Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Auster was well aware that he was being watched. He wasn’t certain how Love had managed to ascertain his plan to save Eleni, but he also had no intention of allowing that plan to be derailed by a nosy Highest. He was going to save the woman he loved, and that was the end of it.
But seeing as how that plan depended heavily on the thing wearing Eleni letting down its guard enough to allow him close, the injunction of the Highest could only help him out.
If the thing thought it was safe because of Love’s presence, then it would be more apt to let its guard down, and then he could save his love.
Auster thought hard for a moment and then forced his attention back to the thing. It called itself Autumn, and if he wanted to save Eleni, he had best get used to thinking of it by name.
Autumn hadn’t shifted, and her eyes were full of a quiet, understanding sorrow that he didn’t know what to do with. It felt like whatever it was had already made up its mind to accept whatever he decided. If that were the case, this was going to be stunningly easy.
He just had to get rid of the Highest.
The best way to do that was going to be to pretend to accept the thing, Autumn, and like all the Highest, Love would get bored when there was no drama and wander off.
“Where do we begin?” Auster asked, keeping Love squarely in his peripheral vision.
“I know you likely have questions,” Autumn said in a low, sad voice. “Whatever you wish to ask, I will answer you as honestly as I can.”
“What did you do with Eleni?” he demanded, unable to stuff the words back fast enough.
“She’s here,” Autumn laid a hand on her heart. “She and I are braided; my good sense and calm are hers.”
Auster’s hand slipped to the hilt of the Prism Blade, and he had to force himself to pull back when Love narrowed his eyes. “You say that, but how do I know she’s safe?”
He watched her change slightly before the shift reversed, and Autumn gave him a sad look.
“I could not go to Charan un-braided, by order of the Highest, so I cannot give her back to you in totality, but I swear to you, on the name of the Song, that she allowed this, that she and I have been together for years in the mortal realm, even though you never saw me.”
“Boreus said the same,” Auster said slowly. “He said that if I looked, I would remember seeing you, but I do not.”
“I know,” Autumn nodded. “You, of all the Amenoi, never saw anyone but Eleni.”
The words had only been sad; there was no bitterness to them, as if she completely understood, as if she knew she was lesser to him than Eleni. Which was the truth. Autumn was not even a blip to him, and if his plan worked, they would never have to pretend to care again.
But he had to pretend right now, and judging by the look on Love’s face, he was doing a truly awful job. Auster sighed, shook his head and forced himself to focus, forced himself to look autumn in the eyes and try to smile.
It felt strained, probably looked worse, and rather than put her at ease, it just made the sorrow in her eyes stronger. “You do not have to pretend to something you don’t feel, Auster.”
For the briefest instant, there was a flicker in Autumn that was only Eleni and Auster gripped the hilt of his blade.
“Enough of this,” Love said, rising from the table. “You will handle yourself, East Wind, and we will return tomorrow.”
“Yes, my Highest,” Auster forced his eyes away from that tiny flicker of Eleni. “Tomorrow, then?”
Autumn nodded and gave him a sad little smile. “You do not need to see me, East Wind. I will send you Boreus instead, and you can plan with him to save Skirion.”
Auster couldn’t figure out how to respond to that, so he just nodded and watched as Autumn moved to Love’s side and they left the grove.
He went back into the little villa and sat heavily on the sofa.
He hated this, every moment that he could not simply tear the thing out of Eleni and have her back.
Just as he had hated every day in Charan.
He was furious, but there was no where to put it, so he simply sat on the sofa in the empty villa and tried to force the anger into some sort of shape that he could call a plan.
He had to get rid of the Highest, had to make Autumn let her guard down, and then he could figure the rest out.
Autumn had said that she and Eleni were braided, meshed into each other, which meant that there was a point where the mesh wasn’t true and that was the point he needed to find.
The only way he was going to be able to get close enough to locate that point, was if he managed to hide the anger and disgust enough that Autumn would get close to him.
If she thought he cared for her. The concept made him feel a little sick, but he was willing to pretend as hard as he could if it meant that Eleni would be free again.
He’d seen her, she was still there, and that meant she could still be saved.
Auster was deep in thought when the door opened. He shot up off the sofa, looking over at the door, wondering if the thing had come back, and if it was alone.
But it wasn’t Autumn, it was Boreus, looking absolutely thunderous. “Idiot,” he growled.
“I have done nothing,” Auster protested. “What is it that I have done?”
“You are going to cut off your nose to spite your face.” Boreus spat. “Your head is so full of nonsense I am surprised it’s not floating about near the ceiling.”
“And you betrayed Eleni.” Auster narrowed his eyes at Boreus. “You love another, and whatever it is has some sort of hold on you.”
“You were not here,” Boreus grated out. “You did not see all that we went through, so you will not judge my actions.”
“I am seeing the results of those actions.” Auster shook his head. “Eleni is still there, I saw her, we have to save her.”