Chapter 42 #2
“Did you research nothing about this court?” She asked, her voice tighter than a string on a bow.
“I, uh…”
“Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you read.
” She paced, as if putting the final pieces of a puzzle in place, “Even when we were in Addie’s rooms. You chose the paper with an image on it.
” Her head tilted towards me, her eyes large, concerned.
“Can you read? Gods, were you given a book from the Eternal House that you may not even know how to read?”
I wanted to collapse in on myself. If I had possessed the ability to shrink or float away on the wind, I would have done it at this very moment.
“I can read.” I stammered, a lisp now being added to my notable challenges in front of Iona.
“Kadian.” She pressed, placing a hand on my arm in a motion that was tender?
“Fine!” I said, “Yes! I can read, but it takes me a lot longer than the average person because I have to spend time organizing the letters to stop them from moving around the page, and when they move, they like to take on new shapes, and new shapes mean new sounds, and new words, when in reality they weren’t new shapes or sounds or words but were in fact just basic ones and… ”
“Kadian,” Iona’s voice was lower than it ever had been. She squeezed my arm, lowering her gaze to mine that had decided now was the time to focus on the one speck of dirt on the floor. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because,” I was desperate for the words to assert themselves, to spring free from my throat, “because…” Because I never had. Brida had been marked as different her entire life. It was not an experience I envied, nor one I had wished to usher upon myself.
Iona let out a sigh as she nodded, coming to understand what I was failing to say.
“Okay. We are going to spend more time together, reviewing these documents. If there is anything you have trouble with, just ask, and I will be happy to help. In addition, if something isn’t clicking, I can review it myself. ”
“It’s not that I need you to do it for me.” I said, finding my nerve, “It’s just that, sometimes, I need that extra bit of time to get there.”
In something that was becoming a terrifying pattern, Iona smiled for the third time, letting go of my arm before making her way to the door.
“Great.” She said, before turning her head over her shoulder to look back at me. “Now get dressed. We have work to do.”
After being given exactly four minutes to get dressed, Iona and I made our way to the library. As had been the norm for the past week or so, Tura was nowhere to be seen. She had left me a note:
Kadian, I will be back in a few days. Do not mess up the books.
Tura
It was comforting to know that she had about as much faith in me as I had in myself.
The library itself seemed dimmer somehow without Tura’s presence. She felt like a beacon among the dingy stacks. The glow radiating from the walls lessened without her.
“You have all of the papers? And the book?” Iona asked as we sat ourselves down at a table on the third floor. I’d come to like this space. The room was one of the few in the House of Shadows that felt as if it didn’t belong. A bit like me.
Taking the folder out of my bag, I spread the papers across the table and stepped back. Not only had I brought the papers from Addie’s room, but the book. I hadn’t been able to glean much information from them, so I was hoping Iona would be able to.
We spent the next few hours going over everything. Every few minutes, I would look over and see Iona furiously circling something in red ink or underlining something she had deemed important. We decided to work for one bell cycle, and then we would share what we’d gathered.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Mm.” Iona didn’t bother looking up from the sheet she’d been scrutinizing for the past twenty minutes.
“You said something earlier, about how being warm is the basic part of Vasenia’s magic. What did you mean?”
After following her pointer finger along a line, Iona smacked the paper and laughed. “As if,” she said before turning her head up to face me. “Did you ask me something?”
I leaned back in my chair, folding my arms over my chest. “Why yes, as a matter of fact, I did.”
“Are you going to repeat it, or am I going to have to drag it out of you?”
Her normal curt tone had returned, but it was laced with something. Playfulness perhaps? A more relaxed edge. Less steel and more play-sword.
“What did you mean about Vasenia’s base magic earlier? The comment you made in my room?”
“Oh, that,” she rolled her eyes as if disappointed by the question.
“Vasenia’s magic is fire because of the connection to wyverns.
It’s where the flames came from. The original magic of the court was simply shadows, but once she managed to coerce the wyverns, flames, heat, all of it took center stage. ”
“Would it not be redundant now? No one has seen a wyvern in millennia.” I asked, but Iona was looking back down over the pages. I poked her arm, but she glared at me with a force that could have melted the skin from my bones. “Fine, fine, I’ll wait.”
Over the course of the next hour, I looked over one of the papers from Addie’s room. Her scribbles had begun to make sense, and I had been able to start to put a few words together.
Lumenia, Thalassa, Erelis. Whoever they were, whatever they were, I still didn’t understand. As the bell struck, I opened my mouth ready to speak, and my stomach grumbled.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to continue to work if I’m going to have to listen to that,” Iona murmured as she looked up from her papers. “Come, let’s get some lunch. Then we can come back and work on this.” She rose, placing the pages back into the bag.
The door was strangely silent as we exited the House of Shadows and made our way to the dining hall. Despite the fact that Iona reminded me that we were perfectly capable of eating amongst our house members and didn’t need to venture to the main dining hall, I needed to get out.
I craved fresh air, the feeling of the world not pressing down on me, sunlight, something. The halls were frenetic, as was common at this time of the day. But in addition to the normal commotion of Azmeer, the pulsating light reflecting off the new barriers was drawing attention.
“What’s going on up there?” I asked as we made our way into a stagnated group in the center of the hall. The corridor had grown silent, save for the odd cooing and disingenuous laughs that echoed off the limestone.
Iona, never one to be pushed to the side, started to make her way through the crowd like a strong wind parting the grass.
It was as if people sensed her frustration and moved out of her way.
As the path cleared, we saw what had caused everyone to come to an abrupt halt.
Walking towards us was the supposed king. The imposter. The murderer.
Rai was surrounded by a group of beautiful Fae women—tall, short, lithe, curvy, it didn’t matter.
“Gods,” Iona scoffed, pushing her fiery hair from her face. It was the first time I had taken time to look at it, and it had darkened?
“Hey, did you know that your hair…”
“Kadian, stop talking.”
“Well, that’s just rude.”
“Ah, Iona! There you are!” Rai bellowed from down the hall as he strode towards us.
Iona turned towards me, her expression grave. Act like you don’t remember the wedding, was what her face said.
Ignore that he is a murderous traitor. As much as it pained me, I would play my part.
As Rai approached, the fawning over him grew louder. The laughing and appraisal of the women stopped when Rai snapped a finger and stood before us, offering his hand to Iona. She clasped it in hers before lowering her lips to his hand. “Your Grace,” she said, her face trained in courtly charm.
“It’s so lovely to see you. I’m sorry I haven’t been to see you since your coronation. I have just been so busy with my new position.”
Rai gestured her upwards, pulling back his hand before snapping his fingers once more. On command, one of the women came forward, offering him a goblet. “Now now, Iona. It is such a tedious task to work. Should you wish, you could become one of the first women in my court.”
Iona peered around him to look at the women, and as she did with all people, she willed them backward just with a glance.
Returning her gaze and smile to Rai, she said, “That is so kind of you. I will have to consider it.”
“That was quite a performance you gave us the other night, Iona. I’m not sure anyone has seen fire magic like that in at least a millennium.”
Fire. Her gift was fire. But hadn’t she said Vasenia hadn’t given her a gift?
“I thank you, Your Majesty. I did my best with what I have been given.”
“Indeed.” Rai nodded before shifting his gaze towards me. “Kadian Taldot,” His stance stiffened, one arm folded across his chest while his other hand rubbed his chin. “If I recall correctly…”
“Your memory is legendary,” a woman cooed behind him, and I saw a pained expression creep across Iona’s face at not being able to roll her eyes.
“Yes, Your Grace.” I muttered. My fists were clenched, I was ready to strike. Just one blow, just one…
Rai nodded and smiled in agreement. “Please do have Tura send me the book that inspired your song.” He took another step toward me before placing a hand on my shoulder.
It took everything in me not to break his furiously warm hand.
“I am so curious to read what it says.” He tugged at my shirt, dark green.
One of the few leftover vestments I had.
Nodding and gritting my teeth, I lowered my gaze.
“Come now,” Rai said, snapping his fingers once more. “I have a meeting to get to.” Rai turned on his heel and made his way down the hall before glancing his head over his shoulder once more. “Iona, come see me soon.”
Iona feigned a smile and curtseyed as Rai resumed his march.
“Are you alright?” I turned to face her. Iona’s gaze found mine, and much to my surprise, it was bright, curious, excited.
“What’s going on?”
“Not here.” She reached for my hand and dragged me into one of the many niches nearing the entrance to the dining hall. Waiting for passersby to resume their strolls, make their way to their offices, or head to lunch, Iona finally said, “Did you not see?”
“See what?” I asked, thinking back on the interaction between the two of them.
Without uttering a word, Iona reached for my hand, turning it right side up. She gently rubbed over the top of it, her gaze meeting mine.
I looked down at my hand, and where we were just standing. “He had no mark on his hand!” I practically squealed.
“I looked at his other as I pressed a kiss to it—which remind me to never do that again.” She said, “And the other one is also blank. Regardless of what he is calling himself, he is not the true king.”
For the first time in weeks, I allowed myself to smile, to revel in joy.
Rai isn’t king. The mark has chosen someone else.
Maybe there is still hope after all.