Chapter 28
Looking ahead, looking back, what difference will it make if everyone is gone when I wake?
Avonde is pleased with my physical health due to regular feedings and the small amount of training I’ve managed between the cess and Garreth.
Isadora, Jett and I are walking past the Chalice Room on our way back from the castle’s library, where we searched for tomes on heat and magic.
Things have been tense in the halls since the High Council could not decide on a date to meet.
Week by week, Duresden refugees continue showing up across Lux, and Cedric has been called away at random times to order nobles into opening their homes.
Many have country estates that go unused during court time.
It feels like a game of waiting, the training with Garreth, practicing with the cess.
My magic still simmers and I was able to drag a leaf across a table the other day but I still feel that link that is missing.
Cedric steps out from a courtyard, shaking hands with a stout nobleman. His wife curtsies swiftly before they depart.
“Your Majesty,” my ladies both drop into a curtsy. I follow suit with them, evoking a deep laugh from Cedric.
“Ladies, do you mind if I steal Lady Liv for the rest of the day?” Isadora and Jett look at each other, a cheeky expression on both of their faces.
“Why, that would be most agreeable.” Isadora looks over at me, unlinking her arm from mine. “Liv was just talking about wanting to leave the grounds,” she hints.
He simply winks and takes my arm in his, walking us back down the hall to the front of the castle. The carpet of the stairs muffles our steps and the twinkling magical sky of the entryway is a sight for sore eyes.
“Where are we going?” I ask, pausing us at the door. A few guards nod at their king and go to fetch a coach. A servant approaches with fur coats in hand.
“I have some business in Veda. And I was thinking of showing you some of the things the city has to offer. Does that sound most agreeable?” He can’t hide the coyness in his voice, so I groan before slipping my arms into the plush sleeves of the coat.
“Very agreeable, my king,” I reply quickly. A wisp of shadow flicks my nose and before I can react, the carriage pulls up.
Control, Cedric.
You make it impossible.
The footman holds my hand as I step in, Cedric close behind.
Don’t traumatize the footmen. His presence is all encompassing.
It would be their honor.
Cocky. I swish my ass slightly and step into the carriage.
He pats my backside as I crawl into the warmed cabin. We both share a glass of blood as we take the short journey into the city. A separate carriage of guards leads us and one follows behind.
The bridge comes into view, its silver-tipped guard posts shining under the afternoon sun. It looks starkly different than when I first entered the city.
“Veda is a sprawling, unhinged metropolis where any need can be purchased. Regardless of the item, condition, or age, you can certainly find a shop to satisfy. The city guards do a pretty standard job of monitoring crime but generally, it is a peaceful community,” he says from beside me.
The carriage slows as a crowd forms on either side of the main street. People cheer and hold their children up so that they may see our arrival. My stomach twists at the thought of war and what it will bring to their livelihoods.
“They’re happy to see us,” I marvel, smiling despite my worry. A few women clap and wave at me directly and I raise my gloved hand to wave back.
“There is no better feeling as a ruler. Our people trust in us and that trust is the social contract that keeps our seats in check. Before, Lux was different. I do believe we’ve made a slight impact,” he explains, waving himself before cracking the window and signaling our stop.
A footman opens the door and offers his hand to help me out. The crowd is tight but not overwhelming.
“It’s Lady Elivienne!”
“Is she feeling better?”
“Take Duresden down!”
“Kiss my baby!”
The citizens cry out for us and I make good to acknowledge them as we pass through. The guards trail behind silently, though their presence feels unnecessary. But it’s the show that matters. We head down the main street as various vendors rush out of their storefronts.
“This historic street was the original center of Veda many, many years ago.” Cedric points to a rickety sign barely hanging on.
Most of the shops here seem to have experienced a smooth change of ownership through the centuries, which I think is beautiful. Antiquated does not describe the appeal of something old being here for this long.
An artisan steps out from her shop and immediately presents me with a golden necklace with a hawk on it, Veda’s symbol.
My hand pauses to examine the artistry. “For Lady Elivienne.” She bows.
“Thank you so very much,” I reply, clasping it behind my neck.
Another vendor crosses the cobbled street and hands us a small basket with goodies from her candy shop.
We both thank her and pass it to the guard behind us.
A clothing store comes into view, the pink sign new and crisp with lettering.
My feet do not move fast enough. The small store is packed with all kinds of fabrics, some that shift color in the light, others that look nearly invisible.
It smells of leather and cotton and incense.
The magic in here thrums, speaking to my own.
The guards try to file in but they bump shoulders and knock over a small rack. They’re entirely too big to fit in here.
“Gentlemen, you may return to the carriage. We’ll take it from here. Wait by the bridge,” Cedric orders as I sift through some yellow gowns. The color is royal, near marigold, and I make a mental note to request this fabric during my next fitting with my ladies.
“Do you need to try anything on? Perhaps the yellow dress?” He points back at the rack I abandoned.
“Hmm, perhaps.” I snatch the gown from the rack. The owner, a woman with copper hair enters from a backroom, navigating the complex piles of clothing strewn about.
“Oh, Your Majesty!” She immediately drops into a curtsy, her cess beads clinking and hair fanning her dark brown skin.
“That’s quite all right.” Cedric smiles, motioning to me. “I believe we have some purchases to make.”
“Of course!” The cess is younger, perhaps freshly graduated from being an acolyte. Cess don’t have to work in their field of healing or magic. Many live normal lives but almost all take their education seriously. Having a loose control on your magic can be detrimental.
I sneak in a pair of matching slippers to the pile. “Sorry,” I mumble sheepishly.
“Sorry for what?” I’m already imagining slipping this dress from your shoulders later tonight. Cedric grins into my ear. He resorts to speaking through our bond again.
Cedric! Behave!
That’s boring.
The proprietor clears her throat and I remember she might catch a little of what was said, depending on her powers.
“One hundred grata, Lady Elivienne.” The cess smiles.
“Grata…?” I look at Cedric as he hands her coin. More than what she asked but it’s no dent for his coffers.
“Our denomination.”
“In my dream state…” I try to remember the distant memory from the village. The woman begins packing the dress and slippers neatly in brown paper.
Yes, that was me. The one time I was able to see the world. I thought it was a simple dream at the time. It was easy, then, to play along.
So when I awoke…
You can understand my concern now.
Understandable. You were very generous that day.
My first time mindwalking. You awoke just shortly after so naturally I thought I did something to trigger it.
I squeeze his hand. You made an impact on me in that moment.
He smiles back at me and I move to grab the parcel from the counter at the same time the cess starts to hand it over.
Our hands touch just briefly. No, they shock.
She draws hers back quickly, as if stung badly.
In one moment, her eyes gloss over and she goes still. Void of movement. Of life.
“Hello?” I question, looking at her inquisitively.
The woman immediately snaps out of the trance she was in, if that is what you call it, and grabs her beads nervously.
“You,” she wonders. “What happened to you? Your mind. It’s splintered. Damaged.” The emphasis on happened makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
Cedric moves his hand to his sword but she continues, her eyes fixed but also absent, as if she is not with us.
“Wary deals made on a dark road. Locked in unseeming voids. A fusion that will determine holy lands, destroy bloodline and complete souls. A symbol of night who walks in the light. The one to complete. The one to destroy. Where does the splinter fuse? Where does the splinter fuse?”
She begins repeating the last line faster and faster, hyperventilating with each word. Fabric around us begins to shift and lift from its racks, knocking into glass and other trinkets. Her power unhinges with each breath.
“Fuck!” Cedric yells, reaching for her across the counter. My magic sparks and burns under my fingers and I raise them to see small burn marks at the tips.
Could she have been involved in my attack?
“What’s happening?” I croak, feeling my body trigger and heat.
As if a pin dropped on the ground, everything ceases and falls back to the earth.
Glass shatters and metal clangs. My hands cool and I sway from the release.
The cess faints against the back wall and on instinct, I step around the counter, catching her before she hits the floor.
I make sure to touch her linen clothing only.
“Rietta!” A man runs out from the back room. He takes my place and examines her frail form on the ground. Slowly, she comes to and a few patrons have wandered into the store from the commotion.