17. Leah #3
She makes a strangled noise in her mind. “Ancestors, that’s so fucking reckless, Syrus. And dragging Viz and Aster into it too?”
I shift uncomfortably, and not just because she’s started using pale-blood oaths.
“I don’t love putting my friends at risk, but I gave them a chance to say no. They wanted to come, when they knew it meant keeping you safe.”
A flicker of emotion moves through her mind at that, and I sigh, annoyed that I can’t even turn my head to look at her properly.
I had to be careful not to stare when she first arrived at the Seraph Seat.
I doubt I’d have managed it if not for Aster, who had murmured to me that I was in danger of giving the whole game away, just by looking at her with big, besotted eyes.
While I maintain that I’ve never looked besotted in my life, I reined it in.
It was difficult not to keep glancing her way, though.
It’s not like I get much chance to see how she looks when I’m in her head, bar her passing the occasional reflective surface.
And I certainly hadn’t gotten a chance to see her wings yet.
She looks otherworldly with her red hair and black feathers—not quite demon, not quite ephilium. Something else entirely.
“Of course they didn’t say no,” Leah says. “Nobody says no to you.”
“You did,” I point out.
“Yes, well maybe if more people had done the same over the years, you’d understand why that was.”
I frown, unsure what she means, but now’s not the time to dwell on it.
“Anyway, we need Viz here. He’s the one who managed to organize our rift,” Syrus says.
“Not an easy job, given how unmanageable the aether is when it comes to bridging our two realms. He and Aster will act as my go-betweens with the lords, though they’ll probably travel to Infernum via Strata because of how much work an Infernum-Aradis rift has been. ”
The pale-bloods have been very accommodating, really. They agreed to allow Viz and Aster to come and go, as long as they’re searched upon leaving and entering Aradis. What’s a little security check between sworn enemies?
“So who’s running Malice while you’re here on your fake peace mission?” she asks.
Interesting question. She abandoned my domain so easily, but her reaction suggests that maybe she still cares for Malice.
She certainly became quite invested in it during her stay, committing to helping me fix the Morphos with a passion I hadn’t expected.
It was one of the first things that made me think she might be happy in Infernum long term. Of course, that was my mistake.
“Quill is keeping an eye on things,” I explain, ignoring the painful turn of my thoughts.
“And making sure no one asks too many questions about where their lord has gone?” she asks.
“Yes, although that’s the easy part. It’s not as if I’m the most sociable person.”
“Except when you show up uninvited to yap away inside my head,” she counters.
I press my lips together to keep from smiling. It’s a sickness, how much I love her spiky comebacks.
“Which brings us to the plan,” I say, having to take a deep breath even if I’m not speaking aloud. “We’re going to find a way to break the possession bond.”
I hear her sharp inhale.
“Do you actually know how to do that yet?” she demands.
“Not as such.”
Anger brews in her belly, just like it did yesterday, and I see having time to cool off hasn’t changed anything.
“I can’t believe it. You made a whole deal promising me I’d be free, and you had no idea how to actually give me that freedom. Figures.”
“It’s a complicated spell,” I say, defending myself. “Made of obscure magic too strong to be broken at a distance. Plus, most people subjected to it would be dead right now. It’s not as if there’s any precedent for our situation. So Viz and I are having to do our research.”
“And you think that will work? That all the demon…marks on me will be gone? I think it’ll only work if there’s nothing left for the oracle to purge by the time I get to that trial.”
“That is our theory,” I say, glancing around.
I’m aware that we’ve been talking for a while now, and the pale-bloods might be getting restless, wondering what’s keeping me so long.
But the ephilium security are still out of earshot, forming an unnaturally neat line between us and the edge of the ball atrium.
“Think of it as like an infection. Once I’m out of your system, all trace of me should be gone. ”
“An infection,” she repeats. “Yes, that seems like an appropriate word.” She pauses, her voice softening a touch when she speaks again. “You’re really going to help me do this?”
“Yes,” I say flatly. I’ll give her what she wants, but I won’t pretend to be happy about it. “Only because you insist on staying in Aradis and passing this trial. And you will pass it. The alternative isn’t an option.”
I close my eyes, trying to keep out the memories of yesterday.
I couldn’t have imagined the torture it would be, living through that moment when I thought Leah was about to die, when I thought I was going to have to watch as she was ripped away from me, powerless to stop it, like Sideria but worse.
I wasn’t able to fully experience my sister’s fear and pain when she was murdered, not in the same way I can Leah’s, and it was still devastating.
I never want to feel terror like that again.
Viz clears his throat, and I nod to show I’ve gotten the message.
“We should return to the seraphim before they get suspicious. There’s only so long Aster can distract them with her charms. We’ll find a safe way to make contact with you soon. Now, wait until we’ve returned to the ball. No one will be watching this chamber then.”
“All right,” I sense her step back against the pillar, so we’re almost shoulder to shoulder. Then her hand drifts downward, hanging loosely at her side. When I flex my own hand, her fingers reach out briefly to brush against mine.
It could almost be an accident, but I savor the touch like a starving man feasting on crumbs. And when I pull away from the pillar and leave the chamber, there’s a corresponding morsel of hope in my heart.