Chapter 12
Aeliana frowned after Orra, trying to decide if it was the most she’d learned from Orra at one time or the most Orra had confused her. She wasn’t exactly surprised the woman was a grounded Star, but the confirmation only brought out dozens more questions, questions Orra would likely never answer.
And the secrets Orra spoke of…
Who else knew as much about Mayvus as her mother? Sylmar. But he hadn’t been around her for years. His knowledge was outdated.
One of Mayvus’ former soldiers passed by Aeliana on his way into the kitchen, giving her the three-fingered salute, his bow and lowered eyes almost more shameful on his end than respectful of her.
Her stomach flipped as she nodded in return.
He probably knew more about Mayvus. He may have been compelled to follow her, but he’d still followed her.
She’d interviewed most of the men on her mother’s list, but they’d all been dead ends, the men’s memories too hazy thanks to Mayvus’ control over her brands. Or maybe because her mother’s memory was too hazy, and the names she’d given Aeliana weren’t really men in Mayvus’ trusted circle.
Aeliana stepped into the kitchen and bit her lip as she surveyed the various men sitting at tables as far away from the boisterous winex as possible. Were there others here who had known Mayvus the best? Would she have to interrogate everyone?
“Here, love,” Iris said, passing Aeliana a plate with biscuits and smoked meat.
The portion was noticeably smaller than the week prior, making Aeliana wonder how sustainable their fortress was.
Several of the soldiers had headed to their various homes, eager to start life fresh once more.
But even more had stayed, hoping to reestablish the Wyndren family’s right to the throne—Aeliana’s mother’s right.
Not to mention the families who’d lost husbands and fathers, arriving to take Sylmar up on his offer for refuge.
“Thank you, Iris.” Aeliana smiled at the older woman, but her thoughts still lingered on questioning soldiers and ferreting out secrets.
“You’re taking it to your room again, aren’t you?” Iris’ voice held disapproval, but she sighed and set an extra biscuit on the plate. “Don’t be late for your training again. Kendalyhn gets just as testy as Sylmar when that happens.”
“Sorry.” Aeliana ducked away from Iris’ swat, then headed down the hall. Once in her room, she set her plate down and flipped through pages in one of Mayvus’ journals, nibbling on a biscuit while she searched.
She’d never been a great student—not that Arvid and Vera had allowed her much schooling—and Mayvus’ handwriting was going to be the death of her.
For the millionth time, she wished Cyrus were there.
He would have read the papers without any problem and likely explained them all to Aeliana far quicker than she could read.
Three names kept popping up: Tychus and Piorre—two men she’d never heard of who likely hadn’t survived—and Brogdon.
She bit her lip again, knowing she probably had to go see him.
The soldier had been quiet in his self-assigned prison, which seemed like a waste when his voice could ring with the same authority that Jasperus’ had.
She swallowed past the lump in her throat, hating the way her mind so easily recalled the way Brogdon had killed his own father at Mayvus’ command.
She couldn’t fully blame him when he was under Mayvus’ control as her brand, but he’d also taken the brand willingly.
“I wondered if you might be in here,” Velden said.
Aeliana turned in her chair to find him leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed over his loose vest and bare chest. With his exposed arms and shaved head, she felt cold just looking at him.
“Is it time for my training already?” Aeliana rubbed at her eyes, which still seemed to focus a handsbreadth in front of her.
Velden shook his head and pushed off the frame. “Not yet.” He pulled up another chair from the small table and spun it around so he could sit backward and lean over it to face her. “I just thought I should check on you.”
She raised her eyebrows and leaned back. “Usually it’s Iris trying to mother me.”
Velden chuckled. “Until Emeris grows stronger, we all need to mother you a bit. What are you looking for in here?” Velden pulled some of the books on the table closer to him, studying their titles before flipping through the pages.
“Is this Mayvus’? I thought Sylmar told you to stop all this research. ”
She ignored his fake shocked expression.
“My mother swears there’s a curse on her, not just blood magic done by Mayvus but maybe something done by someone else.
Orra gave me some cryptic comment about everyone having secrets.
I’m trying to find out who might know something, but they’re all too scared to talk. ”
Velden grinned and set the journal down. “I happen to agree with Orra on that one.”
“You’re an open book,” Aeliana scoffed. “You don’t have any secrets.”
His smile fell and his gaze grew distant. “You’d be surprised.”
Orra’s warning came back to Aeliana, but this time it held more clarity. Somehow Velden’s secrets didn’t hold much threat. Probably because, like Orra had said, Velden wasn’t desperate to discover everyone else’s secrets.
“Mayvus stored a lot of blood throughout the fortress,” Aeliana said. “Her notes are at least helping us find and destroy most of that. I doubt we’ll catch it all.”
“Do we really need to if she’s dead?” Velden cocked his head.
Aeliana’s face heated. “I suppose not.”
“I heard you didn’t quite believe the evidence in Durriken’s cave.” Velden rubbed his hands together, flicking water on his lap as he leaned in conspiratorially. “Tell me more.”
A spark of hope gave her courage. “Would you help me talk to Brogdon? He might be able to tell both of us more.”
Velden’s brow furrowed. “Why do you need help? He’s as soft as Holm even if he’s as loud as Jasperus.”
“I want to ask him about Mayvus’ research, but I haven’t gone to see him yet. It’s starting to feel like I waited too long.” She twisted her hands together. “I’m not sure he’ll want to tell me at this point.”
Velden rubbed his neck, leaving water that trailed down the back of his shirt. “I know Sylmar already questioned him a lot.” A sly grin spread across his lips. “But he’s much more likely to tell a pretty young woman what she wants to know than a scary old man.”
Aeliana let out a groan. “You always think people can be charmed into cooperation.”
“It hasn’t failed me yet.” His teeth practically sparkled with his triumph.
She narrowed her eyes. “Something tells me you didn’t just come here to check on me or even solve my problems. What are you trying to charm me into right now?”
Velden’s grin turned sheepish. “I mostly came to avoid Sylmar. He’s trying to get me to train Felk’s little army.”
Aeliana chuckled. “They’re like puppies right now. Practically harmless.”
His face scrunched up. “They’re a little more eager than I like. I usually come away with several bites and scratches.” He rubbed at his arms as if sensing them now.
Aeliana set her book on the table and tugged Velden back to his feet.
“Seriously?” he groaned. “I thought you out of everyone would be the one to let me slide by training.”
Aeliana tugged harder on his arm, pulling him out into the hall. “You forget how much I like Felk.”
“More than you like me?” Velden asked.
“Today you’re lucky,” she said. “Today I want you to come with me to see Brogdon. Usually it depends on who you’re spraying with water.”
He shot the liquid from his hands into her face as if to prove her point, then wriggled out of her grip and ran down the hall laughing.
She shook her head but didn’t give chase.
He was old enough to be her father, but he often acted more like a child.
When she caught up to Velden outside Brogdon’s room, the guard standing outside the door gave both of them somber pause.
“Can we see Brogdon?” Aeliana asked.
The guard bowed and pressed three fingers to his forehead before stepping aside. After a knock, Brogdon called for them to enter.
His room seemed more like a workshop, full of wood furniture in various stages of completion with a bed hidden somewhere beneath the table he was constructing. The petite man sat in a chair, huddled over a table leg that he continued sanding.
“Sorry about the mess.” His voice boomed out across the room, making Aeliana jump, more so because it was an exact copy of Jasperus’, which she hadn’t heard for a few moons now.
“I didn’t realize you enjoyed woodworking,” she said.
His gaze remained on his work. “It’s more that I want to be useful, and this was the best way how.”
“I think you’ve been plenty useful by giving us confidence that Mayvus no longer has access to her brands.” Aeliana tried to smile, but her words came out strained.
Brogdon’s hands stilled. “I’m glad you came.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner,” she said softly.
“I understand.”
For a while, the only sound in the room was the hush of his plane and scraper on the wood.
Velden cleared his throat. “Aeliana wants to ask you about Mayvus’ research.”
Aeliana glared at him, but the older man beamed as if he’d done exactly what she’d asked. She turned back to Brogdon apologetically. “I wanted to see if you knew anything about her research on the winex. Your name was mentioned among those conducting the studies.”
Brogdon winced, then slowly nodded. “She wanted a way to recreate their ability to be reborn. Instead she found ways to quickly heal people, but the side effects outweighed the benefits. As far as I know, that’s as much as she got from it all.”
“What about Tychus and Piorre?”
His gaze flicked up to hers in surprise. “They came back?” Then his mouth clamped shut, and he turned back to the table leg, resuming his vigorous sanding. “I mean, I thought they’d died. Maybe there was something to her research after all.”