Library

Chapter 23

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

E mil's eyes are wide, but he doesn't fight me.

Why would he?

We step into the fresh morning air and his murmur sounds at my shoulder. "As you like, my Veda."

"Stop calling me ‘your Veda'."

He tips his head slightly. "Then choose a different name."

I nearly miss a step.

Choosing a name is easier said than done.

I chose Veda —Conqueror—based on a deep-seated rage when my vengeance seemed simple. I would cut off the head of the man who murdered my father, imprisoned my mother, and stole my birthright.

But now?

I am no fucking conqueror. I've failed at every turn. Even destroying the book feels like it's caused me more pain, more uncertainty, than it was worth.

My father is still alive. The Nostra Empire is still out of my reach. And my enemy stands at my right hand.

The air whooshes out of my chest. "I will choose a new name when I'm ready. In the meantime, call me your enemy ." I tip my head back to look Emil in the eye. "At least there can be some honesty between us."

His expression is shadowed, but he responds with a soft, "As you like."

Then, my pack surges forward. We've made it three steps from the cottage and the wary looks they cast Emil aren't lost on me.

My brother reaches me first. "Veda, why ?"

I've been asking myself the same thing.

That I'm acting on instinct doesn't seem like a good enough reason, but I try to explain. "Because nobody should stay here when I step through that door."

I gesture to the exit, then at our surroundings. "This environment is deceptive and volatile. I can't trust that Emil will remain caged when I leave. Better to keep him where we can see him."

Lucian makes unhappy noises, and so do the dark elves, but Jonah is quiet in the back. He's a creature of old magic and this place… this garden and forest and roses and apple trees… he may understand its nature far better than I can.

He gives me a small nod, an affirming gesture, and I hope it means he thinks I'm doing the right thing.

Halle's wry voice breaks across the air. "You certainly made short work of the orchard." She cranes her neck at the cottage. "And the furniture, by the look of things."

I give her a hard stare. "I'll make short work of any environment that threatens me or my pack."

Her lips pinch. "Still with the distrust."

"I've learned hard lessons," I snap back.

Her lips pinch before she shakes herself, clears her throat, and her voice becomes cheerful again. "Well, then, dearest, I'm certain that you're going to love Veritas."

I narrow my eyes. "Veritas?"

"It's what we call the place where truth can be sought," she says with a bright smile. "Distrustful creatures always love it."

From the tone of her voice, I'd think we were about to eat candy and ride unicorns across green meadows.

Oh, what fun.

"Lead the way," I say.

We follow Halle to the exit. Orlan and the hellhound proceed ahead of her and it's the hellhound who opens the door.

I don't tell Emil what to do, but he stays close to my left side while Anarchy remains on my right and my pack brings up the rear.

Jonah is last, following more slowly.

A glance back at him tells me that something is definitely on his mind. He keeps taking glances at the orchard and then to me.

He was chatty enough last night so I tell myself to wait. I'm sure he will choose to speak soon enough.

In the meantime, I focus on keeping Emil in my sights.

When we all leave the room, the door shuts quietly behind us, and I try not to wonder if the environment is wiping itself clean, ready for its next occupants.

We've stepped back into the main tunnel, and once again, I have a sense that the path curves very slightly, as though we're walking downward in a very wide spiral.

It feels like many branches extend from it since we pass doors and rooms and more tunnels along the way, some of them stretching off into the distance on either side. They're all different colors and none of them are as black as the main tunnel, so it's easy enough to stay on the main path.

"Nearly there," Halle announces after we've walked for a solid fifteen minutes.

A short time later, she slows her steps and finally comes to a stop outside an opening on the left-hand side of the tunnel.

"Do not step inside yet," she says, although she gestures me to her side. "There are rules you must understand first."

The opening is wide enough that it's easy for everyone to gather around me and still see inside. Emil stays on my immediate left, standing nearer to the side of the entrance, while the others keep a little more distance. I'm certain they will take Halle's warning seriously.

Unlike every other room and tunnel we've passed so far, the one that now sits on my left is as black as the main tunnel. Black rock rises up on all sides and across the ceiling. The space inside the room doesn't appear much bigger than that of my prison cell.

It looks like it will be a darn sight more cramped within it than I was hoping it would be.

A single word is carved into the stone above the entrance, each letter emblazoned in gold that catches the soft light: Veritas .

"Truth," Halle says, pointing to the carved name. Then, her attention snaps to Emil. "Stand clear of the magic," she says, her eyebrows pinching together. "The moment you touch it, the room will pull you inside."

Emil has lifted his left hand, his palm out. "This is old magic."

"That's why its power is unbeatable," she replies. "All creatures are affected by old magic. Even old gods like me."

Spinning to me, she continues. "Veda, it's very important that you understand the rules."

"I'm listening."

"First rule: only two may enter and both must come out. Second, once two enter, the room will seal itself off—you cannot see out from within it and nobody out here can see inside. Third, death cannot occur within this room. It's a mechanism for protecting the truth, since hearing the truth can sometimes induce rage."

She gives me a cold smile. "Of course, what happens once we exit the room is an entirely different matter."

Before I can comment on that, she hurries on. "Finally, and most importantly, this room will extract a price. It's why I didn't use it to force the truth from Jonah when I was trying to convince him to tell me where my brother is."

She gives Jonah a hard stare across the distance between them. He appears unmoved by her indignation, having taken up a position leaning against the other side of the tunnel as far from her as he can get without leaving altogether.

I arch my eyebrows at her. "But you're willing to risk a price by entering the room with me now."

"Oh, no, I should have clarified," she says. "Only the truth-seeker pays the price."

My eyes narrow at her. "That's a slightly important detail you omitted yesterday."

She shrugs. "The price is different for everyone. Some pay in physical pain. Others pay in mental anguish. The truth is not always what we want to hear. You won't know until you ask your first question."

She peers at me expectantly, and I have no doubt it's because she thinks I'll back out now.

She probably hopes I will.

"To strip away the lies," I say, "I'm prepared to pay any price."

She gives me a solemn nod. "Very well. Then I should explain how the room works. You may ask as many questions as you want for as long as you want, and I must answer them. Only when you declare that you are satisfied with the truth will the room let us out again."

"How will I know if you've spoken the truth?"

"The room will echo my answer back to you. If I speak the truth, the echo will match exactly what I said. If I tell a lie, the room will speak the truth for me. No matter what it is or how much I don't want it spoken."

Some of the tension leaves my shoulders. After hearing that the room will exact a price from me, I was beginning to wonder if there would be other loopholes. "So the truth is inescapable."

She nods firmly. "It can't be concealed." She gives me a hard stare. "You understand, don't you, Veda, just how dangerous it is for a creature like me… A being who has walked this Earth for millennia… to step into a place like this?"

Oh, I certainly do.

Before I can say so, she moves right up to me. "Do you understand the trust it takes for me to believe that you won't ask me anything that could get me killed?"

I consider the intensity of her expression and the hint of fear behind it.

All the memories she must have.

All the deceit that could be stripped bare in that room.

All the information I could use against her…

"I do," I say, reaching for her arm. "Believe me, I do. Which is why…"

I try to calm the beating of my heart and the terrible, awful fears that are crowding my mind at the choice I'm about to make.

I take a deep breath and prepare to move fast. "Which is why I'm not taking you with me."

I shove Halle away from me as hard as I can, pushing her into the corridor and away from the room.

She gives a shout, but I'm already twisting, both palms shooting out to my left, connecting with Emil's chest.

I don't risk any hesitation.

I can't give him the chance to evade me.

Wrapping my arms around him, I throw myself forward, taking him into Veritas with me.

Comments

0 Comments
Best Newest

Contents
Settings
  • T
  • T
  • T
  • T
Font

Welcome to FullEpub

Create or log into your account to access terrific novels and protect your data

Don’t Have an account?
Click above to create an account.

lf you continue, you are agreeing to the
Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy.