Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

T he truth was now apparent. Not that Luc had doubted Rose when she’d returned last night, but it had been hard to process. A wall of shadow encircled the village they approached, just as they had experienced in Bury. And Rose had heard it happen—had heard it a day’s ride away. The dark gray mist hanging above the ground was evident even in the late afternoon light.

Luc glanced back at the others, pausing, before coaxing his horse over the mist line. He kept the loaned sword close in case they decided to go in. His gaze lingered on Rose. Solemn and focused, she rode between the other two. Anyone who saw her wouldn’t be able to guess she had only been Norden Point for a few days. She carried herself with strength that couldn’t be taught. It suited her. His pulse quickened at her approach. Shaking his head, he chastised himself. He was a fae leader, not an adolescent. But he couldn’t help his reaction to her, not since first meeting her. Dousing his romantic impulses, he focused on the next part of their journey as they approached.

He was unhappy to still be headed south. He searched the horizon as the sun gave way to night. A pit opened in his stomach, thinking about what lay ahead. The compass would turn them in another direction before the next village, wouldn’t it? What would Aterra and Aiden be doing in Loch? Either way, he needed to give Rose a heads up. But it was hard to find time to do so without Carter and Juliette overhearing. Surely, they were ready and eager to tell Rose every awful rumor of what had happened there.

It wasn’t as if he were hiding it. He would have told her eventually. This was just another reminder that they’d only known each other for a few weeks. Change was coming at him fast. He couldn’t even be angry, though, because it had brought him Rose. The others already knew the story and held it against him. In his heart, he knew Rose wouldn’t. But would this finally be what made her look at him with fear? His magic flared from the crevice inside him in disagreement. He hoped it was right.

His gaze locked on Juliette’s as the others approached. Her anger was palpable. If the air weren’t already thick with the mist plague before them, he’d think her rage was taking shape and poised to choke off his breath. Had she thought Rose wouldn’t tell him about the Osten power? Juliette seemed to understand Rose. There was no way she had miscalculated that poorly—no way she thought Rose would keep the information to herself—especially given her goals for the Compass Points.

He didn’t even think Rose told him because of their relationship—she told him because she was committed to honesty among the Compass Points. The fae courts’ animosity would only end when a better example was given. Rose was committed to being that example. It was one of the many things he admired about her.

Secrets on the wind. Luc ran his fingers through his hair as their horses lined up just outside the village. He couldn’t believe that power had been kept a secret of the Osten for so long. It made sense, he supposed. They’d been more secretive than most—they had to be if the rumors from the first Suden were true.

Luc’s fingers stretched and flexed as his hand fell back to his side. He knew Juliette held it against him, an event that happened over four hundred years ago when neither of them were even alive. The first Suden Point had tried to take over Osten house. Michael had spoken of the event with frustration. It tainted the Suden court’s reputation. However, Michael didn’t hide the fact that the first Suden had thought the Osten Point weak enough to challenge. He’d almost succeeded too. Luc wondered how much of that had to do with their not-quite-Lost God. It wasn’t something he had thought too hard about. He had never sensed anything but strength from Juliette. Of course, he knew he had more power, but her magic appeared comparable to Carter’s and stronger than Aiden’s during their required lake rituals.

He looked ahead at the part of the village just visible beyond the fog line. The mist was heavy in the air, but the bodies of villagers lying on the ground were visible. How much of this had Juliette been aware of? More importantly, how much of it could she have prevented?

She didn’t trust him. For gods’ sakes, she thought he was in league with Aterra. All the evidence in front of her pointed to Aiden as the now ex-Compass Point to blame, but Juliette still cast doubt on him—on his connection with Aterra.

“Are we going in?” Luc asked, gripping his borrowed sword a little tighter.

“Why should we bother?” Carter asked. His gaze bored into the ground. His disinterest in eye contact never bothered Luc, but this was a new facet. It was as if he was unwilling to look at the village—the humans and fae they were meant to protect—now lost to an unwakeable sleep. He looked…guilty, somehow. Luc must be reading him wrong. The only ones who should feel guilty were Juliette and her Lost God.

“I agree with Carter,” Rose said as she pulled her horse alongside Luc’s. “What do we expect to find? Sleeping villagers? Us unable to do anything for them?”

Luc didn’t have to think too hard about Rose’s response. He knew thoughts of Tara and the villagers she’d left behind in Bury were never far from reach. Surely, this brought them to the forefront of her mind, surfacing her own misplaced guilt. He had watched her shoulders tense and her jaw clench this afternoon as they had made it within sight of the village. He was learning to read her. And she was his favorite language.

“Okay,” Luc said. His gaze met Rose’s. “I think we should ride through on our way, but we don’t all have to go.” His sympathy was met with a small smile.

“I’ll go with you, Luc,” Juliette said.

That was unexpected. Before he could respond, Rose was offering Juliette her weapon. “I don’t know if you need it, given the strength of your wind, but it’s better to go with something we know works than risk it.”

And just like that, he was riding through a mist-taken village with the Osten Point.

“She told you,” Juliette said. Not a question.

He didn’t see much point in lying. He was sure that Rose would tell Carter, too, soon enough. “Yes.”

Juliette shook her head in frustration. “Why would she do that?” she muttered to herself.

“I’m not sure you’ve been paying attention,” Luc replied as they rode. The shops were closed, and a few bodies lay spread across the ground. He guessed that made sense. It had been late when Rose heard the scream. Most of the villagers would have already been in their beds.

“What do you mean by that?” Juliette interrupted his assessment.

“It’s confusing because you appear to understand her in most things.”

“Don’t condescend; it’s unbecoming.”

She was infuriating. “I mean that Rose doesn’t want secrets among the fae courts. She wants the Compass Points to trust each other and work together. I’m not telling you anything she hasn’t told you herself.”

Juliette tilted her head to the side. “She doesn’t understand the position we’re in. The Osten need every advantage we can get.”

“Did you tell her that? Did you tell her why that is?”

Juliette gave Luc an appraising gaze.

“She wasn’t raised Osten. Whatever you think is understood by the Osten fae, I assure you, it’s new to her. You’ll need to trust her with more than simply answering her questions. You’ll have to tell her things she doesn’t know to ask,” Luc said.

“Have you been thinking about what she doesn’t know to ask in your history?” Juliette’s smile radiated excitement, but the kind you experienced when your enemy just sprung their own trap.

“I—”

Juliette cut him off, uninterested in his response, simply enjoying toying with him. “And why would you point out how to better communicate with Rose—how to gain her trust? You have her exactly where you want her. She’s loyal to you above all of us, no matter her lineage.”

Luc rubbed his hand down his face. He was happy to let Rose try to have these conversations after the last eight years of Juliette, Carter, and Aiden ignoring or outvoting him. He wasn’t sure why he was trying now, except that he wanted to support Rose’s efforts. He believed in her ability to win these two to her side. If it were up to him, though, after every time they supported Aiden and blocked Luc’s efforts, he’d take more of an I told you so approach.

He let out a deep breath. Rose was right. Throwing Juliette’s past in her face wouldn’t solve the problem. It had to be all of them together or not at all. He tried again. “I’m not trying to control Rose. I care about her. I care about the humans and fae of this continent that we are sworn to protect.”

“Oh, lay off.” Juliette flipped her hair over her shoulder. “We all know you have no reason to save the Suden. They’ve done nothing for you since you came into your power.”

Luc shook his head. He was controlling Rose? He hated his court? No wonder everyone thought he was responsible for the mist plague. He was an easy target and did nothing to defend himself from those opinions. He guessed he’d need to start now. “You, more than most, know what I’ve fought for since taking my position. I argued for a balanced continent, for more magical cooperation between fae and humans. I was in favor of policies that had no material gains for the Suden, and I accepted the duty given to me to investigate the mist plague, putting Suden lives in harm’s way because I knew we were best equipped to deal with it.”

“I fail to see what this rant proves,” Juliette replied.

“I am not the enemy here.”

“So, what? I am?” There was a twinkle in Juliette’s eyes as she taunted him.

“I’m not above pointing out that you supported Aiden for the last eight years, maybe longer. You can’t tell me you didn’t know that there was something off about him.” So much for not throwing it in her face. He shook his head.

“Knowing something was off and knowing that the Suden god controlled him are two different things. No one could have expected that.”

“You didn’t need to know that Aterra controlled him to know what he was proposing was wrong!” Luc’s temper flared. He was sure his pupils flashed red. He grabbed hold of his magic as it strained on its fraying leash. “You didn’t need to know he was a god striving for imbalance to oppose policies and plans that were bad for the continent.”

Juliette leveled her gaze at him. “So, what? You’re mad that we were mean to you for the last few years?” Her tone was wry. Insulting.

He gritted his teeth. “Don’t be difficult. You were complacent in Aiden’s stolen reign as Norden Point. You enabled his agenda, knowing it was wrong. I’m trying to point out that I have as much reason to mistrust you as you do me—but I’m trying to give you the benefit of the doubt instead. Why is that so hard to believe?”

“It’s hard to believe because it’s not done among the fae. Rose may be too newly returned to the courts as an adult to realize that, but you have no such excuse. You can’t change five hundred years of history overnight.”

“What if history doesn’t reflect what we want for the future? Why were the courts so dead set on separation and secrecy to begin with?” Luc didn’t even realize the depths of the question. He’d always accepted the behavior as the way things were—never questioning how it came to be that way.

Juliette narrowed her eyes at him. “Power, Luc. Plain and simple. Some courts had it.” She gestured with one hand. “And some didn’t.” She gestured with the other. “Those without wanted it, and those with it wanted more, even at the expense of others.”

Luc tilted his head. Here she was, blaming him again for the actions of another fae, hundreds of years ago. The way she explained it, though…had the Osten been weaker? Did their god being gone mean that they had less power? Was that true for any of the courts? Rose’s power didn’t seem diminished even though her goddess was a captive. But Rose was a special case, wasn’t she? In fact, why did he assume that Aurora would be her only patron? Did she also draw power from the Lost God? They knew so little about her dual lines.

He turned, his gaze assessing Juliette again. How much of this did she know? What information about Zrak and maybe even Rose was she hiding?

Juliette must have noted a change in his expression. “What?” she asked.

Luc couldn’t help his response through clenched teeth. “I realize you are blaming me for the actions of my predecessor. I don’t know how to convince you that I am not the same.”

“The fae in the position may change, but the nature of the fae does not.”

“And are you like your predecessor? You have never struck me as weaker than the rest of the Compass Points.”

Juliette scoffed. And he might be reaching, but she didn’t correct his assumptions about her predecessor being weaker. He looked toward the village limits. They were almost through. He wouldn’t ask her more, mostly because he was sure she wouldn’t answer. Rose and Carter neared the town’s southern gate. It made him feel a little better to know they looked as tense as he felt.

“Let’s just meet up with the others,” Luc said, spurring his horse forward.