Chapter 26 Scarlett
CHAPTER 26
SCARLETT
S carlett took her time in the bath, soaking in the warmth and letting the lavender soothe her racing mind. She had asked questions and wanted answers for years, but now that they were within her grasp, she found herself dragging her feet. And to know they’d learned something about Cassius’s past, too? She knew the night would be long and exhausting.
She finally climbed out of the bathtub and toweled off. Tava had sent her a brush, among other things, but the dress she had sent for her made Scarlett want to put the red gown back on.
Tava lived for dresses of any kind and couldn’t understand how Scarlett could possibly prefer pants and tunics. Her noble upbringing, Scarlett supposed. The dress she’d brought for her to wear was a light peach color with a fitted bodice and cinched at the waist. Since she didn’t have a choice, Scarlett pulled the horrid thing on, took a deep breath and opened the bedroom door, padding barefoot out to the main living area.
She took in the space. When she had been here before, she hadn’t really looked around. She’d been in too much grief and then lost in too much anger to remember any of his apartment, save for the piano that stood in the far left corner. The rest of the space was spacious and cozy; not at all what Scarlett had been expecting Sorin’s home to look like. The couch sat before a lit fireplace that seemed to be radiating very little heat. Across the room was a large dining table, strewn about with books and papers. Sorin sat in a chair at the table, his head jerking up at the sound of the door. Before Scarlett had a chance to take in any more of the space, Nuri came from a door adjacent to where she stood and laughed. “What are you wearing?”
Scarlett scowled at her and snapped, “I didn’t really have much of a choice now, did I?”
“Wearing nothing would have been a better option than that atrocity,” Nuri scoffed, crossing the room and plopping onto the sofa. “I’m sure Sorin would agree, although he would likely prefer you wearing nothing over anything, anyway. Right, you Fae prick?”
Scarlett slid her eyes to Sorin, narrowing them, and crossing her arms in front of her. “I see you two are getting along just fine.”
“Not as well as Nuri here would like, but we are adjusting. Right, Nuri dear?” he crooned to her. Nuri flipped him off. Sorin smirked and returned his attention to the papers in front of him. “If you have indeed taken up teas and luncheons since the Pier, though Princess, then by all means, carry on. But if you would rather not look like a spoiled lady about to see a would-be suitor, there are options in the other bedroom in the drawers.”
“Why would you have women’s clothing here?” Scarlett asked, glaring at him.
“For all the lovers he brings home, of course,” Nuri drawled, propping her head on her fist and batting her lashes at Sorin. He gave her an unimpressed stare. “Sorry, General, but someone else’s scent is in that room.”
“I assure you, if I were bringing any lovers back here, the scent would not be in that room,” Sorin replied. His gaze shifted back to Scarlett. “It is considered proper to always be prepared for your guest’s needs where I am from.”
Scarlett waited for him to say more, but when he didn’t, she huffed to the other bedroom Nuri had come from. The bed was precisely made, as if no one had ever slept in it, but Nuri was right. There was a scent that lingered in the room. A scent of cinnamon and fire and something sweet. Apple maybe?
Whatever. She didn’t care who Sorin brought home or who he shared his bed with.
Scarlett opened an armoire along the wall to find dresses of varying styles and colors. Next to it was a dresser, which she opened to find several different styles of pants with matching tops. The fabric was some of the softest she’d ever felt. It had the consistency of silk but more of a cotton feel. She rubbed it between her fingers before sliding her dress off. The black pants were fitted but not tight and sat low on her hips. The top was dark teal and was just as soft as the pants. Its long sleeves were as fitted as the pants, and the top itself came to just below her navel, leaving a small rift of skin showing.
Feeling a thousand times more comfortable, Scarlett made to join Nuri and Sorin but stopped as she heard their voices through the door.
“Are you going to tell her tonight?” Nuri was asking.
“I will tell her tonight,” Sorin replied, his voice tense and hard-edged.
“ Everything? ” Nuri crooned. Scarlett stiffened at the implications of that one word.
“Aren’t you going out tonight, Nuri? To make sure things are in order for tomorrow?” Sorin answered dryly.
“I can take the hint,” she sang.
“No snack first?” Sorin’s voice held a cool amusement.
Nuri swore at him and then there was silence.
Scarlett ventured back to the living area of the apartment to find Nuri nowhere to be seen. Sorin glanced up and, upon seeing her, sat back in his chair. Something she couldn’t read crossed his features.
“Interesting choice.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“That is material native to where I am from. I am surprised you chose it, that is all,” Sorin replied, standing and walking towards her.
“It is incredibly soft,” Scarlett replied as he came to a stop in front of her. He moved his arms like he was going to touch her but dropped them back to his side.
“How are you feeling? Are you hungry?”
“Famished, actually,” Scarlett admitted.
“Cassius thought you would be. There are hot pork sandwiches being kept warm in the oven. Fruit and cheese in the icebox. Fresh bread on the counter,” Sorin said, nodding towards the kitchen.
“Nuri?” Scarlett asked.
“Has gone out to finalize a few things for Prince Callan’s arrival tomorrow,” Sorin replied.
She nodded once, shifting on her feet, feeling slightly awkward. “Thank you. For the food,” Scarlett said, heading in the direction he had indicated. She stopped beside him and added, looking into his golden eyes, “Then you owe me five questions.”
Sorin chuckled under his breath. “I suppose I do, Princess.”
Scarlett rolled her eyes at the second use of the pet name and continued to the kitchen. She found a plate and piled it high. The sandwiches smelled amazing and her stomach growled loudly. She didn’t even bother to leave the kitchen. She just stood at the counter and inhaled the food.
“Easy, Love, or it will come right back up,” Sorin said, leaning against the doorframe of the kitchen. His arms were crossed over his broad chest, but Scarlett noticed her ring adorning the knuckle of his hand.
“Question one: what’s your obsession with my mother’s ring?” Scarlett asked, biting off another chunk of bread and ignoring the repeated use of that pet name.
Sorin glanced down at his hand and sighed. “Your ring is the sister to another. It belonged to a powerful Fae Queen, and it was enchanted at the end of the Great War to allow the wearer to access their magic in lands where magic is otherwise nonexistent.”
“A sister to another ring? Where is the other?” Scarlett asked. She didn’t look at him as she took a bite of her sandwich.
“My Queen bears the other in my land.”
“In the Fire Court?”
“No. She resides in the White Halls which has traditionally been the home of the Fae Queen of the Eastern Courts.”
“Who is the woman?”
“The Queen of the Fae Realm.”
“What is her name?”
“I cannot speak it here. A spell prevents me from speaking her name and revealing her identity in this land for her protection. None of the Court Royals can be identified by name here,” Sorin said. He still stood casually in the doorframe, his hip braced against it. She could feel his gaze on her, watching her carefully.
Scarlett took a bite of a pear and finally looked at Sorin. “So when you wear my mother’s ring, you can do magic?”
Sorin looked down at his closed hand. “Yes. When I wear your ring in this realm, I can access my magic.” He opened his hand and fire appeared in his palm. Scarlett jumped slightly, startled by the flame. She looked from it, back to Sorin, his eyes fixed on her.
“It doesn’t burn you?” she asked, stepping closer to examine the flame he held.
“No. My gifts are fire from the goddess Anala,” Sorin explained.
“What else can you do?” Scarlett asked, leaning in close over the flame.
Sorin gave her a wicked grin as flames encircled them. Scarlett screamed a little, and Sorin laughed. He closed his fist, and the flames vanished. When he opened his hand again, tiny flames danced. He rolled them along his knuckles and around his wrists.
“Open your hand,” Sorin said.
Scarlett’s eyes went wide, and she took a step back from him. “Absolutely not.”
“Trust me,” he said gently.
Sorin’s eyes shone in a way Scarlett had never seen, almost as if flames themselves glowed in them. He seemed more alive than she’d ever seen him, like his magic gave him life. Scarlett slowly opened her palm and closed her eyes tight.
She heard Sorin chuckle softly again as he whispered, “Open your eyes.”
Scarlett gasped as flames danced in her palm. She turned her hand over, and the flames rolled along onto the back of her hand. “You are doing this?” she asked, her eyes fixed on the flames. “How do they not burn me?”
“Yes, I control it. It does not burn you because I will it not to burn you. Just as I will the fire in the fireplace not to emit heat,” Sorin said. She looked up to find him watching her, a faint smile on his face.
“This is amazing,” Scarlett said, her voice filled with awe as the flames skittered around her wrist, up one arm and down the other.
Sorin danced the flames along her for a few more moments before he snapped his fingers, and they disappeared. He waited patiently, watching her, and letting her process everything she was seeing and learning in her own way, giving her the space and time.
“I didn’t know what to expect when you said magic, but it wasn’t that,” Scarlett finally said, leaning against the counter. “Do all Fae have magic?”
Sorin nodded. “Yes, but they do not all possess fire magic. Fae are blessed by the elemental gods — fire, water, wind, and earth. The strength of their gifts vary.”
Scarlett considered this, then said, “You really can’t use your magic here without my ring?”
“I cannot.”
“What other kinds of magic are there?”
Sorin tensed at that question, the flames seeming to darken in his eyes. His smile faded. “Let me make some tea. Go sit, and I will tell you what I can,” he said.
Scarlett walked out to the great room and took up a place on the sofa, tucking her legs under her, staring at the fire that emitted no heat. Magic was here. In the mortal kingdoms. She had always suspected as much. She had seen too many strange things in her time spent in the shadows, but seeing and believing were two entirely different things.
Questions raced through her mind. She couldn’t sort through them all fast enough. The clock on the mantel told her it was nearing midnight when Sorin placed a cup of tea in her hands. It smelled delightful, and the first sip warmed her bones. There was a hint of something she couldn’t quite place and she asked, “What kind of tea is this?”
“You realize you are well over five questions by now, don’t you?” Sorin said with a smirk, settling onto the couch beside her. His leg pressed against her folded knees, and she stiffened slightly at his closeness, but her soul seemed to sigh as the scent of cloves and cedar enveloped her. She vaguely remembered him holding her in the dark when she was in and out of consciousness, but if words were exchanged, she didn’t recall that.
Scarlett rolled her eyes. “Must you always keep score?”
“I am very competitive that way,” he mused, his gaze locked on hers. She stared into his faintly glowing eyes. It had to be the fire magic flowing in his veins.
“Tell me about the other forms of magic,” Scarlett finally said, taking another sip of tea.
Sorin waved his hand. Sparks swirled, and a rolled piece of parchment appeared in his hand. Despite her best effort, Scarlett jumped at the display of magic. “You will get used to it,” Sorin said, setting his tea down on a side table.
“How will I get used to magic if no one can use it without a ring?”
He unrolled the parchment as he said, “True, I suppose, to an extent.”
Scarlett was about to respond to such an odd comment, but she stopped short when she saw what was on the parchment. It was a map, but not a map she was used to seeing. In fact, she had only seen this particular map in one other place. The book she had been reading. “These places are all real?” She gingerly took one side of the parchment from Sorin’s hands.
“Yes. I told you that weeks ago, when I told you that book was full of truths,” Sorin replied.
Scarlett ran her fingers over the various territories. “How? How do we not know of these other lands?”
“What do you know of the Great War?” he asked instead.
Scarlett gave him an unimpressed glance. “Really? You’re asking me to recite history to you now?”
The corner of his mouth kicked up in a half grin. “Humor me.”
Scarlett sighed deeply. “The Great War was fought between King Deimas and Queen Esmeray of these lands and the continent of Avonleya across the sea. Avonleya and the Fae Courts were allies and wanted to enslave the humans that resided in the kingdoms under Deimas and Esmeray. The king and queen sacrificed their lives to enact some powerful enchantments. One to lock away Avonleya and keep them sequestered across the sea. The other to render magic useless and enact wards to keep the Fae from entering our lands…which are clearly faulty.” She gave a pointed glance at Sorin.
“Yes, I heard you are particularly skilled at exacting justice from Fae who cross the borders,” he said tightly.
Scarlett gave him a sharp smile. “Considering the Fae are responsible for the death of my mother, it is not something I shall apologize for.”
“We will come back to that another time,” Sorin said casually, and before Scarlett could say anything to that, he continued. “All of what you said is one version of how things happened, but none of what you said included these three bloodlines.” He pointed to the eastern territories. “And that is by design. The mortal kings do not like them spoken of. They want them forgotten in the secluded lands. Two aided Avonleya and the Fae Courts. They were allowed to live at the end of the war if they agreed to be sequestered and secluded from others, particularly those they aided. The other posed a danger to the humans, so most were isolated as well.”
“So, you’re saying that the Witches, Shifters, and Night Children fought against King Deimas and Queen Esmeray and that is why they are confined to their own regions now? Why were the Fae not confined?”
“Were they not? The Avonleyans cannot leave their continent. The Fae cannot leave their Courts without the risk of being caught and tortured by vicious, albeit very attractive, women,” Sorin countered.
Scarlett gave him a cool look. “Who rules over them, then? The mortal kings?”
“No. They have since created hierarchies like the other lands. There is a Contessa in the land of the Night Children. The Witch Kingdoms are ruled by the High Witch. The Shifters are ruled by an Alpha and Beta, and, of course, the three mortal kings rule the human lands here,” Sorin said, pointing to the various territories as he spoke.
“And these other lands have magic?” Scarlett asked. She gently let go of the map and took another sip of her tea. It was still hot.
“Some more than others. The Fae have elemental magic and can do some spell work. The Witches have Healers, Seers, and other powerful magic. Shifters can shift not only their physical forms, but some can shift matter and energy as well,” Sorin replied, rolling the map up gingerly.
“The Night Children don’t have magic?”
“They are excellent at tracking. They are incredibly stealthy and can heal quickly. They are apex predators and their gifts enable such things, but raw, tangible magic they do not possess.”
Silence fell between them. The only sound was the crackling logs in the fire. “You are from the Fire Court?” Scarlett asked.
“I am,” he answered.
“Do you know the Prince of Fire?”
“I know who he is, yes,” Sorin answered.
“Is he the one oppressing your people? The one you seek this weapon for to help free them?”
Sorin was quiet for so long that Scarlett turned to look at him. “The Prince of Fire has done many dark things. Some say he did them for his people. Others say his actions have only caused things to escalate for his people.”
“And what do you think?”
“I do not know that it entirely matters what I think.”
“Do you think he should be ruling over an entire Court of people?”
“No. I do not think he should be entrusted with the wellbeing of an entire Court of people,” Sorin answered, “but it is also not his choice.”
Scarlett was debating what her next question would be when Sorin asked her something that made her nearly drop her tea.
“How are you feeling about Prince Callan coming here tomorrow?”
“If he has information for us, I will deal with it,” she replied shortly.
“It puts you at risk?”
“Anything involving me and Callan puts me and others at risk,” she said quietly.
“And who shall you be tomorrow night?”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Scarlett asked, her eyes narrowing.
“Will you be the woman I have been training? The sacrificing lover? Death’s Maiden let out of her cage?”
“I shall be whomever I need to be to get information from him,” Scarlett answered darkly. “Not that it’s any of your business.”
“Considering you all are commandeering my apartment to sneak the Crowned Prince into it, it most certainly is my business,” Sorin retorted. Scarlett pursed her lips, crossing her arms. He had a point. Then he asked, his tone a touch softer, “Have I not yet earned your trust?”
“It is not that I do not trust you, Sorin,” Scarlett said after a beat of silence. “It is that I have done some atrocious things, so much worse than allowing a prince to fall in love with me. And I fear… I fear how you will look at me when you hear that story.”
“I have lived for centuries, Scarlett. I assure you, I have done things far more horrid in my time,” he answered darkly.
“I can be so many people, wear so many masks, because if I were to just be me, the choices I have made to protect those I love… I would look at that person with hatred and disgust.”
“Your friends, who know of the things you speak of, do not look at you with such distaste.”
Scarlett huffed a humorless laugh. “My friends see me as they need to. To Drake, I am another little sister, like Tava, in need of protecting. To Tava, I am an interesting creature that fascinates her as well as terrifies her. To Nuri, I am her twin. I am the wicked and the dark and the untamed wildfire that rages when unleashed.”
“And Cassius? What are you to Cassius?”
“Despite what many think, Cassius and I are not lovers, nor have we ever been. To Cassius… I am his place to pause and breathe in a world of malice and struggle, and he is mine.”
“And how would you like to be seen?”
“Even I don’t know the answer to that. I’ve never been given the freedom to decide such a thing.”
Sorin was quiet for a long moment. “Tell me the story of that night, Scarlett.”
“No,” she whispered. “Some memories are better left sleeping.”
“Then tell me how you met the Crowned Prince.”
Scarlett studied him hard. “There is no going back from this point, General. If I tell you that tale, you shall need to keep all my secrets or it puts more than myself at risk. So I suppose I must ask, where does your true allegiance lie? To the crown of this kingdom? Or to people who cannot protect themselves?”
“You can do more than protect yourself,” Sorin replied with a knowing look.
“We did not befriend the prince for my safety, Sorin. My safety has always been…another’s concern. We befriended the prince for the safety of the innocent children in our home.”
“The Black Syndicate? It is a district of thieves and criminals and mercenaries. How could they not protect the children there?”
“Indeed,” Scarlett said darkly. “Can I put that much trust in you, Sorin? To expose the weaknesses of my people? Or will your duty to the king, to Lord Tyndell, outrank my need for secrecy?”
“I may work for the king, Scarlett, but my allegiance has always been to my own people.”
Scarlett considered that. His own people were to the north, apparently. And the south and the east in a way, she supposed. She took a deep breath. “Three years ago, children in the Black Syndicate began disappearing. They were all orphans, street children. They were never left to their own devices. Some were snatched up to be trained in the various activities of the Black Syndicate, like Nuri and Cassius. The ones who are not are looked after, there is always food and shelter for them. They are never starving or in need of necessities. We take care of our own. Until we couldn’t.
“In other districts, it likely would never have been noticed that orphans were going missing from the streets. They began disappearing in the dead of night, right under our noses. My sisters and I, the deadliest and most skilled in the kingdoms, could not track them. We could not find them. At first, it was a child here or there. Then it started happening more frequently. The children were terrified. They would not go outside. They lost trust in our ability to keep them safe.
“We infiltrated other districts to see if we could learn anything. We sat in taverns with soldiers, on the streets with beggars, and in the tea shops at high tea. We contemplated kidnapping a soldier or two to interrogate, but where to start? Surely a lowly grunt wouldn’t know anything. We couldn’t ask Cassius, who was living at the manor at this point, to start asking questions and risk drawing attention to himself or the Black Syndicate. We had some leads we would follow up on, but they always led to dead ends, and we would find ourselves back at square one.
“One day, by pure luck, Cassius overheard two royal guards in a local tavern. They were grousing about urchins in the castle dungeons, and we started looking more closely at the crown being involved, but the Assassin Lord would not allow us to infiltrate the castle. He said we needed more proof before we risked affecting our relationship with the king.
“Then the orphans started disappearing weekly. Nuri was frantic. She begged the Assassin Lord to intervene, but even with providing shelter for as many as he could every night, it didn’t help. We utilized every resource the Fellowship and Black Syndicate had to no avail. We questioned every single one of our targets, mortal and Fae, but none ever knew anything of it. Then one week…” Scarlett swallowed hard. “One week a three-year-old child disappeared. Nuri was furious and beside herself. I’ve never seen her… The Assassin Lord had to help us physically restrain her in the Fellowship. My other sister and I had a huge fight once Nuri was secured. We never fought. Nuri and I, yes. All the time. But never with…
“I left the Syndicate to cry or rage, I didn’t know, and wound up in a forgotten wood north of the castle that housed a little pond in the center. It was hidden and secluded, and I dropped to my knees and cried in horror and frustration. In my sorrow, I almost didn’t hear the crunch of boots and snapping of twigs. I hid quickly enough, but then he stepped into view. His two prominent guards trailed him, and as I watched him, a plan formed, and I knew how we would get the eyes inside the castle that we needed.”