Amid twisted chaos, p.20
Amid Twisted Chaos, page 20
As Astrea sat, her pulse thundered so loud in her ears that she barely heard Nazarov offer the dealer enough money to cover all of their hands. The dealer set stacks of colorful chips in front of each of them.
What the fuck is Theo doing here? It was the only thought running through her head, over and over again. Focus.
Astrea tried to look at the table more closely to figure out what she was supposed to be doing. She’d just throw the whole hand, but she was sure Nazarov wouldn’t consider it “playing a round” if she did that.
“What’s the game?” she asked him.
“It’s Stay the Course,” he said.
Astrea knew this one, or at least the concept. The players and the dealer each began with three cards. Players aimed for a total close to twenty-five without exceeding it—which would lead to a loss—having to decide whether to draw more cards or hold. The dealer could only see two of their cards until the end of the round, at which point they had to have at least twenty in total, or they would keep drawing. Players had to beat both the dealer and other players to win.
What Astrea didn’t understand was how people guessed whether or not they wanted to hold. Eliana was quite good at the game, as was Cressida, but Astrea had never bothered to learn the strategy, nor had she wanted to gamble. And now, she didn’t care if she won. She just had to seem like she was trying. She had to convince Theo and Nazarov that she was going along with their demands.
“Bets?” the dealer asked.
Theo and Nazarov each threw in three of their chips, so Astrea copied them. The dealer began setting cards in front of them, and Astrea watched hers carefully. They added up to sixteen.
“Ladies first,” Nazarov said in Novarian, then motioned at the dealer.
“Another card,” Astrea told the man. The next card he set in front of her was a seven in the water suit. Twenty-three total. “I’ll hold.”
Theo and Nazarov both made a show of taking more cards from the dealer, and genuine amusement even flowed off Theo, but Astrea kept her eyes trained on her cards. On his third extra card, Nazarov busted. As he swore, a pulse of that black showed up again, almost blending in with his dark hair. Astrea was sure she hadn’t imagined it.
“Well, you all lose,” the dealer said as he dealt himself another card for a perfect twenty-five. He scooped up the chips they’d bet, then began reshuffling the deck. “Another?”
“What do you say, Astrea?” Nazarov asked.
“If you answer some of my questions, yes.”
“We’ll play again,” Nazarov told the dealer in Novarian. All three of them threw chips into the center again as the dealer began handing out cards. “What do you want to know?” he asked Astrea in Helosian.
“What are you doing here, Theo?” she asked.
“Looking for you and Jin,” he replied.
“Why?”
“Victor and I thought we might finally do things our way now that we’re no longer working for The One.”
That hardly answered her question. “Why did you try to kill your leader?” Astrea asked Nazarov instead.
“Because he’s lost sight of the true path,” he replied.
Ninette had used a similar phrase, though Astrea had thought she was talking about other people. Ninette had seemed to think The One did follow the true path, whatever it was.
“And you’re on the true path?” she asked.
“Miss,” the dealer cut in. “What would you like to do with your hand?”
Astrea stared down at her cards, trying to make sense of the suits and numbers. She had a ten of stars, five of stars, and five of fire. Twenty. “I’ll stand,” she told the dealer. He nodded.
Nazarov took another card, then stood at twenty-three. Theo went bust, as did the dealer. The dealer slid a handful of chips back toward Nazarov, then began dealing another round when they’d all placed their next set of bets. The game moved quickly, more than Astrea had anticipated when she’d agreed to play just two hands with Nazarov. But she needed time. She needed information. That was the whole reason she was here.
“We are on the true path,” Nazarov finally answered. “The One has lost sight. His plan was never going to work.”
“And what was that?” Astrea asked.
“He wanted you and Varojin to come to our side by any means necessary. When you spoiled his plans at the Whiskey Dream and again at the festival, The One was ready to try again, but he wanted to make sure his people did things right for once.”
Astrea had already heard this from The One all those weeks ago in his office. Part of her almost told Nazarov to skip the story. But some other part of her told her to wait, to see how he might change the details. Maybe it would tell her something.
“When you and Jin showed up in my shop that day,” Theo said, “I thought I might be able to educate you both and bring you into the fold in a more . . . natural way. When you fled Helosia, he was unhappy. But imagine our surprise when you ended up with Professor Shalysko.”
“But he barely educated us at all,” Astrea protested, just as she’d told The One. “The Paragon destroyed his office.”
Nazarov shrugged. “If the professor seemed too helpful, I thought it would be suspicious. Besides, I didn’t think you’d actually come to our side through simple information. The One had high hopes that quickly diminished after that little trip to the ruins, so he let me move forward with my own plans.”
Astrea wasn’t so sure that was true. Even if it was, how had Nazarov gotten The One to agree to attacking the palace? He hadn’t seemed keen on taking things as far as Nazarov had, at least not as far as torture went. In fact, he’d told Nazarov to stay away from Astrea. She remembered that much.
“And you just let him make those plans even though you thought they’d fail?” she made herself ask.
Nazarov clicked his tongue. “Deceit and distraction aren’t your forte.”
“It’s a simple question.” Her heart pounded all the way up her throat. “You tried to kill him. Clearly you disagreed about a lot of things.”
“And now the rest of the Paragon see how weak he was.”
Did that mean the Paragon had abandoned The One? Were they on Nazarov’s side now? Astrea was about to ask, but the dealer cut her off.
“Miss?” he prompted.
Despite Astrea’s cards totaling to just fifteen, she said, “I’ll hold.”
“Shouldn’t have done that, girl,” a tall, skinny fellow with cool tan skin and brown hair said in Novarian from the empty side of the table. Astrea hadn’t even noticed him sit down. “You had a chance to—”
“Can’t you see I’m trying to have a conversation with my friends?” Nazarov barked at the man, his hand finding Astrea’s. Anger and shame boiled under her skin, and Astrea slipped her hand away from his. “This is a private table. Get lost,” he said to the newcomer. The man scoffed, but he stood and wandered away. Nazarov turned to Astrea, his smile predatory. “Don’t worry, little Lightbringer. I won’t tell Varojin about this.”
Theo chuckled before asking the dealer for another card.
“Do the Paragon follow you now?” Astrea asked.
“They are returning to the true path.”
Astrea forced her expression to remain neutral. She wanted to push for more answers about the Paragon’s shifting loyalties, but would Nazarov be honest? That last answer hardly said anything. Would he have shown up with more followers if he had them? Maybe Lucian would have eyes on them outside.
“If you didn’t think I’d come to your side, then why come to me with information now?” she asked. This seemed like a safer line of questioning.
“Because, as I’ve told you so many times, you are destined to help me. I thought I’d offer my help, too. But if I give you that information, you have to give me something in return.”
“I’m pretty sure I’ve proven I have nothing to offer you,” Astrea said as the dealer dealt himself another card and lost the round. Theo won, and he greedily took the chips the dealer passed his way.
“Just tell her what we want, Victor,” Theo said. “You’re dragging this out unnecessarily, just like you always do.”
“I beg to differ,” Nazarov replied, staring at Astrea. She didn’t look at him. “That display in those tunnels was impressive, little Lightbringer. But that’s not what we want, at least not right now. We want Mattina’s journal.”
“Why? Can you read it?”
“I can,” Theo said. “We want to know what he was working on when he betrayed us.”
“When he betrayed the two of you or the Paragon?” Astrea asked.
“Both,” the men replied at the same time.
She didn’t like the sound of that at all.
When the dealer offered her cards, Astrea shook her head. “And what will you give us if we give you the journal?”
“We’ll give you—” Theo started, but Nazarov cut him off.
“That’s something you and I will discuss alone, little Lightbringer.” He glanced sidelong at the dealer as he switched to Novarian and said, “Cash us out. We’re done here.”
“Now, Victor—” Theo started again, and again, Nazarov cut him off.
“Go find Varojin, and keep a very close eye on him,” Nazarov spat. “It’s time Astrea and I have a real chat.”
“Victor,” Theo warned.
“Go,” Nazarov snapped. “Now.”
Theo pushed out of his seat, setting a cold hand on Astrea’s shoulder as he passed. She shrank away from his touch, then back again as Nazarov grabbed her hand.
“Stop,” Astrea said as she pulled away. “I agreed to hear you out. You don’t have to touch me.”
“Afraid I’ll whisk you away? It’d be so easy, wouldn’t it?” Nazarov smiled as he stood and motioned for her to do the same. “Come.”
Standing on unsteady legs, Astrea smoothed the bodice of her dress and followed Nazarov away from their private table. Clubgoers barely paid them any mind, even when Nazarov reached for her and she pulled away again. Black—shadow, it almost looked like—flared around him for another heartbeat.
The Lightbringer trick Lucian had taught Astrea required access to someone’s emotions, and she’d lamented that it wouldn’t work on void mages. But Nazarov seemed to be . . . well, she wasn’t sure what to call it. But that black appeared whenever he got angry. Had it shown up while the Paragon held her in that house? Had it shown up around The One? Astrea couldn’t remember, and it disappeared so quickly, she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to hold onto it. Besides, was attacking Nazarov in this club, while she was alone, a good idea?
No. No, it wasn’t.
Astrea searched for any sign of Theo or her friends. But the club was only getting more crowded as the hour grew later, and her mind was turning to molasses as it had lately. Now was not the time for this. She could barely focus on anything besides breathing. The mission, Astrea reminded herself. Focus on the mission.
“What will you give me if we give you the journal?” she asked Nazarov.
“Now, now, Astrea,” he said, “we haven’t had our night of fun yet.”
“I already played cards with you. That was the deal. You can’t keep changing the terms.”
“As far as I’m concerned, I can change the terms as many times as I want,” he drawled. “My comrades and I are in control tonight, unless you plan on setting yourself off like that again. But I’d wager you won’t do that in this club, just like I’d bet your princeling won’t play Sunreaper in here.” When Astrea said nothing, Nazarov smiled at her. “If you won’t talk to me here, I know plenty of other places I can take you so we can chat. Maybe Tovan and Solana can even join us again. Get the band back together. That’d be fun, wouldn’t it? Tovan was just telling me earlier that he missed you so very much.”
No. No, Astrea did not want that. She didn’t know what her lightbringing might do if she imploded like that again, not in this crowd. In this building. Nazarov was right. She wouldn’t even try that.
So, with as strong a voice as she could muster, she asked, “What’s this night of fun?”
“Let’s have a drink.”
As he suggested it, Astrea realized they’d circled all the way back to the bar at the far end of the room. And as Nazarov led her to an empty seat, Astrea realized she had a perfect view of her friends, right where she’d left them. Theo had found them, and red rage burned around Jin. His back was to her.
“One drink,” Astrea said, still focused on her friends. Adi turned around, mint relief spiking high into his aura as he met Astrea’s gaze. He tapped Jin’s shoulder. “Just one.”
“That’s all I ask,” Nazarov said. “Give me a chance.”
Jin turned around, locking eyes with Astrea as mint relief and white panic joined the crimson rage still surrounding him. And when Nazarov grabbed Astrea’s hand for what felt like the millionth time, Jin’s rage and panic tripled, all-consuming.
Astrea yanked her arm away. “Touch me again and the deal’s off.” Her own rage coursed through her, overshadowing the fear pulsing deep in her bones. Nazarov could threaten her all he wanted, but she would not let him touch her again. Never again.
“Oh, but it’s so much fun to see him angry,” Nazarov cooed as he leaned against the bar and waved at Jin. “Such a temper that runs in that family. Skies. You’d think they’d have figured out how to get it under control. Has Eliana ever told you about the time Prince Kaius went off on—”
“Stop playing games.” Astrea’s voice trembled. “Just stop. Theo’s right. You’re just wasting time.”
“Fine. Give me the journal, and I’ll give you two things. First, I’ll tell you where I think Theo’s book is.”
She stared at him. Theo’s book? “Why would you do that? I thought it was important to you.”
“It is, but I’d rather you have it than Emperor Aelius.”
Astrea swallowed hard. “And you can’t get it yourself?”
“No.”
She’d have to consider that later. “And what’s the second thing?”
“I’ll answer one more question of yours.”
Myriad questions jumped to the forefront of Astrea’s mind all at once. What was in the book that Emperor Aelius shouldn’t have it? What could Mattina have been researching that Theo and Nazarov would want his journal that badly? What about The One? Where was he? Where had all those Paragon at that house gone? Did they truly follow Nazarov now? Had their goals changed if Nazarov was formally in charge, or was he following the same creed of chaos, destruction, and balance?
“I can’t make that decision without talking to my team.” Astrea wanted to say yes—if only to finally figure out what Theo’s book was all about—but she needed time to consider what all of this meant. If handing it over was even a good idea.
“I think it’s a very fair trade.”
“You would, since you’re the one who proposed it.” All she wanted was to get away from this man. With every passing second, his expression turned more predatory. “Let me talk to my team.”
“Then let’s go talk to them.”
Astrea bolted past him. Nazarov grabbed her wrist and yanked her back into his body so hard she stumbled. Jin still watched them, and she kept her gaze locked on his.
“Now, now,” Nazarov growled in her ear as he pressed against her, “remember what happened last time you tried to run from me? What happened last time you tried to cross me? Tell me, little Lightbringer, do you still have the scars to prove it? Does the princeling like them?”
Goose bumps covered her skin. Images of that house came back to Astrea, not from Nazarov’s dreamwalking but her own memory. The hallway where he’d caught up to her. The One’s office. The impossible darkness of those tunnels. Her breath turned shallow.
He squeezed her forearm. “Walk calmly or else we aren’t going to talk to your friends.” Releasing her, Nazarov backed up one step.
Forcing herself to walk slowly, Astrea made her way right to where Jin, Adi, and Cressida watched her. Zephyrine and the twins were nowhere in sight, likely still spread out among the crowd. They wouldn’t have gone too far, though. Even Theo, Solana, and Tovan all watched as Astrea and Nazarov approached.
The distance between them closed, and the sounds of the chaotic club died as Astrea’s ears filled with the drumming of her own heart. She was so close. What if Nazarov decided to snatch her now? Jumping away with her at the last second seemed like something he would do.
Astrea held her breath.
Just a few more paces . . .
And she reached them. Without hesitation, Astrea grabbed Jin’s hand. Nazarov simply continued his casual stroll in their direction. Astrea swore she heard Tovan snicker, but blood roared in her ears, drowning out some of the noise of the club.
“Did you all have a nice time getting to know each other?” Nazarov asked. “Because Miss Sovna and I have had a lovely start to our nights.”
“I’ve heard enough from Theo,” Jin snapped. “So what do you want?”
“Mattina’s journal. Astrea knows the conditions of the trade I’m offering. She can fill you in.”
“When do you need an answer?” Astrea asked.
“Though I was already generous in giving you time to mull over this meeting, I’m in a good mood after our fun tonight. I’ll give you until the end of tomorrow to consider.”
“And how do we tell you if we agree to this trade or not?”
“Oh, don’t worry, little Lightbringer. I know where to find you, though I’d think twice about declining the trade. If you do, Tovan and I might have to have another chat with you.” Nazarov winked, and Astrea’s blood chilled. Rage exploded across Jin’s aura, crimson and hot and so strong it obscured whatever Adi and Cressida were feeling. “Enjoy the rest of your evening.”
Nazarov skirted around their group and headed toward the atrium without a glance back over his shoulder. Solana, Tovan, and Theo all followed. Astrea eventually lost sight of them in the crowd, but the two void mages were easy to track. They continued their retreat until they were too far out of her range.
It was all Astrea could do to keep herself from sinking to the ground in warring relief and disbelief. Her tense muscles nearly gave out, but she managed to stay upright.
