Page 58 of The Malice of Moons and Mages (The Broken Bonds of Magic #1)

Fifty-Eight

Audra

A udra clung to the sheets, holding on to the last vestiges of Lua’s fading scent. He’d drawn the bed curtains to protect her from view while attendants carried in hot water and prepared his robes. No one other than his anchor could help him dress, but he hadn’t asked her to yet. He kissed her passionately, had one hand already wrapped in her hair, when a voice outside the door called to him.

The frustration in his eyes told her he didn’t want to leave. He cursed and kissed her forehead. “I’ll see you at the ceremony.”

Audra knew what was expected of her—wear the traditional dress and kohl. Walk behind Lua, but not too far, and remain silent in her seat. If anything should happen, protect the Oji with her life. Audra had laughed at that. She’d protect him, but not because they ordered her to, nor because their lives were intertwined. But because she couldn’t imagine an existence without him.

When she was little, her mother had said some people were made from the same starlight. No matter the time or place, they’d always be drawn together. Audra wasn’t romantic, but it felt as if they’d always known each other. Two lonely souls anchored together against the world.

The bloodstone tumbled from the bedding when she rose, skittering across the floor. She wouldn’t wear it, not now anyway. Its presence hurt Lua too much. She tossed it in the bag with the scrolls. One more thing to figure out together later.

Audra had quietly untied the rest of their knots after he’d fallen asleep beside her. The threads were strong and smooth, and untangling them was the right thing to do. With the knots undone, things felt simpler. Clearer somehow. It wasn’t their magic that made her heart race when he touched her. No matter how smooth those threads were, they would always be hopelessly entangled.

The scrolls spoke of untying the knots and severing strings one at a time, but there was a veiled warning in the words she was missing. If Zin were there, she would have known. Of course, if Zin needed to be there, then most of these people would be dead. Something she understood well enough was to leave some strings attached. The fewer the strings, the further they could stretch. But for how far or how long was unclear. And what toll it would take on them both was unknown. Still, it was the only option she’d come up with so far.

Despite the distance, she was sure the jade had worked for Ferin. The bond was strong.

When the servants brought a tray of food, Audra checked for another note and left it covered. Seeing Traq had left her worried. If he had any sense, he’d be miles away by now. Neither he nor the Starlings belonged here. She didn’t belong here.

After bathing, she bided her time perusing the scrolls until the attendants arrived and insisted on moving her to another room as a precaution. Rumors circulated that Oja Selene’s people had infiltrated the guards, and extra measures were being taken to ensure Audra’s safety. They escorted her down two floors to a smaller, dusty room.

They braided her hair in small, swooping twirls before securing the ebony and silver ceremonial robes around her. Her face was painted with kohl, her lips stained the darkest red. It was heavy and hot, but she didn’t complain, if only because she remembered Lua’s previous reaction .

A skittish young servant brought another tray with a small jug of wine. Audra inhaled the oaky aroma longingly then decided against it. She needed to keep her wits. Besides, she was too nervous to eat. What she wanted most was for the night to be over.

A month ago, she crawled through shit for hours on Callaway. Now she was about to be given a seat of power in a country she hated with a man whose love threatened to consume her and who was likely the most despised person in four tribes. She should prepare for anything. Slipping her dulled dagger into the folds of her pocket was absurd after killing someone with her magic, but having something familiar to hold brought a sense of security.

Starling faded along the horizon, casting Raia in a thick shadow along the opposite edge while dual full moons rose. In a few hours they would overlap, and the world’s shadow would steal their glow and restrain their magic.

It was evening when Quin and four guards entered her room.

“Where’s Lua?” she asked. Those within earshot shifted uncomfortably.

“The Oji is waiting for you,” Quin sneered. The guards surrounded her when she stepped into the hall.

“Fallue didn’t mention an armed escort.”

“ Master Fallue owes you no explanation. You shouldn’t think you warrant any.”

Audra’s jaw tightened as the air whispered caution. Something wasn’t right. They passed the main stairwell to the end of the hall and took a small, winding set of stairs down. Chanting echoed against the stone walls. Strange words that hearkened back to ancient times chilled her bones. The voices drowned out their footsteps as they descended into the dim light. She steadied herself with one hand against the damp stone wall.

Quin’s face morphed into a contemptuous mask in the sconce’s warm glow at the bottom of the stairs. He gripped the hilt of his sword. The other soldiers had disappeared behind them somewhere in the darkness, safeguarding the entry.

Audra found the dagger in her pocket. It would be useless against a trained swordsman. She skirted along the wall as he mirrored her movements.

“We’re alone,” Quin said. “Time to be honest. If that’s even possible for a southerner.”

“Westerner, idiot. If you’re going to insult me, try to get it right. Otherwise, you sound ignorant and unobservant.” The thread tugged in response to the sudden quickening of her heart.

“You’re all southerners to us,” he said with loathing. “Your kind should be dead.”

“Did I do something to you? Personally?” she asked. “This kind of hatred usually comes after I’ve done something.”

His fingers twitched around the hilt. He wanted to act, but because of his Oji, he wouldn’t. She saw his hostility for what it was masking—jealousy, envy, sadness.

“Oh, I see, Dain was with him for many years, right? He must have been getting close to his end. You were supposed to be his next anchor.” Quin’s face darkened as she spoke. “Is that it? You blame me for whatever you think you lost.”

He hissed. “I should be beside him, not you. I’ve trained my whole life to protect him. You are nothing . Less than nothing. A foreign parasite here to confuse him. You ruined everything. You stole him.”

“Well, she is a thief.” Lua emerged from the shadowed tunnel behind Quin, midnight robes flowing around him like star-littered water. A silvery thread snaked from Lua’s hand and wrapped around Quin’s neck.

The guard’s eyes widened. He tried speaking, but each movement caused the magic to blister his chin. A sickly, burning stench permeated the room. Lua pulled her to his side protectively.

“Let him go,” she said.

Lua’s jaw clenched stubbornly. The thread pulsed closer around Quin’s throat.

“He wasn’t going to hurt me,” she said.

“I heard the threat in his voice.”

“He wouldn’t. Hurting me would hurt you.” Her magic thrummed, aching to reach and calm him, but she held it at bay. She needed to see him try to withdraw it on his own. “He’s loyal to you. Please stop. ”

There was a slight tug along their thread. Lua’s magic sizzled, bright and blinding, before dissipating. Quin gasped and rubbed the welts around his throat.

“I’ll deal with this after the ceremony,” Lua said. “You should thank your Raani for sparing your life.”

The look Quin gave her could have been many things, but gratitude was not one of them. The chanting reverberated from beyond the corridor into her bones.

With a last look at Quin, Lua guided her gently into the dark hall. They stopped outside a massive, ornately carved arched entryway. The Silence moon god sigil—composed of bluest abalone and obsidian—was split in half across the doors.

The chanting voices inside had dropped into soft prayers. Their vibratos made Audra pause as it kindled memories of the Western monks’ ceremonies she’d attended as a child. But the incense that drifted through the doors was different. These words were unfamiliar.

Quin’s sentiments haunted her ears. She shouldn’t be here. And Traq?—

“Forget him. You belong with me.” Lua kissed her knuckles while his other arm held her waist. Their bodies pressed together, breath in sync.

“Lua—”

His mouth met hers. Audra dissolved into the sensation of being seen at the deepest level and desired anyway. Both fierce in their visceral longing to be half of the whole they were creating.

The chanting beyond the doors resumed and swelled. Lua held her, kissing her forehead. Nervousness shimmered toward her. He wanted to be the Rajav, but his need for her held him in this moment. Audra held him, knowing that everything was about to change.

“I need to tell you something,” she said.

He smiled. “I know it’s difficult for you to say.”

“You know?”

“You love me.”

Lua frowned at her hesitation. She’d been a fool. He would have shown Traq mercy if she’d asked him to.

“Yes. I love you. More than I’ve ever loved anyone. And I don’t care if it’s magic or being your anchor or whatever it is. You are mine and I am yours,” she said. “But there’s something else I should have told you yesterday. Traq is somewhere on the grounds, and the Moon mages from the ruins. They’re together and?—”

The doors creaked open, casting Lua’s features in stark contrasts of shadows and all’ights. The chorus overwhelmed Audra’s small voice. She desperately gripped Lua’s hand.

Fallue motioned them forward, but Lua hesitated, holding her gaze for a long moment. A small furrow marred his smooth brow. His jaw jutted subtly to one side. Lua’s worry deepened.

The cheers that rose from the room were like a wave calling to the sea. An electric thrill pulsed in the air. He brushed the fallen hair from her eyes and tucked it behind her ear. He embraced her a final time and whispered into her ear. “I’ll always protect you.”

Fallue shot her a reticent look before formally saluting the Oji. With a small squeeze of her hand, Lua pulled away and started into the room. Protocol held Audra back a pace, breaking their hands apart. She clung to his obsidian wake, momentarily overwhelmed by the lights and engulfing noise.