Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
With a start, Aela awoke alone in her chambers. The intrusion of being in Tala’s dream made her skin crawl, and yet dreamwalking opened a wealth of opportunity if she could wield her power to do so again.
Aela’s eyes trailed over her bedchamber.
The rosy-terracotta tones carried from the main room into her sleeping space.
Leafy green plants grew from azure pots, thriving under the cosmic sky from her floor to ceiling windows thanks to the magic touch of the attendants who tidied her rooms. Satin brown bedding rumpled from sleep bunched around her hips.
Glancing down, her plain ivory sleep clothes would undoubtedly not be appropriate for an audience with the Adjacent of Taurus who could come at any moment.
Aela extricated herself from bed and got ready for another unknown day in Avarice.
Aela selected another billowing pant and bandeau set, today in pale lilac.
It was a small act of rebellion, dressing so casually, but it was one she would maintain until even that freedom was stripped from her.
Foregoing the cosmetics in gilded containers on the bathroom counter, she braided her hair over her bare shoulder.
Without her trade of crystal mining and experiments to keep herself occupied, she was slightly more presentable and went into the living area, guiding her body through a series of fluid motions.
The physical practice that stretched and strained her muscles and joints should be enough of a distraction from her swimming thoughts and give her something to do before Tala inevitably came.
A yawn cracked through Aela as she straightened her spine and lifted her hands high above her head, spearing her fingers toward the ceiling.
Restful sleep in the wake of The Games had been nearly nonexistent as was her ability to keep track of time while in the Taureon city, though she estimated she had been there for about a week, give or take.
What she had since learned was The Darkness—a mysterious, consuming dark matter of the realm—was always there the moment her eyes closed.
Before she felt the cool touch of death in The Games, Aela remembered having dreams back on Prente where a dark shroud would emerge and study her. Now it hunted her.
The Darkness simply took over her dreams in a way that had Aela avoiding sleep until she passed out from exhaustion or teleported as quickly as her mind could dream up a destination, shifting before it caught her.
Even when she was awake, she swore natural patches of shadow writhed in unnatural ways.
It seemed The Darkness lay in wait within her dreams and reality.
“That’s the sleep deprivation talking,” Aela scoffed at herself, nearly tumbling out of the balance posture she held before she mastered her limbs and breath.
Apart from the sighting at The Games, Aela hadn’t been warned of any further instances of the cursed Darkness.
Not that the Taureons kept her apprised of anything, being a captive as she was.
She was part of the Taureon Line in name only.
Whatever privileges came with such status had not been granted to her. Aela wasn’t sure she wanted any.
Aside from unaccompanied access to their archives and the traveling rings, she thought bitterly.
Aela exhaled a shaky breath. How had she unwittingly chained herself to another House?
The Fates that spared her from The Darkness and The Games had her dancing to a foreign tune, one she craved more than sleep, to know the steps to.
She was at odds with herself; her desire to get home had cooled as she found herself trapped again.
The clear injustice within Avarice gnawed at her, and she shouldn’t have wanted to help, but their plight wouldn’t leave her alone.
Fates only knew how she managed it, but Aela stopped her spiraling thoughts and reengaged with her bodily practice.
She spread her toes and flexed her feet on the cool stone floor.
On her next inhale, Aela stepped one foot forward and hinged at her hips, splaying her arms wide to either side for balance as her back leg lifted behind her.
She hovered on her standing leg before folding deeper as she brought her hands around her ankle, intensifying the stretch along the posterior muscles of her balancing leg.
Sighing into the stretch, Aela ignored her ever-present fatigue.
“Oh, this looks fun.”
Aela stumbled forward and rolled at the last moment to catch herself from face planting on the floor. A quick glance down at herself confirmed her bandeau hadn’t slipped, and she turned her focus to the intruder.
“You interrupted my practice,” Aela snapped.
“Sorry, Starling,” the newcomer said. With disheveled, auburn-brown hair, his gaze seemed to hold a permanent mischievous mirth to it, as evidenced by the fine lines at the corners of his warm brown eyes.
“What are you doing in here? These are my rooms.”
“Is that right? See… I thought the wards felt different,” he said as he ambled away from her to the open windows in her living area.
Aela couldn’t wipe the grimace off her face fast enough for the male not to notice.
“Ah, Tala’s keeping you cooped up, isn’t she?”
“Do you have a name?”
“Of course,” the male grinned. Of average height for a male celestial, he wore the standard black tactical suit that sentinels wore, yet with no clear rank. He had a leaner build than Tarek, but the way he carried himself made Aela wary. His charm was a front for a lethal warrior beneath.
Aela rolled her eyes. “Did you need something?”
“I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.”
“And?”
“You don’t seem all that dangerous to me,” the male said in an unbothered way that had Aela unwittingly straightening her spine.
He sauntered back to her. “A word to the wise,” he murmured into her ear.
Aela was too stunned by his proximity to move.
“Keep whatever secrets you have close. The celestials within these halls and this city will do anything for a step up from their position. Trust no one and, for the love of the Gods, don’t mess with the weather. ”
Aela’s faculties returned to her as she stepped back and stared into the male’s serious gaze, a notable shift from his charming demeanor only moments before.
“Why are you telling me this? Aren’t you one of the celestials you just warned me about? Why should I trust anything you say?”
He lightly dabbed a finger on top of her nose. “Perfect, see? You’re already suspicious.”
“And what are we suspicious of?”
Neither of them had heard the new voice enter.
“Prime Apparent,” the brown-eyed male lurched further back from her and spun on his heel, bowed his head to Tarek, then glanced at Aela from the corner of his eye, coughing pointedly at her when she failed to bow.
“Am I interrupting, Arche?” Tarek asked.
“No. Not at all. I was just leaving. I came to see your shiny new toy,” Arche said as he shrugged. Aela’s blood boiled. “She seems a bit bland for your taste.” He winked at Aela, who scowled at him before he took his leave.
The silence was palpable in the room in the wake of Arche’s departure. All the warmth leaving with him, cooling the sweat on Aela’s neck—she’d mull that over once Tarek was gone. Arche warned her against his own House and insulted her within the same breath. She wasn’t sure what to think about him.
“How is it that everyone can enter at will, yet I am forbidden from leaving? I need out of this Fated room,” she groaned to herself.
She placed her hands on her hips and stared at the Prime Apparent of Taurus.
Perhaps Tarek’s unbidden visit was her key out of her apartment. “How long have I been in here, anyway?”
Tarek chuckled. “A long enough time that if I were in your position, I’d have ripped down the walls with my bare hands.”
“Well, in that case, I doubt you’d like it if I started clawing at the walls like some deranged animal. I. Want. Out.”
“Arche thinks you’re harmless, yet my sister isn’t satisfied that you’re not a threat to me. And while I trust Arche, I trust Tala with my life, so you’ll be staying put until she says. However, maybe it would do some good to get you out and about for a bit. With an escort, of course.”
Aela jutted her chin toward the quartz door. “Have the other one escort me.”
“Other one?” Tarek asked with a raise of his black brows.
“Yes, Arkie—whatever his name is. Bring him back.”
“Don’t you know what an honor it would be for the Primary of Taurus to escort you?”
“Last I heard, you weren’t the Primary.”
It was subtle. The tiniest flare of Tarek’s nostrils spoke of a temper beneath the cool exterior. Tarek took a threatening step toward her, but she refused to be bullied.
“Let me make this very clear, Aela.” She bristled at hearing her name on his tongue. His tone held an entitlement that told her volumes. “I am the leader of this House. I may not be Primary yet—a simple thing to be corrected now that you’re here.”
Aela narrowed her turquoise eyes as he glared down at her. How is being Set in the sky for 100,000 years simple?
“What do you want from me?” Aela asked instead.
And just like that, the restraint Tarek held on himself was in place again. It was like watching a curtain fall over his face. From one moment to the next, his composure was back. The only sign of a roiling temper was the slight tension around his eyes.
“Why, to escort you through my grand city, of course. It would be my honor to introduce you to my constellation and your fellow Asters.”
She hated them.