Chapter 12 #2
She shrank back another step, but the Avatheos urged her forward, and seeing him lay his hands upon her made Erich’s insides boil.
He couldn’t see her expression, but he saw her discomfort in every line of her body.
She gripped the railing of the balcony on which she stood and then slowly raised her hands.
As she did, a golden light glowed. Not from her but from the curtain behind her.
At the right angle, or if you were determined to believe, it looked like she was casting sunlight down on the crowd.
But Erich could see it for the farce it was.
He’d seen Liane glow before; this wasn’t her power.
The people wept and cried, thanking her profusely.
“Leave your offerings of thanks, and spread the word of the goddess’ chosen’s healing light, that the entire continent be healed,” the Avatheos said.
The people shouted as Liane was escorted from view, and they tried climbing the walls to get to her.
Erich couldn’t stand to watch a moment longer, broke away from the crowd, and rushed down a nearby hallway.
The entrance to that balcony had to be around here somewhere.
He tried a few locked doors to no avail.
Then he rounded a corner and came face-to-face with Liane’s guard, Ludwig.
His instincts had been right; she must be nearby.
“What are you doing here?” Ludwig hissed.
Erich shrugged. “I’m here to learn about the Church of Sol. Is that a crime?”
“I heard a rumor you were in Basilia. Perhaps it’s best if you leave,” he ground out.
Erich leaned closer to Ludwig. “Is she mad that I missed our meeting?”
Ludwig crossed his arms as he glowered. “She doesn’t want to speak to you.”
“I’d like to hear it from her.”
“I won’t act as a messenger like Luzie would. I think Liane’s made her intentions clear. She’s dedicated to the church.”
The possessive part of him was rankled by the idea of this man trying to stand between him and Liane. But he had to rein in those impulses. They would get him nowhere. “I would never hurt her. You have to believe that.”
Ludwig narrowed his eyes at him. “Because I won’t let you.”
The church wasn’t the only thing standing in his way of getting Liane out. He couldn’t imagine why Liane kept Ludwig around after he’d betrayed her. Or what his motives were.
They simply glared at one another until Fritz intervened.
“Your hands are shaking,” Fritz remarked.
With Ludwig’s arms crossed, Erich almost hadn’t noticed the slight tremor in his hands. Ludwig dropped his hands to his sides and balled them into fists instead.
“What of it?” Ludwig snapped.
“You’ve had stardust before,” Fritz replied.
Ludwig didn’t answer, just glared.
“The church isn’t what you think it is. They’re the piece you’ve been missing in your search. Seek out the Midnight Guards, and you’ll uncover what you’re hoping to find,” Fritz said.
Ludwig’s nostrils flared, and his eyes dilated slightly. “What do you know about what I’m seeking?”
“You want to know where stardust comes from and how to rid yourself of that craving you still can’t shake. Am I wrong?”
Ludwig looked around the room as if fearing they’d been overheard. But there was no one else around. Ludwig shook his head as if he could shake off Fritz’s words.
“I saved your life once,” Erich said. “I won’t ask you to pay the debt, but let me see her. Just this once.”
Ludwig glared at them a moment longer before sighing heavily.
“Don’t ask me again. This will be the last time.
” He turned, and they followed him down another passageway and through a locked door into a hidden ornamental garden with rows of low bushes and several trees that provided shade from the day.
Erich recognized the maid keeping watch at the end of the pathway, who waved them over as they approached.
“I can’t believe you brought him,” she said to Ludwig.
“Believe me, I didn’t want to.” Ludwig sighed.
The dragon raised a curious head as they approached, and Erich felt the invisible tethers that bound them together pulling him closer to her.
Liane was waiting for him. Had she seen him in the crowd?
Her elaborate veil was pulled back, and her face was glowing.
She looked like a goddess. The golden light seemed to illuminate her from within.
“I didn’t believe it when I saw you in the crowd. You really came. Do you have no respect for your own life?” she scolded him.
Erich approached her before falling onto his knees in front of her. Her eyes widened, and her mouth hung open as she looked at her companions. Erich inhaled raggedly.
“I lied to you about myself and my intentions when we first met. I’m a monster who doesn’t deserve to be standing in front of you.”
She shook her head, hands hovering as if she were debating grabbing hold of him.
And if he was honest, if she touched him, he might unravel.
He was barely controlling the dragon around her as it was.
And he hated how much her scent intoxicated him, how desperately he wanted to be close to her, and each day chipped away at his already threadbare control.
“Don’t say that—”
“Please,” he croaked.
Her lips pulled into a thin line, and she nodded for him to continue.
“I came looking for a cure for this dragon curse, and to do that, I intended to steal the sword I now know is in your back.”
She inhaled sharply. “I see.”
“My reasons don’t justify my actions, but you could be my salvation or my damnation.”
She grabbed hold of her robe, bunching it in front of her. “What makes you so certain?”
“I saw it in a vision,” Fritz said as he stepped forward.
Liane noticed him, and her eyes grew wide. “You were there that night... You’re an elf.” The last word she whispered.
Ludwig’s and Luzie’s heads swiveled in Fritz’s direction, who, for his part, didn’t seem scared, despite being very vulnerable in that moment.
Either one of them could call the Midnight Guards and have them both thrown into the dungeon.
No one moved. In fact, everyone seemed to be poised and ready but frozen in time.
“I am, and I came here with an important message for you. Do not let them seal the sword’s power within you.”
Liane looked at Fritz as if he’d spoken in another tongue. “What does that mean?”
“It means exactly as it sounds. The Avatheos has plans to bring about the apocalypse and with it another cataclysm, the likes of which we haven’t seen in centuries. And to begin that, he needs to ensure the power the goddess has entrusted in you never reaches its full potential.”
Liane wrapped her arms around her torso and took a step back. “You’re wrong. He’s trying to draw the sword from me.”
“He’s trying to control your power. Tell me, did he try to draw the sword from you himself, or did he guide you on how to?”
Liane’s eyes widened as she looked at Fritz, but she didn’t answer. Erich knew he’d struck a chord.
Erich stood. “Did he hurt you? I’ll—”
She placed a hand against his chest, and the dragon purred.
She smiled at it, and it took all his self-control not to pull her into his arms.
“No one can draw the sword but the avatar. Only you can pull it from your flesh. What the Avatheos is trying to do is take the blade for himself. Ask him about the Dark Blade. And if he will not answer, find the books about it. I think you’ll learn more from that than you will from me.”
She looked at Fritz and then at Erich and took a step back.
“I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. More than you could ever know. But I’ve made my choice. I am dedicated to the church. And I will not be swayed by the dark.”
She turned her back on Erich, and on impulse, he reached for her, grasping onto the hem of her robe.
“Liane, don’t. I came here to rescue you.”
She smiled softly. “I don’t need rescuing.
I’m where I’m meant to be. And for us, this is the end.
” She grasped a fistful of his tunic and placed a quick, light kiss on his lips.
At least that’s what she’d intended until he wrapped his hand around her waist and pulled her flush against his body.
Her eyes widened as he kissed her. Her lips parted, and the taste of her, was agonizing, the feel of her soft mouth, her tongue brushing against his.
Erich groaned against her as his hand snaked up her back to hold her by the nape of her neck.
He could get drunk on the taste of her, the feeling of her breasts against him, the way her body shifted slightly to fit more firmly against him.
Then, much too soon, she pulled back, eyes wide and lips swollen.
“Goodbye, Erich,” she said hoarsely, and this time, when he tried to chase her, Ludwig stepped between them. And either he chose to fight him, or he let her go, for now. They both knew that once was not enough. It would never be enough.