Chapter 17
Chapter
Seventeen
I pray they will forgive me for what I have done, but he must see the truth of their connection. It may be the only way to save us all.
—Ana, Priestess to the Usurper King, Arcadia
“I told you—you didn’t need to bother,” Morgen said when she sat down next to him. “You should probably be with Carus and your parents.”
She shook her head. “They need some time alone to figure things out.”
Morgen blew out a breath, hanging his head between his bent knees. “Carus has been searching for so long, I don’t think he ever stopped to imagine what would happen if he found what he was looking for.”
She didn’t know what to say to that. The wind howled through the mountains, and she remained silent next to Morgen for a while. Eventually, she asked, “How did you meet Carus?”
He glanced sidelong at her. “I suppose he won’t mind me telling you now, given you’re technically his sister.”
She shrugged, though her stomach whooshed. Hearing the words spoken aloud felt odd.
“Varax was hunting in a small forest just west of here, and when she dove for a sheep, it turned out to be a boy wearing a sheepskin who, according to her, screamed very loudly and then set himself on fire trying to fend her off.”
Nya’s brows rose. “Are you serious?”
Morgen nodded, the ghost of a smirk on his face. “Completely, unless Varax is lying. Besides, Carus has yet to come up with a believable story.”
I am not lying. He shrieked like a very young female child.
Nya glanced over at Varax, who was already closing the single amber eye she had opened and evidently going back to her nap.
“Varax called for me, and by the time I got there, Veeron—Carus’ dragon—had shown up too and claimed Carus. I portaled all four of us back here, and then you can imagine what happened after that.”
A surprised laugh bubbled up before she could stop it. “So, you ‘rescued’ him, and then he took care of you while you were magic-drunk.” She shook her head. “No wonder he was so grumpy when it happened the other day.”
“It was a memorable start to our friendship,” Morgen said dryly.
“And Imeria? How did you meet her?”
His hand twitched where it was resting against the cold ground, and she resisted the urge to take it.
Despite their marriage, neither of them wore bands, and she wondered briefly if it was a way for him to keep it from feeling real.
She knew she should be relieved, but it only made her feel a hollow pang of disappointment.
“Do you remember I told you some of my friends had known me for a long time?”
She looked up to meet his eyes. They were dull, barely even illuminated by ether, much less the embers. “Yes. I presume Imeria was in his palace?”
“She was one of Kronos’ personal servants.
She was very young, younger than was traditional, which made the others dislike her.
But she was lucky, because he never touched her, and sometimes, sent her to deliver messages to me.
The day he died, she was just supposed to tell me to stay in my room, but she also told me there was a demi-god killing guards outside the throne room. ”
Nya’s eyes widened slightly. “My father?”
Morgen nodded. “It was impressive, really. All the palace guards had been trained practically from birth, and all of them were dead before Vane reached Kronos. They had to be; they were ordered to die than let anyone touch their king. Imeria saw, and I think she hoped someone was finally going to get close enough to kill him.”
It was odd to hear, to connect her gentle, albeit sometimes grumpy, father with a demi-god who had slaughtered highly trained guards with ease. But when she thought about why he’d done it, she could make sense of it. He would do anything for her mother.
“I was young and stupid, so I ran to the throne room.” His lips turned up, almost as if recounting a happy memory.
“I wanted to watch it happen, to see him finally die. Imeria followed me, begging me to come with her, to run. She understood what I didn’t yet: if and when Kronos was defeated, I needed to be gone before more of the council arrived. ”
“And she’s been with you since?”
He shrugged. “She’s loyal.”
Nya bit her cheek, thinking of the day Imeria had helped get her ready for the wedding ceremony. Something she had said sat strangely with her, and she wasn’t sure why.
“Why did she tell me you weren’t a virgin?”
Morgen huffed out a silent laugh. “Bringing that up again, are you?”
“It’s just an odd thing to do. I mean, she made me think you’d had countless lovers and that they were all going to be spiteful. When we went to breakfast in the mess hall and everyone was glaring at me, I assumed she was right.”
He shook his head. “They just don’t know you. I’d never tolerate them being hostile or threatening you, but I understand why they’re wary.”
She bit her cheek, turning her attention to the sun fading in the sky. It was nearly nightfall, and a deeper chill was beginning to spread through the air.
It was probably just jealousy her own mind had disguised as something else, but she didn’t like that he couldn’t see an issue with what Imeria had done.
It was just strange, and most people would be bothered by it.
Then again, Morgen wasn’t most people, and his idea of trustful relationships was assuredly skewed in many ways.
“We should go back,” he said, touching her arm. “You’re cold.”
She did shiver at the brush of his fingers against her skin, but it had little to do with the temperature. Turning to face him, she asked, “What happens now?”
He touched her face, tracing her cheek almost absentmindedly.
“The principals rejected our terms. Even if your parents stay for you and Carus, that remains true. We’re running short on time, Nya.
More cracks will form, and the stability of this world will start to waver.
If the council won’t bend, I’ll have to force their hands. ”
“So there will still be war,” she whispered.
“We’ll see, but knowing Sol…probably.”
She searched his gaze for a moment, wholly focused on her, before inhaling sharply and wrapping her arms around him, hugging him tightly.
It just felt like the right thing to do, with what had happened today and all that had already passed.
They had so much history between them but so few, shaky ways to bridge the gaps that were naturally always going to live between them.
Holding him like this felt like finally forcing herself to connect all they had been with all they were now.
He stiffened at first, arms at his sides, before slowly relaxing, sliding his hands up her back.
She waited all the time it took for him to return the embrace.
Though he was surrounded by people who believed in his claim, she had learned quickly he trusted very few, and even then, he did not really open up emotionally to anyone, even Carus and Imeria.
But she had the luxury of knowing him in a time and place that was entirely separate.
Perhaps without that, he would have never been able to be vulnerable with anyone, and, as angry as she still was that he had lied and forced her into all this, she could understand to some degree.
It was not right, but as Carus had said to her the other night, Morgen had no idea how to treat the people he cared about, and she could no longer say he did not care.
Neither could she.
Lightning lit up the sky in the distance, and he murmured in her ear, “We need to go inside before the storm hits.”
She nodded against his shoulder but asked, “The lightning; what is it like?”
It must have taken him a moment to realize she was referring to his magic, because he didn’t answer right away.
“A little terrifying,” he eventually admitted.
“It always has been. It’s a difficult element to control properly.
You could just as easily destroy your enemies as your friends if you’re not careful. ”
She pulled back slightly to look at him. “I understand that,” she whispered before really thinking.
He paused, a few faint veins of gold sparking in his irises. “Do you?”
“I…” She trailed off and for a few moments, her mind went blank, and then she shook her head. “Probably not, actually. I hardly ever use my magic, so I can’t even say for sure how it manifests.”
He didn’t look convinced for some reason, but still he murmured, “All right.”
A sudden wave of anxiety churned her stomach as she realized how dark it was. The wind was picking up, and the mountaintops were only visible when the lightning flashed.
“C’mon,” he said, pulling her up. “Just hold onto me for a moment, alright?”
“We’re portaling?”
“Mhm. Not sure I trust you not to trip over a rock and break your ankle, especially in the dark.”
She smiled, despite the cold fear she suddenly couldn’t shake as the sun dipped below the horizon. “That was one time. I did not break it, and even you said you didn’t see the root.”
His laugh was soft in her ear. She wondered if anyone else had ever heard that laugh before as he tugged her close, one arm wrapped around her waist, the other outstretched as he summoned the portal.
She watched closely as the ether in the air shimmered, visible even in the dark, and just before they stepped through the opaque silver, she told him, “I portaled during the battle. That’s how I got down to you so fast.”
The next thing she knew, they were standing in the mess hall and Morgen was a few paces away, staring at her with wide eyes.
“What?” she asked, a little breathless.
He shook his head slightly. “That’s just…highly improbable.”
“What, me portaling?”
“Yes.”
“Well, it happened, so—”
“Morgen!”
They both turned at the sound of Carus’ voice.
“Where are Sora and Vane?” Morgen asked immediately.