Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
PHOENIX
Vera’s studio is at the heart of Bussek. The street is bustling with life even though it’s past midnight. We pass many different art galleries and colorful entertainment establishments on the way, people cheerfully chatting and laughing, unburdened by life.
I can’t lie. I envy them. What would it feel like to live carelessly?
I have so many questions about Vera and her craft. And when we reach her studio located at the end of the street and enter it, even more questions bloom in my mind.
We leave our shoes at the entrance and enter a spacious common room.
The back wall has floor-to-ceiling paneled windows that open up to a modest, yet lush, back garden.
Right next to it stands a long wooden dining table with chairs.
In the middle of the room there’s a conversation pit with plush cushions thrown around a round low table.
There’s a fireplace, and the walls are lined with bookshelves full of books and other curious knickknacks. So many different plants are perched in every corner, it almost feels like we’re outside.
On the left wall, there are three doors, and on the right, two. It’s a damn big studio. Especially for one person. One of the doors on the left opens and a young fae woman with silky smooth chestnut hair and dark almond-shaped eyes blinks at me, surprised.
“Oh,” she says. Her eyes dart to Vera. “Is that—”
“Hojo, this is Ezkai Lieutenant Phoenix Wildarrow, the contestant of Val’taz Ezkairin,” Vera says.
Hojo’s gaze snaps back to me, eyes wide. She presses the fist over her heart and bows at her waist for me. “It’s an honor.”
I clear my throat. “Good to meet you, Hojo.”
Vera walks over to another door. She gestures for me to follow. “Come over. I’ll show you the room you’ll be staying in and then you can meet the rest of the crew.”
Behind the door, there is a narrow corridor and wooden stairs that lead to the second floor. It’s modest upstairs, only a corridor with five doors and a thin window at the very end.
I don’t expect much from my room, but when Vera opens the door and gestures for me to go inside, I’m blown away.
Of course, it’s not as big as my room back in Wetra, but it’s still spacious enough that I’m not sure I need all that space for myself. It’s bigger than my studio in Yursus. A huge bed rests in the middle of the room against the wall, light green curtains draped all around it for privacy.
The view from my window opens up to the mountaintops looming on the horizon. It’s beautiful. There’s even a private bath connected to my room.
“Oh, wow. That’s…kind of you to allow me to stay here,” I say, turning to Vera.
Her face doesn’t reveal much. She shrugs. “You’ll have all the comforts you need here, and I’ll ensure your safety.”
I’m the Decarios out of the two of us. It’s funny she’s the one who will protect me. I should be able to defend myself.
“I’ll let you settle in now. Once you’re ready, come downstairs. Are you hungry? We’re about to have dinner.”
I nod. Nothing like almost dying at the hand of the assassin who commits suicide in front of you to get the appetite going. Vera closes the door behind me and I’m alone.
I fall onto the bed, and it swallows me. It might be the softest, most comfortable bed in the world. I never want to leave.
Vera’s so young, yet affluent. I know Caetras are an important part of Ekios society, but she must come from a prominent family. Or do these sorts of riches and her interest in politics come from sharing the bed with the Ezkai General?
I doubt all Caetras are involved in securing the future for Ekiosh people, or passing laws.
Against my deepest wishes, I roll off the bed and hang my new dress in the closet. I don’t have much with me, so it takes me five minutes to unpack my bag.
I gently place my bow at the bottom of the closet and cover it with the cloth. It’s the only thing that matters, my only valuable possession. Together with the most beautiful set of arrows Daegel gifted me after I graduated the Ezkai Academy.
I ignore the stinging in my chest at the thought of him.
Before I head downstairs, I wander around my new room for a little longer.
The bathroom is modest, but has all the necessities. Even functioning water. The large copper tub is inviting. My Yursus studio doesn’t have a tub. Last time I had a bath was with Daegel at his estate with his hands all—
Stop it, gods damn it.
After inspecting every corner of the room, I head downstairs. The main room is empty, but one of the doors is left ajar. Voices come from that room. I follow them.
I’m surprised to find a small home tattoo studio. It’s a bare room, with only a tall padded wooden bench in the middle and a small table next to it. On top of it lies a naked girl on her stomach. The one I met earlier, Hojo.
Vera is leaning over her back, a large metal needle with a wooden handle in her hand. The part of Hojo’s back Vera is tattooing is scarred, the flesh rough and uneven. Similar to mine.
There are two more people in the room, but all of them have their backs to me so they don’t notice me immediately.
“Glad to see you’re making it official.” A tall, broad-shouldered fae is leaning against one of the walls. Every inch of his skin is covered in tattoos. Even his bald head. My stomach sinks when I notice a few red-ink tattoos. “It’s about time. I was starting to think you got cold feet, Dollface.”
A blond fae standing next to the tattoo bench looks at him. “We’ve been training for two years. I’ve never been more serious about anything else in my life.”
The tattooed guy chuckles. “Relax, Dollface. I’m just teasing.”
Vera clicks her tongue. “Tanaka, Bart, enough of this bickering.” She straightens her back and looks up. Our eyes meet. “Oh, Phoenix. There you are.”
Bart and Tanaka turn to look at me. They both greet me the proper way, but Bart does it much more lightheartedly than Tanaka. I can’t stop staring at the red ink on Bart’s skin. He notices, but says nothing.
“What do we have here, huh?” Another girl enters the room. Human. Her hair is white as snow, and her eyes…they’re red. “You’re the infamous Ezkai Phoenix? I’m Hel. Honor to meet you.”
She greets me proper way, too. I’m stunned to see another human. Let alone a human who’s a Caetra.
“Phoenix, this is my crew. My apprentices,” Vera says. “They all live and work here with me. We’re a big happy family.”
“Pleasure to meet you all,” I say.
“Oh, the pleasure is all ours,” says Bart, cocking his head to the side. “You’re much thinner than I expected. And taller. Huh.”
I blink at him. “Sorry to disappoint?”
He barks a laugh at that. Vera returns to tattooing Hojo. Three pairs of curious eyes are on me. I’m so used to being stared at in Ekios that I don’t mind anymore.
I watch Vera work. “So, are Caetras tattoo artists, too?”
Vera’s hand is steady. She’s slow and precise when she draws lines on the skin.
“No. It’s not my craft. I’m more of a hobbyist. It’s always been my passion, but never my calling.”
I jerk my chin at Bart. “Did she tattoo you?”
Bart looks over at Vera with the biggest smile on his face. “Fuck yeah. When she met me, I was almost bare as a baby’s butt.”
This time around when he notices me eyeing his Caligos ink, he says, “Ask me.”
I meet his eyes. There’s nothing but amusement there. “You’re Caligos.”
“Was Caligos,” Bart says. “Got out a long time ago.”
I narrow my eyes. “I hear that once you’re in, it’s for life.”
“That’s how it usually goes.” Bart looks at Vera. “Not everyone’s got Vera in their lives.”
Who on earth is this woman? A fairy godmother?
Vera’s almost done with the tattoo on Hojo’s back. Tanaka watches me with more interest than I’d like. Her gaze lingers on me.
I open my senses and reach towards her. The turmoil of emotions greets me. It’s not uncommon for fae to be this chaotic, but she’s…irritated, anxious and…guilty. Fearful.
I close my senses off. I’ll need to keep my eye on her. I’m not sure she’s happy that Vera brought me here.
“There. All done,” Vera says, putting down the needle.
She dampens a clean cloth with foul-smelling clear liquid that burns my nostrils even from where I stand and wipes the fresh tattoo.
“If you care for it well, it’ll be healed in less than a month.”
Hojo gets on her feet. I avert my gaze to give her some privacy because she’s not in a rush to put on any clothing.
“Thank you, Vera,” Hojo says.
From the corner of my eye I see her reach for Vera’s hands and kiss the backs of her palms. It’s fascinating, the way of Caetras. I know so little of them, I can’t help but be curious about their weird hierarchy and rituals.
“Is dinner ready?” Vera asks as she tidies up the little table with tools and ink.
“Yes,” Hel says. “Whenever you’re ready, we can eat.”
Vera glances at me and then turns to Tanaka. “I’ll do yours after dinner.” Tanaka nods. She looks at me. “We have to talk business. Let’s do that over food.”
I and the rest follow Vera back to the main room. The dining table is set with plates full of food. The whole space smells amazing. My stomach growls.
Vera settles at the head of the table. I take a seat next to her. Tanaka, Hojo, Bart, and Hel take seats on the opposite end of the table, away from us.
We pack our plates with freshly made warm food, and I’m so happy when I take my first bite of grilled asparagus that I want to cry.
“Tell me, how much do you know about Val’taz Ezkairin?”
I look up at Vera from my food. “I know that all the participants will fight until death. The survivor is the winner. And that it’s an ancient tradition here in Ekios.”
Vera takes another bite of her grilled veggies. “Oh, I see we’ve got more work to do than I thought.”
Bristling, I grind my teeth.
Before I can muster a response, Vera says, “Alright, alright. I can see the steam coming out of your ears. No need to get offended, sweetheart. I just need to know what to expect from you so I can prepare you for the trials.”
I put my fork down. “How is a Caetra going to train an Ezkai to win the trials?”
Vera puts down her cutlery and leans back in her chair.
“I’m a Caetra, an entertainer of arts. Just like you were trained in the art of war, I—we—were trained in the art of love and entertainment.
I may not know how to kill, but I do know how to charm.
How to bend people’s wills. I also happen to be the most famous Caetra in Ekios, which comes with many perks, such as access to House Dzuni. ”
It takes me a minute to digest the meaning of her words.
“I understand. But charming the nobles won’t win me the trials, will it?”
“You’re right. It won’t. That’s why I’m working on finding you a mentor who will hone your Decarios skills, too.”
I nod. “Thank you.”
That sounds like something that can help me win. Other Ezkai in the trials have been training for longer than I have. While I’m good, they’re better, purely because they’ve been through more, and experienced things I haven’t yet.
We eat for a while in silence. I’m lost in thought. Frowning, I ask, “Why is winning over nobles important to win the trials? I thought it’s about strength.”
Vera says, “You see, in Ekios, people are a bit superstitious. It’s believed that the candidate with the most support from common people and nobles, the one with the largest crowd rooting for them during Val’taz Ezkairin, will win.
Fae believe the amount of support a contestant can gather means the spirits of the gods themselves approve of their reign. ”
Fae are so vain.
I blink. “Does this belief have any truth to it…?”
Vera purses her lips. “Historically, it tracks. Kitajo…had gathered the most influential and biggest group of supporters when he participated in the trials himself. And he was the most powerful Ezkai General in our history.”
Vera falls silent, staring at her plate for a few long moments. Her fingers run through the black diamond choker on her neck and that snaps her out of it.
Her steely eyes bore into me. “You need me, Phoenix, to win you the crowd. You may be trained, skilled, and capable. With a little help from a mentor, you can become unstoppable. But you’re a human in the land of traditional fae. That alone means you’ll face resistance other participants don’t.”
Suddenly, my appetite is gone. That’s my biggest fear.
“Get some rest tonight,” Vera says, a little gentler once she notices the shift in my mood. “Tomorrow, we’ll prepare you for the Black Night and start charming the crowd so by the end of Val’taz Ezkairin your name is the only one they chant as a prayer.”