Page 79

Chapter

Fifty-Six

Liv

I hate the feeling of the in-between—the moment between change.

Like when I was dying by the river, just waiting to be found by the Keepers, or worse, to be found by the god of death.

Avenmae has become the in-between. I’m waiting every day for something to happen, and I fear what that something will be.

D espite my conviction, I did let people boss me around.

I couldn’t recall Maev’s city because I had been in a state of panic. Fear tunnelled my vision until there was no street, only the two large horses pulling an elegant white carriage displaying me before hundreds, maybe thousands of people shouting and celebrating.

The Festival of the Arts spanned the entire city. The crowd was endless as I was carried along. I recalled flashes of colourful streamers in the air as the sun shone off them, waving on a breeze.

Triumphant cheers and screams for the saviour had my blood running cold, and the demands for protection twisted my gut.

I had been attacked by Aethar, yelled at by a god, and come face to face with a giant black dragon who sucked up my magic, but I had never felt more fear than I had in that carriage, sitting ramrod straight and looking from one horse’s ass to the other because I couldn’t meet the eyes of the people.

I was not what they had waited thousands of years for. But then again, neither was the Aspis. It hadn’t killed me like the Guardians had hoped.

After being paraded through the city, Maev found me a cloak to cover my hair and looped her arm through mine to drag me through the markets.

The Festival of the Arts brought vendors selling all kinds of well-made crafts and foods.

Large squares had towers where musicians played, and crystal-powered devices amplified the sound.

People danced below in brightly coloured clothing and painted faces.

I came alive in the streets, no longer seized by fear when the citizens weren’t watching, able to enjoy the city for what it was.

Maev found a vendor selling jewellery. They were all in sets of two, and she bought us a matching pair of blue necklaces and tied one around my neck.

“ Friendship necklaces ,” she had told me.

There were crystals woven into them, mine now glowing to match my bracelet and earrings.

Maev then lent me coin so I could buy two sets of bracelets.

When the sun went down, lights exploded in the sky, and we joined the people to dance and drink. It was freeing. My face hurt from all the smiling.

Maev called it when she grew too tired to continue, and she walked me back to the castle. “I am exhausted,” she said. “My feet hurt worse than when we had to climb those rocky hills.”

“I will sleep like the dead tonight,” I agreed.

“Tomorrow, I’ll send word to Cal that we will meet him in two days’ time.” Maev yawned, stopping at the floor beneath my suite. “I need another day to collect crystals for you and to make arrangements for an airship and supplies.”

“In the meantime, I plan to hide from the Elders. I can’t handle another day of being dragged in front of a city of strangers.”

Maev waved goodbye, agreeing to avoid the Elders as much as possible.

I pulled myself up the stairs, ready to discard the dress and slippers. I needed a bath and was grateful when I found fresh water hot and ready in my bathing room. The staff here made themselves invisible.

I took my time in the hot water. Like the rest of the castle, the massive bathroom was made of white stone, with the softest blue carpets. A lightweight nightgown provided for me shone like an opal in the candlelight.

I was drying my hair, about to go to bed, when a crash came from outside.

Someone was in my suite.

I tiptoed into the bedroom to find the doors to the balcony standing wide open.

I had closed them after I entered.

“Maev?” I whispered.

The breeze from outside sent the door crashing against the wall, and I jerked back. I covered my mouth to stifle my scream, catching a glimpse of a tall figure moving past the window outside.

I padded silently past the bed, terrified that the shadow monster was prowling outside the doors. I held the thin fabric of my nightgown as I peeked outside.

My jaw went slack.

Brekt was there with his arms braced on the railing, looking out over the city. Hair tied back, he looked exactly like he had in my worn-out photo.

I didn’t make a sound, scared the dream would end, and I would wake to find I was alone. A quick glance at the sky lit with a million stars told me this was no dream.

He was here.

His black clothing hugged his muscular frame, showing off his powerful body. I sighed in awe of him, and he turned in my direction. A shy smile lifted one side of his mouth as his gaze collided with mine, warm and inviting.

Did I dare go to him? Was I safe?

I checked to make sure my swords were beside my bed where I left them.

Brekt’s shoulders dropped, but he didn’t say anything.

“It’s been over two weeks since you said you’d visit.” I wrapped my arms around myself and stayed partially behind the doors. My mind, my body and my heart warred with each other.

He was checking me over—looking for signs of the Ikhor?

That’s when I realized what I was wearing—a sheer nightgown that covered very little.

I did the same and took in every detail of him. I was ashamed when I noticed the new scar over his left eye. A mark I had made when he was the beast.

“I would have thought you were just another dream,” he said in a low voice, “wearing that thing. But the hair, the eyes—this is real. This place beyond the railing is unlike anything I’ve seen. I’m in the Aethar lands?”

“Yes. In the city of Avenmae.”

“Amongst the people who worship the Ikhor.”

Moonlight played over the balcony, lighting up the polished stone. But Brekt? He absorbed the light and turned it to shadow. Parts of him disappeared, hiding from sight.

He was hiding from me .

“Don’t call me that.” My jaw clenched, and I shook myself to stop the growing irritation.

“What should I call you, love? Little evil upset you, too.”

“So you were aware of what you said as the half-beast?”

His gaze sharpened on my mouth. “I was aware, though not fully in control. But if I recall, I believe you enjoyed my company.”

“I haven’t said I’ve forgiven you. I can barely accept that it is you.”

The damned man grinned. “Don’t blush when I call you names like that, and I’ll stop saying it. And forgive me for what? What have I done to anger the Ikhor?”

He was baiting me—testing me—which meant he still wasn’t sure where we stood.

“I don’t know. Lying to me the entire time and hiding that you were the Aspis?”

He scratched the back of his neck. “You’re right about that one … love.” His lips twitched.

Fucker. I gathered my sanity. It was like trying to gather sand through loose fingers, I was a mess, but I decided to join him on the balcony.

He faded farther into the shadows, blending with the night.

The last time we stood together like this—with no signs of the Aspis or the magic—had been on the deck of the airship. When he had tried to kill me.

I walked cautiously, my arms falling to my sides, toying with the fabric of my nightgown.

My bare feet padded on the smooth stone.

The soft wind was cool on my legs, which were bare from my thighs down.

My silvery hair blew over my shoulder, exposing the mangled scarring around the arm I almost lost.

I pulled a strand of hair, chewing my lip. I was suddenly shy. Unsure of myself. Would he run when he got closer and saw the terrifying colour of my eyes?

But he was hiding, too. We were both unsure of the other.

What were we to each other after everything?

Brekt rested a hip on the railing, folding his arms across his chest. The sight of him standing there casually made my breathing hitch. The desire to jump into his arms was overwhelming.

It was the hole in his shirt that pulled me away from uncertainty and soothed it to a calm desire to reconnect with him. We were changed, but not enough to let a rift separate us.

“I apologize,” his voice dropped even lower. “For the time we spoke in the dark place. I didn’t know whether to trust it was you.”

“And what about the deck of the airship? You nearly threw me into the open air, almost killed my new friends.”

Brekt shrugged. “I suppose I got a little forward with the blue one.”

The reminder that Ollo was in danger, or worse, dead, hit me hard. I had to stuff down the pain before my magic reacted. “Is there no word on him? Have the Guards seen him?”

Brekt shook his head. “I haven’t seen the Guards since I saw you in the caves.”

“Maev, his twin, swears he’s alive. We have to find him. We need your help.”

His form darkened, and I could feel his desire to ask me something, yet he remained silent.

“Ask me,” I said, because I knew where his thoughts had taken him. Of course, I knew. He had met Ollo. He had heard me call him “the beautiful blue man” a long time ago. He knew I had travelled with said beautiful man and saw me crumble when I discovered the Ravins had taken him.

“Is he your lover?” The words came out in a growl.

I let out a breath of frustration, unsure of what to say and deciding on the truth. “We became close. And he promised to help me save you. So no, we were not lovers.”

A single nod and Brekt disappeared.

I held myself back from reaching for him. Did he hide on purpose, or was he unable to control himself, like me, when emotions were too strong?

My next words were shaky. “What will you do with the information?”

The iridescence in his eyes flickered as he reappeared. An unnamed emotion swam through them. “Make up my mind.”

If I had never found that photo of him, it wouldn’t have made a difference—I would never have forgotten a single detail about his strong jaw, the scar running past his temple, or the way his dark gaze entrapped me.

“Whether to kill me?”

He inched closer. Even with all the power I held, I was so small next to him.