“I came to speak to Apollo,” he replied. “There’s some stuff that doesn’t quite add up, and I wanted to get to the bottom of it. Five minutes is all I’m after, but this fella doesn’t seem to understand. Not to be rude or anything, I’m sure he’s just doing his job, but I’m not leaving until I’ve had those five minutes.”
I felt my brow furrow. “Apollo? Why would you care what happens to him?”
“It’s not him I care about, Your Highness. It’s my pal Finch. If Apollo’s actually innocent, then the guy who really tried to kill you is still out there.” Nash spoke rapidly, as though he feared I might interrupt before he reached his conclusion. “He might try to finish what he started with you, or he might go after the other suitors, to thin out the playing field. That’s where Finch comes in, since he’s one of them now. And I figure it’s better to be safe than sorry, when it comes to folks I’ve got a stake in.”
A chuckle escaped my throat. I had to admire his vivacity and generous spirit. I had taken a liking to Nash soon after meeting him, though I could not pinpoint why. Perhaps it was his appearance, so similar to that of my people, or perhaps it was the fondness he showed for the dog at his side, or his protectiveness of his friends. Either way, his thoughts mirrored my own.
I looked at the guard on duty. “Please allow Mr. Calvert to speak with Apollo.”
“Seriously?” Nash raised his eyebrows, though I could not tell whether he was impressed or stunned.
“Have you had a change of heart?” I answered.
“Not at all. After all the badgering I’ve been doing, I didn’t expect to just get a free pass so easily, that’s all.” He dipped his head. “Thank you, Your Highness.”
I extended my hand to him. “Here, allow me to provide you with a mark of authority. It will allow you to walk unhindered through these halls.”
He stepped forward and put out his own hand, evidently not understanding my meaning. “Is it like a badge, or something?”
“Not quite.” I gently touched my fingertips to the rise of his cheek and allowed the unique power of Atlantis to flow through me. It was not an ability, per se, but something entirely Atlantean that had passed down through the royal bloodline since Ganymede herself. Nash blinked in alarm as blue light shivered through my fingertips and into his skin, the thin strands coiling and swirling beneath his pale flesh. An insignia appeared, denoting two small wings—the emblem of royal permission.
“What did you do?” His hand flew up to his face, touching the newly forged emblem. The luminescence quickly faded, leaving behind a design of vivid aquamarine that would last until I removed it. If I did not remove it, the wings would dull with age, but only a royal could see it unraveled.
“I gave you a mark of authority, as promised. With this upon your cheek, you will be able to go where you please within this prison and avoid further disruptions with any guards you might happen to ‘badger,’ as you so quaintly put it.” I would not ordinarily have granted such a favor, but he and I shared the same goal of investigating Apollo’s apparent crime. And though Apollo and I were friends, I imagined he might be more forthcoming with someone who had not put him in the cell to begin with. Maybe Nash would learn something I hadn’t.
I drew my fingertips away. Performing such a ritual came as second nature to me now, for I had stood with my parents in the main hall of the palace on numerous occasions, marking our people with the symbols of their abilities since I was old enough to do it accurately. Upon the event of Atlantean children reaching maturity, they had to enter the palace to receive their markings, which would forever display their skills.
Nash glanced to one side in an attempt to view his reflection in the smooth marble walls. “Is this going to be stuck on my face forever? I know I’m no beauty, but I kind of liked my face the way it was. After nearly forty years, I’d gotten used to it.”
“Forty years? Goodness, how young you are.” It inspired pity in me to reflect on the short lives of surface dwellers. Why, they had not even begun to live by the time they withered and died. “Fear not, when you cease your investigation and are satisfied you have no further need of such a mark, I will remove it and return your face to its former state. Which I happen to find rather beautiful, in fact.”
Nash ran a nervous hand through his silvered hair. “Uh… thanks.”
“I am sorry I cannot put one on your Familiar, but as long as you possess the mark, no one will stop either of you.” I longed to touch the soft texture of Huntress’s fur, but I did not dare. It seemed rather too intimate, to stroke someone else’s Familiar.
“I’ll let you know what I find.” He smoothed his fingertips across the fresh mark once more, as though he thought he might be able to feel it.
“I would be grateful for that.” I took a polite step backward. “However, I advise discretion in your proceedings. You never know who could be watching or listening. Atlantis is as close to paradise as it is possible to get, but conspiracies exist, even here.”
And I should know… I seem to have found myself in the middle of one.
Seven
Finch
“And that’s pretty much all there is to know about me, from childhood to the man you see before you, scarfing down butter like there’s no tomorrow.” Here I was, sitting on the terrace again, tucking into another smorgasbord of Atlantean delights brought by some over-anxious minion with a need to break their spine with every bow they gave to Her Highness. Breakfast, this time. Seriously, how did people stay slim down here? Even their simplest cuisine would’ve been Michelin-starred on the surface, with food critics selling their grandmas to get a taste. But this food had come with a side of “The Entire History of Finch Merlin,” per Kaya’s request to know absolutely everything there was to know about me. So I’d told her, warts and murder and loss and all.
“That is… the most tragic thing I have ever heard.” Kaya lifted a napkin to her eyes and dabbed at tears. “We must name something after them, all those you lost.”
I stared at her in surprise. “But you didn’t even know them.”
“No, but now I know their stories, and I must honor them on your behalf.” Kaya sniffed and gave a self-conscious laugh. “How silly of me, to be so emotional. I usually manage to restrain myself, but… your words affected me deeply. Please, go on, while I gather myself. I am hopeful there is a happy ending.”
My heart sank. “Happy is a very subjective term, Your Highness.”
“Nevertheless, I would hear its conclusion.” She set the napkin down and gave me her full attention.
“Well… Katherine became a Child of Chaos, going by the chosen name of Eris, but it didn’t last. She needed a vessel to keep a human body, which she wanted to bridge the gap between the mortal world and what would’ve been her otherworld. She started to fall apart, crumbling away with all this black goop coming out of her. We had a massive battle in Elysium, where she was hellbent on trying to steal my sister’s body. That was when I made the deal with Erebus, to save my sister’s life.” I gave the napkin another violent twist, remembering that fateful day. “Erebus promised to kill Katherine, in exchange for me becoming his slave for an indefinite length of time. Even after everything… I’d do it all over again, for my sister’s sake. I love her more than my own life.”
“Oh, Finch…” Kaya whispered.
“Anyway, we’re still clearing up the fallout on the surface. Arresting the last rogue cultists and stuff, trying to help grieving families.” I laid the napkin in my lap, figuring it’d had enough for one breakfast. “Oh, and I think I mentioned before that Davin was at Katherine’s side the whole time, desperate to leech off her power. But he ran off during that last battle, once he realized Katherine wouldn’t win. He’s a cowardly snake, through and through.”
Kaya lowered her gaze, still sniffling a little. “I understand what you mean about that being a subjectively happy ending. It ended happily for your sister, and for the world as a whole, but not for you, nor for those affected by Ka
therine’s evil deeds. I am sorry you were not given due reward for your courage and selflessness. I, myself, have experienced some degree of Erebus’s deceitful antics. Although, you must take some joy in seeing your sister safe?”
I noticed the tinge of bitterness in her voice when she mentioned Erebus. A lot of bad blood still lingered between them. But she hadn’t said anything about the guard that Erebus had knocked out, or asked if I’d had any unwanted visitors, which made me think Erebus had somehow restored the poor fella without any inconvenient memories.
I sighed heavily. “I would, if she wasn’t worried about me dying all the time. This Erebus servant thing comes with a lot of near-death experiences, and not all of them come directly from him.” I shook off the encroaching sadness.
“Did your sister give you that pendant you always wear? I remember you saying it was a family heirloom, when my guards attempted to seize it upon your arrival here.” She gestured toward the Eye of Erebus, and a cold dread gripped my stomach. This would have to be an exceptional lie.
“Yeah, she did. It belonged to my father, who I never got the chance to know. After Elysium, and all that insane stuff, she gave it to me just before I left on my first mission for Erebus. I guess she wanted me to keep a part of our family history with me, so I’d feel close to her, and our family, wherever I was,” I said, the words sliding easily from my tongue.
She smiled sadly. “That is so very touching.”
Time for a segue… I didn’t want her asking a ton of questions about it.
“Anyhoo, that’s enough about me. How about your idyllic childhood? I could do with something a bit fluffier after all that yakking. I’m surprised you’re not sick of the sound of my voice by now.”
“Oh no, I found your story most intriguing, Finch. I only wish it had been fiction, so that you had not endured so much struggle,” she replied with worrying softness. Had I just wooed her without even realizing? Chaos, I hoped not.
“So come on, spill,” I said encouragingly.
Kaya took a moment to stare out at the city below us, all hazy and gleaming in the fake sunlight. “I have lived far longer than you, so my past spans more time than yours. If I were to recount it all, we would be here for weeks. So I shall keep it as brief as I am able.” She smiled tentatively. “I had a charmed childhood. I read until the libraries had nothing new to offer me, and I played in dazzling sunshine until I was too weary to run any longer and Iso had to carry me back to my chambers. I watched marine Purge beasts swimming and frolicking, learning each one by name and character, and listened to the haunting melody of the selkies’ song until tears streamed down my face. I learned how to be a princess at my mother’s side, taking her instruction for how to eat and behave and be a just ruler. And I danced until morning at the soirées and festivals that enveloped this city, floating like a Sylph on pure, decadent elation.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “So nothing like my upbringing, then?”
She immediately looked horrified. “My apologies. How thoughtless of me!”
“Not at all.” I offered a reassuring smile, since I’d promised my friends I would play the part of a reluctant, yet intrigued, suitor. “I’m guessing you were on your own a lot, huh? I mean, if you read all the books in the library, you had to have been a bit of a loner. No offense—Melody’s the same way, and she’s one of my favorite people.”
Kaya’s expression morphed into faraway sadness. “No, I was not alone as often as you might think. I had several close confidantes throughout my childhood, though only one of them remained close into maturity.”
“Anyone I know?”
She swallowed loudly. “Apollo.”
“Ah… that’s got to be awkward.” I’d known they had history, but I hadn’t realized they’d been bosom buddies.
“It is more than awkward. It is… utterly puzzling.” She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “I would never have expected him to harm me. Even now… I cannot entirely resign myself to the notion that he was responsible. Which is why I have delegated the investigation of the assassination attempt to your friend Nash.”
My eyes widened. “Try saying that ten times fast.”
“Excuse me?” She cocked her head.
“Another joke, Your Highness.”
“Ah! I shall have to learn when you are being humorous, though we shall have plenty of time to educate ourselves on one another’s… idiosyncrasies.”
I nodded. “Or idiot-syncrasies, in my case.”
“Very good! I got that one!” She smiled and clasped her hands together, but I could tell she was faking her good spirits as much as I was. She had Apollo on the brain, and now so did I.
So she let Nash start an investigation, hmm? That had to be a good thing, at least in terms of getting to the bottom of who’d tried to drive a knife into Kaya’s chest. And it did me and the new Muppet Babies a major favor, too, if we had the princess’s authority to sneak around. And I would do some sneaking of my own, very soon…
“For what it’s worth, I hope it’s not him. Especially if he means that much to you,” I told her.
Kaya nodded slowly. “I should not say so, but that is also my hope.”
“Did you and Apollo ever…” I gave a knowing wink. “You know, have a sneaky kiss or anything?”
“No,” she replied bluntly. “He loves me, but I have never shared those affections.”
I played with one of the golden forks on the table. “Ah, the old friendzone. Has no one else floated your boat? You’re two hundred years old, right? Don’t tell me there hasn’t been a boyfriend or two.”
“A princess does not consort with ‘boyfriends,’ as you call them. A princess is to have only her husband, and no man before him.” I didn’t quite believe her. That flush in her cheeks suggested there’d been a peck or two somewhere along the line.
Unless she means Erebus… All that laver bread in my tummy did a somersault.
“What, and you really want that ‘one man’ to be me?” I decided not to dwell on the boyfriend thing. “Come on, humor me. What’s so special about me when, in the famed words of Barry White, you think I’m going to be your first, your last, your everything? It has to be more than my healthy appetite and razor-sharp wit.”
Kaya looked away. “I have told you already. I believe that Chaos brought us together for a divine purpose, and that, as far as I am concerned, is reason enough to wed you.” Finally, she turned back, meeting my gaze head-on. “Besides, there is charm in you, and a remarkable… goodness. I feel it keenly. Moreover, after hearing your story, I grow more and more convinced that you are a gift from Chaos itself.”
“Should I tie a bow around myself?” I sighed wearily.
“I understood that one, but this is no joking matter,” she went on. “You have suffered, and battled a formidable evil, and continued on in torment while those around you have their joy. That makes you special. And that makes you… precisely the gentleman necessary for me, and for Atlantis’s future.”
I wanted to scream but held it in. “And if it just so happens to bug Erebus, too, all the better?”
“A trifling consolation. It is not my reason, but why should he not suffer for deceiving me and causing the death of a much-beloved hero? I fell in love with a lie, a fantasy. It was not real, not like you and I will be. I could not sit at this table and speak with him as easily as I am with you. His Darkness makes me feel small and insignificant, and I do not like to feel small and insignificant.”
Methinks the lady doth protest too much…
“I will never overcome my anger toward him,” she railed. “Had he possessed any respect for me, he would have told me his true nature from the beginning, instead of resorting to underhanded machinations. Machinations which, I reiterate, resulted in Bellerophon’s awful, undignified demise.”
I cleared my throat. “I thought the Chaos spirit killed Bellerophon.” Lux, sweetie, you ain’t getting out of this unscathed.
“We do not know the actual cause
, but either way, it stemmed from Erebus taking the guise of Bellerophon. Even if it was only by proxy, Erebus was ultimately responsible.” Kaya’s mouth set in a hard line.
Ah, you got me there…
“Now, on to more pleasant conversation.” Kaya straightened and forced a slightly manic smile onto her face. “I am so confident in my choice that I am going to announce our engagement to the entire kingdom tonight. I have already summoned guests and the rest of the suitors.”
I felt like someone had ripped my entrails out to use as skipping ropes. My lungs started acting up, my breath coming in short, strained gasps. We might have been underwater, but the world really seemed like it was swimming. At least I was sitting down for this…
Nope, nope, nope… I need more time! I tried to say something, but my throat had closed up. Through the sliver of windpipe that remained, my brain prioritized dragging air into those pesky, rebellious lungs of mine. This couldn’t be happening now. Not so soon.
“Do I take it you are pleased with—”
Her sentence jolted to a halt as the fake orbs of sunlight flickered and the city went dark. All sound died, leaving an eerie silence. Until the cries started, frightened shouts from below.
A moment later, the orbs sparked back to life. If this was enough to freak me out, then it would definitely alarm the Atlantean residents. I glanced at Kaya. For a split second, her mask cracked, and I saw genuine panic flit across her features.
“Goodness, I do hope it is not the naiads again.” She gave a chuckle as stiff as a corpse. “I should speak with Iso and have more engineers brought in to study the Bestiary’s atrium. This recalibration nonsense really must be remedied.” She couldn’t have gotten up faster if her bum cheeks had been on fire.
Recalibration? Who’re you trying to kid?
Without so much as a “thanks for the glittering conversation,” she grabbed my arm and flung me into the bedroom, locking the terrace doors behind her. She damn near sprinted the length of the massive room and disappeared through the door.
Harley Merlin 15: Finch Merlin and the Everlasting Vow Page 6
