30. Thirty
Idon”t remember passing out, but from what Finn tells me while he patches up the bump on my head, after Sylvane told me my true name, I squeaked softly before falling flat on my face. A great first impression for sure, especially knowing House Basilius is known for being of strong mind and in control of their emotions.
Under Finn”s strict orders, I am to be left undisturbed so I can rest and let the pain medicine kick in, supplanting the splitting headache launching an unrelenting assault on me.
I welcome the privacy to take in the gorgeous bedroom I was assigned for the duration of our stay here in Elowen. Set before a large glass window that takes up the entire back wall, my room has a round bed with a golden headboard and a beautiful view of the kingdom below. Two nightstands with lamps are positioned on either side of the mattress and a star-shaped chandelier dangles above me, illuminating the spacious chambers. The walls and ceiling are painted a deep blue that reminds me of the starry night sky. There are white tufted sheets, a mountain of blue pillows varying in shapes and sizes, and a velvet throw blanket draped over the bed. Gold trim on the walls reflect light, giving me the feeling of being trapped inside a flickering star. It”s cozy and otherworldly, and it”s a place I could find myself staying, not wishing to be disturbed by the outside world. Along one wall, there”s a four-draw dresser and giant gold framed mirror flanking the archway into a luxurious bathroom that houses a deep porcelain bathtub, which I foresee myself soaking in nightly before bed.
Not thirty minutes after Finn leaves me to rest, there”s a knock on the door to my right leading to the main hallway.
”Come in,” I say, but no one enters. Instead, the knocking commences once more in the same rhythmic pattern.
”I said, come in,” I say louder, thinking the visitor just didn”t hear my first greeting.
But a third round of knocking persists, forcing me to drag my weary body from the soft bed and shuffle to the door. I swing it open, expecting to see one of my friends – or my birthmother – but it”s none of them. It”s the male Frost Elf I saw in the throne room, the one seated closest to the Frost King. He is much taller than I anticipated him being, easily towering over Nyx by two or three inches. He flicks his gaze up and down my body with no shame for the intrusion.
”Can I help you?” I do my best to sound polite, but noticeably fall short of courtly pleasantries.
”How fascinating,” he says with little inflection, as if he”s bored standing before me. ”All these years I thought you might have been a figment of my imagination, yet here you are, very much real.”
”Who the hell are you and what do you want?” I snarl, not in the mood to deal with his unwanted stares.
”Ah, she lacks manners, I see.”
”She is losing patience.” I pop my hip to the side and cross my arms over my chest. ”State your business or leave.”
There is a slight uptick of his lip, and I”m unsure if it”s due to amusement or disgust.
”I am Thrane Basilius, son of Eiran, Crown Prince of Elowen and Heir to the Ice Throne.”
I lean against the doorframe and shrug, mentally willing my head to stop throbbing. ”That”s quite the mouthful. Prince Thrane would have sufficed.”
He clicks his teeth, clasping his hands behind him. ”Sufficed, yes, but would have certainly been anticlimactic.”
”Well, Thrane Basilius, son of Eiran, Crown Prince of Elowen and Heir to the Ice Throne” – I throw back at him – ”why are you here?”
Thrane tilts his head to the side. ”Call my visit, curiosity.”
I puff out a breath, trying not to laugh. ”As lovely as your curiosity has been, I”m tired and as I”m sure you can assume, have a headache, so I”m going to rest – ”
”Did you really not know all these years that you were a Basilius?”
His question doesn”t necessarily catch me off guard, but his tone certainly does. There”s skepticism, and if I”m accurately picking up on his mood, aggression.
”Don”t you think if I had known, I would have come looking for my mother sooner?”
”Do you always answer a question with a question?” He fires back.
”Do my questions bother you?” I can”t help myself, feeling as if I”m striking a nerve.
There”s definitely a flash of amusement in his narrowed grey eyes, drawing a smirk from me. ”You are without a doubt Sylvane”s daughter.”
”I will take that as a compliment.”
”You should,” he says plainly. ”She is the only family member I can tolerate.”
”Because you are such a gem.”
”Contrary to what my tone may imply” – he takes a step forward, eating the little distance that remains between us – ”I like you.”
”You don”t even know me.”
”I am an excellent judge of character and honestly, I don”t waste my time exchanging hollow pleasantries with those who don”t appeal to me.”
”You still haven”t told me why you”re here, Thrane.”
”How deliciously informal of you, Cousin.” His gaze flicks up and down my body like a hawk zeroing in on its prey. ”Consider this me welcoming you home.” He turns on his heel and stomps down the hall but stops when I call out, ”That”s it?”
He whips around to face me but continues to backpedal away. ”I understand I am quite charming, and my undivided attention is desirable, however, I do have more important matters to tend to.” There”s a danger in his eyes that has me on edge, but by his playful tone, I can”t help but be sucked into every word he says.
I roll my eyes and scoff, ”Please – ”
Thrane shoots his hand into the air, silencing me. ”A Basilius never begs.” He turns to continue down the hall and flashes me one last look over his shoulder. ”Until our next encounter, Aurelia.”
”My name is Shaye!” I shout, but he either doesn”t hear me or he doesn”t think it”s worth the effort to acknowledge my correction.
I”m not sure what to think of Thrane Basilius. At least now I know he”s my cousin, but there”s something about him that I can”t quite put my finger on. He”s equal parts danger and mystery, and neither are high on my list of enviable qualities.
I can see why he”s so self-assured. He”s devilishly handsome, with a jaw that looks like it”s been chiseled from granite and seriously dreamy grey eyes that could slice right through to your very soul. But his incredible stature and long, white hair don”t tempt me the way they would other women. What I”m most intrigued with is how unreadable he is. That”s something I do envy. The ability to hide exactly what one is thinking and feeling. From our brief interaction, I couldn”t tell you anything about Thrane Basilius, and yet, I do know I look forward to the next time we meet.
”You are Aurelia Basilius-Sol. You are the daughter of Sylvane Basilius and Enver Sol, and you”ve finally come home.”
Sylvane”s statement plays over and over in my head as I lay on my bed. Mulling over her words, I simultaneously grow more confident and afraid.
How the hell did I end up in Midori?
It”s evident my Midorian parents weren”t forthcoming with pertinent information, but I”ve known them my entire life, and kidnapping doesn”t fit their profile.
I can almost feel Atlas rolling his eyes at the mere thought they didn”t know who I really was.
Maybe they are the monsters I fear they are, but a part of me will always hope I”m wrong.
Despite Finn giving me strict instructions to stay in bed and relax, my stomach roars in hunger, giving me the gusto to defy his orders. I slip a white silk robe over my nightgown and shuffle to my bedroom door in the fluffy slippers that were left in a welcome basket on my nightstand. The second my hand palms the doorknob, someone knocks on the other side, startling me.
I swear to the stars above and seas below, if Thrane Basilius is on the other side here to bother me, I”ll blast him across the hall.
A small piece of me hopes it”s Atlas. He had popped in for a short visit earlier to ensure I was alright before Finn forcefully ushered him out, making it abundantly clear we were to keep our hands to ourselves for at least twenty-four hours. So much for hoping whatever is transpiring between us remains private.
I can still see the wicked gleam in Atlas” eyes, as if he, too, were thinking of how much fun it would be to meet in secret.
I swing the door open and furrow my brows at the stranger carrying a tray with two dinner plates.
”There must be a mistake,” I say politely, smoothing my face. ”I didn”t – ”
”Shaye, it”s me.”
The second I hear her voice, I realize it”s Eris in disguise.
”I brought us dinner.” She pushes inside the doorway, and I shut it behind her. ”I figured you wouldn”t want to go to dinner while recovering from that fall.”
She sets the tray on my bed and spins to look at me. Her voice and mannerisms are the same, but her physical appearance will take some time to get used to. I smile and make my way toward my side of the circular mattress.
”What did you bring?” I ask, seesawing myself into a comfortable spot.
She plops down on the opposite side and passes me a plate with a red wine gravy poured atop sliced venison, with fingerling potatoes and a buttered roll. My stomach growls as if on command and Eris giggles.
”It sounds like I arrived just in time,” she teases.
I grab the silver fork and spear into the potato that”s perfectly seasoned and bite into it. It”s crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside – absolutely heavenly.
”Thank you,” I say through a mouthful. ”I was just about to go searching for something to eat.”
Her eyes widen. ”Dressed like that?”
I glance down and laugh. I probably would have caused quite the stir traipsing around the castle in nothing but a scandalous slip and robe. Maybe that bump on my head has warped all sense of propriety, or perhaps I was hungry enough to risk judgmental glances.
”Well, I”m glad you showed up.” I slice through a piece of venison and let the gamey flavor melt on my tongue. ”Although, I thought you were someone else when I opened the door.”
”Let me guess,” Eris”s eyebrows bounce. ”You were expecting a certain Harland brother – ”
”No,” I interrupt her before we veer down that path of conversation. ”Thrane Basilius.”
That seems to catch her off guard.
”Thrane Basilius?” she repeats, as if needing confirmation. ”Why would the Frost Prince be at your door?”
I shrug. ”Because he visited me earlier and I thought he had returned for a second round of verbal sparring.”
I catch her up on my brief encounter with Thrane and she crinkles her nose by the end of my story.
”Be wary of him,” she warns. ”With you here, he might feel threatened.”
”Threatened?” I chuckle, ”By me?”
”He might think you want the throne.”
”I”m not even next in line – ”
”You don”t need to be next in line to claim the Ice Throne. You are part Frost Elf and part Celestial,” Eris cuts me off. ”You have power and a combined bloodline he could only dream of having. Just watch your back when it comes to him. He”s a hard person to read.”
”Noted,” I say, really just to calm her down, not that I particularly have any interest in ignoring the prince. I chomp into the buttered roll and once I”ve swallowed the morsel, I decide to end the momentary silence by saying, ”It”s weird seeing you like this.”
”What do you mean?” Her eyes flick up from her plate and meet mine. They”re not the blue ones I know and love so well. They”re hazel, and even though I know my friend is behind the mask, I can”t help but feel as if I”m talking to a stranger.
I motion toward her new appearance, and she nods as if she had forgotten, too. ”You look like you could be the long-lost Harland sister.”
Her barked-out laugh causes me to giggle alongside her. She bobs her head and takes another bite of her dinner.
”I could be.”
”I”m sorry you have to do that in the first place.” I finish the last of my roll, greedily wishing I had another. ”I hate that you have to hide who you are.”
”I”m not doing it for me, I”m doing it for the Harlands.”
”What do you mean?”
”Besides merchants, Hydrans don”t tend to travel much unless my mother sends them on a diplomatic mission. I know she has her delegates under strict instructions to keep their eyes open in case they see me, and if they do find me, they”re to bring me back.”
I shake my head, ”I fail to see how that helps the Harlands – ”
”My mother won”t stop at just hunting me down.” That statement alone sends shivers down my spine. ”She will want to claw into those who helped me escape. When I travel with the Harlands to certain kingdoms, I disguise myself, so none of us draw unwanted attention from the Hydrans or their spies.”
I set my empty plate on the tray. ”I hadn”t thought of it that way.”
Eris shrugs, stacking her plate on top of mine. ”It”s the price I am willing to pay to keep them safe. After everything they”ve done for me, it”s the least I can do.”
I”m not sure what to say, so I choose to say nothing at all. The love Eris has for the Harlands is astounding.
”How are you doing?” Her question slices through the silence.
I reach for the side of my head and run my fingers over the little bump. ”My head hurts, but I”ll survive. The embarrassment of falling in front of everyone might take time to heal though.”
Once Eris” giggles die down, she clarifies, ”I meant, how are you handling the news about your parents?”
”I know what you meant,” I sigh. ”All this time I”ve been wanting answers and now that I”ve gotten some, I”m afraid.”
”Afraid of what?”
I take a moment to gather my thoughts, a trait from Atlas that is obviously rubbing off on me, before I say, ”I was in danger before coming here because of my magic, but now I know I”m Enver Sol”s daughter and his blood flows through my veins. If word spreads about the truth of who I am, Vesper definitely won”t stop hunting me. Bastian wants me back, sure, but Vesper desires me because she saw my light magic and hope was sparked that I could be the answer to her problem. Now, she will know with certainty that I”m indeed the key to unlocking her master”s portal.”
”Sure, that all sounds bleak” – she replies, flippantly, reaching for my hand – ”but Shaye, you are Enver Sol”s daughter! That”s incredible! Half Frost Elf, half Celestial. I don”t think I”ve ever heard of someone like that.” She gasps so loudly, it startles me. ”Do you think you might have a second power?”
”No, why would – ”
”Sometimes half-bloods have two magical affinities. It”s incredibly rare, but if you are a Basilius, and only members of House Basilius have frost magic, then maybe…”
I hold a hand up, silencing her. ”I”ve shown absolutely no signs of having frost magic.”
”Maybe those powers need to be unlocked?”
I shrug, attempting to mask the fear of being overwhelmed with too many unknowns. ”I don”t know. Honestly, I hope I don”t have another affinity. I barely know how to control the one I have and the only person who could properly train me is trapped in Orabelle.”
”Do you think you”re immortal?”
I stare at her.
”Well?” she continues when I don”t respond. ”I only ask because Frost Elves, though not invincible, have lifetimes that span hundreds, sometimes thousands, of years. Celestials are considered deities and therefore immortal. So, do you think you are immortal, too?”
Seven hells. The thought of living for centuries and watching those I love grow old and die… Suddenly, Nyx pops into my head and I recall our conversation at Calmara. He expressed his fear of living forever, not knowing what his regeneration magic was truly capable of, and at the time I didn”t understand the gravity of what he was truly feeling. Now I do.
I huff a disgruntled laugh, hoping to change the subject. ”Just more questions that need answers.”
”Sylvane Basilius might be able to answer all of them.”
I flash her a look, hoping we don”t have to discuss Sylvane quite yet.
”What?” she shrugs. ”Are we not talking about your mother?”
”I”m just not sure what to say until I speak with her.”
”Which is happening… when?”
”I don”t know.” I fall back into the pile of pillows. ”When I finally muster the courage to leave this room. Can we talk about something else?”
”Sure.” Eris wipes her mouth with her linen napkin. ”How about you tell me what happened between you and Atlas in the cabin?”
I shoot her a pointed look. ”You are very nosy.”
”I know.” She reclines alongside me. ”And don”t leave out any of the toe-curling details.”
”Eris Talay! Nothing happened between us.”
”That good huh?” Her eyebrows bounce playfully and draw a giggle from me.
I roll my eyes and sigh in defeat. ”Is it possible to crave someone more after you”ve had just a taste?”
”It”s possible to crave someone you”ve never had the chance to taste at all.” She says, a hint of sadness in her voice.
I reach over and grab her hand and squeeze, retrieving her from whatever dark place she slipped to. ”Stay with me tonight?”
A grateful gleam flashes in her eyes and she nods her head. ”I”d like that. Plus, it gives us all night for you to tell me about what didn”t happen between you and Atlas at the cabin.”