CHAPTER THREE #4
Sera crooked an eyebrow while Cadi dug through her tote bag, searching for the silver sigil necklace that was identical to Zoe’s. She pulled it free, holding it by the chain so it swung smoothly over the table.
“Apparently they aren’t just for looks, either,” she added, “they double as access badges and open every door in the temple. I practically had to leave my soul as collateral before they would give it to me.”
Cadi let Sera take it, watching as she ran her fingers along the delicate lines that made up the sign of the Order. Her eyes flicked to Cadi, sparking with mischief. “Should we pawn it?”
Cadi mocked a laugh. “Very funny; that would be a great way to get me sacrificed on the dais next week.”
“Damn, they don’t mess around.”
“I mean, I don’t know that they would resort to ritual murder, but I’d be in a lot of trouble if I lost it. That thing is basically an all-access pass to the temple’s inner workings, and I think everyone on the inside is on high alert with everything that is happening with the other gods.”
Sera’s shoulders stiffened slightly, and her eyes found Cadi’s for a moment before returning to the sigil still clutched in her hand.
She held the object close to her face, turning it between her fingers a few times before dropping it back into Cadi’s waiting palm.
“Fair enough. The Order has definitely made some enemies. Wouldn’t want that falling into the wrong hands. ”
“Exactly,” Cadi agreed, her smile dipping slightly as she tucked the necklace back into her bag, a lingering curiosity beginning to needle at the back of her mind.
Enemies like Sera’s boss.
She had so many questions, all of them centered around how Sera had found herself working for someone who had such a complicated history with the Order.
None of them were going to be easy to ask, but she found herself feeling annoyingly nosy about the whole dynamic.
She leaned forward, studying the crystal glass in her hands as she nervously swirled the burgundy liquid, selecting her next words with care.
“How long have you been with the Order?”
Sera pressed her lips together in thought. “Three years next month.”
Cadi sat up a little straighter. “Three years and you haven’t gone through the Rite of Dedication? Why?”
Sera shrugged and stacked a few pieces of meat and cheese onto a cracker. “I just feel like I’m right where I need to be. No interest in giving more.”
It was clear by the finality in her tone that Cadi wasn’t going to get any more on that subject, and she decided not to push.
A light tinkling sound rang from the spot where her fingers tapped against her glass while she considered her next question.
One that, hopefully, wouldn’t get shut down quite as quickly.
“Have you worked at The Crow’s Nest the entire time?”
“I have indeed.”
Cadi opened her mouth, but a sudden pinch in her gut made her hesitate. She couldn’t believe she was actually about to ask this, but she couldn’t temper the growing need to understand.
“How does that work? I mean is it not weird at all? Working for him?”
Sera tilted her head, her tone laced with what seemed like feigned ignorance. “Elias? Why would it be weird?”
Cadi sighed; She was beginning to think Sera was enjoying this. It was clear the woman had no intention of making this easy, so Cadi was just going to have to come right out and say it.
“Because of his history with the Order.”
Sera shrugged, a slow smile curving her lips as she reached for a handful of grapes, then deftly tossed them into her mouth one at a time.
“Nah. I’ve known the kid long enough that I’ve learned to tune out his brooding and he pretty much lets me do my own thing.”
Cadi lifted her brows at Sera’s casual use of the word “kid” when describing Elias.
Between the two of them, Cadi had assumed Elias was older, with Sera’s features betraying nothing about her age.
Not a line or shadow was anywhere to be seen, almost as if her face had been carved by the gods themselves.
Maybe she should ask about her skin care routine next.
Sera’s voice pulled her back to the table. “He’s really not as bad as they make him out to be, you know.”
Cadi’s eyes met Sera’s, her brows drawing tight in question.
“Sure, he’s annoying as hell and some nights I wanna set him on fire, but he’s a good dude. He knows what he stands for, and I respect that.”
Cadi smiled, unsure of how to respond. From the small bits she had seen of him at the bar the other night, he didn’t exactly give the “dangerous rabble rouser” vibes that Zoe and the others had implied, and if Sera’s assessment was any indication, it seemed safe for her to assume that there was the Elias she knew, and the one the Order hated.
She took another sip of wine, irritated to find that she now had even more questions than when she’d started, and her curiosity was not even close to sated.
Her thoughts were quickly interrupted, however, when Sera held out her phone to proudly show her the image of a massive black dog playfully exposing its belly.
Cadi gasped, snatching the phone from Sera’s hand to admire the creature.
Her questions could wait. This was far more important.