52. Scarlett

Chapter 52

Scarlett

T he council room had fallen silent when Talwyn had left, and it remained so now. Scarlett was struggling to breathe at the words Talwyn had flung at her before she left. Nausea roiled in her gut, and she willed herself not to vomit.

Maybe she was being selfish. Maybe someone else should go and get Cassius, but she didn't know if she could bear it. Someone else telling him who he was, who his mother was. She saw Sorin reaching for her hand, but she snatched it back, placing them on the arms of her chair and gripping tightly. Her shadows were prowling beneath her skin, and she was struggling to control them.

"You are at a crossroads, Queen Scarlett," came Ashtine's voice from down the table. There was nothing accusatory or implied in her tone. She was just stating a fact. "Talwyn made some good points. I trust you have some of equal value."

"Aside from the Maraan Lords? I am the only one who can find the keys," Scarlett answered, somehow finding her voice. It was low and quiet, but authoritative.

"And you know how to locate them?" Ashtine asked, tilting her head to the side in that peculiar way of hers .

"No, I am still working on that," Scarlett answered slowly.

Silence fell in the room again.

"My queen has reasons of her own for needing to return to the mortal lands that cannot be shared right now." Scarlett raised her brows in surprise to find Briar speaking to her left. "All the Courts have secrets. Talwyn has secrets. Secrets I am sure would be shared if they could be, but now is not the time. Scarlett is no different. If she makes the choice to return to the mortal realm, I will trust she does so with the best intentions."

"And when will such a decision be made?" It was Azrael's Second who spoke this time. Azrael had left with Talwyn, surprising Scarlett. Now, she supposed, Azrael would want a full report of what was said and decided after they left.

Scarlett made herself breathe. In and out. In and out. She closed her eyes and could see their faces— Drake and Tava and Cassius and Nuri. This may be her home. She may have found a family here, but they were still her family, too.

"Maybe it would be beneficial to take an extra day or two to consider—," Cyrus was venturing, but Scarlett interrupted him.

"No. The decision is made. I am going to the mortal kingdoms. I am leaving in a few hours. Talwyn will be here researching this rip or tear or whatever it is. I need to go there to complete my own tasks, especially if there are more rips that we are unaware of. I would venture to guess that in the coming days there will not be any sort of ‘good time' to go, so I will go now."

"And should you fail?" Ashtine asked. Again, her voice was not accusatory, not threatening. It just was.

"I won't," Scarlett answered pointedly, fixing her eyes on Ashtine's sky blue ones.

"Perseverance and tenacity will only get you so far. The Darkness will find your weaknesses," Ashtine said.

"I am the Darkness," Scarlett replied in an icy, smooth purr, allowing her shadows to rip free from her. They swirled around her like a vortex, and she let Death's Maiden come out, too— wicked, calm, and lethal.

"It is interesting that such a power returns to the world at this place in time, when the Maaran Lords have emerged," Ashtine said, standing from the table, not at all fazed, and a wind portal appeared behind her.

"Indeed," said a male next to her, whom Scarlett assumed was her Second. "Idle chatter of the breezes."

He certainly spoke like Princess Ashtine.

"What do you mean ‘such a power returns?'" Scarlett asked. "And what does it have to do with the Maraan Lords?"

Ashtine merely blinked at her with that peculiar half smile.

"Briar…" Sorin ground out through clenched teeth.

You cannot speak to Ashtine like that. She will not answer.

Scarlett knitted her brows. Why not?

The Wind Court speaks in mysticism and riddles. Ashtine is benevolent and wise, but she can be unintentionally infuriating. Briar is one of the few people who seems able to speak with her without losing his shit, other than Talwyn.

"Ashtine," Briar said, stepping to the princess. Scarlett watched as Nasima stretched a wing out and brushed it against Briar's cheek. "Do you speak of the queen's shadows?" Briar asked, reaching to stroke the hawk's silver head.

"Are they shadows?" Ashtine asked in return, tilting her head as though she were leaning into a phantom touch.

"You do not know?" Briar questioned softly.

Her half smile grew slightly, her voice still mystical and lilting. She paused, like she was listening to something, then said, "Shadows? Darkness? Night? One or all or none?"

"None of those are powers of this world," Eliza cut in sharply. Nakoa glared at her, but Ashtine's eyes had shifted to her.

"Daughter of Anala and Silas," she said, again pausing to listen to whatever the winds whispered, "there are many unknown powers of the realms. Many of them slumber. Many have never woken, but this magic has walked these lands before."

"When?" Scarlett asked, unable to help herself.

Briar glanced at her with a subtle shake of his head, a request to let him handle it. "Ashtine." He stretched out an arm, and Nasima flew to him, clicking her beak. "Not when. Who? "

Ashtine brought her eyes back to Briar. "There were four: father, mother, son, and daughter."

How did Briar converse with her and not lose his damn mind?

"Which holds the answers we seek?" Briar asked, taking a step closer to her.

How does he know what questions to ask? Scarlett asked Sorin down the twin flame bridge.

I have wondered the same. His eyes were fixed on the two Royals before them.

"Only one knows for sure," Ashtine replied, "but there are many directions for the winds to blow."

"Tell me three," Briar said as Nasima flew back to Ashtine.

"And what shall you give me in return, Prince of Water?" Ashtine replied, the wind portal once more opening behind her.

"What shall be required?"

Scarlett was watching them closely, and her eyes widened at the brief look that entered Briar's eyes. It was gone so quickly, she had to wonder if it had been there at all. But she had seen Nasima and Abrax in the Forest together, as close as Ashtine and Briar were now…

"A favor of my choosing then," the Wind Princess replied, her Second coming to her side along with Azrael's Second.

"Agreed," Briar said. Three swirling lines appeared around his wrist like a gust of wind. A bargain Mark. "Your end of the bargain. Tell me three."

"A watery prison, a locked away king, a world walker's book," the princess replied as she stepped towards the portal.

"Which direction is wisest?" Scarlett blurted.

"That depends on who is walking the path," Ashtine answered simply, stepping through the portal, the two males following. It snapped shut behind them.

Silence settled in the room. Scarlett looked at her Court seated around her and said grimly, "I assume we should not speak privately of these matters in these Halls?"

A fire portal appeared a moment later, and all of them rose and filed through. They stepped into the dining room where they'd met with Talwyn a few mornings ago.

"Translation, Drayce?" Sorin sighed from Scarlett's side. He waved a hand, and flames raced along the length of the table, food and drink in their wake.

"Before we discuss anything else," Scarlett cut in, "how did you learn to speak to her, Prince of Water? Pillow talk?" Her tone was innocent, but the wink and sly grin she threw at Briar was anything but. She was sure she hadn't mistaken that brief look of desire she'd seen in his eyes.

A roguish smile crossed his lips. "We do not do much talking in the bedroom, Sunshine."

Scarlett laughed at his retort. "Fair enough."

"So perceptive, your Majesty," he said, returning her wink.

"Bullshit," Sorin spat, gaping at his friend.

"I am a little disappointed your Court was so oblivious, husband," Scarlett said, perching on the edge of the table and picking up a pear. "His own Court clearly knows." She watched as the Fire Court gaped at Briar and his own Inner Court. Sawyer smirked beside his brother, grabbing a pastry from the spread on the table. Eliza was glaring at Nakoa. "To be fair," Scarlett continued around a bite of pear, "I likely wouldn't have put it together so quickly had I not seen Abrax and Nasima interact in the Shira Forest."

"In all fairness," Cyrus replied, his golden eyes dancing, "you were literally living with your twin flame and had no idea, so maybe you're not as perceptive as you think, Darling."

Scarlett scowled and stuck out her tongue at him.

"How long?" Sorin demanded, shock still on his features as he continued to stare at Briar.

"Shortly after Eliné left," Briar answered.

"Why the secret?" Scarlett asked curiously.

"Because relationships outside your Court are highly frowned upon," Eliza said tightly. "Especially for royal bloodlines."

"It is a delicate matter," Briar agreed, his grin becoming a grim frown, "And one to be discussed later as there are more pressing matters at hand."

"Do you know what she meant with her last words?" Scarlett asked.

He shook his head. "She may not even know what she means. She repeats secrets whispered by the winds. She does not realize she is speaking in perplexity."

"A watery prison, a locked away king, a world walker's book," Cyrus said, mulling the words over. "Any ideas?"

No one spoke.

Scarlett sighed from her perch on the table. "Before I left the Oracle, she told me to find a book."

"Why am I not surprised in the least that you have information?" Briar asked, taking a seat at the table.

"What sort of book?" Sorin asked, sliding into the chair nearest her.

"I don't know. An old one, apparently. Likely the same book Ashtine referred to considering the Oracle's words were ‘Those who can walk among the worlds brought a book with them in the beginning. You would do well to find it.'"

"And you are just telling us now?" Sorin asked, his brow arching.

"A lot happened with the Oracle and a lot happened after the Oracle. A lot of which you benefited from," she added with a pointed look at Sorin's wedding band on his finger. Sawyer stifled a laugh. "So I apologize, your Highness , if I didn't realize I omitted something important until now."

"Don't be a brat," Sorin ground out from between his teeth with an unamused glare.

She batted her lashes at him and replied sweetly, "Don't be an ass."

I am going to start keeping a list of every name you call me, Princess.

She smirked. What are you going to do about it?

She could have sworn his eyes went a shade darker as a feral smile crossed his face.

"As much as this little show never gets old," Briar cut in, his eyes twinkling, "World Walkers are mythical beings. Most believe them to be nothing more than legends."

"Rayner said many believe the same of the Oracle, and she is real as can be," Scarlett countered, tearing her eyes from Sorin, who was still staring at her with primal greed.

"Let's say that is the book," Cyrus said, "any idea where we start looking for it?"

"A few," Scarlett answered, popping a grape into her mouth.

"Helpful," Cyrus remarked sarcastically.

"It's more than you've offered," she retorted.

"You are ridiculously unconventional," Sawyer observed with amusement.

"Yes, but I keep things interesting," she replied with a wink.

"Would it possibly be in the same place you've found books on blood magic?" Eliza asked casually. She had been fairly quiet up until now, and Scarlett could not quite read the look on her face.

"What sort of books?" Scarlett asked as another grape went into her mouth.

From a flame, Eliza pulled a book and floated it to Scarlett. Scarlett gently took it and stilled. "Where did you find this?"

"In the library. When I was chatting with the mortal prince. He said it was one of yours. One that you have been reading," Eliza said slowly.

"It's history reading. Nothing more," Scarlett said flippantly, sliding the book under the table. She conjured a shadow panther, who took the book gently in its maw and disappeared back into the darkness.

"History reading. On blood magic," Eliza deadpanned, not convinced in the slightest. "It is not something to mess around with, Scarlett."

"Is my twin flame bond not blood magic? My soulmate bond with Cassius?" Scarlett countered. "It is research, General. Nothing more."

She stared down Eliza. They had never argued before, but she could see the skepticism that lingered in her eyes .

"Who do you think a locked away king is?" Neve asked, fixing a piece of cheese to a cracker and taking a bite, breaking the tension.

"No idea," Scarlett answered, hopping off her perch on the table. "But it is something I can contemplate just as well from Baylorin."

"You still plan to return to the mortal lands?" Nakoa growled.

"Of course I do," Scarlett replied. "Why would my plans change?"

"So then you have indeed deemed your human friends more important than every other person on this continent?" he snarled. The male's arms were crossed, and he glared at her with distrust and contempt.

"Watch it, Commander," Sorin snarled softly from his seat, but Scarlett held up a hand.

"No. It is fine, Sorin. He clearly has something he would like to say." She leveled a stare at the male. "Let's hear it then."

Nakoa glanced at Briar, who shifted uncomfortably in his seat, but gave a slight shrug of his shoulders. "Fine," he growled. He uncrossed his arms and braced his hands on the table, leaning across it towards her. "I think you are being foolish returning to the mortal lands when you are untrained and have barely tapped into your magic. We do not know the full scope of what to expect over there or what exactly is getting in through these tears, and it is unwise to send a queen into the middle of that without knowing all the facts. Talwyn's points were valid, and you dismiss them as trivial, despite the fact that she has more experience than you, albeit not by much. But she at least was raised to be in her position. There are many issues at hand here, and you can only seem to focus on one. And I cannot decide if that is because you do not grasp the gravity of the other issues, because you do not understand the politics of the realms, or because you are so selfish you simply do not care."

The entire room was still. "Anything else?" Scarlett asked, her voice soft and honed.

"You are a child who is playing queen," Nakoa continued with a lethal growl. "I do not care that you are Sorin's twin flame. I do not care that my own prince has pledged his loyalty to you. "

"Nakoa," Briar warned, his tone sharp and reprimanding. Again, Scarlett held up a hand, silencing him.

"You answer to your people," Nakoa went on. "When you claimed that throne, you claimed responsibility for all of them. Your people became more important than your mortal lackeys. At least acknowledge the fact that you recognize that your actions affect us all, and that you do not care, while you sit here and make idle banter before leaving us all to figure out and clean up this mess with Talwyn breathing down our fucking necks."

Scarlett could feel the flames flickering in her eyes as she stared at the male. Her shadows appeared unbidden, and the temperature dropped in the room. "Do not presume things about me, Commander, when you know nothing of who I left behind to come here." Her tone was calm, icy rage.

"Are they more important than the whole of your kingdom and the threat that is gathering on the horizon?" he growled.

"I did not come here for a throne, but I left dozens of orphans behind in that city. Innocent children that I am responsible for." Her voice was a whisper of fury. Nakoa's eyes widened slightly, but he held his ground. "Children who were dumped there. Children who have Witch blood and Shifter blood and Night Child blood and Fae blood running through their veins. Children who are being targeted, abducted, and killed because of it. I came here for them and found much more than I anticipated."

"So it is your habit to leave those in your charge behind?" Nakoa sneered.

A cruel smile spread across her lips.

"Back down, Nakoa," Sorin said, his tone ringing with warning. He stood, preparing to place himself between the two.

Shadows swirled along Scarlett's arms and legs, thick and impenetrable, engulfing all of her, and when they cleared, she stood in her witch-suit and leathers. She was armed to the teeth, as she was when she prowled the night, the Spirit Sword at her back. "I left them in the care of a powerful Witch and Death's Shadow, hidden and warded in the heart of the Black Syndicate, where I was raised and trained and where the darkest of souls watch over them. Forgive me for assuming I could leave two Courts in the hands of full-blooded, lethally trained Fae warriors while I went to aid those innocents in a land where they cannot access their own damn gifts."

No one was daring to move. It seemed no one was daring to breathe.

"You have made your point, my Love," Sorin murmured, placing a hand on the small of her back.

Eliza pushed off the wall she had been leaning against. "You were raised in the fucking Black Syndicate?"

"Eliné was one of the five council leaders of the Black Syndicate. The Assassin Lord oversaw Scarlett's training personally, and she trained alongside Death's Shadow." He hesitated, casting a questioning glance at her. When she didn't react, he continued, "She is one of the Wraiths of Death. She is Death's Maiden." She could feel his eyes on her, but she still stood facing Nakoa.

"Ho-ly shit," Sawyer swore under his breath. He turned to Briar. "Did you know?"

Briar shook his head, his eyes fixed on the wraith that Scarlett had become. "No."

"That explains your fighting style," Eliza murmured, more to herself than anyone in particular.

"I was trained by mortal mercs and thieves, a Witch, a Night Child and a—" she paused, before she pushed on. "And an Assassin Lord, and for all that training, I was still captured. Despite all that training, children are still being abducted for purposes I have yet to fully learn."

"Shit," Cyrus breathed in disbelief. "You said you had friends in the Black Syndicate, not that you grew up there."

"You never asked," she purred in response.

"She outranks everyone in the Syndicate other than the Council Members," Sorin supplied calmly.

"But since my motives and my devotion are being called into question, despite me being here for those in my charge there," Scarlett said now, "I shall delay my travels two days so that I can assign tasks like a godsdamned babysitter."

A water portal appeared behind Nakoa. "Take a walk, Commander," Briar ordered, his tone pure Fae primal command. Without a word, Nakoa turned on his heel and disappeared through the portal.

Scarlett turned and looked around the room. A mixture of fear, respect, and awe mingled on the faces that stared back, no one daring to speak. "I'll meet with you all tomorrow afternoon."

With shadows once again trailing her, she stepped through the world without another word.