Chapter 26
AIMILIA
Aimilia should have listened to Gavril. She should have known her scheme would blow up in her face.
Although she hadn’t expected it to do so because it had worked.
Marcella and Gavril rode at the front as they approached the Desero estate, the trees shading them, but not so thick they couldn’t see the mountains they were right at the foot of. Nikias was right behind them, and Aimilia was hovering toward the back as much as possible.
She’d done her best that morning not to be too close to Nikias, hoping the hours left to travel would give her the space she needed to understand what had happened or had almost happened the night before.
Nikias had almost kissed her.
That… She could make a little sense of. He’d been openly trying to marry her.
What was the problem was the fact that she’d almost let him.
In hindsight, of course her plan to repair things with Nikias would result in him being like himself again—which currently included his determination to marry her.
Maybe she’d hoped instead now that she knew—even if she was able to get him to look her in the eyes—he would still be too wounded to want her.
That, while not ideal, she could handle.
What she hadn’t anticipated was the warm rush when he’d risen above her expectations and complimented her so thoroughly. When his hands had been on her, she’d felt… safe. Like just his presence was enough to protect her from ever being brought so low again.
She’d been trying to level the ground between them to equal it all out, but now she was on a slope, unable to stop stumbling toward him.
All morning she’d been unable to take her eyes off his back. He’d caught her a couple times when he would look over his shoulder, but his expression was unreadable when he did.
What was wrong with her? It was Nikias.
There should be no part of her that felt safe in his arms. There should most certainly be no part of her that wanted him to kiss her. There should be no thrill down her spine that he thought she was beautiful.
As they reached the gates, Aimilia was resolved to push it out of her mind. It had been a fluke. Simply the result of such emotional vulnerability on her end and Nikias being surprisingly gentle and kind in response.
She would have been willing to kiss a tree if she’d also spent so much time baring her soul to it.
It meant nothing. Because nothing had actually happened.
The gates opened. Aimilia watched as Marcella dismounted, immediately rattling off in her first language with the guards, gesturing to their party. Gavril dismounted and Nikias motioned for them all to do the same.
Aimilia swung off her horse, taking the reins and leading it through the gates.
The grounds were full of people, the majority of them curly-haired in various tightness and length.
Almost all of them were eyeing their group warily.
Marcella exchanged a few nods and waves with a couple, but most did nothing but watch.
There were buildings scattered across the landscape, stretching into the distance so that Aimilia couldn’t even see where the estate ended, but it was clear which building served as the main house due to its size and grandeur.
While most of the buildings were made of a dark brown wood, this one was made from gray stone.
There was no warmth or light in it, a far cry from the marble and warm sandstone Aimilia was surrounded by in Areator.
There was also a surprising amount of green.
If it wasn’t grass making up the majority of the terrain, there were also trees stretching up into the sky—more than Aimilia had ever seen so close to buildings before— and bushes sprouting flowers and berries weaving between it all.
Soon enough a stable boy was taking Aimilia’s reins from her and she was being shepherded by their guards to where Marcella, Gavril and Nikias were waiting for her before going inside the main house.
Commander Calix joined them a moment later, assigning most of their guards to wait in the courtyard for further instructions while the other handful would escort them to Desero’s leaders.
Gavril and Marcella walked at the front with the Desero guards, and Aimilia tried to fall back to walk beside Commander Calix, but Nikias was quicker. He caught her arm, sliding his hand down her forearm until he clasped her hand, his cloak hiding it from sight.
As they entered the main building of the estate, she felt the slight tremor in his hand, so she didn’t pull away.
She clasped his hand in return as she fell into step beside him.
She could do this at least. It was just because they were about to see Hypatia, and she’d been the one he’d relied on to get him through it last time.
That’s all.
His palm wasn’t warm and solid against hers, anchoring her to the ground just as much as hers was him.
Nikias didn’t even look her way as they walked. He didn’t say anything. He just held her hand like it was the only boulder in a flood.
As they turned down the last hallway, Nikias’ breath hitched. Aimilia gave his hand a squeeze. He closed his eyes and let go, pulling his hand back as he squared his jaw.
The doors opened.
Marcella first. Then Gavril. Then Nikias.
Aimilia was right on his heels.
The room was a war room, with a long table in the middle around which a plethora of people could sit, but the chairs were pushed back and to the side, giving space for someone to circle it easily.
On the table was a map focusing in on the north, the clan lands, leading up to the border with the Stonai.
Various figures were scattered across it, but what they signified Aimilia could only guess.
Konstantin was right by the door, embracing Marcella with a bone crushing hug as she laughed, the two of them speaking rapidly in her tongue. Konstantin finally let her go to shake hands with Gavril, clapping him on the shoulder and exchanging pleasantries before he turned to Nikias.
Konstantin switched to their language. “Prince Nikias, we are honored.”
Nikias shook his hand, expression never changing and his voice as cold as ice. “Chief Konstantin, thank you for your hospitality on such short notice.”
There she was, in the shadows of the room, black curls and a grin that would shoot fear into even the bravest of men. No one did deranged and wicked through her eyes quite like Hypatia.
She hadn’t said a word. She hadn’t moved. She was as still as a statue as she leaned against the wall, draped in a silver peplos. Her eyes, however, were not on her near perfect replica, Marcella. Nor on the mortal enemy she had taken as her sacrifice for peace, Nikias.
They were directly on Aimilia.
Aimilia met her gaze, refusing to look away. Hypatia didn’t scare her.
Although the way she looked at Aimilia, with pure utter, unfathomable knowledge, did unnerve her just a little.
“Commander Aimilia, a pleasure to see you again.” Konstantin’s voice broke through Aimilia’s staring contest with Hypatia. She turned her head so she could shake Konstantin’s hand.
“Always pleased to see you, Chief.”
Commander Calix was introducing himself to Konstantin as Hypatia moved for the first time. She pushed off the wall, graceful as a snake as she moved around the table and toward her physical reflection.
Marcella bowed her head at her approach. “Chiefess.”
Hypatia caught her face in her hands and tilted it back up, cooing, “Oh there’s no need for all that, little one.
We are more family now than ever. All of us.
” Hypatia’s eyes skimmed over them all. “You are my sister-in-law, which makes your husband family as well. And family of my family is family. So we’re all family here, except of course, you two.
” Hypatia nodded at Aimilia and Commander Calix.
Marcella pulled her face out of Hypatia’s grip, stepping back, and Gavril put his arm around her shoulders.
“Now that we’re all here, we can get to business. We are—” Konstantin gestured between him and Hypatia. “—adequate enough in your tongue. I think.”
“That will be fine,” Nikias said, still having not looked at Hypatia once.
Hypatia rolled her eyes and moved back toward the table, skimming her fingers on the edge. “Straight to business then. We’ve heard rumors of what happened. Care to tell the whole story?”
Nikias turned to Konstantin. “I’d rather hear from you two about what has been going on up here that caused you to seek my brother’s wife to feed you information behind my back.”
Aimilia had had such high hopes too.
Hypatia took a step forward as Konstantin took a deep breath and shot her a pointed look. Hypatia only smiled in return as she came to a stop at the center of the table on the other side.
“I believe it will take us longer, so maybe we should start with your side?” Konstantin suggested, moving to the other side of the table as well, heading for Hypatia. Gavril and Marcella stood at one end, leaving Calix, Aimilia, and Nikias to approach the side opposite Hypatia and Konstanin.
At least someone was capable of being diplomatic.
“Commander Aimilia, I believe your account will be most beneficial to our allies,” Nikias said, inclining his head toward her.
Aimilia took a deep breath and obeyed the clear order. She launched into a cold, factual account of the events of that day, staring straight at the wall ahead and refusing to meet Hypatia’s or Konstantin’s gaze as she spoke.
She gave no details about her and Nikias’ interactions other than that he took the position to belay her down into the collapse.
There were several moments, always around Aimilia mentioning Nikias, where Hypatia’s eyes sharpened.
Once she finished, she shifted back slightly, rejoining Commander Calix in flanking Nikias evenly.
“How utterly barbaric,” Hypatia said.
Nikias’ impassive marble expression shifted. “Yes, it was also a cowardly maneuver. The Stonai responsible escaped before we could apprehend them.”
“Oh, I meant the practice of forcing a bunch of children to fight chimeras in order to be deemed worth teaching.”
Nikias snapped his jaw shut while Gavril said, “Chiefess, do you not train your soldiers at only a year older?”
“Not with a bunch of rabid chimeras.”
Konstantin cleared his throat and Hypatia returned his stern look with a smile.
“Moving on, Nikias, can you tell me more about the tunnel pattern, maybe draw a map?” Konstantin asked, moving for a second table that had some paper and charcoal and ink.
“I can.”
Still, even as Nikias and Konstantin moved forward with Nikias filling him in on every excruciating detail, a tension began to crawl up Aimilia’s spine. She kept one eye on Hypatia, who was watching her right back.
What had Aimilia done to attract her interest?
And how did she get rid of it?
Nikias and Konstantin continued leaning over the table as Nikias recreated their approximation of the tunnels. Marcella leaned into Gavril and whispered something in his ear.
“Commander—What was it again?” Hypatia asked, leaning over the table, her voice dangerously soft as they were only a few feet away from Nikias and Konstantin.
Nikias was in the middle of drawing something when she spoke, and his hand twitched.
“Aimilia, Chiefess. I was part of Nikias’ delegation a few months ago. That and my firsthand experience with the attack made me the obvious choice to bring this time.”
She had no idea how long they would be at the Desero estate, and she had seen firsthand how vicious Hypatia could be. She wasn’t going to give the woman any ammunition to use against Nikias. She’d done enough damage already. Even if the two of them were the only ones who knew exactly what that was.
Aimilia supposed, given what she’d seen, could what Hypatia have done to him been anything he hadn’t survived before at his own parents’ hands?
“That’s right. I remember you now. So very brave, aren’t you?”
The charcoal in Nikias’ hand snapped.
At Aimilia’s silence, she continued, “Volunteering to crawl through a tunnel collapse that could kill you to save a few children. Volunteering yourself to suffer at my hands for the sake of the treaty. Well, really for the sake of Gavril, right?”
Konstantin gave Nikias a new piece while directing a look to Hypatia that she ignored.
Aimilia didn’t know what she was looking for, but she didn’t really want to give it to her. “I suppose you can call that bravery, if you wish.”
“It’s easy to be brave in love, don’t you think?” Hypatia looked over to Marcella and Gavril, his hand on Marcella’s arm and listening to their conversation with a cold look.
Aimilia swallowed. Hypatia had guessed as much about her history with Gavril when she’d volunteered, but that didn’t mean she had to confirm it.
“If I may be frank, I don’t expect you to understand, Chiefess. Gavril and Marcella mean more to me than they do you. They are both my friends. It was an easy decision.”
Hypatia let out a soft laugh. “How tragic and vicious you are.”
Aimilia had no earthly clue what that meant. Had Hypatia Seen something or was she just rambling like the madwoman she was?
“Hypatia.” Konstantin’s voice contained a warning.
Hypatia ignored it. “It was a compliment. You were the one telling me I should make friends and be agreeable to our allies. She’s a perfect candidate.
I like her. With all these wonderful traits, these feats of strength, bravery, and her selflessness, she’s quite impressive.
She’s a very loveable person. Not everyone is, you know. ”
Nikias looked like he was about to break the table in half.
Aimilia cleared her throat. “Unless I’m still needed, maybe Marcella and I could be excused so she could show me around? I’d love to see where she grew up. She’s talked so fondly about it.”
She didn’t even feel guilty about the lie. She just wanted out of this room, and hopefully her leaving would put an end to whatever Hypatia was doing and let Nikias focus.
Konstantin looked over at Nikias, who was scowling at the map he’d finally finished. “You all have traveled a good chunk of the day. Maybe it was my mistake to start immediately. Let us break, eat, and return.”
Better than Aimilia could have hoped for.
She did her best not to look like she was running out of the room, but Nikias was right on her heels, so the appearance of not hurrying to escape didn’t mean much.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Konstantin hovering over Hypatia, while she rolled her eyes.
Marcella took Aimilia by the cloak and pulled her after. “Come, let’s go find our rooms. Better than staying here.”
Aimilia couldn’t agree more.