5. Rahzlyn #3
As much as I adored Mel, she didn’t fully understand.
Her eyes dimmed as she said, “This world is cruel enough, and not all of us are fortunate enough to be in a position where you don’t have to worry about much.
You may not have had parents to grow up with, but you had two grandparents who have loved you enough to stay sober and stick around. ”
“Mel…”
“Thanks to the Astrals and their stupid magical borders that divide all the territories, so many children are born under a different Zodiac sign than their parents. Unless they’re rich enough to possess a travel stone, children are forced to live apart from their families and instead are raised in shitty orphanages.
And others… Well, others can’t afford to escape their families.
Look how lucky you and Basil are. And you and I?
” Mel held my arms fondly. “We’re good at fun.
Let the men in our lives worry about the hard stuff.
That’s all women like us in a world like this can hope for. ”
“You’re right.” I smiled weakly. Like her brother, she didn’t care for Chosens. Still, I feared she wouldn’t take my dreams seriously. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m luckier than most.”
Mel squeezed my hand, even as something unidentifiable flickered in her eyes.
“You know, after our mom walked a few years ago…” Her voice broke.
Rarely did she or Kole discuss their mother’s decision to take her life by walking off the edge of a skyland where there was no safety netting.
Their mother had been unwell for a while, either drinking or sleeping the days away.
“You’ve been a comfort to me, and Kole, even if he won’t admit it.
I’m glad you stumbled into this smelly place all those years ago. ”
I hugged her to me, wanting to squish away the sadness and disappointment from both our hearts.
“Need a room, you two?” Kole crooned. We pulled apart to find him hovering with amusement. His gray eyes held mine. “If you’re into siblings, I’d be more than happy to oblige.”
Mel shoved at Kole’s shoulder. “You’re disgusting.”
“Not with you.” He flicked her forehead.
“Then with who?” Mel swatted him away.
I scanned the room. “Where is—”
“He left a little while ago,” Kole said.
“Without me?”
He shrugged. “Said he needed to calm himself down, but he’ll see you at home. I told him you would stay at our place tonight. With Mel, of course.”
That didn’t sound like Basil. Guilt crawled up my spine at what I’d forced him to do tonight.
“I’m going to find Ross, in that case,” Mel said. “I would like to preserve my ears as much as possible tonight, thank you very much.”
She kissed my cheek before dashing away, leaving Kole and me alone. Our bodies drifted closer. Kole sought my fingers and twined them around his neck. I focused on the tall, lanky man before me. He hovered his mouth inches from mine.
“I hate to see you and your brother at odds, but in truth, I’ve been dying for a moment alone to give you a proper Tempus present.”
I lifted my brows in surprise, unable to bury the lightness spreading.
“We agreed on no presents.” The usual gifts during Tempus ranged from handcrafted butterflies, the creature associated with Gemini, to jewelry made of fake gemstones.
Nobles and other elite could afford real stones imbued with powers of luck, grounding, and protection.
While they appeared like any other gem, travel stones were the rarest of all.
As I pondered my betrothal, the more enticing a travel stone sounded. If I had one in my possession, I could flee from Jere’s grasp—and my grandmother’s. While travel stones were expensive, finding where to purchase one would be the true challenge.
“I enjoy breaking rules. Especially for you.” As Kole’s lips grazed mine, he slipped something small and circular between my palm and his shoulder.
I brought it closer to my face. It was a brassy coin, not at all thin and rusty like Irons.
On one side of the coin, an oddly curved symbol had been etched into the surface.
On the other, a smattering of stars formed an unfamiliar pattern—a constellation.
It dawned on me then what this could be.
I’d never seen one in person, but it matched the rumors that had been swirling around this tavern for years.
“Kole, is this…?”
He grinned knowingly. “Entry into Gemini’s most secretive, scandalous establishment? Why yes, yes it is.” He tossed a second coin in the air and caught it reflexively. “I got one for me too.”
Rumored to be home of one of the most beautiful dancers in the city, if not the kingdom, some swore her beauty was timeless and that she was immortal. No one knew her true identity, and she only danced at one venue.
Serpentine.
I didn’t bother to question how Kole, a lowly barkeep, would manage to purchase not one but two entrance coins when it was reserved for the privileged population like Jere, not common folk like us. My excitement was palpable.
Serpentine was said to draw a particular crowd of miscreants. Going there was a terrible idea. So terrible that I highly doubted the baroness would approve of her son’s engagement to a woman scandalously dallying at a place affiliated with such illicit conduct.
My blood thrummed. I reached up to whisper in Kole’s ear, “What are we waiting for?”