Chapter 34
THIRTY-FOUR
He drags me into a small room at the end of the hall and closes the door behind him.
“I will ask one more time. What were you doing with Arwyn?”
“You mean Wyn? I just met her.”
“You will not go near her again, Minerva.”
“Or what?” I raise a defiant brow.
His lip twitches and he takes a step toward me.
“I know you are hiding something,” he starts in a low voice. “Something that would get you punished.”
My eyes flare open. “Why? Because I talked for five minutes with Wyn?” I ask, confused at his sudden outburst. The Cerenios I know is usually more composed than this.
“Five minutes too long. She cannot be near those of your ilk.”
“My ilk? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Someone who has no regard for rules,” he states tensely.
“What is she to you?”
“It does not matter what she is to me. All that matters is that you keep your distance. Or the next time we will see each other will be on the execution block.”
“Is that a threat?”
“I do not make threats, Minerva. I act.”
I bite my lip as I eye the door, but to get to it I must get past him.
“I am not hiding anything. You know all there is to me and what happened with that sin demon.”
He moves closer, once more leaning in to sniff me. “Tainted blood. You smell of tainted blood.”
A shiver goes down my back. I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean, but it cannot be good.
“You are mistaken. I am a princess of the House of Cryos. You’d best respect me,” I say in a forced voice.
He smirks, though his eyes remain cold and unfeeling. “I do not give a damn about your rank or your family, Minerva. Respect is earned in my world.”
“You…” I take a step back. He follows.
“Azerius tasked me with finding out what you are hiding about the demon attack.” He pauses. “One word, and you will be executed.”
“You would fabricate something on me?”
He shrugs. “There is no need to fabricate anything. I just need to find out what you are hiding.”
“Well, good luck with that. Now I will be taking my leave.”
I move to the side to avoid him as I head toward the door.
“Stop!” he commands, his voice infused with pure energy that makes me freeze in my tracks. W-what?
My body refuses to obey me as I attempt to move.
“You will answer some questions for me now,” he states casually as he circles around me, his hands behind his back.
Against my will, I find myself saying, “Yes.”
What the…
Panic takes hold of me.
I’ve never heard of Cerenios having the ability to control someone. But this… I can’t move, can barely think as he plops himself in front of me and pins me with his gaze.
“How did you destroy the greed demon?”
“With charity,” I reply automatically.
He narrows his eyes at me.
“And how did you know about charity?”
“From the books on sin demons.”
“Those books are only found in very particular collections in Aperion. Where did you procure a copy?”
I clamp my mouth shut, biting hard on my lip until I taste blood. Still, as if under a spell, I am compelled to answer.
“From General Leotar’s library.”
“Ah. There it is,” he murmurs in satisfaction.
My eyes widen in fear. Anything I say is going to damn me at this point. Somehow, I must break free of his control.
Since my body is immobile, I focus my energy on the surroundings, dropping the temperature until his breath comes out as a fog.
He appears surprised by this, but he barely chuckles to himself.
I add a little more strength to the cold weather until the floor becomes glazed with ice. My limbs, too, start getting frosty, and instead of combating the cold as I would have usually done, I let it envelop me, sending my body into an overdrive of sensation.
The first crack appears.
I move my arm, the pain of frostbite jolting me out of whatever mind control he’s using.
“Commander Azerius was right. You are not a mere level five, are you?” he asks curiously.
Gritting my teeth against the pain spreading through my body, I force my other limbs to move.
By the time I am relatively free of his control, though, it’s too late.
He grabs me by the throat and lifts me in the air.
“Nice try.” He tsks. “But I am not done with you yet.”
“Damn you, you sanctimonious pig.”
“Now, now, Minerva.” He clicks his tongue against his teeth in derision. “Who taught you such unseemly words?”
“Leave. Me. Alone! This is against the law!” I cry out. “If you want to investigate me, do it formally, you coward,” I spit at him. “But wait, then you wouldn’t be able to use your mind control on me. Because it’s forbidden.”
He smiles at my threat, tightening his hold.
“Ah, but who would believe your word over mine?” He chuckles.
“You dare tell me off about breaking the rules when you’re doing the same thing?”
“It is different. I am doing my job, and Azerius knows that sometimes different techniques have to be employed. The end result is all that matters.”
I glare at him. What did I expect from Commander Azerius’ lap dog? The rumors have always implied that Azerius was relentless in his pursuit of his justice, but I never realized how far he would go.
Worse? Azerius is the highest authority in Aperion. Even if I wanted to seek help from someone else, not even the Supremes could do anything to stop him since he has free rein over the military. The mere suggestion that I might be a traitor and he’ll be allowed to torture all the answers out of me.
My fingertips tingle with energy as I ready myself to attack. But before I can do so, the door swings open and a female walks in, her eyes wide with shock.
“What is the meaning of this?” she shrieks.
“Thea, out,” Cerenios replies without even looking at her.
“What are you doing?”
“Out!”
She doesn’t obey his command. Shutting the door behind her, she strides determinedly toward Cerenios. She’s taller than me, but he still dwarfs her with his height.
“I turn my back for a moment and you are out here assaulting someone?” She shakes her head at him. Her nails morph into claws and she digs them into his neck, then rakes them down his flesh and draws blood.
Cerenios is unmoved.
He regards her with a bored expression on his face, barely moving a muscle.
She launches herself at him again until he finally throws me aside and slowly faces her.
Stumbling back, I massage my neck absentmindedly as I watch them with confusion.
“Thea, I told you to leave.”
“No. I must defend her against your tyrannical ways.” She points to me as she glares at him.
He rolls his eyes.
“Should you not first ask why I was doing it?”
“Of course not. Whatever it is, you’re likely at fault. Though I must say, Cer, I’ve never known you to be this aggressive toward a female. Have you finally lost it?”
“Thea…” He sighs.
“It’s evil Ze’s influence, isn’t it? He’s turning you into a monster, Cer! How can you work for him?”
“Work. That is exactly what I am doing. So please leave and let me continue my work .”
“I knew it.” She stomps her foot. “Never mind that you’re taking orders from that evil male, but now you’re doing this here? Unacceptable.”
She turns to me. “Don’t you worry. While you are here, you are under my protection.”
I nod numbly. I think I like her. Though she’s a bit odd. Going by her dark green empire waist gown, she’s likely a guest at the party. Her red hair is pinned atop her head in a basic updo, but the simplicity of it does nothing to detract from her beauty.
“How did you know I was here?” A glint of suspicion appears in his eyes.
“Wyn told me. She also said you were up to no good.”
“Wyn?” Surprise flickers across his face.
“She told me to stop you, so that is what I am doing,” she adds, nodding to herself.
Belatedly, I note that the wounds on his neck are not healing. If anything, they continue bleeding.
“Do not make me repeat myself, Thea. Leave. Now,” he adds with a sigh as he scrubs a hand over his face. Moving lower, he realizes his wound is still bleeding, but instead of panicking, he merely rolls his eyes. He brings his hand to his lips and licks the blood off his fingers.
“I am taking her with me,” she declares as she grabs my hand and heads for the door. But as she tries to open it, the door doesn’t budge.
“Cer?” Thea taps her foot against the floor impatiently.
“I am afraid I cannot let you take her. As I told you, I am working.”
“I don’t care. You are not allowed to work here. If you have anything to resolve with this female, you can do so officially, at the interrogation office, not at a party. Unless you have something to hide?” She watches him with narrowed eyes.
His jaw tenses and they engage in a battle of wills as they stare at one another.
“Is there something more untoward happening here?” Thea asks.
“Untoward?” I blink, finally finding my voice. “No, no, he?—”
“I am talking to him.” She shuts me down with a harsh stare. Maybe I don’t like her that much after all. I don’t know who she is and what her relationship to Cerenios is, but it is clear they have some history. If I could, I would leave and let them solve their issues alone. But as it stands, now I’m trapped between two belligerent deities and seeing how Cerenios’ wound is still not healing, this Thea might be a strong opponent too.
By the Source. I could barely face Cerenios alone as it was before. Now I have to contend with another one?
“You brought a female to a closed room. Do you realize the optics of that?”
“Thea, please cease your histrionics. Nothing untoward was happening. I do not have a taste for…” he trails off as his eyes find me and his nose wrinkles in distaste. “This type of female.”
“This type?” I blink. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask, not knowing whether I should feel offended or not at his words.
“Yes, Cer, what type? And how dare you call me hysterical?”
His jaw is locked tight. “The lying type,” he states tersely.
My face falls. “That’s not true?—”
“What?” Thea blurts out.
“I do not care for liars and for rule breakers. Minerva is both. And she must be punished.”
A series of emotions crosses Thea’s face before she schools her features. A tremor runs through her body.
“So you are not only consorting with a lying female, but you’re also trying to punish her?” she asks suspiciously. “At a house party?”
“Yes, that is exactly what I am doing.”
“Is this some kinky thing I didn’t know about?” she suddenly asks. “Are you…” Her voice goes down a notch. “Is that why you were choking her?”
“Thea.” He takes a deep breath. “You have an overactive imagination. Where would you have even heard the word kinky ?” he demands sharply.
“It’s what humans use for this sort of thing,” she replies flippantly.
“This sort of thing?”
“You know, choking and stuff. You were choking her.”
“And when did you see humans choke each other?”
“We are talking about you here, Cer. Not me.”
“You will answer me, Thea. Where did you witness humans engaging in kinky behavior?”
“I’m well traveled, you know.” She huffs and raises her chin.
“Who, when, and where?”
“I am not the one doing it! You are.”
“And I have told you, nothing untoward is happening here. You are jumping to conclusions.”
“If it is nothing, let us leave.”
“No. I must continue my work.” He pauses, glancing at me as if just remembering I am still present. “You are making a fuss about nothing, Thea.”
“Nothing?” She raises her voice. “If anyone else were to have seen you go into a closed room with her, you would have a scandal on your hands.”
“My reputation is spotless. No one would doubt I was conducting an investigation. Work , Thea.”
“You will not work here. Now I will take her back to the party and you better not do this again.”
“Thea,” he adds with a low growl.
“Open the door, Cer.”
“No.”
“Open the door this instant, Cerenios. Do not make me repeat myself.”
He swallows. Is he…afraid of her?
“Thea, you are?—”
“Thea this, Thea that.” She rolls her eyes as she cuts him off. “You are in so much trouble, Cer. Let us not forget about the fact that you called me hysterical. I assure you I will not be forgetting about that soon. Now open the door.”
“No.”
I stare between the two of them in confusion.
Thea lets go of my hand and strides to his side.
“You are being outrageous. If you don’t let us go?—”
“What? If I don’t let you go, then what?”
“I will… I will…” She presses her lips together. “I will be forced to hurt you again.” She raises her hand to his face, her nails elongating into claws.
His lips quirk up and he tsks at her.
Grabbing her hand, he pulls her close, his mouth moving up her inner arm.
“What are you doing?” she stammers.
“Making sure you cannot hurt me,” he murmurs before he parts his lips. His canines elongate and he lodges them in her flesh, biting her.
He’s…
My eyes widen in shock.
Thea’s body goes still as he feeds from her.
He. Feeds. From. Her.
Red flecks stain his irises, making him appear even more dangerous.
To my surprise, Thea doesn’t seem too concerned with the fact that he’s feeding from her—something that is forbidden in itself. And he dared criticize me?
Moments go by and she finally wrenches her hand away from his mouth. He’s smirking at her as he wipes the residue blood from his lips. It’s then that I realize his wound has closed.
“What is wrong with you?” Thea grinds out.
Cerenios shrugs. He leans in to whisper something in her ear that I can’t quite make out even with my advanced hearing. After that, his eyes connect to mine.
I take a step back and hit the door just as he flashes himself in front of me. This time, Thea does not interfere, merely standing back and massaging her arm long after the bite mark healed.
“See something familiar, Minerva?” he asks in a derisive voice.
“W-what are you talking about?” I stammer.
He leans in and inhales deeply. “Tainted blood. I can smell it on you. And there is only one way that could be the case.”
I blink. Why does he keep repeating this tainted blood issue? What even is that?
Can he tell I shared my blood with Mine? But no, that’s impossible.
Unless… Awareness slowly seeps in. I did not just give Mine my blood. I also tasted his, though nothing like Cerenios did with Thea. It was a few drops at most. And why would his blood be tainted? He’s human!
Is it because of his illness? Is that what he means?
I’m more confused than ever as I stare at his self-assured expression.
“You know exactly what I am talking about. Let us dispense with the theatrics.”
“You’re wrong,” I whisper.
“Am I?” He raises a brow. “Perhaps others are not able to detect the stench, but I can. Commander Azerius can. It is just a matter of finding out the cause.”
“Your nose is faulty,” I counter. “I’ve never even heard of tainted blood or whatever it is you’re talking about.”
“Thea? Mind telling Minerva here what tainted blood means?”
I glance at Thea and she bites her lip, averting her gaze.
“Blood sharing with a different species,” she adds in a low voice.
My heart stops in my chest.
“You’re one to talk?” I burst out. “You just drank her blood.” I point accusingly to him and Thea. “So what if you’re the same species. Blood sharing is forbidden altogether.”
His lips slowly curl into a dangerous smile.
“You’re trying to prove a point, but you’re breaking the rules too,” I continue.
“Is that so?” He chuckles. “Except I am not. Blood sharing is allowed between first degree relatives in extreme situations. My injury not healing qualifies as an extreme situation.”
“You mean…” I look between him and the other female.
“Thea is my sister,” he confirms.
“B-but…” The loud beat of my heart drowns every noise around me.
“I know what you have done, make no mistake of that. I only require enough proof for a conviction.”
“No, no. I didn’t do anything.”
“Really?” He raises a brow. “Let me break it down for you since it seems your small brain cannot comprehend the situation you are in. You somehow acquired books from General Leotar’s personal library. The same general who was murdered in cold blood by a demonic entity, likely a Son of Tenebreis. A murder that occurred in Aperion, at a military base that is supposed to have the highest degree of security.” He pauses as he sees my face fall. “A murder that even the most eminent truth diviners cannot see.”
I shake my head.
“You’re insinuating that I?—”
“That you worked together with a demon. Yes.”
“I would never!” I protest, this time fully confident in my answer. “I would never collude with a demon.”
He seems taken aback by my outburst.
“Then how do you explain all the above?”
“I can’t explain it. That is true. But I vow to the Source that I would never willingly engage with a demon or aid one in any way. I am a soldier, Cerenios. I’ve dedicated my entire life to fighting them. I would never betray our cause.”
He doesn’t reply, merely staring at me. A vow to the Source is unbreakable. Even he knows that.
“That’s it, Cer. You got your answer. She vowed she is not involved with a demon,” Thea intervenes.
Cerenios’ nostrils flare. He doesn’t seem impressed by my vow, but even he cannot refute that if I lied in my vow, I would be writhing in pain now.
Thea strides to the door and places her hand on the knob. “Open the door.”
He still doesn’t react.
“I am not done with you, Minerva. There is something off about you. I know it. And I will not stop until I find out what that is,” Cerenios states ominously as the door clicks open.
I don’t bother replying. The moment Thea opens the door, I dash out, not looking back.
When I get back to the ballroom, I find my parents and stick by their side until the event is over and we get back home. I don’t see Cerenios anymore, nor his sister, but I know he will not give up.
I am in more danger than ever, and it’s not even for something I’ve done! I was a bystander at the demon attack. But admitting that will only get me in more trouble. They will likely not believe me, even if I vowed it. And then they will ask why I did not come forward with information after it happened.
Every situation ends with me endangering Mine since he was with me in Aperion at that time, and I cannot allow that to happen.
Back in my room, I pace around like a madwoman as I try to make sense of what my next steps should be.
As we returned home, my father made some comments about Cerenios that still bother me.
“He is the most eligible mate in all of Aperion. It’s not a coincidence that Commander Azerius took him under his wing. He is relentless in furthering Aperion’s interests and wiping all traces of corruption from our institutions of power. You would be lucky if the duchess considers you,” he’d mentioned.
All I could hear was relentless .
He is several thousand years older than me, which means there must be some records about him in the library, especially if his deeds are celebrated. Although I hold disdain for the male, I am smart enough to realize I must know my enemy.
Late that night, I barricade myself in the royal library and scour any mentions of Cerenios.
Yet what I find only exacerbates the dread forming inside of me.
Cerenios finds. Azerius kills.
Azerius might have the reputation of a God Killer because he is the executioner of deities, but Cerenios is just as dangerous. He is the one who does all the dirty work so that Azerius has the necessary proof to execute someone.
The deadly duo , some chronicles call them.
Cerenios exhibited extraordinary abilities since his first years. The Duke and Duchess of Sigmore beseeched Azerius, then still a general, to take young Cerenios under his tutelage and train him. Cerenios went to live with Azerius when he was only a few hundred years old, spending over two thousand years in close proximity to the God Killer. It is not surprising that he would be as deadly and precise as his mentor.
This information is not scary at all.
Closing the book and putting it back in its place, I massage my temples.
Anxiety runs through my veins, and my hands have a slight tremor to them that I cannot stop.
I don’t see any way out of this. He will find something on me. And I will be arrested, then executed.
No! There has to be something I can do.
Wyn’s words from before echo in my mind. What had she said?
I must make a visit to the House of Moirai and cut my thread of fate.
But can I trust her? She sent Thea to help me, and if she had not come at the right time, I would have been forced to divulge everything to Cerenios. Perhaps she does have good intentions.
“Senea,” I call out to the library wraith.
“Yes?” A ghostly being materializes.
“Show me all the books on the House of Moirai that mention the threads of fate.”
A few books light up at the end of the library.
“Do you require anything else, Your Highness?”
“No. That is all.”
I take out the books the wraith highlighted and spread them out on the table.
Although everyone knows the power the House of Moirai wields, not only in Aperion but in the entire universe, there is very little information available on the specifics of their work. Both the House of Moirai and the House of Psyche are the most elusive parts of Aperion, and the only ones closed to anyone outside of their jurisdiction.
I remember learning the basics about them in school, but beside their hierarchies and the fact that one deals with the eternal cycle of souls while the other weaves the parameters of each soul’s fate, there was little else we were taught about them.
As I peruse the books, I realize there isn’t much more here either.
One chronicle mentions there are nine threads of fate, pertaining to the self, family, friends, love, potential, fortune, misfortune, life, and death. The self thread is imbued with the innate characteristics of a person, good and bad. The family thread decides within which family the soul will be born into. The friends thread connects to other souls and makes a tapestry of connections; it’s all about the other people a person might meet in a lifetime. The threads for fortune and misfortune as well as life and death are rather self-explanatory. They relate to when a person will be born, their trials and tribulations during their life and ultimately death. The potential thread is more mysterious and the only one the chroniclers can’t decide on a definition.
Yet as I read on, I realize that while these threads provide some parameters, they are not precise. There is still a certain degree of free will. But once more, the chroniclers cannot agree on the weight of free will versus the threads spun by the Moirai.
Nine threads of fate. Wyn said I must cut a fate thread.
But she forgot to tell me which one…