Chapter 6 #2
Kaz stalked towards her on silent paws, then rubbed against her hand. Iyana could understand Emmeric’s hesitation, but there was really no excuse he could come up with if Kaz was going with her. She patted the leopard’s head absently.
“Okay,” Emmeric finally relented. “But watch over her, Kaz.” Both woman and cat rolled their eyes at the fussy man and left without another word.
Once they were out of earshot, Kaz shifted mid-stride without a second thought, her braids swishing around her shoulders. “Do you need a minute, sweetcheeks? I can find something else to do if you want to be alone.”
Iyana sighed. “I don’t really want to be by myself. It’s just…Em has been a little stifling lately. And I understand why. I would probably be the same if the roles were reversed, honestly. I only need to breathe without him counting every breath for a bit.”
“I get it.”
“I mean”—Iyana twisted her hair around her hand and chewed on her bottom lip—“I almost died in his arms. If we hadn’t done that magic transfer, I would be gone.
Hells, he saw his best friend die in front of him.
Take a killing blow for him. And I know he hasn’t processed that yet, because he’s been so wrapped up in me, and making sure I’m okay.
I want him to be able to comfort his friend, but I also want to be selfish and keep him around me for when the nightmares get bad.
He can always sense them and pull me out.
But then I feel guilty, because I know he has feelings for me, and I don’t want to lead him on or give him false hope. ”
Kaz gripped her elbow, tugging her to a stop. “Iyana.”
“Then there’s Talon and Zane, and how much they’re hurting. I don’t know how to comfort either one of them when I’m the reason they’re suffering, and they honestly should hate me, but Tal is still able to smile at me, and—”
“Iyana,” Kaz said more forcefully, stopping the words from falling out of Iyana’s mouth. In a gentle tone, the shifter continued, “None of this is your fault.”
She opened her mouth to argue, but Kaz silenced her with a stern look.
“None of it, Iyana. Talon and Zane do not blame you for anything that has transpired. Emmeric loves you and is worried about you, because you’re placing this immense burden on yourself unnecessarily.
If we’re going to point the blame on anyone, it should be Uther.
That’s who Zane is holding accountable in his mind for all of his troubles.
Tal, right now, I think, is trying to tackle his own personal demons, but don’t for one second think that he is in any way capable of hating you. ”
“But, Altair…” Iyana said weakly, still unable to voice the rest aloud.
“Exactly,” Kaz said, giving her shoulders a squeeze.
“Look me in the eye when I say this, Iyana.” Her dark brown eyes bored into Iyana’s own, and she could sense the intensity rolling off of the shifter.
“Altair. He is the one who murdered Talon—while trying to kill Emmeric, I might add. He is the one who presented himself to you in such a way that he was basically irresistible. He is the one who betrayed us all, and you are not allowed to take the blame for him. I won’t let you.
We all love you, Iyana. All of us. To the ends of the earth. ”
Tears fell freely down Iyana’s face as Kaz wrapped her in a tight hug. They stood that way for a few minutes, the shifter allowing her to process her emotions and use her shoulder to cry on. The embrace slowly loosened, but they didn’t quite let go yet. “That was oddly profound of you, Kaz.”
“It was, wasn’t it?” she mused. “You wanna kiss to balance things out?”
A laugh ripped free from Iyana as she shoved her friend away playfully. “Gods, you’re relentless.”
“I could show you just how relentless I can be,” Kaz said with a wink. They both chuckled, the heaviness of the moment evaporating.
“Thank you, Kaz. Truly. I don’t know that I completely believe you yet, but it means a lot to me to hear the words.” The shifter gave her a sad smile, dashing away unshed tears before they could fall.
“Well, now that we have that out of the way, shall we go look at these artifacts you wanted to study?” Kaz overzealously presented Iyana with her elbow, which the Aztia took with a grin, and they set off towards the array of pedestals.
Each one was adorned with a plaque and topped with a glass box housing an artifact.
Some of them appeared more sinister than the others, but the astmina had seemed innocuous enough, until it wasn’t.
Any of these could be capable of terrible things.
The pedestal that had previously held the astmina stood near the center of the room.
The glass that had been littered around it was no longer there, as Altair’s storm had blown it all away.
Her throat tightened at the thought of that day, and what it had meant to her.
Altair had been distraught over the astmina and had created a whirlwind.
The tempest had threatened to tear the entire library down around them, but Iyana was able to get through to him, calm him.
She had named herself as his astalle, and it was the first time he said he loved her.
What a load of shit that was.
The sensation of a warm hand alighted on her lower back, and Iyana knew Emmeric had felt her distress. This was his attempt to calm her, and Phaedros take her, it was working.
“What are we looking for?” Kaz asked, interrupting her thoughts.
Iyana blew a stream of air through pursed lips. “Honestly, I have no idea. Any of these could do anything. And all we have to go off of is a plaque with the name of the artifact. I’m sure there’s information about them somewhere in here, but I wouldn’t know the first place to search.”
Kaz nodded. “So we go off of vibes then.”
She peered sideways at her friend. “We’re supposed to pick things based only on how they make us feel?”
The shifter shrugged. “Why not?”
And Iyana didn’t have a good answer for that, so they perused around the room, searching for anything that may be of use.
Gaiztoa Eregia—A diadem with a center jewel glowing the brightest amethyst.
Har Mamur—What appeared to be a child’s stuffed bear toy, worn away at the edges, but instead of typical black buttons, it boasted a set of ovular red eyes, with vertical pupils in the center.
Beloved’s—A simple band of silver with etched filigree—there was no aura whatsoever surrounding it, and that was somehow more disconcerting.
Then the plain wooden box with the broken latch labeled as Lurra: Do Not Open.
Iyana shuddered, remembering how, not that long ago, she had likened the angle of the broken lock to that of a fractured neck.
Images of Talon sprawled in Zane’s lap, his own neck at an unnatural angle, flashed through her mind before she could shove them back down.
It did not escape her notice that none of the other artifacts carried a warning.
Even the most sinister of them all—Khollo’s Downfall—did not caution anyone away.
The deep black orb hung suspended within the case, absorbing all the surrounding light and casting its corner into dark shadows. Evil emanated from the apple-sized relic.
So, of course, Kaz stopped by it and said, “This one.”
Iyana looked at her incredulously. “Really? This one? Out of all the ‘vibes’ you could have picked?”
“Yup!” Kaz chirped.
Iyana could only roll her eyes. “Well, before we go about breaking it free from that case, how about we research it more?”
The shifter pouted. “That’s no fun. I want to see what it does.”
“Kaz…”
“What?” Iyana stared her down, and she finally let out a long-suffering sigh. “Okay, fine, we’ll do research.”
Hours later, they all sat around the same table with their noses buried in books.
Well, everyone except Kaz, who again slept on the rug, snoring lightly.
After Iyana and the shifter had returned, they delivered the news that they wanted to learn more about Khollo’s Downfall.
And, on an impulse, Iyana had added the Lurra to that list as well.
They had all eaten lunch without conversation, the only sounds around them those of a sleeping leopard, flipping pages, and the rustling of owl wings.
Zane glanced up from his book, staring at the wall opposite him, but not seeing.
He was obviously deep in thought, and the three of them stopped their own reading to see what he would do.
Without a word, the emperor stood and strode away from the table, his gait determined.
Iyana peered at Talon, who simply shrugged his shoulders and returned to his book.
Zane would return in time, hopefully with some worthwhile answers.
Although Iyana was enjoying the relative quiet of the library, it was almost too quiet. Her thoughts had more freedom to roam within the silence, and she found herself dwelling on things she desperately wished to forget.
Uther and his shadows.
A man bleeding out from a wound she had inflicted.
Talon, dead, in Zane’s lap.
Altair standing over her, an expression of disgust on his face. His words ricocheted through her mind, causing pain and chipping away at her resolve whenever they landed.
You were a decent fuck. But now that I possess all your magic, I’ve no further need of you.
I had ample opportunity to steal you back. I needed you angry. I needed you to want revenge.
You really thought I would fall in love with a human? That I would offer you immortality to spend forever with me? I’d rather die than stoop so low.
I am a god. What need does a god have of a human?
“Hey.” A warm touch started on her shoulder then ran down her arm, raising goosebumps.
Iyana looked over to see Emmeric gazing at her, concern and pity shining in his eyes and through their bond.
Godsdamn this connection between them, allowing them to know what the other is feeling.
She wished he would let her drown in peace.
But that wasn’t what she actually wanted at all.
“Do you want to take a walk?” Emmeric asked softly so that the others wouldn’t overhear. Iyana shook her head and returned to her book, the words appearing as simple black lines striking out the pages.
Almost twenty minutes after he’d left, Zane reappeared with a giant book cradled in his arms. The leather-bound edges were well worn, and the pages boasted notes sticking out at all angles. There was no title on the cover. He dropped it to the table with a loud thump, making Iyana jump.
“What do you have there, Your Majesty?” Kaz asked, still sitting on the rug with her knees tucked to her chest.
Zane’s emerald gaze cut her a glare before he opened the book and rifled through the pages. “I think you’ll be happy to know, Your Highness, that I found a ledger for the library.”
“Oh, has the pretty prince come out to play at last?” Kaz purred. “Come back to my room if you’re feeling frisky.”
It was Talon’s turn to glare at the shifter. She rolled her eyes.
“Relax, red, I’m kidding.” A maniacal grin lit up her face. “Mostly.”
Emmeric cleared his throat and gave her a pointed look, telling her to shut up. Shockingly, Kaz actually listened and prowled to join them at the table.
“As I was saying,” Zane continued, “this is only one of about a dozen ledgers—that I could find anyway, there may be more—but it seems like it kept track of the artifacts.”
“What were they tracking?” Iyana asked, sitting up straighter.
“Everything. When they arrived, where and who they came from, their physical appearance, their known capabilities, and one even notes that it made an intern shiver as he walked by.”
“Kaz was adamant about Khollo’s Downfall. Is there anything in there about that?”
Zane licked his finger before flipping through the book, the rest of them standing around him to peer over his shoulder.
Iyana saw the way Talon’s eyes flickered at the motion before he returned his focus to the book.
The emperor stopped at a page, his finger trailing down the paper before it abruptly paused, and his face drained of color.
“Zane?” Talon asked, concerned. “My heart, what’s wrong?”
Eyes wide, he glanced away from whatever information he had found. “You’ll want to sit down for this.”