Chapter 28 #2
"I can't. I read that prophecy. I saw what's coming." His voice cracks. "I can't lose you."
I press my hand to my throat. "Did you actually have a vision?"
He wipes his eyes. "I have Fidus's scepter. Had. I buried it in the forest before I went to see you that day."
I stare at him for a moment. "How did you get it?"
"I was looking for Ignata's temple. Found a cave I'd never seen before. The scepter was just ... there." He shivers and wraps his arms around himself. "It was strange, Temp. One moment I was here. The next, somewhere entirely different."
I frown. "Different how? Where?"
"I don't know. I just know it wasn't Lunaris."
"And you took the scepter? You didn't think you might end up cursed like every fool in those old texts?"
He shrugs. "I figured at least I'd be a cursed fool with a god's scepter."
A laugh escapes me despite myself. I swat his shoulder. "There's something seriously wrong with you."
He grins. "But you love me anyway."
I press my lips together as emotion rises again. "Jordi. I need you to go. I can't do what I'm supposed to do while worrying about your safety."
He opens his mouth to argue. A knock interrupts him.
I wipe my tears as Jordi calls for them to enter. Malachi steps through the door. Jordi gapes at him, then me, then Mal again.
"I hoped you'd be awake. Didn't expect to find you standing," Mal says to a bewildered looking Jordi.
“Do you know who he is?” I ask warily, studying my brother’s expression.
He frowns and shakes his head as he stares at Mal. “I don’t think so. You look like someone, though.”
I exhale. "Bain carried you all the way from the temple. And you stink. So you should thank him."
"Well, thank you, Bain. Sorry I wasn't awake to enjoy it." Jordi's grin makes me laugh. Even Malachi's eyes crinkle. "Are you the one staying in my quarters?"
"Yes. So I should be thanking you."
Jordi turns to me. The grin on his face makes my stomach drop. "I figured out who he reminds me of. He looks just like those heroes in those romance—”
“Jordan!”
"—novels!”
"I read three of those books! Three!”
"Until the pages fell off," he says, laughing, then wincing. "Gods, that hurts."
"Good." I glare at him, then at Malachi, who looks far too amused.
"I don't think I've ever seen you blush," he says, eyes bright.
I groan and turn away to busy myself with tidying the room. There’s another knock, and I turn back around to watch Draven enter the room. He greets Jordi with a tight hug and pulls away when Mal clears his throat.
"We need to speak with both of you."
I lean against the table behind me. The cages underneath rattle with my weight.
"Draven leaves for Vindariel soon. You should go with him." Malachi's voice is calm but firm. "If you don't want to stay there, he can take you to Aerathos or anywhere else. But you can't stay here."
Jordi's eyes narrow. First on Malachi. Then on me. "Did the two of you plan this?"
My sigil flares. "When, exactly? While we were saving your life? Or while we were trying not to get caught by the legion?"
He crosses his arms. "I'm not leaving you behind."
My chest tightens. I look at Draven. At Malachi. Back to Jordi.
"I made a bargain with Mortiana,” I blurt out.
Draven makes a choked sound.
Jordi stares at me. "You what?"
"I made a bargain. I cannot leave until I repay my debt."
"Ada." He sets his hands on his matted hair. Paces the few steps the room allows. Stops. Paces again. When he faces me, his eyes are wide with fear. "This is what I ... Gods." His gaze darts to Malachi, then me. "Does he know?"
I stiffen. "No."
Jordi laughs. It's not a happy sound. "Of course not."
"Know what?" Malachi's voice has gone quiet. Deadly.
"Nothing," I say through clenched teeth. I hold Jordi's gaze. "If you know as much as you claim, you understand this is the only way."
His eyes fill with tears. And somehow, that fills mine too. As if we draw from the same well.
"Godsdamn you," he whispers, lip trembling.
"It's the only way." I wipe tears from my cheeks. They keep falling.
He surges forward and wraps his arms around me. As if he can keep me safe inside them. As if holding tight enough will change what's coming. The sob in his chest loosens the one in mine. Soon we're both crying too hard to speak.
"I figured I should be the hero for once," I whisper against his shoulder.
He squeezes tighter. "You've always been the hero, Temp. I was just trying to be worthy of being your brother."
That makes me cry harder. All the time we wasted on petty arguments. All the time I spent pushing him away. For what? In the end, we were always going to end up here.
Prophecies are more legend than story. They may vary in the telling. But they don't change. And they can't be erased.
We cry for what feels like an eternity. When we finally pull apart, we're alone. Malachi and Draven have slipped out without a word.
Jordi wipes his face. "Now we know what warriors are truly scared of."
I choke out a laugh. "You know what else scares them? The way you smell right now. You need a bath and a meal before you go anywhere with Draven."
"That I won't argue with."
We go home. He bathes. Eats. Packs what little he'll need for the journey north. We only have a few hours. I make every moment count.
I look around my dining table and wish I could freeze this moment forever.
Kage, telling some elaborate story with his hands.
Jordi, hanging on every word. Naima, rolling her eyes but joining the antics anyway.
Margot, smiling despite the sadness in her eyes.
Draven, shaking his head and correcting Kage's exaggerations.
And Malachi.
The warrior I never asked to be bound to. The man who has somehow become part of me. He's quiet, as always, listening to Kage's story. But the moment my gaze finds him, his eyes lock onto mine.
I don't know if it's the bond or the Rook in him, but he always senses me. Knows where I am before I move. And despite his perpetual annoyance with everything, despite his ability to perpetually annoy me, I find that he's the best thing to come from all of this.
I can only hope he doesn't hate me when he learns who I am. And that when my memories are taken, the goddess lets me keep these faces. These people. What they mean to me.