Chapter 21 #2
I fled past Stefano and shot down the stairs, jogging as fast as I could without tripping over my feet. He muttered something about insanity as he trailed behind me, and then we were scurrying down the hallway, racing to a pair of heavy wooden doors like those guarding Harthon’s library.
Stefano swung a door open and ushered me into the room just as I caught my breath.
Harthon faced us from where he sat at the head of a small, oval table. A man sat across from him, his back to us.
I was late.
Based on the hint of displeasure on Harthon’s face, he wasn’t happy at that fact.
At all.
“Thank you, Stefano. You can leave the wing. I’ll walk Etarla back,” he said in a voice that lacked the hint of familiar warmth I’d grown accustomed to.
This voice was stony. Unfeeling.
It was the voice I expected another Princeps to use when addressing a subordinate. Not Harthon.
Maybe it was an act for Princeps Aric. Maybe that was why I was supposed to be here a little early, so he could explain how this meeting was going to go.
After all, there’d been no other opportunity for him to brief me on this meeting.
Since our initial conversation with North, Callen, and Ana, I hadn’t seen the man.
According to Callen, he’d been occupied by the crop plague, personally visiting nearby village farms to deliver news of the rations and inspections.
Aric twisted in his seat as Stefano closed the door, locking me in the small, sparsely decorated room with two of the most powerful people in the Territories.
You’re supposed to be even more powerful than them, I reminded myself.
I schooled my features just as Aric’s face came into view.
His short hair was a combination of blacks and grays, but his face was on the younger side, like Harthon’s.
His structured jaw was clean shaven, his eyes almond-shaped, but it was the jagged scar, dark against his golden-brown skin, running from the corner of his right eye to his mouth that gave him a sense of brutality.
He was big with muscle, burly like North, and I imagined the scar was earned in battle.
The Princeps struck me as a hunter, much like Harthon had appeared when he’d first chased me down. Except here in this room, I wasn’t prey.
That scar shifted as he grinned. One of his top teeth was cut short, as if it’d been cracked in two and never replaced. “You must be the magvis the rumors have spoken of,” he said in a smooth tenor.
I thought carefully about how to respond. With Ellan, I’d been borderline rude as the magvis, and he hadn’t even questioned the attitude. But it was apparent that Aric was a different animal.
“I don’t care much for rumors, but I am the magvis,” I replied cautiously, testing the waters with my natural response.
“I don’t care much for rumors either, as they often leave out important details, such as how stunning you are.”
Oh.
Knocked off-kilter by his bold words, I searched for a response. Apparently, this was plain on my face, because he essentially pointed it out. “Has Harthon here failed to tell you how stunning you are?”
Harthon hadn’t called me stunning, but he had called me beautiful. Not that he’d done so in recent days.
I internally shook my head, focusing on the task at hand. The magvis wouldn’t care about being called beautiful or stunning or being kissed. “It’s irrelevant to me. I don’t care for mundane compliments,” I said, forcing a flat tone.
“Everyone enjoys compliments, beautiful,” he drawled, oozing dangerous charm.
Perhaps he was trying to off-center me, digging for a sign that I wasn’t the magvis. That was what a cunning leader would do.
Play your role.
“I don’t consider myself to be like everyone, for obvious reasons.”
“Of course, magvis. I meant no offense.” There was nothing apologetic in his reply.
“Her name is Etarla, and considering she’s late, she should take a seat so we can continue,” Harthon said, lacking all of Aric’s amusement.
When this was done, I’d make sure his ire was directed only toward me, not Stefano.
Holding my spine straight, I slowly walked to the chair and sat with what I hoped was an otherworldly grace, considering the way Aric’s eyes followed me.
“You have quite the reputation,” he mused, addressing Harthon even as he studied my violet and gold eyes for another moment. When he finished, he shifted back and leaned on one arm, mirroring Harthon’s casual demeanor.
If predators lying in wait could be considered “casual.”
“Likewise.”
“I never did like Tamen. I wasn’t unhappy when you took his place.”
“And why is that?”
“Tamen was a puppet without ambition. He cared only about filling his belly, fucking women, and amassing wealth. You’re far-sighted. Strategic. Ruthless. And apparently, you’re decent with a weapon. These things hold good potential.”
Decent with a weapon?
Harthon’s lips curled, but it didn’t reach his hardened eyes. “I’ve heard similar rumors about you, though I’ve wondered what you intend to do with those qualities. Sixth’s borders haven’t moved in years.”
I half-expected Aric to bristle at the challenge, but he merely lifted a shoulder. “An empire is only as strong as its foundation. I’m strengthening that foundation. You don’t seem to have that luxury.”
“We don’t mind taking things at a different pace here,” Harthon responded calmly, unaffected by the implied insult.
Aric smirked, as if he was enjoying the conversation. “What’s your game?” he asked.
“You’re going to have to be more specific than that.”
“Well, you’ve been making incursions on Koerlyn’s land for a time now, which suggests you want his Territory. I imagine you’ll eventually want Territories beyond his. Perhaps all of them.” The including mine went unspoken.
“I want to change things. Make life worth living. Whether that involves taking all of the Territories or only those belonging to my enemies and puppets like Tamen is yet to be seen,” was Harthon’s careful answer.
It was a clear warning to the other Princeps against becoming his enemy.
Aric gestured to me. “But now you’ve apparently acquired a magvis. Perhaps you also plan to do something with the Domus. See what’s underneath. Stop it from draining the life from our land.”
Apparently. Harthon apparently acquired a magvis.
Aric didn’t believe us yet. Harthon no doubt realized this.
“Etarla is new to us. We’re determining whether the Domus can be approached at all.”
“And if it can be, what will you do?”
Harthon chuckled, though the sound held no joy. “For someone who has not yet decided to be my friend, you’re expecting me to reveal a lot of information.”
“I’m deciding whether it benefits me more to be your friend or enemy. The more information I have, the better I can make my decision,” Aric replied bluntly.
Harthon dipped his chin. “As I said before, I want this world to improve. Entering the Domus or taking down its walls might help us accomplish that more easily. My allies would benefit from whatever it is we do.”
Aric crossed his arms. “That’s vague.”
“It’s all you get until you make your decision.”
“Being your ally would pit me against Koerlyn.”
“It would.”
“I met with him last week, at his invitation,” he said.
Tension immediately thickened the air, even as Harthon remained relaxed in his seat.
If Aric had already aligned himself with Koerlyn, it would be that much harder to defeat the monster. And if they were aligned, Koerlyn may have told Aric the truth about how I was powerless, save for my knowledge of the tunnels.
Then again, Koerlyn telling Aric that there was a route into and out of the Domus would be counterintuitive to his own ends. Aric would want to take me and enter Centralis himself.
“He hates you,” Aric added with an air of amusement.
“And here, I thought we were old friends. I’m devastated,” Harthon deadpanned.
“He wants your magvis, and he wants my help in taking her from you,” Aric revealed boldly. “He promises impressive rewards.”
“I’m sure he does.”
And I was sure that Harthon was currently planning where he’d strike Aric with a dagger if the Princeps made a move for me here and now.
But Aric’s only move was to uncross his arms and clasp his hands together on the table.
“As tempting as those rewards may be, Koerlyn is crazy. And while I appreciate some amounts of crazy, too much can’t be trusted.
Whether or not you get the Domus involved, there is a decent chance your battles will turn into a war, and Territories are going to need to pick sides.
” He glanced at me, then told Harthon, “I’m picking yours. ”
The declaration loosened the tightness of the room.
He was our ally, then. We’d accomplished our goal.
I wondered if Harthon felt the same urge to leap in triumph, because all he did was nod and say, “I’m glad your trip here was worth our time.”
“Likewise. Though let me be clear,” Aric started, cutting my relief short as his gaze slid back to me. “I’m not completely convinced that a magvis suddenly appeared outside of the Domus and you were lucky enough to stumble upon one.”