59. In Which Truth and Lies Make Strange Bedfellows
Chapter 59
In Which Truth and Lies Make Strange Bedfellows
La Palazza Stellarum on the Hills of Asteria
E llie paced. Her legs wobbled, her muscles stiff and achy. Everything on her hurt. Her dirty, bare feet padded across the soft carpet of the great room in Max’s home. She wrung her hands as she paced back and forth before the massive fireplace.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Turn and repeat, following the path back across the carpet. Her chiton was torn in places, burned in others, dirt streaking around her ankles. She turned and headed back across the carpet. The men had scattered when they arrived. Liam disappeared with Callassa’s still unconscious body held in his arms, Camulos behind him. They hadn’t returned in what seemed like half an hour, maybe longer. She wasn’t sure about time. After being in the pulsing noise of Valerius’ throne room, the quiet of the great room was wearing her nerves raw. Her body thrummed as the gaia continued to course through her, but it differed from before, darker. Evander and Maximus had said nothing when they left her alone. While she wanted the solitude of her chambers, she couldn’t stop worrying over Syren—er Callassa. She needed to know where she was, how she was. Her voice had rung clearly in her mind. The images that flashed felt familiar but foreign at the same time. Ellie wrung her hands, twisting her fingers; she turned, pacing back along the width of the oversized fireplace, letting her mind wander.
“Can I make you a drink?” Maximus appeared and crossed the distance to the waiting drink cart. Ellie shook her head, glaring at him.
“We need to discuss—”
“How is she?”
“The siren is being taken care of. Now we need—”
She shook her head violently. “I want to see her. I have to know if she’s okay.”
“Absolutely out of the question,” Maximus snapped. “That creature kidnapped you and betrayed not only our company but our legion. You’re not allowed to go anywhere near her.”
“Not allowed!” Her voice raised. The magic coursing through her whined to be set free. She marched to him.
Maximus was impressive enough in human form, but he was formidable as a warrior. His wings were massive like the others, with horns rising above his head. They were dark brown on top, with a layer of white, then they faded to deep dark brown, like rich earth at the bottom. He wore plated armor over his shoulders and a breastplate of tooled leather. He wore leather on one arm for protection against his longbow. Like the others, he dressed for battle. Maximus narrowed his eyes at her.
“Either let me see her, or I’ll find her myself.”
As she stormed past, he shot a hand out. Ellie heard herself hiss and sent a tiny spark sizzling through the air in warning. Max retracted just as fast as he had moved. Her powers buzzed around her, alive, and he had the decency to step back.
“She’s this way, Ellie,” Evander said softly from the archway.
He took in her dirty and disheveled appearance with something akin to worry. She marched past Maximus, still glaring at him, and nodded at Evander, who turned without a word and led her through the house. They passed the grand staircase, the training room, and the dining hall. All places that had begun to feel like home, now felt cold and stark. They passed paintings and sculptures, walking through two stone archways and into a part of the east wing Ellie remembered from her kidnapping. She slowed as her heart raced.
“You must be exhausted,” Evander said over his shoulder, slowing his pace. “What did that monster do to you?” He paused, pointing to his neck. Reaching out, his hand came at her throat, but Ellie flinched away.
“Don’t touch me.” Her fearful command made him stop. They stood locked in a wordless exchange.
“You’re bruised, Ellie.”
Her lips trembled as she tenderly touched her neck, but she held herself together, locking her emotions behind a wall of indifference.
Sending her another glance, he ascended the staircase at the end of the hall. It spun around a central marble column, stone turning to wood, as they headed into the east tower. Once at the top, the staircase opened into a landing. On the opposite side was a wooden door, smaller than the ones below. Evander moved to let her pass. Camulos took up one part of the tiny area, Liam the other, and Evander stood at the entrance. Between their heights and wings, the space shrank to nothing. She walked through, skirting past the massive warriors. Liam blocked the door, holding a hand to stop her. Evander growled, and Liam bared his fangs and hissed.
Ellie looked between them. She placed her hand on Liam’s raised forearm softly. “I’m not here to hurt her, Liam. I’m worried.” She hoped her expression showed her compassion through the dirt and soot.
He moved aside, staring down Evander as she knocked on the door. Everyone was on edge. The tension was palpable, rolling off each man and swallowing those in its path.
“Callassa?” she called.
Liam snapped his head in her direction at the sound of her name, narrowing his eyes. No answer. She knocked again.
“Callassa?”
Still nothing.
The iron door handle gave way, and the door swung open on finely crafted hinges. Callassa lay unmoving on a little bed, barely big enough to hold her and her damaged wings. Her back was to the open door, and the burn marks, like red, angry fingers clawed across her wings, were displayed from this vantage point. Several feathers were missing, the skin and pinions exposed to the air, bright scarlet and inflamed. Ellie took in a shaky breath as she surveyed the extent of her wounds.
“Have you done anything for her injuries?” she asked, her back to the men.
Liam spoke in a pained voice. “No.”
Her back stiffened. “Are you barbarians now? This is how you treat a friend?”
“She’s a prisoner,” Camulos said.
“Like hell she is,” she snapped at them. “She’s hurt and in pain. She needs our help and our care.”
“You don’t need to,” came a weak voice from the bed. “Leave me. They’re right. I’m a prisoner.”
Her voice was back to that sultry, soft lilt from before. Shaking her head, Ellie turned to face the trio, her expression pulled tight, her jaw aching from clenching it. She used every fiber to control the wave of anger threatening to burst its dam at the sight before her.
“Get me bandages, salves, and anything else you use to treat wounds,” she barked, waving her hands.
No one moved.
“Ellie,” Camulos began, but she cut him off.
“Bandages.”
“The prisoner betrayed all of us.” Evander’s statement made her ball a fist.
“I don’t believe that. She had a chance to hurt me, and she didn’t; she fought Valerius for me. I don’t know why she did what she did, but she came back for me. Desperation can make a person do just about anything.” Placing her hands on her hips, she leveled her gaze.
Liam rushed to leave, a grateful expression on his face, but as he walked by Evander, he lowered his head, avoiding eye contact.
A half-hour later, Ellie sat on the edge of her bed, rubbing salve into wounds, and dressing them as best she could. Callassa had said nothing; she hadn’t even hissed when cleaning the burns. Her random flinching and raspy breathing were the only signs she was still alive. Putting the last bandage on, Ellie touched her wing soothingly. Callassa closed her eyes at the contact, curling her legs into herself as she lay on the bed. Her wings spilled off the side, running onto the floor like a feathered obsidian river. Arranging the bandages and salves on a small table she demanded to be brought up, she gathered the items.
“I’ll be back in the morning to change the bandages and check on you,” she said to the graceful-winged back, the bowl of used bandages on her hip. “I don’t blame you”—she paused, grasping the handle—“Callassa.”
Closing the door with a soft click, her worried expression fell on Liam. He was the only one left in the hall after the others had retreated below. He leaned against the stone wall opposite the door. His brandy-colored wings folded behind him. Ellie studied him briefly from this angle, taking in his haggard and disheveled appearance. His warrior armor was damaged, something that looked like dried blood smeared across folds in the saffron fabric he wore draped around him. He looked like he had aged years; lines creased his face, and dark circles appeared under his eyes. His tightly braided coils were a wreck, hairs pulled free of the braids sticking up like a fuzzy duck at his crown.
His wings arched gracefully behind him, sloping up and then back down. Liam took a deep breath, as if his lungs hadn’t had air in days and let it out slowly. As she passed, she noticed he had brought up a mat and blankets. He intended to stand guard outside Callassa’s room and protect her from the men below. Ellie nodded, and his eyes darted to the pile of bedding. He said nothing; he didn’t have to. Liam followed her down the winding staircase. They walked into the great room, and each man rose as Ellie and Liam entered. The quiet in the room roared, tension straining.
They all looked like hell, and from what she gathered, they all felt like it.
“Anyone want to start with the truth?”
The men glanced at each other but remained tight-lipped.
“Maybe Liam would like to start with his involvement with a siren,” Evander spat out.
“I do not answer to you, Evander,” Liam defended himself. “ You were unaware she was a siren.”
“Sure, but not all of us were fucking her.”
Liam spun on his heel, his glare deadly. “You want to talk about who we’re fucking? Let’s talk about Ellie. Was she worth it? The goddess now knows, the council knows, everyone knows who you stuck your cock in. Thanks to your lust, we’re all going to the Shadow Realm. All of us.”
Liam stormed across the room as he spat out insults, coming to stand before Evander. They glared at each other, nostrils flaring, jaws clenched. The room erupted into shouts and more insults as the men began blaming each other. Evander shoved Liam, who retaliated by pushing him back. They were inches apart, ready to tear each other limb from limb. Maximus was shouting something at them as Camulos tried to step between them. The growl Ellie let loose came from the bottom of her ribs.
“Enough!” she roared over their accusations. “All y’all are lying!”
Several lightbulbs blew and the fire flamed, causing Maximus to skirt out of the way. They quieted down and looked at her. Ellie rasped breaths, trying to hang on to her control. With her nerves as frayed as they were, she was clinging to her shredded resolve by her fingernails. And the men had the audacity to argue. Her hands rose before her, poised, ready to strike. The now familiar tingle of her magic coursed to the surface.
“Tell me what I am to you. Tell me exactly what role I play in your little games.”
The men looked between them.
“There isn’t a role, Ellie. We are protecting you,” Evander said.
“ Protect me? Protect me ! Like you protected Ann?” Evander’s face lost all color. “Like you protected your child? Don’t bother denying it. I know the truth now. You said you were a monster, but I never imagined you meant it.”
Camulos stepped before the men, his arms hanging at his sides, ready should Ellie decide to teach them all a lesson. Noticing his stance, she glared at them.
Fucking cowards.
“My magic is what you want, isn’t it? That’s why you trained me? Why you followed me around the ship? You wanted to see what I was capable of, just how much power I had. You won’t get it; I won’t let you.” She stepped forward, baring her teeth as anger coursed through her. “Where is the dagger?”
“The dagger?” Camulos asked.
Ellie flung her hands up in the air, exasperated. “Yes, the dagger, ” she mocked him. “Where is the dagger? The one made to kill me. Where is it?”
“With Athena,” Camulos said, his eyebrows knitting together, causing several creases to form. “I gave it to her as proof of the lie that you were dead. It had your blood on it.”
Ellie looked at all of them, truly looked. They all wore the same unified expression of confusion. Shaking her head, she paced, walking the room’s width.
“Show me.” She pointed her chin at Evander. “You carried it with you, but I haven’t seen it since we came here. Since I dared you to kill me on the ship. Show me.”
He shot Camulos a perplexed look, swiveling his head back to Ellie. “I don’t have it. Camulos is right; Athena has it.” He pointed to the belt that circled his waist.
Ellie pinched the bridge of her nose. Valerius said he had the dagger and was waiting to use it on her.
Was he lying? Did that mean everything was a lie? Why would be so cruel?
She scrubbed her hand through her hair, down her chin, and across her neck, her fatigued brain refusing to think any longer.
“And my magic?”
They exchanged looks again, which was starting to wear on her frayed nerves.
“Your magic?” Evander asked.
She gave him a fierce glare. “You need my powers.”
He shook his head. “For what, Ellie?”
“I don’t know anymore. Still, I’m not letting any of you near me again. I don’t trust you.” She shot a look at Evander, whose wide-eyed stare pierced her heart.
Maximus peered over Camulos’ shoulder. “What do you think our motives are, Ellie?”
She chewed on the inside of her lip as she paced. “I don’t know.” All the fight left her body as quickly as it surged. She was too exhausted and too overwhelmed to think clearly any longer. Lowering her hands, she stopped pacing, giving up for now. Ellie wanted a hot shower and to pull the covers overhead, forgetting about the events of the last few days. She ran her hands through her hair, the ribbon that held her curls still in place. Feeling the weight of their stares, she took in a shallow breath.
“I want to go to my room.”
Evander stepped, but she shot a hand up.
“Not you.” She pointed. “Get away from me. I don’t want you anywhere near me.” Ellie turned on her heel and left the great room. Once in her chambers, she turned the lock into position. She wanted nothing to do with Evander, not tonight. If he came looking for her, she didn’t have the strength to argue with him. The nervous energy she felt in Valerius’ cage washed over her like waves lapping at a shore. Valerius had been right about one thing. She desperately wanted to believe he was lying about all of it, but the look on Evander’s face when she said Ann’s name told her everything she needed to know. She was a goddamn fool.
His looks and sweet words had swept her away, causing her to neglect asking anything about him. Not his past, not his human life, nothing. She had taken everything at face value because, deep down, she didn’t want to know the answers. Walking the length of her chamber and back, she thrummed her fingers against her bottom lip, thinking.
Instead of a shower, like she craved, or sleep, like her anxious mind needed, Ellie paced for hours, just like she had the gilded cage. Both were prisons. They had locked her in the house and called it protection, just like Penn. She had to escape. Leave this realm back to her home. Her hands were shaking as she paced on trembling legs. Evander had agreed to keep her here, but was his plan all along to keep her here? She was trapped. Lightning flashed outside the large windows as rain pelted the glass. She couldn’t escape them, even if she wanted to. She couldn’t create a portal, couldn’t free herself. Panting, her knees wobbled under her. Her breathing sped up as thunder cracked loud enough to shake the house. Lightning streaked across the sky and wind slammed the rain into the panes. She shook, gasping for breath, trapped in this room. Alone. Alone in this realm with no one to trust.
Ellie fell to her knees on the carpet. Tears she had locked away finally spilled their banks, sliding down her cheeks as the stress and worry rolled out of her like the storm raging outside. She had held herself together for too long and suddenly the weight of the last few days felt like a boulder. Her throat constricted, and her palms sweated. She curled into a ball and stared at the closed door. Tears blurred her vision as she fought to breathe.
No one was coming.
She couldn’t escape.
Evander lied.
Alone.
The crash of the thunder woke him up with a jolt. Confused, Evander watched as lightning streaked across the sky. Another boom of thunder sent him to his feet. It didn’t rain on Olympus, let alone storm. He was at her door, knowing she was causing the storm to rail outside. Turning the knob proved his suspicions that she locked it, so he knocked.
“Ellie,” he called, his forehead resting against the wood. “Open up. Please.”
Lightning responded, lighting up the study between their chambers as it streaked across the sky. He knocked again.
“Ellie, please.”
Silence.
He pressed his hand to the door, warring against opening it with his powers or letting her have her privacy. He had told her that he would never lock her door. That she would always have the power to turn the lock. He had almost convinced himself to return to his chambers when he heard her breathing, ragged and stiff, panting, then her heart pounding in her chest. He knocked again, knowing she was panicking and feeling helpless, that she wouldn’t let him in. She was angry and confused, and whatever lies Valerius had spun had her convinced he was untrustworthy. He hated not being able to reach her. He could open the door, gather her to him and tell her to breathe, to focus on him. But would she fight him? Would she accept his help?
“I’m staying right here,” he said to the door. Sliding down, he sat on the floor, his head softly thumped against the grain. “I’m right here, Ellie. Breathe with me.” He took in a loud breath, held it, and let it out in a whoosh. “Listen to my voice. I’m not leaving you, do you hear me? You don’t have to let me in, but I’m not going anywhere. I’m not leaving you alone.”
Outside, the storm grew in intensity. Rain battered the windows, and thunder shook the house as lightning etched the inky night. But inside, sitting outside her chambers, Evander refused to leave.
Lies can cut deep, Dear Reader. They can sever newly made ties, fragile and delicate. They can bring with them pain or redemption. But lies are told for many different reasons, in many different ways. Some are told for protection, and others because the truth is too awful to speak aloud. But we will find, Dear Reader, lies have a way of leading us to the truth. Even truths about ourselves that we hide from those who love us.