen.
I hadn’t been able to see what other disaster was waiting for us, but Eiar was necessary. And if the only way to save her was to accept her back inside me... What then?
“I’m weak,” I whispered. “I can’t carry this burden. I just can’t do this.”
My hands started shaking and February’s crystal fell from my grip. Adrian caught it before it could hit the ground. “Some burdens, you’re not supposed to carry on your own.”
He stashed the crystal back in the hidden compartment and took my hands. “We’re here for you. This isn’t the end of the world, and you don’t need to blame yourself for everything that goes wrong.”
I wanted so badly to believe him, but I just couldn’t. I shook my head and took a step away from him. “You know, a little while back, Snegurka tried to take control of Cassia’s body. She believed that Cassia had stolen everything from her—her powers, her crown, and her soulmates. And I think that, up to a point, Cassia believed that too. It’s why she agreed to the ritual of power transference in the first place.
“I never really understood how she felt, not until now. Maybe that’s what Eiar feels too, that I stole everything from her.”
“You can’t possibly compare the two situations, love,” Baltasar said. “I might not know your sister or Snegurka very well, but I do know they’re different people.”
“Eiar and I are different people too. You said all this yourselves.”
“Yes, we did, but there’s still a difference, and you know it.” Adrian cupped my cheek gently and his magic reached into my body, just like mine had reached into his. “Eranthe, please. I think we should listen to your sisters’ advice. You need to rest. You haven’t given yourself time to recover since before you were kidnapped. This isn’t healthy.”
I opened my mouth to protest, to tell them this was exactly what I was worried about. I didn’t want to be babied or receive special treatment. If I was here, taking a nap and enjoying my soulmates’ presence, who would be caring for my subjects? Eiar? She was the Grand Lich now.
Baltasar intervened before I could speak. “Whatever you’re planning to say, I’m going to stop it right here. You wanted to talk to us, didn’t you? You wanted to clarify where we stand and where our relationship is going. I don’t know about you, but I think this is the perfect time.”
His tone didn’t sound accusing, but I still flinched at the words. There would probably never be a perfect time to say the things we needed to share with one another. “You’re right and I’m sorry. Baltasar, the truth is I didn’t mean any of the things I said in the forest. You’re not a burden to me or anything like that. But at the same time, I’m not sure what I feel. This is all so new.”
We’d only met a few days ago, if that, before we’d been thrust into this whole mess. We might be soulmates, but that was no guarantee. Eiar had seemed to believe that I could salvage my relationship with them. The problem was that we didn’t have a relationship per se.
“Why did you come to save me in Hades? Was it just because I’m your soulmate?” If that was the case, we really might have fallen into a situation like the one Snegurka had created in her head. For all I knew, they were all Eiar’s soulmates, not mine.
“No, of course not,” Baltasar replied. “We actually didn’t realize you were our soulmate until we were already in Hades.”
“It was Charon the bargeman who told us,” Cezar added. “We felt pretty stupid after that, because in hindsight, we should’ve realized it ourselves without needing his help. But the trip itself had nothing to do with that knowledge.”
My breath caught at their confession. Under normal circumstances, their words would’ve relieved me. If my vampires hadn’t known about us being soulmates, logic stated that they’d come to save me because
they cared what happened to me as an individual.
But these weren’t normal circumstances, and my doubts lay in an entirely different direction. “That doesn’t answer my question,” I told them shakily. “You had no reason to come for me, to risk your lives and your souls in such a way. You have no reason to love me. So why did you take such chances and why are you helping me?”
In my heart, I already knew the answer to that question. There was a reason. It was just something I didn’t want to think about or acknowledge.
“It was because of her, wasn’t it? You wanted to save me because of Eiar.”
They might not have known about her true identity and origins, but that didn’t matter. All of them had been at least somewhat close to the Grand Lich. Their perception of her magic would’ve influenced their opinion and feelings toward me.
Adrian gaped at me in shock. “What? No! Of course not. We never had that kind of relationship with the Grand Lich. We all thought she was an old man, possibly some kind of skeletal mage. The Grand Lich was our superior and nothing more.”
“Even considering a potential romantic relationship between us would’ve been really weird, since I thought we were related,” Cezar said.
Yes, and despite the seriousness of the circumstances, I’d always find that a little funny. I couldn’t imagine how my other self had managed to pull the whole charade off. She’d fooled almost everyone in The Voievodat for centuries. I wondered if the vampires had really been that blind to what was going on, or if Eiar had been that good of an actress.
In the end, none of that was necessarily relevant, and neither was the previous lack of romantic interest between Eiar and my soulmates. “You might have felt that way at a conscious level, but your magic still responded to me because you were accustomed to her presence and comfortable with her.” It was the only thing that made sense. People didn’t embark on trips to the Underworld for someone they had just met. The sheer concept was absurd.
