Chapter 8 #2
“Why not? Aren’t angels supposed to be insanely talented with their magic?”
All too aware of Rummy listening in behind us, I stilled. “Let’s just keep moving. We need to make as much progress as we can before nightfall.”
Matthias didn’t ask any more questions, and I thanked the goddess above for that. Since Scarlata had been growing, the question of using magic lingered in the air, following my every fucking move.
No, I didn’t use magic. Yes, angels were supposed to be incredibly powerful.
Even Wolf—who had been a fallen angel—had an incredible ability.
Blood magic and natural magic could both be used by fae and vampyres who wielded them correctly, but angels?
Angels were supposed to be powerhouses of magic. Unstoppable.
And I was none of those things.
Those who wanted to train their magic went to Moira Seminary to learn. They had the best magic teachers at their disposal and explored the limits of their powers without fearing the consequences.
Wolf suggested I stop in, discover what I could learn.
I never saw the point. My magic would never be a phenomenal force like his. There was no use in pretending any different.
My role in Scarlata was commander of the army. I trained our men, I led our troops, I prepared them to protect Scarlata at all costs. None of which required magic.
Was that not enough?
Rummy resisted the pushes to attend Moira, too, though I wasn’t sure why. I always assumed it was her own rebellious streak keeping her here, even though Huntyr supported her decision to do whatever she liked.
She didn’t want to learn magic, either, and the reasons behind that were none of my damn business.
The sun rose fully over the trees, but the thick leaves above shaded us from the brunt of it. The air grew warmer as we traveled onward, but hours later, when the sun sank toward the opposite horizon, the chill fell back over us.
“So, Matthias,” Rummy hedged. This was the first she’d spoken all damn day.
I kept my focus on the forest ahead, though I strained to listen.
“What sent you running for Scarlata? What’s going on in the east that’s so terrible?”
I bit back a scoff. She had a way with words.
Matthias cleared his throat. “It’s been escalating for a while now. The new leader, King Cornelius, has become entirely out of control. He’s unreasonable, unpredictable.”
“How so?” Rummy pushed, her tone innocent. It was the tone I’d learned to stop trusting a long, long time ago.
We trotted along for a few seconds before Matthias answered.
“At first, it was nothing unexpected. The ban on using magic outside the castle wasn’t exactly a surprise, not after seeing how hungry he was for control.
” He sighed, lowering in his seat a little.
“The real problem was when he sent soldiers door to door, looking for a special type of fae.”
“Special type of fae?” Rummy asked. “You mean fae with special magic?”
“We never found out. There were rumors, of course. Many figured he was looking for someone to rule beside him as queen, but by the time we left, he still hadn’t chosen a companion. He just ransacked the entire damn kingdom, in search of the most powerful, from what I’ve been told.”
“And what did he do with the powerful fae he found? If he banned magic, what’s the point of rounding them up?”
Matthias didn’t answer right away, but the defeated look on his face told me he knew as well as I did what the point was.
“I don’t know,” Matthias said. “But they took my sister. She spent her entire life caring for others, and they snatched her away like she was nothing. I decided right away that I had to do something, that I had to get help.”
My face heated with anger. I’d lived in ignorance for so damn long, all the while my father abused his power over anyone and everyone. I fucking hated it. People trusted him as their leader, and he couldn’t have given a single shit about them.
Power was not something to be abused. Ruling a kingdom was the most humbling position that existed.
He was going door to door looking for powerful fae? What gave him the right to go searching? What gave him the right to disrupt lives for his own gain?
“You must really care about Pericius if you were willing to come all this way to help them,” Rummy continued.
She was still using that innocent voice, but my walls had already been erected.
That’s what Rummy did. She made it seem like she genuinely cared about you, but in reality, she used the facade to manipulate.
To use. To get you to see what you wanted to see in order to spill the information she sought.
She was damn good at it, too. That’s what I hated about her the most.
Rummy’s laughter echoed through my chest. Goddess above, I loved that laugh. From the first time I’d heard it, I’d been a goner.
Huntyr asked me to watch out for Rummy these first few days in Scarlata, and I was happy to oblige. But if I was honest, spending time with her was the most fun I’d had in as long as I could remember. She reminded me of what it felt like to relax, to let my guard down.
“Are you going to try?” I asked. “Or are you going to sit there while I make a fool of myself?”
The river in front of us roared as I threw another fish into our basket. Let’s go fishing, Rummy had said. It’ll be a fun way to take our mind off things.
I quickly realized that she had never been fishing a day in her life. And her idea of taking her mind off things meant watching me tromp around in the water while she sat on the rocks, basking in the sun.
I didn’t mind. If it made her happy, I’d stand in this freezing-cold river all day.
“Why would I try?” she answered between laughs. “You’re a natural! I’ll just slow you down.”
Her tanned skin glowed as she tilted her face to the sky and laughed again.
Okay, Rummy. I knelt down and splashed her.
When the icy liquid hit her, she squealed and jumped to her feet. “Hey! What was that for!”
Now it was my turn to laugh. “That’s for convincing me to bring you all the way out here so you could be entertained.”
Her smile grew. “Does that mean you’re having a bad time?”
I found myself taking a step toward where she stood on the riverbank. “No,” I answered honestly. “Not a bad time at all.”
The memory made my lungs constrict, tightening around my heart.
There were plenty of days just like that one, all of which I kept locked in the far recesses of my mind.
I was a damn fool to be tricked by her games then. I wouldn’t be tricked again.
“Pericius used to be home. It was safe. Protected. Now there are children starving. Elderly living without a roof over their heads. The people are terrified, and for what? So the new king can terrorize us and take whatever he pleases?” Matthias’s voice hardened toward the end, and as if she noticed too, Rummy ceased her questioning.
“We’re going to make those bastards pay,” Xavier said from the back of the group.
“I hope so,” Matthias replied. “Before it’s too late.”
We’d underestimated how cold the forest nights could be. We all had blankets, but they did little to combat the chilled air. Even with our small fire—which was a risk, since we now knew rogues were lingering in these woods, but a necessity—the cold sank into my bones.
The sight of Rummy huddled next to Xavier across from me made my stomach twist.
He’d told me many times that he would never cross the line with Rummy, but their nearness now still pissed me off like no other. Not because I wanted to huddle against Rummy for warmth, but because she was using another person for warmth at all.
I didn’t like it.
I didn’t like her.
But at least she’d kept her eyes off Matthias. It was a miracle, really. Fresh meat usually didn’t last a damn day around Rummy.
The horses were tied up a few feet away, and after we ate, silence descended.
Silence and… something else. An eerie sensation.
“Is this what it’s going to be like the whole way? Boring nights, sitting around a campfire?” Rummy asked, teeth chattering. “Because goddess above, I should’ve brought Soph along for entertainment.”
Xavier laughed, but I didn’t.
“Boring means we’re not fighting for our lives out here,” I reminded her. “Boring is the best possible scenario on a trip like this.”
“Ugh,” she groaned, burrowing farther into the blanket she had thrown over herself. “You are no fun.”
Even Matthias smirked at that one. I, on the other hand, had to swallow the stream of insults that came to mind.
“Fine,” Rummy said. “I’m going to take a walk. Enjoy the riveting conversation while I’m gone.”
Was she kidding? “You’re going on a walk? Right now?” I couldn’t help but snort. “I don’t think so. Sit down.”
She was already pushing herself up, the blanket slipping from around her shoulders. “Excuse me?”
My blood heated with annoyance. “It’s too dangerous out there right now. You can’t go wandering around the forest at night, Rummy.”
I should’ve known what was coming next. I should’ve known that no matter what I told her, she’d do the opposite. Even if I was trying to protect her.
“Watch me.” She stomped off into the woods without even a glance back.
I hopped to my feet, my blanket discarded on the ground, and followed her. Whatever I had done in the past life to deserve this, it must’ve been pretty fucking bad.