Chapter 49 Kidan
KIDAN
Five weeks remained before the House Council vote would conclude and Uxlay was suspended in a state of limbo. The original excitement had settled into restlessness, as more houses made their positions known. Ajtaf, Faris, Qaros, Makary, and Delarus had voted against Kidan.
Slen had declared to marry someone from the Blue Stone Order, likely to secure votes from the pretentious Luroz House. Goro House leaned toward Adane House if the gift of banana-leaf baked bread from their master was any indication. Kidan already had the Dirt Diggers vote.
Which meant only one house remained undecided—Umil.
And Kidan knew how to win over Yusef.
At the next Dirt Diggers meeting, Kidan studied the house masters as they bickered like children. Rita’s Bar was empty for a Friday night. Their corner booth was dimly lit with string lights, creating shadows on the house masters’ faces. But Kidan’s eyes were pinned on the door.
“I heard the 13th are swaying Goro House over to them,” Mikhail Temo expressed, rubbing his brow.
“No, Nari is loyal to Adane House.” Osa Rojit drank from her glass. “I say we worry about the Qaros girl. Perhaps we get rid of her. Declaring to marry into Blue Stone Order was strategic.”
Adjoa nodded slowly, frowning a little. “Yes, we may not have a choice. If we remove her as the public face, Luroz House could be bought.”
“What?” Kidan said sharply. “No.”
Were they talking about killing Slen?
Adjoa’s dark eyes hardened. “You do want to win votes, don’t you?”
“Not this way,” she pushed back firmly. “None of you will harm Slen, okay?”
They didn’t appreciate being talked down to by a nineteen-year-old, but Kidan didn’t care. Osa tilted her head, her worn face smiling. “Whatever you say, Captain.”
Kidan turned to the other two, making sure they agreed before relaxing.
A moment later, a ping sounded and Yusef entered, shaking the rain off his shoulders.
Kidan quickly stood and went to greet him. She guided him to the bar, wanting to speak to him alone first.
He settled into the plush chair, studying the small establishment. “Much more relaxed than the 13th’s meeting room. I like it.”
Though Kidan suspected the 13th must be trying to secure his vote, a trace of betrayal expanded in her chest. She hated the idea of Slen and Yusef meeting up without her.
“I haven’t seen Slen around,” Kidan said slowly. “What’s she up to?”
Yusef ordered a minty drink. “Oh, you know her. Translating texts, drinking too much coffee, taking down an institution.”
Carefully, Kidan studied him. The tired grooves under his eyes, smile lines that were too forced. “You haven’t decided, have you?”
“No.”
“What have they offered you?”
Yusef took a sip, smiled without warmth. “I don’t think it’s wise to discuss that.”
She was almost proud of him for not sharing his secrets.
But now, more than ever, Adane House had to sustain its middle position. Kidan would need as much time as possible to inherit her mother’s culture the right way and set a law that would reveal the mask artifact.
“You said you wanted to see change,” she began slowly. “To make sure your children never become killers. And I finally get it, Yusef. Dranacti is the problem. It’s what needs to be changed.”
The image of June came to her, shaking with the knife, torn between killing her or not. Her sweet sister reduced to such a state had been more than a wake-up call.
“Dranacti is why we lost GK.” Kidan bit the inside of her cheek. “It’s what breeds resentment between the houses. Imagine if actis didn’t have to kill to share their blood with vampires.”
Yusef slowly set down his drink, his eyes slightly wide. “I’m listening.”
Her heart tightened with hope, and she looked to the corner where the Dirt Diggers sat. Yusef followed her gaze and finally noticed them. Adjoa’s sharp eyes were intensely focused, as were Osa’s and Mikhail’s expressions. They’d stopped fighting long enough to regard Yusef with suspicion.
Yusef waved at them, whispering to Kidan from the side of his mouth. “Why are they all staring at me like that?”
Kidan smiled. “Because I’m about to tell you a rumor about the Sage’s artifacts. Only it’s actually true.”
Later, Yusef sat with Kidan in Adane House, ready to serve as a test subject for Obsculion. Samson was with Professor Andreyas for his usual induction instructions, and they didn’t have long.
Before Samson arrived, though, Susenyos would come here and let her restrain him. Kidan swallowed nervously, hoping everything would go according to plan and Samson wouldn’t fly into a rage and instantly kill Susenyos. Her fingers shook, drawing a weak square.
Every few minutes, Yusef’s eyes would travel along the corridors, like his father once did looking for webs.
“It’s really here?” he’d ask. “Somewhere in this house is one of the Last Sage’s artifacts?”
Kidan would nod and he’d swear softly, awestruck.
She’d told him everything and, to his credit, Yusef had interrupted her only five times before she was able to finish her tale.
“There’s one more thing,” she said now, blood rushing through her veins. “I’m going to find the Nefrasi hideout from Samson and bring GK here. And one day, make him human again using a law.”
After Yusef stared into the space above her head with his jaw slackened, a small light parted his creased eyes. “You’re a genius.”
A huge exhale gusted out of Kidan. She knew Yusef would support this plan whereas Slen might have thought it naive.
On her lap, Kidan had a piece of paper with all the information she’d gathered about her mother.
MAHLET ADANE
What language does the house master dream in?
Amharic.
Does the house master believe creation comes from the Last Sage or from Demasus the Fanged Lion?
The Last Sage.
Does the house master believe power should rest in community, tradition, or individuals?
Community.
Does the house master believe in bravery, revenge, loyalty, or responsibility?
Responsibility.
“Look.” Kidan showed Yusef the answers. “I think we match on the last two now, or at least, I think we do but language is my biggest problem. I’ll never be able to understand Amharic the way she did.”
Kidan had already cleared the statue of the lion from her mantel and settled an impala figurine on it—the representation of the Mot Zebeya religion.
Yusef’s eyes sparked. “Do you think I’m able to speak Somali the way my great-aunt does? The woman laughs at my pronunciation daily.”
Kidan straightened. “Then how were you able to dream in the same language?”
They were sitting cross-legged on the carpet and he shifted closer.
“She told me a trick. It’s ‘Dream in the same language.’ Nothing about fluency.
To dream in a language is to be haunted by it.
When you hear someone speak it and a yearning takes over.
When you see the letters and hate yourself a little for not understanding their meaning.
It’s slowly surrounding yourself by the language—songs, movies, books—until it begins to be a part of you. ” Yusef smiled.
Kidan smiled slowly. The sense of being entirely adrift from herself eased a little. Of course Kidan dreamed in Amharic. She had ever since she lost it at Mama Anoet’s urging.
“Thank you. That helps.”
Yusef nodded. “Okay, I’m ready. Obscu—whatever it is.”
According to her mother’s notes, Mahlet had used historical artifacts—touching specific objects in order to ignite a different emotion and magnify it in others. But nothing helped Kidan feel an emotion more vividly than her shapes.
So she started there.
Inhaling deeply, Kidan drew a slow circle on the floor with her hand, filling her lungs with the childlike rush of joy. With the House Locking removed, her skin warmed instantly, and she had the urge to bounce or dance. Just like in the broom closet.
She directed the emotions toward Yusef, focusing on his alert gaze. Kidan felt a speck of his joy and she urged the house to pull it further, beat under her heart like a drum.
There was no reaction at first, then he fell into it, bursting with laughter. “Whoa. I feel a little high.”
Kidan grinned triumphantly. She arched her fingers and drew the symbol for trust. Two golden wisps pierced Yusef’s chest, visible only to her.
A glaze came over his expression.
“How do you feel?” she asked.
“Warm, safe.” His voice was almost too relaxed, sleepy.
She tried not to be too excited and switched emotions. “Tell me something no one else knows.”
The paneled walls around them came in and out, the furniture’s hard edges becoming softer, their environment a mirror of the safety they’d found.
“You asked me why I did that to… GK, remember?” he said slowly, tone shifting. “He was my friend. The kindest person I’ve ever met.” He inhaled deeply, gathering strength. “Yet I took that knife from her hand and…” Kidan straightened, watching the devastation on his face.
“It’s okay,” she encouraged.
“I did it because Slen asked.” Yusef stared deep into her eyes.
“It’s as simple and awful as that. I’d do anything she asked.
Do you know how terrifying that is? To give someone that much control over your life?
I’m a danger to myself, to everyone, as long as I listen to her.
” The guilt remained etched on his face.
“But I can’t help it. All I want is to see her happy… and I don’t trust myself around her.”
His fists tightened and Kidan swallowed, finally understanding.
The Dirt Diggers were right to be nervous about Yusef’s vote. Even Kidan didn’t know which way he’d land in the end.
Though a prickle of shame stung her for violating his privacy, it’d worked. She could use Obsculion on Samson and glean information from him. She just couldn’t be afraid to feel. Everything.
How many times had her mother used this technique?
The power of houses was frightening. The law crawled onto the carpet, golden and shimmering. Kidan tried to absorb it. A cold blade of disappointment pierced her when her palm remained empty.
A soft click at the front door chased away Yusef’s haze.
He blinked, then avoided her eyes. “I don’t know why I just told you all that.”
Kidan was about to speak when Susenyos, handsome in his long coat, appeared at the entrance of the lounge. Yusef quickly gathered his things and moved to the door.
“Good luck,” he told her.
Kidan nodded, watching his head of curls disappear.
Alone, Susenyos gave her a smile, his soft lips stretching lazily. It sent her right back to the woods. What they’d done against that tree. She’d dreamed about their kiss. And if she wasn’t so nervous about what they had to do, she’d be wondering about doing it again.
Because Kidan had never experienced anything like it.
Every nerve ending in her body was still recovering, twitching with aftershocks of pleasure.
His memories had been filled with—her eyes, her mouth, her body.
Everything about her intoxicated him. She was afraid nothing in her life would ever taste or feel as good.
It almost made her want to abandon her plan. Stay in this pocket of peace for a little longer. But it was too late to turn back now.
As if Susenyos realized it, the house filled with the stench of a rotten forest, the walls cracking with blackened roots.
What is this? Kidan wondered, trying to read his eyes. Why does this image keep haunting him?
The smooth planes of his face were struck with worry lines. But he quickly masked it. “Where do you want me, little bird?”