Chapter 17 #2
Once, I thought of myself as pretty. Back when we were young and Huntyr would go on and on about my looks. She loved my long, sun-bleached hair. My mother used to say all the same shit, too, rambling about how all the boys in Midgrave would love me.
My chest tightened. That was before she was killed by one of the cursed vampyres who stalked those lands.
Huntyr had saved us from all of that. From the hungry ones. From the poverty of Midgrave.
Hells, if I could go back and tell my past self that I would be standing here, selecting a dress from a whole collection of fine garments, she’d laugh in my face.
I no longer thought of myself as a pretty woman, though. I hardly thought of myself as a woman at all. With my towel secured tightly around my body, I tilted my head to the side and took in my stark reflection in the mirror ahead of me.
The person staring back at me was not beautiful. She was the shell of a soul, a cracked heart and a bleeding personality.
I was not pretty. I was frightening. Gruesome. Pitiful.
As I stared and stared and stared at my sharp cheekbones and my pale lips, my stomach twisted in knots.
Finally, the urge to vomit overcame me, and I turned away.
This was not the time to puke in disgust over my own damn reflection. No, tonight, I had to pretend like I had my shit together. Like I didn’t give a damn what anyone thought of me. Like I was powerful.
Like I belonged.
And pretend, I would, because that would never be me.
The dress I selected was a solid runner-up to last night’s attire, though much more mysterious. The fabric was dark as midnight, and instead of exposing my skin, it hugged my curves, though it left just enough to the imagination to keep a king like Cornelius interested.
The hem of the dress came to mid-thigh, the long, tight sleeves stopped past my wrists, and the modest neckline showed no cleavage.
Not too bad for Midgrave trash. Not too bad at all.
I slipped out of my bedroom, being sure the door clicked shut quietly behind me.
Without my permission, my body turned in the opposite direction from where I was going, as if looking for Jessiah or Xavier.
Neither of them were lurking like creeps in the shadows.
Not this time, anyway.
I rolled my shoulders back and made my way downstairs to meet Cornelius. A guard dressed in head-to-toe black met me at the bottom of the stairs. He was one of the more elite guards in Pericius, I realized. The males dressed like this ranked higher than those who wore mere uniforms.
“Rummy?” he asked as I descended.
I cocked a brow. “Yes?”
“King Cornelius is waiting for you. Please, follow me.” He nodded once, then started for a set of doors at the back of the castle. Outside, the horizon basked in bronzed sunshine and the exterior walls were flooded with a warming light.
The scene was beautiful, giving me hope that tonight might not turn into a total shit show.
Xavier and Jessiah and their concerns were ridiculous. Cornelius was a king, yes, but he was just a man. He had been thrust into this position, and he was likely still scrambling to figure out who he could trust.
We could easily become those people he trusted.
Xavier and Jessiah had yet to see the bigger picture here.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked as the guard turned down a small stone path that led to a cascading staircase.
“Up there,” he said, stepping to the side. “He’ll be waiting at the top.”
“Uh, okay…”
My heart thudded as I looked at the staircase. There must have been fifty steps separating us, with a shallow wall twirling around each one.
I’m glad I wore sturdier shoes than I chose last night.
With a nod to my guide, I started up the steps. The higher I got, the better the view of the sunset became. Though I had never been one to admire the sun or the scenery, this was different.
This place was different.
Neither Midgrave nor Scarlata saw sunsets like this. Hells, we were lucky if we saw the sun for a week straight.
Though my thighs burned from the climb, the sensation was easy to ignore. I was too distracted by the beauty ahead of me to feel the ache.
“Goddess above,” I mumbled.
A soft chuckle caught me off guard.
“It’s impressive, isn’t it?” Cornelius stood to my left, a bouquet of red flowers clasped in his hand. His skin gleamed in the evening light, his smile glowing just as much.
My stomach dropped.
Get it together, Rummy. You’re here to do a job. He might be attractive, but he’s just a man.
Just a damn man.
With really nice shoulders.
“Impressive?” I laughed. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.” The stairs had led me to a small tower that overlooked the kingdom. It was clear from this high that the castle sat on top of a hill, the rest of the domain surrounding the walls of the castle cascading downward from here.
But up here, I could not see the poverty. I could not see the starving children or the sickness or the famine.
I saw only beauty. Clusters of buildings, fields of green, streets of stone.
And Cornelius ruled it all.
When he didn’t respond, I turned, finding him watching me with an amused look on his face. “You are a stunning creature, Rummy. You fascinate me.”
The heat that flooded my cheeks did so without my permission. “You are too kind.”
He held out the red flowers. “For you. Roses. They’re rare around here, but for you, I insisted on the most beautiful flowers from the garden.”
The garden had been impressive enough, but these? Roses, he called them. “They’re perfect. Thank you.”
That was all I could come up with. This was… this was all too much.
I could only play the part of an unaffected badass for so long.
“Let’s sit. I’ve had dinner prepared.” He led me to a small circular iron table with two chairs that overlooked the sun-bathed kingdom. “I hope you enjoy seafood. We’ve brought in today’s fresh catch.”
My stomach rumbled as he pulled my chair out. “You really know how to charm a woman, you know that?”
With a soft smile, he slid into his own seat. “I wasn’t lying when I said that you fascinate me. I’m interested in learning more about your life, about you.”
I set the roses on the table, trading them for the large glass of wine. “Trust me, I’m not that interesting.”
Cornelius angled closer, his forearms resting on the table. “Impossible.”
I took a sip of the dark red wine, savoring the flavor. He clearly had no idea who he was talking to, but if he thought I was someone worth spending his valuable time with, who was I to argue? If I was showered with compliments while I worked for information, I wouldn’t complain.
“I hope everything was okay earlier,” I said, changing the subject. “It seemed important. King drama?”
A beat passed. One where his eyes narrowed a fraction. But a heartbeat later, he smiled, flashing those perfect teeth. “King drama, indeed. Unfortunately the transition after my father’s death has not been as smooth as I imagined it would be.”
A light breeze caught the air.
“I’m sorry,” I said, brushing the hair from my face. “About your father.”
“That’s life, I suppose.” He arched a brow, seeming unbothered. “Nobody gets out of here alive.”
My chest tightened. “Still. Losing a parent isn’t easy. Is your mother still around?”
Cornelius’s smile faded slightly. “She hasn’t been around for a long time. It’s better that way, though. My father wasn’t exactly easy to live with, and with all the king drama around here, it’s better if she’s far away.”
As he spoke of his mother, I swore he looked younger. Sad, even.
I rested my hand atop his. Mostly because I couldn’t think of anything else to say. I wasn’t exactly the best at comforting others, okay?
“What about you?” he asked. “Your parents?”
I shrugged, keeping my face blank. “My father died when I was young. He was killed by a cursed vampyre.” My throat suddenly felt like closing. All the air escaped my lungs. “My mother is dead, too, though that one hurts more. She was probably the only one in this world who truly understood me.”
My voice hitched slightly and I prayed he wouldn’t notice.
But he leaned further into my touch and said, “We all crave to be understood, Rummy. Don’t let the death of your mother stop you from believing that you have a right to be understood.”
Words escaped me, but thankfully, he quickly straightened and carried on the conversation. “I’ve heard all about the vampyres of Vaehatis. You’re talking about the hungry ones, I presume?”
I nodded, lowering my gaze and wishing away the heat that crept up my cheeks. “Those are the ones.”
“Were they really as vicious as the rumors make them out to be? I can hardly picture it, sane vampyres turning into those monsters?”
“They were…” My voice trailed off. Yes, they were as viscous as the rumors claimed.
The constant attacks, the constant fear, were downright traumatic.
Never knowing whether I was safe was exhausting.
My father really was killed them. My mother had come close to being slaughtered by them, too.
I quickly pushed the thought of her death away.
“It was always interesting, that much is certain. But they’re gone now.
And Vaehatis is quickly repairing itself. ”
I pulled my hand away from his and laced my fingers in my lap.
He tilted his head, studying me, his blue eyes intent. “And you live in Scarlata now? A fae living among vampyres?”
I forced a smile, hoping it didn’t look too unnatural. “Yes. Though, it’s easy to forget that they aren’t fae, until they need to eat, anyway.”
He grimaced. “It must be lonely there.”
I stiffened. Dammit, I hadn’t expected to get so vulnerable. Yet here I was. “Yes, I suppose it gets lonely at times.”
“Do they practice there? The same way fae do?”
Frowning, I searched his face. “Practice what?”
“Magic,” he said easily. “Blood magic, natural magic. Do the vampyres practice freely?”
I considered his question. Since the curse on the lands had been lifted, major sacrifices were no longer required to practice magic. And over time, many vampyres had discovered they had special abilities.
“I suppose they do, yes. Though, it’s not common. Most who are serious about learning their magic attend a magic academy not too far from Scarlata. They’re taught to develop their gifts to their full potential there.”
“And you attended this academy?”
I choked on a laugh, then swallowed another mouthful of wine. “Goddess, no. I had no interest in attending Moira.”
He hummed beneath his breath. “And why is that? As fae living among vampyres, wouldn’t you want all the leverage you could get? Magic could keep you safe.”
“Hmm.” I tapped a finger against the hand-chiseled glass tabletop.
Why hadn’t I attended Moira?
I’d been asked that question over and over. By Jessiah. By Huntyr. By Wolf.
But they didn’t understand.
They never would.
“Moira isn’t for people like me. I have no interest in developing a magic I don’t have.”
Cornelius’s eyes flashed in a way I didn’t understand. Though the sun was setting and the lantern on the table was dim, it was impossible to miss. “What?”
“It’s just… You’re different, Rummy. I sense it. In fact, you just might be the one I’ve been waiting for.”
Chest tightening, I sat back. “What do you mean?”
He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. “Have you ever heard of chaos?”
“Chaos magic?” I repeated. “No, can’t say I have.” The lie spilled easily from my lips.
If Cornelius noticed my deceit, he did not show it.
“Blood magic, natural magic, and chaos. An entirely different type of power that can cause ultimate death and destruction. My father had a bit of an… obsession with magic. Different types of magic. Different types of magic users. He was searching for powerful wielders of chaos. Pericius has never had the types of magic restrictions the eastern kingdoms held. Vaehatis was the only land cursed by the goddess to stifle the magic use there. Likely because of the archangels.”
“You have no archangels here, right? Just fae?”
Cornelius nodded. “For centuries, only fae have inhabited Pericius. And all that time, we have practiced freely. It’s allowed us to cultivate a kingdom of diverse magic users.”
Unease coiled deep in my stomach. “Wow. That’s quite a feat.”
His eyes darkened. “It was a feat, yes, but my father could be quite jealous at times. He coveted what he could not have.”
“And what couldn’t he have?”
The intensity in his eyes as he zeroed in on me sent a shiver down my spine. “He wanted what I have, Rummy. He wanted enough chaos magic to connect to the dead.”
I nearly spat out my damn wine at his sudden admission. “You can connect to the dead? Are you kidding?”
“Yes, I can. I am not the only one with this gift, but I have yet to meet anyone who controls it as well as I do. There are other facets of my gift, of course, but that is the main objective. Chaos is very powerful. Very dangerous. I’ve been searching for others, but most who have the gift are ashamed. Hiding.”
Goddess above. “I’ve never heard of that before. Certainly nobody in Scarlata possesses a gift like that. Their gifts are mostly…” I flapped my hands, my heart pounding quickly. “Shooting beams of light. Healing wounds. Things like that.”
He laughed quietly. “Yes, that’s what I would expect in such a new kingdom.
It will likely take centuries for magic wielders to strengthen their magic to a level like many of us here have.
” He took his time swallowing another drink, and then, “Which is why I was so surprised to meet you, Rummy. I could sense you immediately.”
My heart clawed its way into my throat. “Sense what, exactly?” I croaked. “What do you mean?”
“Your gift, of course.”
I forced a soft smile. “I already told you, I don’t possess any magic.”
Cornelius leaned forward, his eyes electric. They locked me in their inescapable grasp. “But that’s not true, is it?”
Don’t say it. Don’t say it. Don’t say it.
This could not be happening.
I couldn’t have spoken even if I wanted to.
“Tell me, Rummy. How long have you known you’ve had chaos magic?”