Chapter 22 #3
“All right,” he replied, his voice a low, reluctant rasp. His face told me that he’d rather I answered differently, but to take one’s life. That was the biggest sin of all, according to Amfir, and Aegir spoke of it as if he was merely encouraging me to let him dispose of my rubbish, soul untainted.
The small voice in the back of my head reminded me that there was no bigger army in Lyrantheia than that of King Belzari.
No—my answer was final.
“What’s that?” he asked. “Did you also make it yourself?”
“What? The necklace?”
“Mmhmm.”
“No, it was my mother’s. It’s the only thing I have left of her, of them.”
His eyes were no longer icy; they softened once more and met my own, which had turned glassy upon the mention of my long-lost parents—lost from this world, lost from my memories.
“It’s very beautiful,” he said, before rising to his feet.
I followed his every movement. I watched him move towards the trolley, watched him return with two plates in hand, watched him take the seat closest to mine.
“What?” he asked. His question told me that I was openly staring.
“Nothing.”
“Tell me.” His order was calm, yet it compelled me to answer.
“Why are you here?”
“Well, to buy glass, of course. I’m sure you’ve heard by now, the castle is undergoing renov—”
“No, I mean…why are you really here?”
“You don’t believe the glass-buying reason?”
I made the same sound twice, shaking my head, indicating a big no. He mumbled something beneath his breath that I couldn’t decipher, then looked my way and asked, “So you want to know why I’m really here?”
“Mmhmm.”
“Lady Wildheart wants me to disclose sensitive information about why the Lord of the Vanguard of Ice is here?”
I answered carefully. “Well, only if you want to tell me, of course.”
I could tell that he was biting the insides of his cheeks as he stared at me in attentive silence. “I’m here because Silch wishes to ally with Ramel.”
My lungs hitched. Silence. “To plot against Naar?” I finally asked, my voice soft. He nodded. “But the peace treaty—”
“The peace treaty is an inconvenient obstacle, yes, but trust me, Cordelia, we need this alliance.”
“We do? And why is that?”
“Because of two reasons. One of which being the almost certainty that Naar is up to something very big and very bad that could happen very soon.”
Hair rose on the back of my neck, and I suddenly found the cake’s taste to have turned tart. “Do you think Naar will attack Ramel, or Silch?”
“We’re still not sure, but either way, whichever Land gets the hit, the other has to aid. It could be the difference between winning and losing—between life and death…and I don’t want to lose another Land to them, another people.”
We.
“When?”
“Unfortunately, we don’t know that either.” Well, that wasn’t very reassuring. “But anyway, don’t worry too much about—”
“What’s the other reason?” I asked quietly, circling a fingertip along the rim of my empty glass.
I felt his stiff blink. It took a while for him to answer, and his reply was curt and vague. It felt like he didn’t want to disclose too much, but he didn’t want to lie to me either. “The first…well, the first step towards salvation,” he finally said.
Salvation?
My chest swelled with hope and fear alike.
I didn’t know how to reply to all of that.
I was not political, and I was surely no expert in attacks and wars.
All I knew was that this male, in more ways than one, was tilting the world in a manner that could get me back my memories.
That could end my need to constantly lie.
To hide. So I just said, “I can’t believe you told me all of this. ”
Aegir chewed on his lower lip, then said, “If there’s anyone in this world who could keep a secret, I know it’s you.
But no harm in saying it anyway, I guess.
Now that you know why I am really here, I want you to never talk about it again, not with anyone, not even with me.
” I understood what he meant by not even with me.
Do not ask questions, do not mention it. Ever.
I was so lost in conversation that I hadn’t realised it had turned pitch-black outside, right until the second Eldric flew in through the window. His ivory, silky feathers contrasted against the black background of the quiet night sky. I blinked at his shift.
“Good. You left plenty,” Eldric grumbled as he went rummaging through the trolley, filling a plate with whatever he could find.
“Help yourself,” Aegir commented flatly.
Eldric only shrugged and dug in. Everything he touched turned smaller.
He might as well have eaten straight from the tray, which would have looked like a plate in his hand.
Aegir stood and gestured towards the exit.
He didn’t seem thrilled that dinner was over, and I didn’t feel especially excited about it either.
My cloak draped, gathered in my grip. We stood by the door.
“Thank you for dinner,” I said softly.
His smile grew, exposing his canines.
Then I asked, motioning to the door handle, “Don’t you have to open it for me?”
“Oh, yes, you can open it,” he replied, gesturing.
“Good night, Aegir.”
“Good night, Cordelia.”
The handle turned cool against my palm, and I imagined Aegir commanding his invisible but palpable net to part for me.