Chapter 31

When Ellie woke up, it was to an empty bed and a brief note from Cadmus.

"Meet me in the dining hall for breakfast. Your clothes are on the table. C."

"What? No ‘Thanks for a great night'? No ‘Love, Cadmus'? No ‘To my dearest affai'? Jerk." She smiled as she grumbled, her body and mind too replete from her adventures with Cadmus the previous night to be truly annoyed. After stretching, she searched for a bathroom and blinked at the majesty of his room during the day.

She might have stood in a greenhouse. Plants of every color and size bordered a ledge near the ceiling and covered one entire wall of his room. Several lavender and white flowers, the iria he'd mentioned, seemed to be smiling at her, their blossoms impossibly rich and abundant. The floor was stone, but around the massive four-poster marble bed laid a rug of intricate design, that of a gnarled and ancient tree, in an incredibly soft material, in shades of brown and green. Several portraits of Cadmus and his brothers adorned the wall, as well as a picture of his mother and father—a man with a large smile and a twinkle in his dark grey eyes that definitely called to mind her lover. Several mirrors reflected light from some source outside the castle, but to her surprise, she couldn't find any holes in the walls or ceiling.

Despite the grandness of the furnishings, the room reminded her of what she would have thought a castle room would look like. Stone floors, a heavy oak door, no windows. And no bathroom. Frowning, she searched, but the other door in the room remained locked. To her dismay, only a small cupboard showed any sign of relief in the guise of a chamber pot. She made use of it and the washstand in the corner, wishing heartily for a toothbrush or some deodorant.

So much for magic being the end-all. A chamber pot. Ech. But, making do, she completed her necessities and quickly donned the feminine clothing left over a table. A silky brown blouse and matching loose-fitting pants with leather slippers. After brushing her hair, she left the room. Not having the faintest clue to where the dining hall might be, she figured to ask the nearest person she passed. To her surprised delight, she ran into Jonas a few steps from the bedroom.

"Jonas."

Dressed in the same simple trousers and tunic from the other day with a large sword strapped to his back between his shoulder blades, Jonas grinned and bowed. "I'm so pleased to be at your service, my lady." He studied her outfit and whistled. "Nice clothes. Pure shevi silk. I'm impressed."

"Expensive?"

"Very." He approved. "And the brown is most befitting the Earth Lord's affai."

She blushed, pleased Cadmus had given her something that clearly tied her to him. "Whatever. I know you weren't happy to have to join me here, but I'm glad to see you."

"Who said I wasn't happy? Though it would have been nice to have been asked."

They walked through several hallways, Jonas leading, chatting about Ethim and Amanda's sudden merging of hearts.

"It's about damned time, in my opinion. You should have seen them together last night, Ellie. Necking like fools and grinning like idiots."

"You've obviously never been in love." She wished she could have seen her parents so affectionate.

He grunted. "Love? Love is for," he paused, catching the hard glare she sent him. "For people who deserve it," he recovered nicely. "Not for hardened warriors like myself."

"Sure, Jonas. Just remember your attitude when some woman kicks you in the ass."

"Kicks me?" He smirked. "I've turned down more offers from women than you can count, ‘little Djinn,'" he mocked. "How the mighty have fallen. I distinctly remember you telling me how much you disliked Cadmus Storm and anything to do with magic. Seems like you were sandbagging, hmm?"

"Oh, shut up. Who invited you anyway?"

They walked down a flight of stairs before a commotion drew their attention to the left.

"Stay here," Jonas ordered, his voice flat and commanding.

Surprised at his tone, Ellie nodded and waited while he investigated. The noise sounded fierce, as if two or more people were fighting. Jonas disappeared around the corner and all was silent. Then a noise sounded to her right. Ellie saw nothing out of the ordinary. Then she heard the noise again.

"Psst. Over here."

She glanced in the direction of the voice and slowly approached a half-open door. The minute she drew abreast of the knob, a hard hand yanked her inside before she could make a peep.

"Shh, Ellie, it's me." Lexa closed the door, sealing her and Ellie inside, and waved her hand over it as she chanted under her breath. "We're safe to talk."

Ellie stared at her friend in shock. "Are you nuts? Do you remember Mr. Killer of Shadow who wants your blood? Arim will have a fit if he knows you're here."

"So don't tell him." Lexa ran a hand through her hair, visibly upset.

"Why are you here?" Ellie stared at her friend, feeling waves of tension pouring from the slight woman. It still felt odd to look down at her, when for so long they'd both stood eye to eye. "And how tall are you, anyway?"

Lexa laughed, a forced chuckle that at least helped alleviate some of her stain. "Not as tall as I wish I could be. Oh, Ellie, we've got problems."

"Tell me something I don't know." As if Cadmus' vision, of him bound and bloodied, would leave her mind's eye anytime soon.

"No, I mean real problems right now. I think one of the Sarqua has been compromised."

"What?"

"Your father's Djinn. I think one of them may have been turned." Lexa's eyes blazed, and Ellie blinked at the flare of light.

"Sorry." Lexa shuttered her focus. "The fact that I can't see who has been turned tells me Sin Garu is definitely involved. His spells are painstakingly complex, and this one more so. I saw Remir spying on us the other night. And I think I saw…"

"Saw what?"

"I'm not sure yet. But Ellie, you can't tell anyone, especially not Arim or Cadmus. If you do, all the good work the Sarqua have done thus far will be for nothing. And your relationship to Cadmus may not survive."

"No, Alex, I mean Lexa. Cadmus loves me. He would know I have nothing to do with a Sarqua traitor."

"Are you so sure he'd believe you?" Lexa asked quietly. "I hate to say it, Ellie. But I know what I'm talking about. As much as your Light Bringer says he loves and trusts you, in the end you're still Dark, and he's still Light." Lexa radiated a sadness Ellie could feel. "I once loved and thought I was loved in return, until something horrible happened. Everything I believed, everything I had ever cared for, came crashing down around me. I don't want to see that happen to you, Ellie. You're worlds better than I am, and you deserve to be happy."

"But Lexa?—"

"Let me find and take care of Remir and this threat. At least give me a chance to trace the problem. When I do, you can tell Cadmus what I suspect. Hell, maybe you're right and he'll listen to you. I just wanted to warn you that not everyone is what they seem."

Ellie nodded, wishing she could deny Lexa's warning as necessary. As much as Cadmus claimed his love, they hadn't known one another all that long. His father had been killed by a Djinn, by her people. Family is everything to me, she recalled him saying, and strengthened her resolve.

"Lexa, Jonas heard something. Maybe it was Remir?"

"Jonas? I hadn't realized he'd arrived already. Hold on." Lexa shimmered out of sight and returned with Jonas in tow. "Two lords battling over an unrequited love for another."

"Idiots," Lexa and Jonas said together.

Ellie grinned at the pair of them. Her humor faded when she thought about the danger Lexa had warned her about. "Jonas, Lexa told me something--"

"I know. She told me on the way back." He bowed his head at Lexa, and Lexa gave him a kiss on the cheek that had him blushing. "But I still think she has to be wrong. Not Remir."

Lexa shook her head. "Everyone's suspect, I'm afraid. I know you can handle yourself, Jonas. But Ellie's vulnerable. She's a weakness to not just Ethim, but to Cadmus as well. Should anything happen to you, Ellie, Cadmus will never be what he needs to be in order to rule in Tanselm."

"Or to help defeat Sin Garu," Jonas added quietly.

Concerned for Cadmus, Ellie agreed to stick to Jonas at all times. Then she wished Lexa good luck and watched her shimmered out of sight.

Jonas blew out a breath. "No offence, Ellie, but this castle is like a maze, and I feel like the mouse getting no closer to the cheese." His stomach grumbled, and he cursed. "The hell with this."

Ellie opened her mouth to ask what he thought to do, then closed it when she looked around her at the dining hall.

"Ellie, how nice of you to join us." Queen Ravyn didn't miss a beat. She smiled and motioned for Ellie to join the gathering at the table with the rest of her family. Cadmus and Arim remained conspicuously absent.

Ellie glanced at her future mother-in-law. The freaking queen. Hell. Where was Cadmus?

"Here, sit by me." Ravyn motioned to the empty chair between her and Samantha.

"I've been demoted," Samantha teased, grinning at Ellie. "But at least it's by someone I like."

Ellie grinned, relieved she had Samantha for comfort. And next to her, Darius, who smiled as well. Across from them sat Tessa and Marcus, and farther down the table, Alandra and Aerolus.Oddly enough, Ellie she didn't feel as out of place as she'd thought she would.

"Cadmus said you'd probably beat him to the table. He had to see my brother about something important." Ravyn scoffed her last words and grabbed a sweet roll from her plate. "Men."

"I'm with you there," Ellie agreed, watching her cousin leave the main dining area. Glancing around, she saw several smaller tables filled with well-dressed men and women, probably royalty or important people to the queen. Everywhere the mood seemed upbeat, chatter and laughter filling the room.

"It's wonderful to have family and joy to balance the misery of war," Ravyn noted, following Ellie's gaze. She pointed to the stone archway above them. "Normally, we'd dine in the open.A spell transports the dining hall so that we float in the clouds. A lovely way to enjoy one's repast." Ravyn sighed. "Now it's just too dangerous, what with the Netharat hovering everywhere."

And where you least expect it. Ellie gave those around them a hard glance, searching with the Darkness within her as well. But to her disappointment, and relief, she saw nothing out of the ordinary. Just tons of Light and harried servants. Since Lexa's warning, Ellie felt a responsibility towards her new family to keep them safe, especially since the threat came from one of her own.

Saddened, she tried to shake off the feeling and dwell in the here and now. A glance down at her plate showed it now covered with sweets and fruit.

"Wow. Neat trick."

Samantha and Tessa laughed.

Ravyn shook her head. "Another woman we'll have to convince that magic exists."

Ellie flushed.

"Oh, wait, that's right. You're not a xiantope, are you, dear?" Ravyn stared at her, hard, and Ellie felt like a bug under a magnifying glass. "Such lovely Dark you have, Ellie. I love the Djinn, always have."

Ellie stared. "You have?"

"Sure. The boys don't realise I'm a good bit older than their father was. And you've met Arim. He's a sorcerer, several hundred years old, in fact. I'm his older sister."

Ellie blinked. "Does that mean Cadmus will live as long?"

"The Light willing." Ravyn laughed at Ellie's expression. "Don't look so shocked, Ellie. This isn't Seattle, anymore. This is Tanselm, where anything is possible."

Down the table, Tessa smacked her husband in the arm. "You never told me you'd live to be a thousand, Marcus. What the hell? I'm going to be grey while you're poking at younger women?"

Marcus opened his mouth to speak, but Alandra answered for him. "No, Tessa. You're in Tanselm now. You're tied to him. You'll age as he does. Should anything bad happen to him, you'll continue to exist until Tanselm releases her grip on you."

"Funny how you all think of Tanselm as a her," Aerolus said, his gaze introspective.

"Great, here we go." Darius exhaled, loudly.

"No, really. It's just that I've always thought of Tanselm as intelligent, but without gender. Yet even Alandra refers to her and I?—"

"Arim, welcome back," Darius boomed, sharing a look of relief with Marcus.

Ellie wanted to laugh at the annoyance on Aerolus' face, but Arim's stern expression as he walked into the dining hall gave her pause. Cadmus followed him, and he looked as agitated as his uncle.

A chair suddenly appeared beside her and the table magically lengthened as Cadmus sat next to her.

"I'm sorry I missed you this morning," he said with a kiss to her lips. "Did I miss anything exciting?"

Deliberately shielding her thoughts, she shook her head. "Just Jonas being obnoxious."

"Jonas is here?" Tessa beamed with excitement, and Marcus groaned.

"He dropped me in here before he left to find Cadmus."

"I'm back," Jonas announced, shimmering into view with his mouth full. "Wow. You Light Bringers make the best pastries I've ever had. Ellie, have you tried this sweet roll?"

"For those of you who haven't met him, this is Jonas, my cousin."

Jonas waved politely and finished his food in one swallow. He nodded at Ravyn, but no bow, Ellie noted with humor, and introduced himself, formally.

"By the order of Ethim il Ruethe, I, Jonas Chase al Surne, protect and serve at the behest of Ellie Markham and her betrothed, the Earth Lord, Cadmus Storm."

"Very impressive," Arim said with no small amount of sarcasm. He muttered a few words Ellie couldn't understand but had Jonas grinning.

"And right back at you." Jonas saluted before joining him at the end of the table.

"Really, Arim, such language, and to a guest?" Ravyn looked annoyed, her brother surprised and her sons confused.

"You speak Djinn?" Aerolus stared at his mother. "Fascinating."

"Great, here we go again," Darius groaned.

"Ellie, we need to talk." Cadmus shot her the message laced with urgency.

Damn, damn, damn. Did he know about Lexa? His eyes were dark, his face blank. She couldn't read anything from him but what he'd sent, the appearance of his mental guards a warning in itself.

She sent him the answer slowly. "Can I finish breakfast first? I'm starving."

His face softened, and he nodded before turning to something Samantha said. He squeezed her thigh under the table, and Ellie felt terrible for deceiving him. But it was for a good cause, she reminded herself. He needs me, and he needs to trust me.

And lying to him should make him trust me, how? She deliberately ignored her conscience, hoping against hope she could deal with the consequences.