Chapter 11
Sam knocked on Caius’ bedroom door just before nightfall. He would leave for Erdikoa shortly, and irritation crawled up his arms at what he must do to enter the palace.
The door slid open, and Caius stepped aside. “I thought you’d be gone by now.”
Sam walked past him and looked around the room. Caius refused to let anyone move Rory’s things, and other than the bed and Caius’ clothes, nothing had been touched. “You need to let Gracie clean in here.”
The king ignored him and picked up a glass of amber liquor from the table beside his reading chair. “Why are you here?”
Gone was Sam’s playful friend, and in his place was a broken man whose heart was dying at his own hand.
“Other than seeing Gedeon and protecting Rory, is there anything else you need?” Sam asked dutifully.
Caius stared at his drink, tossed it back, and turned his glassy eyes to Sam. “Would you kill me if I asked you to?”
Sam’s indifferent facade cracked at the seriousness in Caius’ tone. “No,” he barked back and then lowered his voice to a slight yell. “You can undo this. Let me tell her the truth.”
Caius’ fist tightened on the glass as the room darkened with his anger, the shadows forming a living coffin around them. “No matter what I do, she is in danger.” He looked up. “But not if I’m dead. Gedeon wouldn’t need to find a way to torture me or covet what is mine if I’m gone.”
There were few things in existence that could shake the fearless Samyaza. The truth and conviction in his best friend’s words were one of them.
He stepped forward, towering over the king.
“Do not ask that of me. You would hurt not only yourself but Rory, too. If she is regaining her memories, as you say, what do you think will happen to her mind when she finds out you forfeited your life?” The shadows closed in around Sam, and he kicked at them.
“Calm down so we can discuss this rationally.”
Caius squeezed his eyes shut and massaged his temples. “I really fucked up.” The darkness receded slightly. “I would have fucked up no matter what I chose.”
Sam’s wings disappeared as he sat in one of the other chairs. “What I do not understand is that you were going to marry her. You pursued her with marriage in mind. What changed?”
Caius looked weary. “What changed was my access to Erdikoa.” Defeated eyes rose to meet Sam’s, and instantly the commander understood.
“I would have been able to kill Gedeon, and she would have been immortal, but then…” His voice cracked.
“Her guilt would have sucked the life out of her, and I couldn’t keep her here.
Had we married, she still would’ve had to serve her sentence. ”
Sam wished he knew how to comfort people because the sight before him was crushing to see. Caius picked up his glass and threw it across the room. It shattered against a bookshelf, spraying the floor with razor-sharp shards.
“Had I married her and then taken over her contract, Gedeon would have felt the awareness of a new Royal and went looking for her. I wouldn’t have been strong enough to protect her.
She would still be in danger, immortal or not.
” He hung his head. “Had I known Lenora would show up, I wouldn’t have traded contracts.
I would have married her because being with her mother would’ve absolved her guilt.
But I didn’t know, and I did what I thought was best.”
“And what of Adila?” Sam asked. “Have you tried speaking to her about Gedeon?”
Caius’ features darkened again at the mention of his sister. “She won’t speak to me.”
Sam’s brows pulled together. “Why not?”
“The last time I spoke to her was about bringing Lenora to Vincula for Rory’s sake,” Caius spat.
Sam remembered the day well. Adila wouldn’t even let Caius tell her Lenora’s name. She’d cut him off, told him not to ask her for anything, and hung up on him. “Have you tried calling her since then?”
Caius laughed humorlessly. “What’s the use? She knows my sentence is up, but I’ve heard nothing from her.”
The Royals each had a phone that only the other Royals had access to, and when they called, it indicated who the caller was. The phones lacked technology, but the magic in them was old. It was impossible for Adila not to know he called.
“Do you think she is working with Gedeon?” Sam asked carefully. He had only seen the Scales of Justice sporadically over the last five-hundred years. He stayed in Vincula mostly unless Caius sent him to Erdikoa. He preferred the relaxed atmosphere as opposed to the bustle of the light realm.
Because of his ability to detect lies, Sam knew Caius didn’t kill Atarah. He wasn’t sure how Adila’s ability worked, but he’d always assumed it allowed her to see if the mystics on trial were guilty or not. Caius’ sentencing never made sense.
He once asked Caius why he didn’t fight Gedeon then, why he let himself be taken before the Scales of Justice in the first place. The king’s response was, “I thought my sister and I would stop him together.”
It struck Sam as odd that Gedeon never tried to kill Caius in the name of avenging their sister. Unless the Lux King feared his brother. Caius’ power was strong, even when cut off from Erdikoa. It shouldn’t be stronger than Gedeon’s power, but Sam often questioned the fact.
Something resided within Caius, an ancient strength Sam sensed when they first met. Perhaps Gedeon recognized Caius’ strength and feared he wouldn’t win against him in a fight.
But what had he planned to do when Caius was released?
“How could she not be working with him?” Caius asked.
“A part of me always hoped she sentenced me without hearing my side because she thought I was guilty and that if I confessed, she would have to sentence me to hell.” He shook his head, lost in his own mind.
“But that makes little sense. Her ability would have known my deserved fate, no matter what I said.” Unfocused eyes stared at nothing as he voiced Sam’s exact thoughts.
“It was a lie I told myself because she was all I had left.”
Sam sat quietly, letting his friend vent. He did not speak about Adila often. Her betrayal cut deeper than Gedeon’s ever did.
Sam stood, his wings fluttering as they reappeared. “Do not abandon Rory now,” he said, looking down at his friend. “In Lenora’s visions, only you can save her.”
He turned to leave, but Caius’ voice stopped him. “’Only the golden child can save her,’” he recited, giving Sam a tight smile. “It’s more likely to be you than me.”
Sam pushed the button to open the bookcase door and turned back before stepping into the corridor. “If I thought I could save her, I would have already done it.”
***
ERDIKOA
Sam appeared in the arrival bunker and ripped at his uniform more aggressively than was necessary. He ground his teeth together in frustration at all the things he had to watch happen, knowing his help would kill them all.
The power he possessed could make his clothes disappear, but there was something satisfying about ripping things when angry.
He yelled as he pulled the leather shirt from his body, threw it on the ground next to his breastplate, and tilted his head back to yell at the aether. “I will never forgive you if something happens to them.”
He shifted into his wingless form, dressed in street clothes, and tied his hair back. Like shifter magic, he could shift in and out of animal form with his clothes still intact.
Once outside in the night air, he surveyed the area before shifting into a creature of the night. His sleek black fur would keep him well hidden, and his enhanced night vision would help him navigate his way.
He hurried across the courtyard that separated the bunker from the palace. The palace, the bunker, and the judgment chambers were separate buildings that sat close together.
It allowed each Royal complete control over their own domain.
Sam stayed close to the side of the building and waited near the back staff entrance. He was shrouded in darkness, keeping him hidden as he waited for someone to open the door.
Being in his mystic form put him at risk of discovery, but if no one came, he would be forced to shift back to let himself in.
The Lux Palace was a replica of the Umbra Palace, but where the Umbra Palace was all black and greys with silver accents, the Lux Palace was light, neutral colors tipped with gold. The staff wore the same uniforms, but instead of black, the Lux staff wore khaki and white.
The biggest difference was that the entire Lux Palace ran on essence and technology as opposed to the Umbra Palace, which lacked energy, save for Caius’ quarters.
They were the same, but not.
Once inside, he would shift the color of his fur to blend in with the walls to remain unseen. A maid who looked to be in her thirties hurried toward the entrance, mumbling to herself about being late, and Sam inwardly grinned at her flustered state.
She wore her mousy brown hair in a low bun, and her beige uniform made her seem unremarkable. The woman was perfectly average in all aspects.
And very pretty, Sam noted when the essence light above the back entrance illuminated her face. She wouldn’t draw attention when she entered and would hopefully be too distracted to notice him slipping in beside her. He stepped away from the building, readying himself, but she halted with a gasp.
She bent over with a face-splitting grin, showcasing two dimples, and he caught a glimpse of her Eidolon mystic mark. It must be frustrating for her at the palace because the walls and doors were infused with iron, rendering her ability useless.
“Aren’t you the cutest little thing?” she cooed. “What’s a sweet little cat like you doing out here all alone?” She picked him up as his tailed flicked furiously.
He considered scratching his way free but refrained. The last thing he needed was for the staff to be on the lookout for a rabid cat. She continued to pet him and murmur into his fur.
“Are you hungry? What’s your name? Do you have a home?”