Chapter 2
Bressen
I drummed my fingers on the table in the meeting room across the hall from the Great Chamber. A glance at the clock on the wall told me Aidan was almost twenty minutes late for our afternoon meeting here at the Citadel.
The new lord of Derridan and I had enjoyed playing a few power games with each other when we’d first met, but I thought we’d gotten past that when Cyra and I helped him save his husband’s life not too long ago. Apparently not.
Under other circumstances I might’ve given Aidan some leeway, but after finding the assassin missing this morning, then getting Samhail’s cryptic message about not bringing her back, my patience was gone.
Cyra had been in danger for weeks, and I hadn’t had a clue. Now the assassin sent to kill us was still out there, I was trying to prepare for a war, my general was missing, and my fellow Triumvirate lord hadn’t seen fit to be on time to a meeting I’d called to go over preparations.
I was about to send a message to Phaedrus to have him open a portal to Seatherny so I could seek out Aidan myself, when the blue glow of Aidan’s own portal flared near the door.
Aidan stepped through, followed by Maziren, his Captain of the Guard, and he sauntered over to sit down at the head of the table.
I’d taken a seat at the side, even though the seat at the head was mine by right as the most senior Triumvirate member, and I cocked my head at Aidan in question.
He only leaned back in his chair, looking bored.
Aidan always looked more serious than his husband Jasper, but lately he seemed more surly than serious. Indeed, when his eyes met mine, I caught a look of irritation on his face.
“What is it, Bressen?” he asked. “Why did you want to see me?”
I effected an expression that said I wasn’t amused. Not only had Aidan not shown any gratitude for what Cyra and I had done in getting Jasper back about a week ago, he’d seemed downright hostile to me since.
Granted Cyra had accidentally electrocuted him with her lightning, so it was possible he was still angry about that, but everything I’d learned of Aidan in the admittedly short time I’d known him told me he wasn’t the type to hold a grudge.
I was starting to wonder if something else was wrong with him.
“I wanted to check in with you about a few things,” I said, tamping down my own annoyance at his bad attitude and lack of contrition for being late. “But first, how is Jasper?”
He frowned at the change in subject. His answer was curt. “He’s fine.”
“And you?” I asked, determined to observe at least a few pleasantries before I launched into business. “Are you feeling better?”
“I’m fine too,” he said. “Jasper is fine. Maziren is fine. We’re all fine in Derridan. What do you want?”
My eyes narrowed even more, and I glanced quickly at Maziren.
The Captain of the Guard’s expression was often one of steely determination, but there was something different there now that I couldn’t put my finger on as she caught my eye.
I held her gaze for a second, but I couldn’t glean any meaning from the look she gave me.
“Very well. We can get to business,” I said. “I want to know how your preparations are coming.” Not a question. If this was how he wanted it...
Aidan frowned. “My preparations? For what?”
I blinked at him. “For war. Have you assembled Derridan’s army and begun training them yet? We can’t use our normal tactics if we want to-”
“Why would I be preparing for war?” Aidan asked, cutting me off.
I blinked at him again. He was kidding. He had to be.
“Sandrian? Magdalene? Symbionts?” I said, finally giving a little free rein to my temper. “Is any of this ringing any bells?”
Aidan scoffed and waved a hand. “That’s your fight. I’m not letting Derridan get dragged into this. If you want to take on Sandrian and Magdalene and fight those things, go right ahead.”
I stared at him, no longer capable of blinking. “What?”
“You heard me,” he said. “Derridan isn’t getting involved.”
My eyes darted to Maziren to see what she made of this, and I thought I saw concern on her face. I was tempted to slip into her mind and check, but Maziren could be prickly, and things were already strained between me and Aidan. Now wasn’t the time to piss off his guard if I was wrong.
I turned back to Aidan. “Do you really think you have a choice? Do you think Sandrian and Magdelene are going to let you stay out of this? For the gods’ sakes, they’ll come through Derridan to get to Hiraeth.”
That was assuming they were in Rowe, which I did. In reality, we didn’t know where they were. Cyra had tried using her seeker power to find them, but we’d learned the power was mainly used to find objects, not people, so it had been a long shot at best.
Aidan shrugged. He actually fucking shrugged, and I took in a deep breath to keep my blood from boiling. Aidan’s flinch a second later said my eyes had likely just flashed red, an indication my dark angelus side was not pleased.
“You intend to let them invade Hiraeth through Derridan?” I asked, still not quite believing what I was hearing.
“I don’t intend to get into an unnecessary conflict,” he corrected, less self-assured now. “Have you considered diplomacy before you start making plans to kill thousands?”
I clenched my teeth together. It might’ve been a fair point if Aidan’s own husband hadn’t recently been kidnapped and almost killed by Sandrian and Magdalene.
Perhaps an attempt at diplomacy would’ve been in order under other circumstances, but he didn’t know Sandrian like I did.
Sandrian wasn’t interested in settling this with words.
“Cyra saw their invading army in a vision,” I said. “We’d be fools to rest our hopes on diplomacy while our enemy prepares for war. You’re only putting your people at greater risk by pretending this threat isn’t real.”
Aidan was quiet for a long moment before he sighed heavily and rose. “I’m sorry, Bressen,” he said as he pulled a message leaf out of his pocket, “but Derridan isn’t going to war.”
He didn’t look sorry at all. He held the leaf up and it disappeared in a puff of smoke. A few seconds later, a portal reappeared near the door, and Aidan strode through it back into Seatherny, Maziren on his heels.
I stared at the empty space as the portal closed after Aidan. What in the three hells had just happened?
I sat unmoving for several minutes. The one problem with mind powers was they didn’t provide much of an outlet when you were upset and alone.
I would’ve traded them at that moment for just one of Samhail’s forcefields, because I desperately needed to send someone or something flying across the room.
In the end, I settled for standing up and sending one of the chairs hurtling into the wall. It was sturdy and didn’t break, but it at least made a satisfying crash when it hit.
I put my palms on the table and leaned over it, trying to calm myself. Throwing the chair hadn’t done anything to dull my fury, and Samhail wasn’t here to help me work off my frustration with a sparring match.
I didn’t dare go back to Tide’s End yet either.
Cyra liked our sex rough sometimes, so I’d often fuck her when I was angry or agitated, but what I felt now was beyond rage.
I’d hurt her if I went home now and she tried to tempt me into venting myself inside her.
No, I needed to find an outlet before I could go back.
Then I had an idea. Something I hadn’t done in a while.
I left the meeting room and strode back to my wing of the Citadel. I went straight to my bedroom and into the large closet where I pulled out one of the drawers that lined the wall. I reached in and took out a pair of pants and a shirt that were shoved in back.
I undressed and discarded my fine clothes in favor of the worn pants and simple cotton shirt. Both were black, the color I wore most often for obvious reasons. I found a scuffed older pair of boots in the corner and pulled them on. Then I was ready to go.
I thought about asking Phaedrus for a portal, but a good flight might help right now, so I left the closet and stepped out onto the balcony off the bedroom.
My wings sprang free from my back and stretched across the space. They were black as well, but the feathers held a soft sheen in the golden light from the late afternoon sun.
I flexed then a few times as my body remembered the feel of their weight on my back.
It had been a while since I’d flown – really flown – and I already felt better at the thought of taking to the air.
It would take me a couple hours to get to Gendris, but hopefully that would be enough time to let some of my anger molt off, and I launched myself into the air.
Bressen
I put up my obfuscation glamour as I approached Gendris a while later. The sun was just setting, but I was still too visible against the dusky sky, and no one could know I was here.
I touched down in a familiar alley and lifted my glamour after I pulled my wings back into my body. It had been good to stretch them, but now they had to go.
The alley was dark and deserted. The only light came from whatever filtered down the narrow space from the lanterns on the busier streets at either end, and I stepped carefully toward the side to feel my way along one of the buildings.
I wrinkled my nose at the smell of garbage and the faint tang of urine as I ran my hand along the rough brick until I found the space where a door sat tucked in the shadows.
I knocked three times quickly, waited a beat, then knocked once more.
I was just starting to wonder if the place I sought had moved or if they’d changed the knock when the door opened. I didn’t recognize the tall, burly man that answered. His hair was almost white-blonde, but his beard was dark brown with a blonde streak down the chin.
“What do you want?” he asked as he looked me up and down.
“I’m here to fight,” I said.