Chapter 14
The Others
LANIAS
Lanias looked over her outfit. High waisted jeans with a crop top, and flats. She’d given up her fancier wardrobe for simpler things. It was weird seeing herself in clothes that were completely different from her past outfits.
She still hadn’t gotten used to being humble—not after the life she’d left behind.
Tapping her chin in thought, she considered the habits she’d managed to shake…
and the ones she hadn’t. A smirk tugged at her lips as she glanced down at the bold ‘D’ stamped on the center of her shoes.
She wasn’t entirely done being mercurial.
Turning away from the mirror, she cleared her throat. Her eyes landing on the bed, she frowned. Thinking back to the scene between her and Alek from earlier. She needed to get her priorities in order before she drifted far too deep.
Being with Alek was easy, too easy. She could count on one hand when she’d felt that comfortable with someone. Those times had passed so quickly and had been so fleeting she’d grown weary of them. It must be true that Beings were naturally attracted to those who were powerful.
“Lanias watch yourself, you might find yourself playing the role of victim again.” She muttered before looking away from the bed and heading downstairs. Lanias was the queen of her own destiny, and no matter the result, she wouldn’t allow herself to play the victim.
Leaving the room, she made her way to the steps. Just as she reached the balustrade, she heard two men speaking.
“Why has father managed to call you two, but he’s completely kept Mihai and I out of the loop. What’s he doing that he feels the need to hide from us?” A familiar voice demanded.
Another voice responded with a bit of amusement, “I wonder what dad would think about your word choice Sorin. You sound like you expect him to report to you.”
“Dammit Andrei, that’s not what I mean, and you know it,” Sorin snapped.
His violet eyes met Lanias’ as she appeared at the top of the steps. The two of them stared at each other for a nanosecond when in the blink of an eye he was holding the edge of his axe near her throat. “You demon Witch,” he hissed.
She smiled, her lips stretching in a blood thirsty grin. “The Bastard Prince.”
Sorin coughed as a black root slammed into his stomach. His body rose in the air as if in slow motion before with a sudden snap it flew back. He landed on the opposite wall lightly, catching his spinning axe from the air.
Lanias continued down the steps. “I wasn’t expecting to see you so early in the morning.”
He glared at her as he jumped from the wall and landed on the floor. He reached up with his other hand and snapped his fingers, his coat disappeared. Revealing the handle of the second axe on his back.
Andrei stood to the side taking the role of spectator audience, looking between them with open curiosity. Obviously not interested in stopping them
“I don’t know why you’re here, and I don’t really care,” Sorin said, unbuttoning the end of his sleeves and rolling them up. “I promised myself the next time I met you I’d chop you into pieces.”
Reaching the landing, Lanias crossed her arms raising a single brow in sarcasm. “Is that so, and here I thought you had learned your lesson. Don’t tell me your brain doesn’t have the compacity to retain memories of pain? Tsk, too bad. I’ll gladly teach you again.”
“Hah—” Andrei covered his lips in an effort to stem his laughter. Only to gain a glare from his older brother. “Sorry, it’s just she’s so sarcastic and I love it.”
“You’re not helping,” Sorin gritted out. “If you’re not going to assist in tearing her apart, remain silent.”
“Oh, that’s bullying,” Lanias said, letting a black blade slip from her skin. She grabbed it and braced herself. “I don’t think your pops raised you to gang up on a weak defenseless woman like me. Come, don’t you think we should settle this in a better way.”
“Or my son could not disrespect me by fighting my guest,” Alek’s voice came from behind her, as he reached down and plucked the blade from her fingers.
Lanias whipped around. “Hey, that’s mine.”
“I’m aware of who it belongs to. It’s also the reason the Golems bodyguards are hunting you down,” he said, giving her a long look.
She averted her gaze gathering her hands behind her back. “Figures you’d be looking into me,” she muttered.
“Mhmm,” he said swallowing the blade in a cloud of red mist. Before he placed a hand on her shoulder. “I would be foolish not to have you investigated love.”
“Right, I guess you have a point.” She met his pleased gaze, “You don’t have to look so happy about it.”
Alek smiled, leaning down, he brushed his lips against her cheek.
She flinched back giving him a look that clearly asked if he was insane.
“I—I don’t think that’s something you should be doing here.
” She stressed the word here since they were standing in front of two of his sons.
One of them who had bad blood with her from her days as one of the four Demons of Veil City.
He lifted his nonchalant gaze to his sons. “I am not worried; they know better than to go against me. Right, Sorin?”
“Yes, Father.” He tightened his hold on the axe in his hand. “I came here out of concern as you’ve only called for Andrei, and Dmitri lately.”
Lanias turned in time to see him give her a significant look.
“I can see why now.”
Alek smiled, “I wanted to introduce you two under better circumstances.”
Sorin seemed to have come to an obvious conclusion because he returned the axe to the sheath. His mauve eyes held a sort of bitter acknowledgement. “My apology, Monarch, I should never question your choices.” With that he gave a short bow of his head, quickly turned on his heel and walked out.
“Ah, Sorin wait. Shit, he’s so high maintenance.” Andrei complained chasing after his elder brother. He paused at the door glancing back, “Ah, pops the file is on your desk.” Before he ran out after his brother.
“I guess you didn’t tell the kids about us?” Lanias said, turning around to give Alek a shrewd once over. “Are you sure you should’ve taken my side? Sorin doesn’t look pleased. I smell a rebellion coming.”
Alek grinned, those white teeth flashing at her as if in warning. “I would gladly take on his challenge. He must move from under my shadow at some point. They are well over the age of 200 years. It will soon be time for him to take the name of “Monarch.”
Taking this in Lanias sighed, “You Beings with your games. Just tell him you’re sick of leading and want to retire.”
He pouted. “But that wouldn’t be nearly as entertaining.”
She rolled her eyes and shoved him. “I need to talk to Fabian; we’ve been too stagnant. It’s time we get this ball rolling.”
“Oh, and here I wanted to know just how much you know about the Surrem?” His question was said casually but something in his tone had her facing him again.
She sized him up. “Maybe I should be asking you? After all, I didn’t know there was a weapon that could even harm them.” Her dark eyes gleamed like marbles, a blade ready and willing to cut him to the quick.
He offered her a secret smile. “I did say I’ve lived a long time. There are many things I know, some things that even you would cringe away from.”
“Ha, how long have you been holding back that line, forget it,” she said with the shake of her head, “We can talk about this later. I think I should talk to Fabian first. I’m sure he didn’t have the most pleasant night, since I know you well enough to know you’re not the most coddling type of person. ”
“I take offense to that; all my sons have grown to be well loved and healthy minded.”
“If I remember correctly when I first met your eldest, and this is before I skewered him for being an arrogant ass; he was breaking the fingers of someone who’d lied to him.
He said something along the lines of having issues with liars, and that his father had taught him liars should be broken slowly. ”
Alek looked at her as his brow crinkled in confusion. “Is there something wrong with that? Liars deserve to be broken, for they can destroy a kingdom. Break down a government or bring great heroes to their knees.”
“True, or make you the Queen of Witches,” she said, tapping his shoulder. “All lies aren’t bad lies, and some lies have managed to save those very kingdoms while they also destroyed the lives of corrupt officials. But everyone has their way of dealing with things I suppose.”
With that, she left him to go looking for Fabian. Pretending she wasn’t bothered by his words about liars. What did that make her when she was a secret keeper of great proportions. Secrets of her own, and many others.
Leaving him behind she wriggled her fingers, immediately a black string illuminated a path that led outside. “There you are,” she said to herself, following the path of the string.
At least there was something she could control and that was finding out about herself, and her first step was talking to Fabian.
It didn’t take her long to catch up to him, he was sitting in the center of the back garden.
His staff spinning in front of him, as his hands were pressed together in the form of prayer.
This was her first time taking in his full appearance, his black hair was a mass of curls he kept clipped back.
His skin was slightly tanned and some sweat dotted his brow as he attempted to focus.
The magic he emitted was like the Surrem in that it was heavy, but unlike the Surrem magic it had fluctuations that made it soften occasionally here and there. And when it did, the lights around the staff turned from orange to white.
She watched him, reminded of the times her sister and herself practiced their magic.
At the time she’d felt hopeless as dark magic was hard to control, but with being a numb Witch she had to make using black magic more natural verses just using the other forms. Especially when she knew someone was out to find her.