Chapter 20
Rowan
I looked at Cayden and my TBs, both resting on Cayden’s small kitchen table. Messages in baby blue glowed.
“The Architect’s pissed,” Cayden said.
I grunted.
Cayden’s eyes flew wide. “If you’re not disagreeing, then he really is.”
I took a deep breath. “You and I both saw Quinn yesterday.” I pointed at myself. “Me, because I passed a test he couldn’t.” I pointed at Cayden. “You, by breaking every rule and using the explosion.”
Cayden grunted. “Rules exist for people willing to follow them.”
“I liked it better when you were willing.”
Cayden’s face darkened.
I grinned and whacked him on the back. “Too soon?”Cayden tried to scowl, but a bit of a smile pulled at his mouth. I’d take it.
“In eight days, Quinn faces trials to prove her free will. Joe says the explosion came from a rogue Westwater branch; now the whole family’s hunting them. Explosions aren’t tolerated. Between that and your stunt, the Westwaters closed their borders. Quinn’s off limits.”
Cayden’s eyes narrowed, twisting my warning into a challenge.
“Look, we know she’s safe.” I rubbed my shoulder as if it would help calm down my highly strung friend. “Brit and Joe are with her and keeping us updated. Instead of wasting our energy trying to get to her, what can we do to help from here?”
Cayden crossed his arms and scowled at the TB.
“Yeah. Exactly.” I finally picked mine up. “We worked together fine last time.”
“‘Fine’ is debatable,” Cayden muttered, picking his up too. “Mine's a summons to his office.”
“Same,” I said, already standing.
Cayden extended his hand. “If he wants to talk, he can come to us.”
I raised an eyebrow. “The Architect? Come to us?”
Cayden made a scrawl and gently put it on top of his TB, which sucked it in and sent it off. “Yes. The Architect.” Cayden stood. “I’ll join your fight classes today.”
I studied his TB.
“Oh, the message was for Xan, on your behalf as well,” Cayden promised. “Now, I need to move either toward Quinn or under your instruction, which Quinn could not stop raving about.”
A dopey grin pulled at my face. Quinn said nice things about me.
Cayden raised an eyebrow. I grunted and puffed out my chest, owning my smile, before marching us into the foggy world.
The final participants of my morning training were hurrying into the training yard.
Promising trainees and enforcers dressed in blacks mingled for a brush-up on close combat strategies in confined spaces.
In two days, we’d raid the first of the underground cellars.
With Cayden planting himself on the outskirts, I started the session. “Remember, the tunnels will be dark and narrow,” I bellowed. “Your movements need to be short and precise. I know we spend a lot of time on sword work and bows here, but daggers and hand axes are your friends in close quarters.”
I demonstrated the first drill and got the group going. Not two minutes later, Xan, the Architect, dressed in his simple trainee uniform, joined my drill.
‘Your doing?’ I asked.
‘Yup,’ Cayden said without explanation.
I wanted to step in. The Architect wasn’t just a man; he was the idea of the world I wanted to live in. But he was also Xan, who’d somehow failed The Pit Master’s test. Maybe a little training would be good for him.
I refocused my attention on the class, walking the training yard and correcting forms. It took me another thirty minutes to notice a woman at the back.
Not as short as Quinn, she was still well below average height, with an ample chest that bounced with each messy swing of her ax.
Her brother jerked his head, telling me to move on.
I did, changing the drill to one that worked well with your back to a wall.
My gaze drifted to the woman again. Like everyone, sweat poured down her face.
She was working hard, though she clearly had no background in fighting.
I didn’t recognize her. Dark, almost black hair plastered to her face and neck.
Regardless of skill, I liked seeing her in our ranks.
It made me miss Quinn. Xan had immediately put Quinn in one-on-one training to help her catch up. Should I recommend the same?
My Fight class came to a close. Cayden walked over to Xan, who had dropped to the ground, breathing hard. I left them to it and stepped toward the woman. Her brother slid in front of me.
“Jefferson’s picking the strike team for the tunnels this afternoon. You won’t be a part of it,” I mostly said for her brother’s benefit. “But, if Fight is the direction you want to go, I want to encourage you. Would you like a one-on-one tutor? Um, I’m sorry, I don’t know your name.”
“Calista. My name is Calista, and my family’s so small it’s not worth mentioning.” The woman slid around her brother. “Will it help me get closer to Quinn? Maybe be on her honor guard?”
I blinked. “Um, what?”
Calista touched her abdomen. “Brit’s cycling. Quinn made it happen. She had to. There’s no other explanation.” She looked hopefully up at me. “If I can guard Quinn next, maybe she’ll fix me, too.”
I blinked at her, then glanced at her brother. He ducked his head, but a glimmer of hope also filled his eyes.
“Did Brit tell you she’s cycling?” It wasn’t the right question, but Quinn didn’t even know what she’d done. This shouldn’t be common knowledge.
Calista blushed. “No. I, um, overheard them talking.”
I raised an eyebrow.
Calista shifted uncomfortably… was she lying?
“Didn’t take much asking to piece it together,” she said quickly. “It had to be Quinn. Being from the past and with her crazy crystal magic. I want the same chance Brit had.” She clenched her fists in front of her. “I don’t care how hard I have to work.”
I rocked on my heels, lost. Ezra’s trick came to mind: when in doubt, call Xan.
‘Bring Xan. Now.’
‘We’re in the middle of something. It can wait,’ Cayden responded.
‘No, it sure as fuck cannot,’ I snapped back.
Cayden didn’t respond, but I spotted him moving out of the corner of my eye.
“Did I say something wrong?” A bead of sweat ran between Calista’s cleavage, and I quickly looked away.
“No, not at all; this is just, um, I, ah, can’t help you,” I said. “We don’t even know if Quinn’s magic changed Brit’s fertility.”
“It did.” Calista took a confident step toward me. “And she’ll need an honor guard, even if it’s not me. I’ve told my entire family so we can get to Quinn first.”
‘Get to Quinn first.’ The words pounded through me like a stampede.
“Just wait. The Architect will be here any second,” I said, more to calm myself than her.
Calista’s eyes widened, and we awkwardly waited until Xan and Cayden joined our little circle. I had her repeat everything.
Xan was so good. He listened and assured Calista that when they found out anything, she would know without making any promises. But even Xan couldn’t shake her unwavering belief in Quinn’s magic.
“We’ll know if it’s true in a few days,” Cayden said as they walked away.
“I’m sorry, what?” Xan ran his fingers through his drizzle and sweat-soaked hair.
“Ravana had Quinn use her Majekah on one of her nieces,” Cayden explained.
“How many people saw this?” Xan asked.
Cayden shrugged. “Not many. Less who understood what was going on.”
Xan’s baby-blue eyes smoldered. “You do not seem to understand the gravity of what’s happening here.
” He ran his hand through his hair and pulled this time.
“This”—he gestured to the retreating woman and her brother—“is one innocent person acting on a rumor. My next words are crass, but fertility is a limited resource. Men and women use it as a means of control. Some people will not want to lose that control, and just as many are desperate to gain their own. People are going to flock to Quinn, and she’s going to have to pick who she uses her Majekah on and in what order.
” Xan slashed his hand through the air. “And that’s assuming she doesn’t end up under someone else’s control. ”
I wanted a wall to lean on, but we stood in the mud.
“Someone like you.” Cayden slid his hands into his pockets, his voice dangerously even. “You could make a fortune charging for her Majekah, not to mention the power that would give you over the other families.”
Cayden’s truths punched my already twisted gut.
“Yes. That’s me.” Xan let out a bitter laugh. “The monster who exploits everyone.”
Even I picked up on the bitter sarcasm.
Of course he did. After months of watching Xan choose restraint, Cayden still reached for the ugliest explanation first. I bit back what I wanted to say, because disappointment cut deeper when you didn’t dress it up as anger.
Xan pulled his shoulders back, and the mantle of the Architect filled his posture.
“I’m done justifying myself to you, Cayden.
” Like the rune mage, Xan didn’t raise his voice; steely control filled every word.
“One minute, you rely on me to get through the day. Then, I’m the only person who can save what remains of your family, and now we’ve come full circle.
I’m back to being the evil, controlling mentalist.”
Xan locked gazes with Cayden. “Leave. Get out of my castle. Return your TB. Hope will get you out of my sight until you figure out your future.”
My jaw dropped.
“I’m taking Quinn with me,” Cayden stated.
Xan let out a bitter, ugly laugh and marched away from us.
“Cayden, what are you doing?” I hissed.
“Getting Quinn out of all of this.” Cayden clenched his fist. “She doesn’t need someone controlling her.”
Before I could respond, Cayden walked away. This morning, I thought we could hold it together. Now we were breaking.