Chapter 29
CHAPTER 29
C osmo joined Auro and Ozias in the under vault, deep below the royal villa. Alexios and Leofric remained on the other side of the door, granting the three brothers some privacy. It had taken quite a bit of threatening and cajoling before the men on the door allowed them to enter without Prince Alexios, but eventually they’d relented, upon the promise of a thorough search of Auro, Cosmo, and Ozias when they emerged.
“Something to look forward to,” said Ozias, with a roll of his eyes, and Cosmo had laughed.
Now though, the three of them were solemn as they stood before the empty pedestal Auro had dragged over to sit beside the spindly table holding Cedras’s grace. Auro had found a painted clay vase depicting hunters after elk in the forest, and wrapped the phial in white fox fur, to insulate it within the vase. Ozias placed the stopper in the vase with trembling fingers, and Cosmo poured melted wax around it to seal it in. None of them spoke until the wax had cooled, and Auro covered the vase in a shroud like the one hiding Cedras’s grace from prying eyes.
Cosmo wondered if the phial of grace would extend its influence beyond itself, like Cedras’s had. He slid one arm around each of his brother’s shoulders, and shared a quiet moment of grief.
“Ozias,” said Auro quietly, “Are you certain about what happened?”
Ozias went rigid where he stood hip to shoulder with Cosmo. “Yes,” he said tersely.
“But how?—”
“Auro,” said Cosmo, releasing his shoulders and turning to look him in the eye. “You said before that you believed me, that you trust me.”
“I did,” said Auro. Then, louder, “I do. ”
“Despite everything, despite everything we have all been through, despite how—how I felt about what happened…”
“Yes?” Auro prompted.
“Despite all of that, I also had a hard time believing such cruelty in Kryos.” He swallowed, meeting Ozias’s gaze. “I understand.”
“No, you don’t,” said Auro despairingly. “Why am I the only one who doesn’t assume all of us are ruthless killers?”
“Not all of us,” said Ozias angrily. “Just?—”
“—Kryos, yes, I know.” Auro met Ozias’s eye, angry too. “But there’s still a matter of a missing four centuries of your tale, Ozias.”
“I’ve been?—”
“It matters not,” said Cosmo loudly. “It matters not where Ozias has been. He is here, now.”
“I know that,” said Auro.
“And you did not let me finish,” said Cosmo. “Neither of you. For now, we are going to wait. We are not going to decide anything until each of us has gotten to say his piece, to explain what happened all those years ago.”
“That sounds fair,” said Auro, sounding surprised.
“Each of us?” Asked Ozias, skeptical. “Even?—”
“Even Kryos, yes,” said Cosmo. “When he wakes, he will be outnumbered—and have no notion of what has transpired this year. A distinct disadvantage. We can hear him out without leaving ourselves vulnerable—so why not give him a chance?”
“A chance to what? ” Ozias spat. “Shoot us full of arrows?”
“If he tries,” said Cosmo, “Auro and Cedras will be restored to their full strength by then. They should be more than a match for Kryos in a cursed state.”
Auro was looking at Cosmo in equal parts shock and pride. “You’re very serious, all of a sudden, brother,” said Auro.
“Tell me about,” said Ozias. “He was absolutely no fun on the road.”
And then somehow, all three of them were laughing.
They left the vault and returned through the royal villa to Alexios’s chambers. Cosmo very much wanted to sit and discuss things further with his brothers, but His Royal Highness’s chambers had suddenly gotten quite crowded.
Prince Alexios returned from court, casting his crown aside with an irritated flourish. Looking around at the gathered people, he said, “I think we need different arrangements.”
“Agreed,” said Sorex, who sat with his hands covering his eyes so as not to inadvertently spy upon anyone getting dressed or undressed.
“Also agreed,” said Cosmo. “I’d very much enjoy a bed again.”
“There are my apartments on the floor below,” said Queen Dafina. “I had been discussing with His Highness making a move of my own household to the Domus, in Papia City.”
“You won’t be ready to move for a fortnight,” Alexios protested. “In fact, it would take you that long to pack only your collection of face powders.”
Dafina threw a grape at him. “Silence, Harlot,” she said. She’d taken to calling Alexios that after someone had told her what Ozias had said the day before. “In the meantime, perhaps Leofric and Laela would like to take their son and prepare the residence for my arrival.”
Cosmo made a small noise of protest that he disguised with a hasty cough.
“I cannot move so far from His Highness’s side,” said Leofric, pointedly not looking at Cosmo. “Nor do I wish to be parted from my family.”
Dafina considered this. “Well, Prince Harlot has married off most of my lady companions to his Papian noblemen, and I have sorely missed the company of women amongst this herd of stags.”
“What are you saying?”
“Laela and her son could move into my apartments,” said Dafina. “It has three bed chambers.”
“That’s settled then,” said Ozias.
“What about you?” Cosmo rounded on him.
“What about me?”
“Where will you sleep?”
“I am happy to remain here, on one of these comfortable settles,” said Ozias. “Or I can simply take a bed in the servants’ quarters, since Leofric and Cosmo will most likely share a bed anyway.”
Cosmo nearly choked on his own tongue, and the silence that fell on the room was sharp and sudden as an axe blow.
Ozias frowned, looking from face to face in confusion.
Alexios said, “ What? ” and Auro said, “I knew it!”
Leofric himself simply made a sad choking noise, his face flushing with embarrassment.
“Did I—did I say something wrong?” Ozias asked.
Sorex sighed. “No,” he said. “My uncle just thought he was a lot sneakier than he was.”
“Wait, uncle? I thought Leofric was your father,” said Dafina. She pointed to Laela. “And your husband.”
“He is,” said Laela.
“Technically,” added Sorex.
“It’s….complicated,” said Leofric.
“Good grief,” said Dafina. “I’ll say.” She turned to Alexios. “And I thought our relationship was fraught.”
Alexios released a weak chuckle. Beside him, Auro vibrated with barely suppressed glee. “Alright,” said Alexios at last. “Laela and Sorex can take up residence in Her Grace’s apartments, and the rest of you can keep your bloody sleeping arrangements to yourselves.”
Leofric immediately began to argue, but Laela stopped him. “Leo, that arrangement sounds fine. You don’t need us underfoot, and frankly, we could a bit of space.”
Sorex agreed. “Besides, we’re a lot safer here than we would have been home alone in Sokol.”
“That’s true,” Leofric allowed, but Cosmo could see the tension in his jaw. “I will be just here. If you need anything.”
Laela sighed good-naturedly. “Of course, dear,” she said.
“Let lightning strike me down,” said Leofric under his breath.
Cosmo laughed. He turned to Ozias. “What do you say?”
“I think it would be a delightful cohabitation,” said Ozias, bowing to Cosmo.
“Oh, indeed,” said Cosmo, bowing back. “Royal bastards often serve their trueborn relatives,” he added. “They find great honor and satisfaction in the task.”
“Yes, and some of those suffocate their trueborn relatives in their sleep,” Ozias said.
They both burst out laughing, and just for a second, Cosmo felt all the walls between him and Ozias crumble to the floor.
Leofric found it comforting to return to the routine of villa life. He liked Papia, liked having a schedule every day. He loved having his family so close, though he still worried for their safety. But, Sorex had cut right to the heart of things: he would have been far more worried had he left them behind all the way in Sokol.
They’d all discussed, at length, the things they might have to fear from Janus, and what to look for to ensure they weren’t falling for any of his glamours or illusions. His nights were occupied in part with standing guard over His Royal Highness Prince Alexios and finding any opportunity to be with Cosmo.
And still, there was no sign of Janus, or any of his agents. There had been not a whisper of him since his mad escape in the spring. All of it was suspicious, in Leofric’s opinion, but he did not take for granted the time that it offered him to prepare. If Janus was biding his time, Leofric would bide his as well.
He made sure to familiarize himself with all of the guards and villa staff once again, to make certain who had what keys to which doors. To Auro’s chagrin, he commanded the ivy be cleared from the wall below Alexios’s chambers, and sent people to ascertain the other walls of the villa stood free of ivy, or any other easy points of egress. All in all, it seemed to him that they were well prepared for an attack, should Janus choose to mount one.
“Tell me again how much you missed me when we were apart,” said Cosmo one evening. They were in the bath, candles all around them. Cosmo sat between Leofric’s splayed thighs, his back against Leofric’s chest. They’d adjourned to the baths well after moonrise that night, to wash up and enjoy some quiet conversation while Ozias slept in the other room.
Leofric smiled, trailed his damp fingers down the nape of Cosmo’s neck, delighting in the way he shivered at the touch. “I missed you,” Leofric murmured, lowering his lips to trace the same path along Cosmo’s skin. “So much.”
“So much?” Cosmo echoed.
“ Yes, ” Leofric sighed. He loved the taste of Cosmo, the smell of him, the feel of his warm body against Leofric’s own.
“Good,” said Cosmo. He spun around, resting his knees on either side of Leofric’s thighs, and draping his arms around his neck. “Though, I fear it’s time for you to return to your post.”
Leofric sighed. Despite Cosmo’s lewd suggestions on how they could manage their sleeping arrangements, Leofric insisted upon sleeping out in the central sitting area of Alexios’s apartments. With everyone he cared for under one roof, bracing for attack, Leofric knew he needed to shelve his carnal desires in order to stay focused and protect them all. Even so, it was on his tongue to ask Cosmo to join him, just for one night, so they could sleep side by side again.
“I wish I could join you,” said Cosmo, cupping Leofric’s cheek in one soft hand. He clearly had been keeping pace with Leofric’s thoughts. He cast a quick look out of the bathing chamber, toward the darkened room where Ozias slept. “I just don’t think…he’s so afraid to be left alone.”
Leofric sighed. This was another part of Leofric’s decision to sleep apart from Cosmo—his brother was an ever-present shadow that always had Leofric upon the back foot. But now, he did not wish to talk about Ozias. He didn’t trust him, and whenever the topic arose, it seemed to cause bristling between them. He didn’t want anything between them. Leofric slid his hands down to cup Cosmo’s ass below the water. “I wish you could join me, too.”
“The more you miss me,” said Cosmo, rocking into Leofric’s touch. “The more you can tell me how much you missed me.”
Leofric pushed Cosmo off his lap, and he slid into the water with a splash. He came up laughing, and sent a retaliating spray toward Leofric. They kissed messily as they emerged from the bath and toweled off, and Leofric hated to disentangle himself from him. Cosmo was so different from anyone he ever knew—in ways that were both glaringly obvious and others that were subtler. He was….fun. It was a difficult thing for Leofric to name, he who hadn’t had any fun at all in nearly four years.
He’d forgotten how, or so he would have thought. But Cosmo helped him remember. Leofric leaned in to place a tender kiss upon his freckled cheek. “Goodnight,” he said. “Menace.”
“Goodnight,” Cosmo replied. “Think of me?”
“Always,” said Leofric, without thinking.
Cosmo startled. “Oh,” he said. “Well. Um. Good.”
Leofric turned before he could say something foolish, giving Cosmo a parting smile as he left. Abed, he tossed and turned, unable to sleep for a long time. Usually, Leofric fell to sleep swiftly and soundly. It was a skill he’d learned in the army. A good night’s rest could be the difference between life or death in battle, and Leofric always took the opportunity to ensure he was at his best: well rested and sharp of mind. But tonight, he was preoccupied.
Preoccupied with what might happen in the future with himself and Cosmo, preoccupied with worry about his family, preoccupied with fear of an impending attack. It was hours of tossing and turning before he finally drifted off.
In his dream, he was back in the cave he and Cosmo had shared on the mountain top. It was warm and sung, the fire in the hearth inviting. When he turned, he found Cosmo waiting for him in the stone bed. Leofric went to him, and as they kissed he realized they weren’t in the bed at all. They were sitting amongst the embers of the hearth fire. Cosmo looked robust and healthy, beautiful. Glowing. The fire seeming to only make him more alive, but when Leofric looked down at himself, watching his clothes burn away to crispy ash, he staggered to his feet in horror as the skin on his arms sloughed off. There was no pain, but his flesh melted away, the fire consuming him.
He woke with the scent of smoke in his nose, tangled in his blanket, sweaty and disoriented. A lingering remnant of his grotesque dream, he thought—until the smell did not fade. Drowsiness evaporated, Leofric stood, breathing deep. That certainly was smoke. Leofric pulled on a tunic and buckled on his sword belt, leaving everything else behind, as he rushed toward the terrace. From Alexios’s balcony, he saw it—red as sunrise, but rising from the wrong side of the villa, and several hours too early. He strode to Alexios’s bed. “Your Highness,” he said urgently.
Alexios woke, groggy. “Unhhh.”
“ Your Highness. Auro. ”
“What is it, Leofric?” asked Auro thickly.
There was no time to soften the words. “Fire. Bad. The villa is aflame, we must get out. Now.”
Leofric could smell the smoke stronger now, and ironically that chilled him to the bone. Auro and Alexios still fumbled for clothing. “Dress now, ” Leofric barked. “And come at once.”
He strode across to the servants quarters, throwing the door wide. Leofric frowned. The room was empty, with no sign of Ozias or Cosmo. With no time to question it, Leofric barked at Alexios and Auro to hurry.
They obeyed, following Leofric through the door. The smell was stronger here, strong enough to start them coughing, but he could not yet see flames, which was all to the good.
“Down the stairs,” he urged. “Quickly.”
One turn down the stairs, he paused. It would take him only a minute out of his way to go for Laela and Sorex. A minute was precious, however, and Leofric still had his duty. Torn, he knew he had to decide, and fast. Before he could change his mind, Leofric sent Auro and Alexios on, and scanning the crowd of people evacuating he recognized the king and queen as well. He dashed off down the hallway, and banged on the door the guest apartments in use by Queen Dafina. When there was no answer, he threw open the door. A quick but thorough search confirmed the place was empty, and Leofric hurried out, grateful. They must have smelled the smoke and evacuated already.
Alexios’s mother, Queen Clio, was hysterical by the time Leofric met Alexios outside where he stood with his parents, surrounded by guards. He’d never seen her like that before; compared to her husband she was always cool and calm. “The library!” she cried.
“The library is on the north side of the villa, my love,” King Nelios soothed her. “The men will sort out these flames well before they reach your books.” He turned and sent a glare Leofric’s way, as if to say, or else.
“Yes, Your Grace,” said Leofric. “I will attend the men at once.”
It was only then that he scanned the small area where the royal family stood, flanked by a dozen guardsmen, and realized Cosmo and Ozias were not with them, nor could he see Laela and Sorex.
Leofric pulled Auro aside. “Have you seen my family?”
“I saw Laela and Sorex with Her Grace over by the medicus,” said Auro, pointing. “I was about to head there myself, to assist with the injured.”
Leofric followed Auro’s hand and saw, to his dizzying relief, Laela and Sorex huddled under a blanket, watching the flames.
Auro frowned. “Where are Cosmo and Ozias?”
Leofric turned back to Auro, panic rising once again in his gullet. “You haven’t seen them?”
“No,” said Auro. “Can you?—”
“Of course,” said Leofric, without waiting for Auro to finish. He strode quickly to where Paulus stood, barking orders and organizing the guardsmen for different duties: evacuation, assisting the medicus with any burned staff or residents, and putting out the fire. Leofric squinted through the night and the billowing smoke, searching for a flash of red hair, and finding none. Why had Cosmo and Ozias been from their beds? Had they smelled the smoke and… what, left without waking him? That didn’t feel like it could be true. So where were they?
Leofric half listened to Paulus, wondering what to do. Of course, he knew immediately what he should do. What he was honor bound to do. What the King himself had just told him to do.
Leofric turned back toward the conflagration now visible from within the villa, casting bright orange shadows on the ghostly white marble of the edifice. Fuck the king, he thought, surprising even himself. His wife is out here, safe and sound. Well, technically of course, so was Leofric’s, but he was already running, running back toward the burning villa.
The flames had spread rapidly, even in the short amount of time since Leofric had been outside, and the interior of the atrium was full of thick smoke, and it felt llike stepping foot in an oven. Even the harshest day on the sands of sokol could not compare to this heat, Leofric realized, his stomach contracting in fear. Now that he was back inside, Leofric realized he had no idea what to do, or where to go. Indecision froze him where he stood, and that indecision was terrifying. Never did he have to think, to choose. But now, he did. And he had only seconds, if the burning in his throat were anything to go by.
Where would Cosmo go? Leofric had no idea. If he hadn’t fled the fire, what would he have done? That was easy—he would have gone after those he loved. Auro and…well. But Cosmo had not come to fetch them, and he’d already been gone from his bed. So where would he have gone? Only then did Leofric recall that Cosmo, no matter where he’d gone, wasn’t alone. Ozias was with him. Leofric’s brain switched gears, whirring along at lightning speed. Where would Ozias go ?
And he knew.
Without any further hesitation, Leofric turned and hurried off through the smoke. He drew the neck of his tunic up over his nose and mouth, holding it there with his off hand, feeling his way through the smoke with his right. Down and down and downstairs again, though the animal instinct in him screamed against it, Leofric raced through the villa, empty yes, but filled too—filled with the crackle of flames and the billowing smoke oppressive, the heat growing worse and worse with every step.
When Leofric got to the bottom of the stairs, he saw a shadow of someone moving, off at the end of the corridor. Ozias, he thought. He hurried after it, furious. A flaming tapestry had him skirting carefully around the corner, chasing after the shadow. Leofric had a long stride, and he was gaining on the shadow swiftly. He knew he should be taking more care, he knew he shouldn’t be risking himself to do this, but he had to catch up with the shadow. The smoke was getting to him a little, and he pressed the sweat-soaked fabric of his tunic tighter to his face.
When he got near enough to make out the person’s form, Leofric froze in his tracks.
It was not Ozias.
It was Kato.
Leofric was so shocked that he lingered in place a second too long, and faster than he could think I bloody knew it— something struck him across the back, something heavy enough to punch the last gasp of choking breath from his lungs and send pain screaming up his neck and into his skull. His vision swam and he collided with something—a burning bench, perhaps. He never knew. After that, it was more burning, the stone walls spinning, smoke, and then feeling of the floor against his cheek. He didn’t remember lying down, and his last thought was that despite the fire, the marble tile still felt cold.
Outside, Cosmo helped a burned porter limp to the Medicus, who had already begun setting up a station for the injured people fleeing the fire.
Cosmo had woken sometime earlier to an empty chamber, Ozias nowhere to be found. Something gripped Cosmo hard, some dread he couldn’t name, and he’d risen swiftly and dressed in the first clothes he could find. Out in the halls, all had seemed quiet, and Cosmo had no notion of where Ozias might have gone, so he wandered the halls in hopes of being struck by inspiration. He’d been in the western wing of the villa when he’d heard it, a deafening whoosh and the smell of smoke.
Cosmo’s instinct was to run upstairs, to shake the others awake and get them safely out, but then he’d heard the screaming—and without even thinking he rushed toward the sound. Now, looking around the area of the lawn the Medicus had claimed to help the injured. He’d been helping people evade the flames, and just now realized how much time had passed. Laela and Sorex huddled on a makeshift cot some few yards to his left, and Auro sat with Queen Dafina, his ear pressed against her back so he could listen to her breaths, checking for damage to her lungs.
Cosmo deposited the man he’d been supporting onto a cot and twisted back over his shoulder. He’d yet to lay eyes on Ozias, or Leofric. The flames had grown, shooting out of the windows of the villa, engulfing anything in their path not made of stone. The villa would be like a burned corpse after this, Cosmo thought, all the flesh and life gone, with bleached bone remaining.
Just like Ozias. He staggered with the force of the guilt that surged through him—both for the version of his brother that he couldn’t save, and the bitterness and anger at the version that had saved himself. Cosmo stared at the flames, realizing that while he wanted nothing more than to spend his time making certain those he loved had made it out, the heat from the fire called to him. He knew there was no one as well suited to help them all as Cosmo. He jogged to the man organizing the royal guard, looking in vain to see if Leofric stood among them, and asked how he could help. The man immediately deployed his help for searching the second floor of the villa before the flames broke through the floors and rendered any rescue impossible. Cosmo didn’t wait to be told twice and entered the villa. To him, the flames felt warm and inviting. Though his power was limited, he had always had an affinity for flames. Cosmo moved toward the stairs, doing what he could to pull the sources of heat and smoke deep into himself. As he walked, embers closest to him dulled and flames shrank. And Cosmo grew hotter with every step.
He made quick work of checking the second floor, and hurried back down and outside, reporting to Paulus, captain of the king and queen’s guard, that he’d fully checked the second floor for any survivors or stragglers. And found none. “Excellent,” said Paulus, before turning and conveying the information to his men.
Cosmo twisted his head every which way, still hoping for a glimpse of Leofric and Ozias. He felt he was being pulled in a thousand thousand directions. Auro still assisted the Medicus, and he called to Cosmo for aid, and Cosmo hastened back across the yard.
After that it was a whirlwind of burned and terrified people, and Cosmo could not have said if four minutes or six days had gone by. Finally, he stood, wiped the sweat from his brow and said to Auro, “Have you seen Ozias?”
Auro gave him a strange look. “I had thought you were with him.”
“What?” said Cosmo. “Why?”
“Leofric told me he lost track of you and Ozias! That’s why he went back in to search for you.”
Cosmo cursed loudly enough that several people startled and looked around. “He went back in? ”
“Yes,” said Auro. “I thought he’d found you and was just off doing?—”
But Cosmo wasn’t listening. He turned and sprinted across the yard, sprinted past the people fleeing the fire and directly into them, but before he could run back in a door burst off its hinges and the room within belched out black smoke, tongues of flame, hot ash, and two staggering sooty figures. Ozias, with Leofric draped over his shoulder, made it about two feet from the door before collapsing. Cosmo moved quickly, shouting for help and Auro came running. The two of them hauled Ozias and Leofric away from the damage, to a safe distance near the others being treated by the medicus. After a moment, Ozias rolled over coughing and retching, but Leofric did not stir. Cosmo dropped down beside him, listening for the beat of his heart. It was there. Faint, but there. He let out a gasp of relief, and almost jumped out of his skin when Auro touched his shoulder. “He lives,” said Auro quietly. “I’ll watch after him—I think your help is needed elsewhere.”
It tore at Cosmo’s heart to leave Leofric’s side, but Auro was right. He could help the men put out the flames, using his grace to pull the heat until the fire died, piece by piece.
All at once, Cosmo realized it was noon. The cloud of smoke had allowed sunrise to come unnoticed, and unremarked. As everyone adjusted to the feeble light now coming through the smoke, Cosmo hoped none of those around him noticed the way he shook, the way the sweat dripping down his skin steamed, the way the grass burned black beneath his feet with all the heat he was giving off. Between Cosmo siphoning off as much of the fire’s power as he could, and the men of the royal guard hauling water from wells and cisterns, and once a path had been made, the pools on the first floor of the villa, the fire was mostly out.
No one was in any further immediate danger. Cosmo had to get out, had to get away, had to discharge this energy somehow, or they’d have another fire to contend with, with his body at the center.
He staggered over the villa grounds and into the forest, searching for a brook a pond—anything. By the time he found one, Cosmo felt as though his very blood was as magma in his veins, he was a hell mountain about to blow. The pond was scarcely the size of a bath, and when Cosmo pitched face first into the tepid depths, it exploded in a searing cloud of steam, leaving Cosmo damp and shaking on the muddy bottom of an empty puddle.