Page 19 of A Taste For Lies (The Apex Kingdom #1)
Chapter 19
ALORA
T he library ceiling arches above, supported by vaults inset with colored skylights that let in the natural light. Amber chandeliers lend a softened glow to the wall-to-ceiling bookshelves, comfortable armchairs, and big wood tables. The comforting smell of books fills the air, unmarred by the musty dust tang of neglect—the room is kept in pristine condition.
Whatever else can be said about the Veridian Elite, their palace was designed by a master.
As promised, the place appears abandoned. Almost. There’s an older woman sitting at a massive desk, a librarian, I assume. She doesn’t so much as glance up from her book.
I stroll towards the back, scanning the titles as I pass as though I’m here to pick out a book. I’ve always thought the guild’s collection impressive, and perhaps their books are rarer, but the sheer size and breadth of this library puts theirs to shame.
The farther I go, the tighter the knot in my stomach grows. I’ve been wandering the labyrinth for several minutes, no closer to finding the prince, when my mind starts racing with what-ifs. What if another Elite finds me? Demands to know where my Apex is? But before I can spiral further, his head pops out from behind a door, and he gestures for me to hurry in to join him .
The room is small, meant for research, with a heavy wooden table at its center surrounded by shelves that curve into the walls. Open books spread out in chaotic piles across the desk, and at its head sits the prince. Although the wooden chair is a normal size, it looks like it was made for a child with the enormous Apex parked in it. He peers up at me from beneath tousled dark hair. I go to shut the door, but he barks out a “No!” with one hand outstretched to stop me.
I raise my eyebrows.
Taran lets his hand fall to the desk. “Sorry, can you keep it open, please?”
I look to the open door leading out to the library, then back at the clandestine meeting with the Elite prince, then back out to the open library, confused. “Aren’t you worried that someone will see us alone together? I know there’s the ruse of the announcement, but the law is still very clear—”
He leans back in his chair. “There are no other scents in this library besides ours and Mrs. Belgrade’s. She’s a reclusive human and not one for gossip. Plus, she’s too far away to hear us.”
I purse my lips. “Your gift is weirdly useful.”
One side of his mouth kicks up into a lazy half-smile.
Leaving the door open, I plop down in the armchair across from the prince. Unlike his, it’s plenty roomy for me. “Alright, Your Beastliness, what’s so important I had to come straight here to meet you?” I roll my shoulders, the corset digging in. “You might have let me change out of this torture device first.”
He peruses my dress with that same heavy gaze that’s like a hand trailing upon my skin, though he doesn’t move a muscle. “And miss getting to sit across from you wearing it?”
Before my lips can fully settle into a deep frown, he’s already holding up his hands in surrender. “Truly, I didn’t realize Maeve wouldn’t let you change first.” He gestures at his own attire—more casual, perfectly comfortable.
“Not all of us can just waltz out of the queen’s garden party whenever we feel like it,” I grouch .
“Touché.” He shifts in his seat, gaze dropping to my neckline. “I see you’re wearing the chain.”
“You were right. It’s more subtle.” My fingers run along the golden necklace, his gaze following the motion. It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask about the lily, but—
“How did you lose your shadow?” he asks.
“The poor thing is exhausted; I told her to lie down. Also, I get the impression she’s used to ceding to Elite authority. Even though she knows I’m not a real lady, the response is too ingrained.”
“Enjoying the advantages of our new cover, are we?”
I shrug. “The guild can’t learn about your involvement.” And not just for the sake of the prince’s heist. It’s my and Eleni’s guild memberships on the line if they do.
His eyes narrow. “Indeed. So we’d better get this over and done with as soon as possible.” The prince picks out one of the books on the table and hands it to me.
I finger the gilded lettering on the front cover of the heavy volume. It looks like a book of fairy tales or legends. “ The Gods of Valenrae ,” I read aloud.
His brows arch. “I gathered you had an ear for languages but I didn’t expect that extended to old Valenraenian.”
“It doesn’t,” I answer honestly. “I had to study it. Dead languages like this one are harder to learn.”
“I see. Something else that any thief worth her salt can do, I imagine?” My lips twitch and he responds with a teasing smile so brilliant, I have to pretend to examine the book in my hands.
He clears his throat. “Well, as you read, this is the history of the gods of Valenrae.”
“And?” I prompt. This is the longest I’ve ever had to wear a corset before and the boning is digging into my ribs. I shift uncomfortably, trying to find relief.
“And I think it holds the key to how you can help me find the amulet. ”
Now we’re getting somewhere. “Thinking you have god-like powers, Apex?”
He ignores the jab, holding out one large hand for the book. I hand it back, less than graciously. He turns it over, visibly steeling himself to reveal whatever it is he’s brought me here to tell me.
“Spit it out, Prince.”
“I’m just deciding where best to start. First, you need to know this—I can scent the amulet.”
He pauses for a reaction, but I stare back, nonplussed.
“I thought you’d have some feelings about that,” he mutters, almost sulking.
I shrug. “This is meant to be Faunera’s amulet, right? The one she gifted her human consort, Calyx?”
His shock is extremely gratifying. I try very hard to keep the smirk off my face, but I don’t think I manage it. “It’s not that hard to guess, Prince Nyxley. You hand me The Gods of Valenrae . You’re looking to steal a super special amulet. Maeve says you’re the only one who can find it. It makes sense you would be able to scent it. If you believe the tale, the amulet is practically the genesis of the Apex race.”
“Do you believe it?” he asks curiously. “The legend of the amulet?”
“Do I believe Apex inner creatures emerge because a mystical goddess imbued an amulet with her power so she could gift the heartbeat of nature to her human consort?” I scoff. “No, not really.”
His face doesn’t so much as twitch, completely impassive. Whatever reaction he’s having is locked away.
“But…” He nods encouragingly, and I continue. “If you’re saying you can sense it, there must be something to its origins. I just don’t believe it has anything to do with why Apex emerge.”
“Why do you think we emerge then?” His voice is thoughtful.
“What do you care what I think about it?”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve had the chance to ask a new person their theories on the subject. ”
I stare at him. “You are…”
“What?”
“Different, I guess. Than I thought you’d be.” He’s talking like he’s a fair-skinned scholar who spends his days buried in books. Not the enormous physical specimen in front of me, muscled and bronzed by hours spent outdoors fighting and tracking down Apex for the Veridian military.
“I’d say I’m happy to surprise you, but I fear your expectations of me were so dismal I couldn’t help but do that.” His voice is quiet.
A prickle of shame drips through me, unwelcome. Maybe that’s why I ask, “Why do you think Apex emerge?”
His gaze drops to the book in his hands. “After I emerged, that question haunted me. You can’t imagine what it was like. One moment being sure of who you are, of your place in this world, and the next—” His eyes finally lift to mine; they hold a rawness that presses against the ache already throbbing in my chest. “My mother told me that Apex inner creatures emerge when we’re ready to live in harmony with them. For some people, their natural gifts and inner creatures never align. And so their senses stay dormant. Untouched. It is the soul’s own instinct that brings them to life.” He shakes his head as if to clear it. “I don’t know if she was just trying to make me feel better, but I haven’t come across a better explanation. You’re correct that we’re going after Faunera’s amulet. Or Calyx’s, if you prefer. And, as I said, I can sense it through my gift. For whatever reason that is.” He gives me a small smile. “But what I’ve found in this book, what I think I’ve found, is a way you may be able to sense it, too.”
He opens immediately to the page he wants, as if the book’s bindings have contorted to allow easier access to this much-traveled section. He starts to hand it back, then pauses.
“Would it be better if I read it to you?”
I don’t sense any mocking from the prince, and in truth, I’ll follow it far better, so I merely nod. As he starts reading the old Valenraenian text aloud in his gravelly voice, I close my eyes so I can let the tale roll through me.
“ The time came for Faunera to leave the Elysian Forest and make her journey around the world to bring new life to her creations. Yet, in the quiet recesses of her heart, Faunera harbored concerns for Calyx’s safety in her absence.
“ Even the stoneclaws, Faunera’s four fiercest guardians bound to protect her consort, couldn’t quell the goddess’s worries. The treacherous nature of divine politics whispered fears of Calyx being targeted by envious gods who might exploit Faunera’s vulnerability through her mortal love.
“ Determined to safeguard her cherished consort, Faunera attempted to forge a divine connection with Calyx, an ethereal connection that would allow her to temporarily share in her gifts. Time and again, beneath the boughs of the Eternal Redwood, they intertwined their energies. And for a time, the heartbeat of the realm resonated within Calyx, a testament to their boundless love.
“ However, the transient nature of the connection left Faunera unsettled and unable to alleviate the gnawing anxiety that gripped her heart. The risks remained, and her divine responsibilities to the creatures of Valenrae beckoned her away .”
Taran sets down the book. “The rest is the story, you know. Faunera creates the amulet so Calyx can be forever protected and she can leave to do her duties to her creations.” He pauses, studying me. “Do you know, when you frown, you get this little line—” He reaches out and touches lightly between my brows. “Just there?”
I let my frown drop into a full-fledged scowl, and he chuckles. “What’s the matter, Lady Lynx?”
“Why have I never heard that part of the legend before?” I tap my thigh in an agitated rhythm. “The guild has access to more rare books than the Veridian palace, surely.”
“Ah, but do any of the guild obsessively study Faunera’s amulet?” Carter’s perpetually cheerful voice breaks our tense little bubble. I start, glancing again at the open door, but Taran seems unperturbed. Of course. He must have sensed Carter as soon as he entered the library. Useful indeed.
Carter saunters in and drops a plate of tea sandwiches on the table. I snatch one up without hesitation. He sends me his crooked smile, the one that had Eleni so bashful. “Thought you might be hungry. I’ll never understand why the kitchens make so much food for the queen’s parties when none of the Elite are going to eat a bite anyway.” He leans over and taps the top of the book. “Tare’s been researching this one topic exclusively. And he has the coin and resources of the Veridian palace behind him. I’m sure one of the guild even secured this volume for him.”
Taran bristles. “They did not. I located and purchased this one myself.” Carter rolls his eyes at his prince.
I swallow another bite of the cucumber sandwich. It’s delicious. “So…you think you can somehow share your power with me long enough that I can find the amulet? That sounds like a stretch.”
“Wildcat, this whole endeavor’s a stretch,” Carter retorts, leaning against the wall.
“I’m just saying we should try,” Taran coaxes me in an earnest tone. “If it doesn’t work, we’re no worse off than we started. But if it does…”
“You could just give me a general location, and I’d be able to go in there and steal the amulet myself,” I finish for him. The thought is tempting—a picture of simplicity compared to this convoluted plan. It would give me control and this heist a far better chance of success. But—“Where would we even start?”
Taran taps the text, repeating it word for word. “ Time and again, beneath the boughs of the Eternal Redwood, they intertwined their energies. We have a royal redwood grove in our forest, a kind of shrine where kings and queens used to go to pray. And there’s an enormous tree right in the very center of it.”
“ Used to go to pray?” I ask, reaching for a second sandwich.
“Considered very pagan now,” Carter remarks conversationally. “Communing with the gods, outside in nature. Faunera herself is quite out of fashion. King and Queen Nyxley take their prayers in the royal temple of Lumos. ”
Of course the mother of nature and Apex is out of fashion with the Elite. And is it any wonder their king prefers to worship the arrogant male sun god?
But I push that thought aside. It’s time to do what I do best—pressure test this fledgling plan by poking as many holes in it as possible.
Rule Number Two: The first thing is first.
“Faunera was a goddess. You’re just an Apex.”
“Not just an Apex.” To my surprise, it’s Carter who responds. “The most powerful Apex to ever emerge.”
My head snaps to Taran, who shrugs. “My gift is sensing other Apex’s power levels. As far as I know, no one else comes close.” His tone isn’t boastful, merely matter of fact.
I take my time chewing my last bites of sandwich, hesitant to share my primary concern. But it can’t go unsaid. Now really is the best time to address it, before we go too far down this path.
“Faunera and Calyx were joined already. They shared an emotional connection before Faunera was able to gift her powers.”
Taran blows out a breath. I can see he’s thought of this already.
“You’re right, that’s the biggest unknown. And the hardest to overcome. But I still think it’s worth a try. I’ll have to be seen at every revel from now to Samhain, and this is the only way I can think of that you can search for the amulet, too.”
His silver eyes meet mine, and a current sparks, hot and electric, as though he’s reached across the table and struck me with a lightning bolt. I rub at the ache in my chest, or maybe it’s my bruised rib cage beneath the corset. “I’m not saying I necessarily believe this, but if this amulet is indeed a magical artifact, does it have any…properties…I need to be aware of?”
Taran and Carter tense in unison. It’s unnerving, like two coiled predators poised to strike. I swallow, wishing I had a drink to wash down the sandwiches.
“I know you don’t trust me,” I continue, dry-mouthed. “And you don’t need to. But right now, our interests align. I shouldn’t have to explain to you the risks I’m taking for this heist. What will happen to me if I’m caught by the king of Veridia. Or even just the guild, for that matter.” A muscle tics in Taran’s jaw. “If the amulet could…do something to me…I need to know.”
Taran draws in a sharp breath. “Faunera’s amulet forces humans to emerge as Apex.”
I rear back, all the blood draining from my face. The shock is on par with when I sensed his stoneclaw for the first time. We all know Apex are dangerous. The only saving grace is that they’re rare. “What?” I choke out.
Carter’s gaze flicks to Taran before it meets mine. “It never works as intended. The new Apex goes feral before they can find the balance with their inner creature.”
“The balance…” I repeat faintly, Taran’s words from earlier coming back to me. My mother told me that Apex inner creatures emerge when we’re ready to live in harmony with them. For some people, their natural gifts and inner creatures never align. If a human were instead forced to emerge…
I gasp. “Is that how your mother died?”
It’s Taran’s turn to start backwards, his eyes wide as saucers. “What?” he whispers. My heart squeezes, and I deeply regret my insensitive words.
Carter’s eyes thin, his arms cross over his chest. “Who told you that?”
“M-Maeve,” I stutter. “She said a feral Apex k-killed the queen. Then the queen’s Apex died trying to save her.”
Taran exhales a long breath, shutting his eyes. Carter rests a hand on his charge’s shoulder. “Yes,” he answers for the shaken prince. “After the amulet turned the poor soul feral, the Apex turned on the queen. Queen Kora was a tender-hearted woman to the end. She thought she could bring the Apex’s humanity back.”
We lapse into an uncomfortable moment of silence. I remember Maeve saying the queen was like her mother. Now I understand why she’s so committed to this heist.
Rule Number Four: Everyone wants something.
“Why would the king use the amulet to turn humans?”
Taran’s eyes fly open, and he gives me a hard look. “You really have to ask that question? ”
My brow furrows as I grasp at potential theories. “For more guardians? The Elite don’t have enough protection?”
“Not protection, Wildcat.” Carter’s tone is grim. “Offense.”
I drag in a sharp breath. “He’s building an army.”
“Trying to.” Taran’s words are coated in bitterness. “Faunera be damned if they all go feral.”
I twist my fingers in my blue skirts. “What does the king do when they turn feral?”
Taran’s shoulders drop as if the weight of the world is weighing on them. “The Apex paces a dungeon cell for two days, clawing at the bars, until Lord Winters deems the experiment a loss and they’re publicly executed. Keeps the human populace terrified of Apex and dependent on the Elite who leash them.”
My heart is pounding. In my rush to solve my own mysterious past, I’ve stumbled headfirst into a political nightmare, maybe more dangerous than the heist itself. But there’s still one thing that selfishly scares me more than the king and his advisor’s plans for the kingdom. “You’re saying if I touch this amulet…”—my voice cracks—“I’ll become an Apex? And likely…go feral?” I can barely get the words out.
Carter’s brows slash. “I don’t know that a simple touch would do it. They typically hold the amulet to the subject’s body until it…marks them.”
“Marks…”
“Burns a brand into their flesh, Lynx,” Taran finishes. “Faunera’s sigil.”
As if pulled by the same strong force, all our gazes drop to the open book on the table, Faunera’s tail and horns staring up at us.
I swallow hard. “Be that as it may. I believe I’ll wear gloves.” My feeble attempt at humor falls flat. Another thought occurs to me. “If they’re trying to hide that they’re forcing humans to emerge, does that mean the Apex records will be more securely kept, too?”
Carter’s mouth dips down into an atypical frown. “Taran told me about that, and I don’t think you understand the gravity of the ask. Simon Winters keeps them under lock and key in his lair. ”
I can’t help the gasped laugh that slips out of me despite the serious subject matter. “His what?”
Carter’s lips twitch. “It’s a subterranean office near the dungeons. Wait until you see it. Lair is the appropriate word.”
Taran fixes a steely-eyed look on me across the table, his mouth tightening. “You won’t see it. I’ll handle the guardian records; you’ll handle the amulet. As we agreed.”
“That’s ridiculous. You’re the only one who can sense the amulet,” I point out. “And I am perfectly able to break into any ‘lair’ to steal the records. You promised me those before Samhain, need I remind you.” I study the prince’s stony expression. “I’m not going to take off once I have the records, you know. I would never not follow through on a deal.”
“I’m not worried about that,” he says. “I trust you to be a professional. I know your guild membership is important to you.”
Implied is the threat that he’ll ensure I lose it if I leave him high and dry. He needn’t bother—Xinlei would strip me of it himself. “So what are you worried about then?”
His face is inscrutable. “Let’s try the linking first. See if I can share my power with you. Then we can discuss the best path forward.”
“Right now?” For some reason, my stomach twists with nerves.
Taran shakes his head. “Tonight. After Mei is asleep, so we can be sure we won’t be caught together.” He glances at Carter. “Can you walk Lady Lynx back to her suite?”
I bite my lower lip, and the prince’s silver eyes zero in on it. I quickly release it. “What are people going to say when they see the prince’s Apex guardian at my side?”
He blows out a breath. “Less than they’d say if they saw the Apex prince at your side. Carter will trail you like he’s keeping an eye on you.”
“I can walk myself back,” I point out.
Carter bows solemnly. “Less suspicious to be trailed by a palace guardian than flitting about on your own, My Lady.” The wink he throws in takes the sting off the honorific .
“Fine,” I grumble. At least I can finally take off the godsdamn corset.
As we walk through the palace back to my suite, Carter trailing behind me as promised, I glance at the portraits lining the walls. The king stares back from multiple stages of his life—crowned in youth, austere in age. His new queen is present also. And the young crown prince. Even Taran is immortalized in oil at various points. But there’s no Queen Kora.
Not a single portrait.
As if she never existed at all.