37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

" Y ou bastard!" I follow August into the hall, but he continues as if I'm not even here. I lengthen my stride, trying to keep pace. "Stop." I grip his forearm, and he turns to me.

"What?"

"Why did you do that?"

"Don't be dull. You know why." His eyes dip to my lips, and he squeezes them shut, turning away. "We obtained the relic. Luc and Sven are back in Helios. They'll return in a few days with fallonite, which they'll exchange for the faux sword. Two more relics to go. You're up to date now. Go get some rest."

"I've had enough rest, thank you." I jog a few steps, trying to keep up with him as we enter his study.

"Then go for a ride. I don't care. I have obligations to attend to."

"Are you just going to pretend that you didn't have my legs wrapped around you nights ago?"

He whirls on me. "Yes. I am, and you should, too." He flicks his hand outward twice. "Carry on."

"Uh. . ." What an asshole. I can't even come up with a proper retort as he walks away. I'm going to find Razenna. I turn the corner, and of course, the perfect comeback pops into my head.

I whirl around and duck back into the study, but August is gone. Where is he? The hall was empty, and I was just here. . . but that rolling ladder wasn't there moments ago.

I climb the ladder and pull books with worn corners until I hear a click, and the bookcase recesses into the wall. Faint footsteps recede, and I step through, closing the door behind me. The passageway shrinks as sudden darkness envelops me.

My fingertips slide along paneled walls as I follow the faint sound of footsteps. I don't have time to wait for my eyes to adjust if I want to keep on his trail. How the hell does he see in here?

Smooth wood transitions to rough stone, and the faint smell of mildew and sulfur tinges the air. I lose the sound of footsteps, and I slow my pace as I approach a warm glow and the sound of many conversing bodies.

The passageway opens, and I find the source of the glow. Walking toward the edge, the sounds of movement and chatter grow louder. We're in the mountains, between castles. Below in a sizable cavern, dozens and dozens of soldiers practice fighting maneuvers, cook on small stove tops, and one even strums a lute near one of the many tents.

August strolls through the cavern with Mads and gestures up at a small room carved into the stone. There are no discernible paths to it, and it's near the top of the cavern.

It's genius. August or Ciaran would have to transport in whoever they were meeting with. It's virtually impossible to eavesdrop. That is unless you can spot the myriad of footholds from here to there.

I drop down and grab a handful of dirt, rub it over my palms, and pour some into my pocket. About halfway there, I curse myself and re-dust my hands. This close to the ceiling, the walls are slightly inverted, and my fingers and back are killing me. August phases into the room with Mads, and I pick up my pace.

I slide myself into a crevice near the window and lean back, resting my hands and feet. Only part of the meeting room is visible from this vantage point, but I'm not leaving the shadow that conceals me.

"Ciaran, you just got back from the border. How's it looking out there?" August's voice carries clearly through the open window.

"For now, the rebellion and skirmishes at the border seem manageable," Ciaran responds. "I'm not sure what has Helios up in arms all of a sudden. Did we successfully move the relics into safe storage?"

"They were moved to guarded library storage. However, we have a possible issue there." I recognize Mads' voice. "I found three library guards that show evidence of mind control, as well as one of the soldiers on the south wall. I think we should send a few scouts to the Astral Court in search of more fallonite to combat whoever is doing this. It's possible Luc is the one with this gift, and he may have infiltrated the Castle. However, that makes less sense when you consider he offered up fallonite at your cards game in Helios. Why would he give you protection from it? I suggest bringing in a geologist to verify the strength of the stone, as it may be a ruse. Especially since it sounds like Luc and Sven may have even left the castle without guards while they were here."

Mind control. A chill runs through me as a bead of sweat runs down my chest.

"You've got to be shitting me," Ciaran belts across the room. "You're telling me someone with mind control has been wandering around Castle South?"

"We don't know that for sure. It's mostly contained in the library so far," Mads says.

"So Bronwyn thinks Sven and Luc left through a rune gate. And we are trusting her, why?" A pang of jealousy wafts through me at the sound of Lydia's voice. "She's an uneducated thief. I'm not sure why we should listen to anything she has to say."

"She risked her life to get us the relic." August defends me and leans back in his chair.

"And you pay her handsomely for it," Lydia retorts. "I think the real threat remains between her and Luc. He's got a taste of her magic and how deep her well can go. She's too dim to realize it, I'm sure, but a projection gift would be a huge advantage for him to utilize in the political sphere."

A few make remarks of agreement, and August clenches his fist below the table.

"I know what we need to do," Lydia continues. "Everyone else in this room is thinking it; we need to get her out of here, but I think we need to get rid of her entirely. Luc is too big of a threat while he has access to her. We could send Ciaran after her, or we could leak to Helios members what she is, and they'll take care of the problem for us."

August is on his feet in the blink of an eye and slams his fists into the table. "I will play no part in the further genocide of my mother's people, and I'll hear nothing more of it."

"Everyone out," he growls, and the sound of shuffling chairs fills the room. "Except you three."

Ciaran quickly phases each member of August's council down to the cavern and returns, leaving just him, August, Mads, and Razenna.

August moves to the window, leans out, and looks down at the soldiers below. I tuck myself farther into the crevice, breathing softly. Something tickles my flesh, skittering across my arm, heading toward my chest and neck. I clench my jaw, holding the scream in my throat as a handful of cave crickets crawl across me and leave the crevice.

Mads hands August a glass of amber liquid. "Curse still working its way through you?"

"Curse?" Ciaran asks, genuine concern in his voice as he steps into view.

August downs his drink in one swallow. "The Siren's Curse," he mumbles, and Ciaran sprays a mouthful of his drink across the room.

"You fucked her!" He yells and then quieter, almost a whisper, "You fucked her?"

"No. We just kissed and . . ." August hands his glass to Mads to refill. "We kissed. I didn't fuck her."

Mads gives August a pointed look as he hands his drink back.

"I'm gone for three days, and this happens. Did you see this coming?" Ciaran asks Razenna, and she shrugs. He chuckles. "I mean, if this isn't just the icing on the cake to this world war scenario we've got going on. I am glad to see you're finally getting back in the game after Lydia, but . . ." He rubs his hands over his face and chuckles. "But with her? Luc has all but declared her allegiance to his court to all who will listen." He groans loudly.

Ciaran looks at August with mischief in his eyes. "I mean, I guess I can't blame you. Seeing her tied up like that the other night. . ." He licks his lips. "Mmmmm. . ." Flames erupt across August's arms and shoulders, and Ciaran's bellowing laugh fills the room.

Razenna hides a snicker behind her hand, and Mads claps August on the back a couple of times. "It's easy to laugh when you can't be cursed yourself," Mads says to Ciaran. "I think, given the nature of the interaction, it should pass in a few more days, a week tops." He returns his attention to August. "You'll just need to keep your distance and not kiss her anymore." His emphasis on the word kiss confirms that Mads knows August kissed more than just my mouth.

"In the meantime—let's just hope Lucanis doesn't catch wind of this." He looks to Razenna. " Did you see this coming?"

"I knew it was a strong possibility. But everything is really hazy right now. The one thing that is clear—war is still imminent on any strand of time I can follow."

Mads curses under his breath.

"Alright, enough about me." August rubs his brows and leans out the window. "Is there anything else we need to address?"

"Raynor should be arriving soon for your birthday party tonight. We still haven't responded to his invitation to his Yule ball. Should we go ahead and respond now?"

Sensing the end of important conversation, I pull myself out of the crevice and prepare to climb down to the landing. The trip back down is always so much harder.

I make it back to the landing, and sweat drips from my nose. My fingers scrape against rough rocks as I jog down the passageway toward the study. Visibility decreases, and I slow down as my fingers run across paneled walls. I find the dead end and slide my hands across the wall, feeling for any sort of lever to open the bookcase back up. I wonder if someone marries August if they'd be able to phase because that feels pretty damn convenient right now.

My finger slides over a slightly warmer section, and I slide my hand back, finding a handle.

No one in the study, I climb back down the rolling ladder and the secret door above me clicks back open. I plop down in August's wing-back chair and attempt to look as natural as possible, grabbing a book from the nearby table.

"What are you reading down there?" Ciaran calls from the landing above and then appears before me. "Geographical anomalies in Ophellen. That sounds captivating."

August appears and pulls the book from my grasp, laying it back down on the table. His nostrils flare, and his eyes darken. "You're awfully sweaty."

"I have anxiety."

"About rocks?" Ciaran mocks me.

The rumble of my stomach stretches to an improper decibel, and they both raise their brows at me.

"What? I haven't eaten anything since I woke up."

"Let's remedy that," August says, holding his hand out. I take it and we phase to a small kitchen. Seconds later, Ciaran appears. He gives August a knowing look as if he is here to chaperone us.

August scoffs and turns to the countertop, pulling out a knife and a loaf of bread. He slices a tomato for the sandwich and pulls a few sprigs of oregano from drying herbs hanging above us. He places it between slices of bread and hands it to me.

"For old time's sake. I'm sorry I sent your friend away."

"Yeah, we like Eoin." Ciaran adjusts the red scarf woven through his black hair. "We just can't have people punching the High Lord and then sticking around like nothing happened."

I sigh and nibble on my sandwich. Eoin is gone. I don't know when the last time I've been this far from him was.

"You've got a lot of anxiety for a thief," Ciaran says unapologetically. He seats himself on the counter before taking a large bite from the remaining loaf.

"Uh, thanks." I take a bite of my sandwich before I say something mean in return. August gives Ciaran a look. "I do have anxiety sometimes. I don't think that makes me unskilled. Eoin was the planner and the fighter. I was always good at the stealth and cracking safes."

"I see," Ciaran says. He looks at me with genuine curiosity. "So, what are your skills then? I mean, what keeps you alive when you're out there thieving—besides Eoin."

I hadn't really thought about that before. Eoin has pretty much planned out most of my days, and I've never had the opportunity to learn real skills for an honest job.

"Running and observing."

They both laugh at my quick, honest answer.

August grabs my hand, which holds the sandwich and pulls it to his mouth, taking a bite. Ciaran clears his throat and raises both eyebrows at August. "So," he returns his gaze to me, "you like running?"

"Sometimes, when I keep up a good routine, I like it. Most of the time, I hate it. But it's saved my neck more times than I can count."

They both nod in understanding.

Ciaran hops off the counter and dusts off his hands. "Well, it's been nice chatting, but we've got a maelstrom of events and information to sift through." He turns to August. "And a meeting. Raynor has arrived. He wants swordfish for lunch." He places a hand on my shoulder. "I'll take you back to your room."

"Actually, can you take me to Razenna?"