Toward dawning light, p.22
Toward Dawning Light, page 22
All this for show? This couldn’t have been a simple meeting to inform them of progress on the search for Nazarov?
“We should do this again, and soon,” the grand duke continued. “Perhaps we can invite President Sikori to join us.”
Astrea’s eyes almost rolled into the back of her head. She had no issue with the Tornamian president, but skies, another dinner? Another pointless, stiff dinner? She’d let Eliana sort out the details; she needed to get Cressida upstairs.
As Eliana and Nicos stayed behind to speak with Veiko, Astrea ushered Cressida toward the door. Jin and Adi were a few steps behind, with Jin calling promises over his shoulder to meet up with Veiko, Eliana, and Zephyrine first thing in the morning.
“Do you still have tonics upstairs?” Astrea asked Cressida.
“Skies, not this,” she mumbled. “Yes, Mother Hen. I’ll take one before bed.”
“Take one as soon as you’re upstairs,” Astrea said, “unless you’ll let me heal you some.”
“It’s early; I’ll live until I go to bed.”
“Don’t push yourself more than you need to,” Astrea said. “I don’t want you hurting yourself.”
“I’m not hurting—”
“Liar.”
“I’m not hurting myself,” Cressida finished. “Does it hurt? Yes. But Ivy said that’s normal.”
Astrea grumbled her understanding. It wasn’t that she expected Cressida’s pain to be gone but rather that she hated knowing there wasn’t all that much they could do, especially with Cressida refusing most pain management options.
“We need you all healed up, Cress,” Jin said as they started into the palace’s main atrium. The wide space was filled with guards and soldiers, who all stood at attention as soon as they saw Jin. “We’re going to need you when we go back out to handle this aetherium.”
“I never want to go within a mile of that stuff again.”
“I trust no one more than you and Balthazar with it,” Jin said. “But I won’t push you if you aren’t—”
Familiar cold prickled Astrea’s skin. She flung her arm out, stopping Cressida from going any farther. Jin and Adi both stopped short.
“Az?” Jin asked. “What—”
Ice pierced Astrea’s belly. Shadows snaked up from the floor, two figures following. Her legs begged her to run, to get away from that impossible cold now standing so close to her. Her mouth went dry. Jin took half a step forward, partially blocking Astrea’s line of sight.
Shouts echoed through the atrium as Novarian guards surged forward, blocking the two figures from the rest of them. Colors exploded from the crowd of them: white fear, red anger, gray hate.
But through the throng of guards and past Jin’s shoulders, Astrea finally got a clear look. One of the figures was taller and broader while the other was closer to Cressida’s height.
Those brown and gray curls.
Those glasses.
Theo Kadis had just jumped into the Novarian royal palace.
The colors surging around the guards raged on, morphing and shifting until that gray hate overtook it all.
Hate for a man none of them even knew.
Hate because he was with a void mage. Because Theo had once been Paragon.
Not that Theo was innocent. No, he wasn’t. But how could these guards hate someone they’d never even met?
“We come in peace!” Theo cried above the noise. “We mean no harm!”
“Skies damn it, Theo,” Jin muttered. “That was the actual worst way he could’ve approached the palace.”
It was bold, that was for sure. Foolish, too.
One of the guards reached for her belt, pulling a dagger from its sheath and brandishing it at Theo. The palace’s front doors burst open, more guards running inside as they shouted warnings about the void and locking the palace down.
“He means no harm!” Jin yelled to the guards. “He’s on our side! Stand down!”
The brunette guard with the knife lunged for Theo, slicing through his jacket and shirt. Pain danced along Astrea’s skin, making her yelp. The void mage with him tried to put herself between Theo and the guard, only earning her a wound, too, and riling up the other guards even more.
“Listen to me!” Jin bellowed, stalking forward. “Stand down!”
The hate and fear pulsing heavily in the air lessened, and the guards actually listened. One by one, they lowered their weapons, their raised fists surrounded by swirling magic. Orange anxiety and white fear churned around the group as Jin pushed past them to approach Theo.
Leaning down, Jin whispered something to Theo that was too low for Astrea to hear. Teal understanding swirled around the shorter man, twining with his graying hair. Considering how he’d disappeared for weeks, Theo seemed fine. His cheeks and jaw were covered in a bit of scruff, and he’d just received that nasty cut from the Novarian guard, but otherwise, he looked as he always did: slacks, loose-cut shirt with the sleeves rolled partway up, slightly disheveled curls.
Jin stepped back, then ordered a couple of the guards to help escort Theo and the void mage. He ordered another to go get medical supplies. Then, taking Astrea’s hand, he said, “We need to find Veiko.” He ushered Adi and Cressida ahead, practically dragging Astrea after them. “Right now.”
The back of Astrea’s neck prickled, like someone was watching her. She peeked over her shoulder only to find Theo and the void mage both staring at her intently. The corners of Theo’s mouth quirked up.
She didn’t return the smile. Instead, she faced forward, trying to calm her thundering pulse. On the one hand, she was glad to see Theo was actually alive. They needed his help. But skies, the promise she’d made him.
The promise she’d made the Paragonian defectors.
The promise she couldn’t keep.
The role she didn’t want to play.
How was she supposed to lead them? She could barely get out of bed most days. Not that she wanted to lead them. But it still astonished her that they could see her as their leader simply because of her lineage.
Several of the palace guards rushed ahead, no doubt to find Veiko. And soon enough, the shouting began. Lucian calling for Jin, for the prince who was marching a void mage through the very heart of Novarian state power.
Talk about bad optics. Delfine would be having a fit if she knew this was going on.
“Skies,” Lucian muttered as he rounded a corner at the same time as them. His gaze darted behind Jin and Astrea, then back to Jin. “You thought parading him around was a good idea?”
“We need to talk to him. He’s no threat to us,” Jin said.
Lucian’s eyes narrowed.
“I would never hurt the sun and moon,” Theo said from behind them. “Never.”
“He helped us escape the Badlands,” Jin whispered. “You told us that yourself. Is that not proof enough?”
“Fine,” the commander said. “The grand duke’s office, now.”
“Adi, Cress,” Jin said, “can you go tell the others?”
Adi glanced at Theo. Hesitation scraped over Astrea’s skin. But Cressida tugged on his arm, muttering something about how they’d be “fine” without the extra help.
With them heading off to find the rest of their group, Astrea and Jin followed Lucian and more guards down the hall toward Veiko’s office. It was formerly his aunt’s office, and he hadn’t changed it much aside from the new picture frames on the wide desk.
Zephyrine was seated in front of Veiko’s desk, and the grand duke pushed out of his chair as soon as Lucian started barking orders at the guards to lock the doors and not let anyone else inside, save Marko.
“Jin?” Veiko asked.
“Grand Duke Veiko Volara, may I introduce you to Lord Theodore Kadis,” Jin said almost sarcastically. “Theo, this is the new grand duke.”
“A pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Theo took a step forward, but one harsh look from Lucian made him stop in his tracks. “I apologize for our abrupt appearance, Your Highness.”
“I should hope so,” Veiko said, then gestured toward Theo’s arm. “You’re injured.”
“Your guards are quick,” Theo said. “It’s a flesh wound. It’s no matter.”
Veiko grimaced.
“Where have you been, Theo?” Jin asked.
Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, Theo said, “Elsewhere.”
Veiko scoffed. “This is who I’m supposed to trust, Jin?”
“Please, if we could get comfortable, Your Highness, I’ll tell you more.”
Veiko’s attention flicked to Lucian, who nodded once. With a heavy sigh, the grand duke waved for them all to sit, then plopped in his own chair, almost defeated.
While Jin pulled up an extra chair from the corner for Theo, Astrea took the seat next to Zephyrine. Still standing, Jin settled behind her. Lucian remained next to the grand duke, ever watchful. The void mage shifted their weight from foot to foot, and Astrea tried to ignore the cold swallowing the room.
Lucian had claimed Zephyrine had a lead on where Theo might be, and while that was surely true, and while it was probably a good thing that he had finally shown up, Astrea couldn’t help but be a little suspicious about the timing. Nazarov had just dreamwalked to her two days prior, the first time in weeks.
“Now,” Theo said thoughtfully, “where to begin . . .”
“Where you’ve been is a good place to start,” Jin said. “You disappeared for weeks. I thought we were allies now.”
“We are,” Theo said with a curt nod. “Of course we are. Which is exactly why I’ve stayed away.”
“Meaning?” Lucian asked. “You said you would be in touch soon after you left us in Tornama.”
“Meaning I needed to stay away for Astrea’s and Jin’s safety, Commander.” Theo rolled his eyes, as if that were the most obvious thing in the world. “Nazarov knows whose side I’ve chosen. I wanted to be sure he was not tracking me before I came anywhere near them. He’s out for blood.”
“You’re so sure about that?” Veiko asked. “We thought he was focused on finding aetherium.”
“He is a man of many interests,” Theo replied. “Aetherium is most important to him now, I think. But either killing those two or taking Astrea alive is high on his priority list as well.”
“He said as much to me,” Astrea said. “When he dreamwalked to me. Implied he was out for blood, as you said.” Nazarov’s words echoed in her head, and she tried to force away the image of Saros dying. “He reiterated that if I don’t help him rule the Paragon, he’ll kill me, as me being around is making his job harder.”
Gray confusion bubbled around Theo’s head, his frown deepening the wrinkles around his mouth. At least that seemed like a genuine reaction. Maybe the timing really was a coincidence.
“When did he do this?” Theo asked.
“Two days ago.”
“No instances before?”
“None.”
“You’re certain?”
“I think I’d remember if he was dreamwalking to me,” Astrea said. Oh, yes, of that she was sure. Nazarov always let her know when he was around. It was all some big game to him, like a cat hunting a mouse.
“I ask only because he has the ability to be more subtle than he often is,” Theo said. “I wasn’t sure if he had begun trying to torment you in other ways, as he often has with Ninette.”
Nazarov was targeting Ninette? What could he possibly get out of that, other than making her life miserable?
“Where is she now?” Jin asked. When Veiko shot him a questioning look, Jin said, “She’s another defector.”
“She’s at a secure location with my other people,” Theo said.
Jin shook his head. “That’s not good enough. If we’re to work together, you need to actually give us information.”
“And if we’re to work together, you must trust me a little, Jin.”
“You’ve barely given me a reason to trust you.”
“I got you and your people out of Helosia, didn’t I?” Theo asked. “I got your wife out, even when turning her over to Nazarov would have granted me safe passage anywhere I wanted in the world. I could have done so and washed my hands of the situation, but I chose to save you because Nazarov needs to be stopped, and I can help you stop him.”
Astrea’s blood chilled. Nobody else moved a muscle as they all watched Theo, surely trying to evaluate if he was making some kind of threat now.
“And so you left us alone for weeks because that was helpful?” Jin finally asked.
“Yes, it was.” Theo lifted his chin.
“I believe they’ve made camp at a remote location in the forests northeast of Talmaris,” Zephyrine said.
Theo paled.
“Seems I’m right after all,” Zephyrine mused. “Thanks for the confirmation, Lord Kadis.”
He glared at her. “So you know our location. Does Nazarov?”
“I hope not,” she said. “Is it someplace he visited with you?”
“No, I never told him about it. If you knew where I was, General, why didn’t you come looking for me?”
“I was looking,” she said, “but I didn’t want to spook you. Would’ve gone up there tomorrow had you not shown up now. Which is awfully convenient given we just heard from your former boss.”
“I had nothing to do with that, I swear.” Cold fear pulsed out from Theo, making Astrea shiver. He shook his head. “If Nazarov has only come to you the one time, Astrea, then I’m certain he is focused on other things.”
“We believe he’s on his way to islands in search of more aetherium,” Lucian said. “We visited the old Paragon base up in the northwest—”
“Magnificent place, isn’t it?” Theo interrupted.
“You obviously know it,” Zephyrine said.
“I’ve visited several times. But that’s not why we’re here. Yes, Nazarov wants more aetherium. Like Emperor Aelius, he wants to build weapons. With the right forges—ones the Zaikudi are very likely providing—it will only be a matter of time until Nazarov gets what he wants.”
“Wonderful,” Lucian muttered.
As Veiko leaned back in his chair, it creaked slightly. “Do you know which islands Nazarov will be heading for, Lord Kadis?”
“There are many rumored to have held aetherium if our old tales are anything to believe,” Theo said. “But I can narrow it down for you.”
Old tales of aetherium on islands? The Myths and Other Legends book hadn’t mentioned that, nor had her father mentioned anything of the sort. Would Valen keep that from them? Would he even know? Surely he’d heard such “old tales” when he was still living with the Paragon. Noemi certainly hadn’t found anything in her most recent round of research.
“I believe it’s time we discuss our alliance, Miss Sovna,” Theo said. “After all, if you’re to be our new One, then there is much you must be educated on. We can get started as soon as you like.”
“Oh . . .” This was certainly not the direction Astrea wanted things to go. “I’m very tired, Theo.” A weak excuse but true nonetheless. “I think that’s a conversation I need a clearer head for.”
Theo gave a weak smile. “Tomorrow, then?”
“And where will you be tonight?” Jin asked.
As Theo pushed out of his chair, he said, “I know you’re going to want proof of the things I tell you. I will gather what I can and return in the morning. Is that acceptable?”
“Before you go, Lord Kadis,” Veiko said, “if Nazarov really is out looking for aetherium, what kind of forces does he have? What ships?”
“Forces? Plenty,” Theo said. “But ships? I don’t know. He’s probably demanded the Zaikudi’s help with that, too.”
“What else can you tell us about the Zaikudi working with him?” Zephyrine asked.
“Just that they see Nazarov as a means to an end, just as he sees them, General,” Theo said. “As I said, I’ll gather what proof I have tonight and bring it all to you tomorrow. We need to get started quickly.”
“Next time, Lord Kadis,” Veiko said as he stood, “don’t jump right into the middle of my palace. Use the front door like a civilized man.”
Theo inclined his head. “Of course, Your Highness.”
And then, as he joined hands with the void mage, shadows swallowed them whole. Cold spiked, and they were gone.
Chapter 24
Astrea collapsed back in her chair, accidentally bumping her head against Jin’s midsection. “I can’t be their leader,” she said, mostly to Jin. “I only told him that so he’d help us when we were—”
“I know.” Jin rested his hand on her shoulder, a heavy and comforting gesture. “We’ll find a way to get you out of it.”
Veiko heaved a sigh. “The council . . .”
“I think it’s perfect, actually,” Lucian said.
Lavender surprise flashed around Zephyrine.
“Lucian,” the grand duke said, “you cannot be serious.”
“I’m entirely serious.” His midnight eyes met Astrea’s. “These people seem desperate for a leader, even the ones we captured out west. They all seem to believe you are that person, Astrea. Their new One. So, we install you as their head of state, and we use it against them.”
“That’s far outside my ability!” Astrea cried. How could Lucian even be suggesting this? He knew that about her. “I’m no spy. I can’t pretend to lead them. They’ll see right through me.”
“She is a bad liar,” Jin said. “I don’t think they’ll believe it, Lucian. I take your point, but I don’t think they’ll believe her.”
“Then what about you?” Lucian said to him. “You’re her husband. They think you’re this ‘sun.’ Be her consort, if that’s what they’d even call it. Or insert Valen as their new leader, and we control him and tell him what to do.”
“This seems like a terrible idea,” Veiko said. “Are Astrea and Jin supposed to moonlight as their leaders forever to keep them in check? It’s unsustainable.”
“We only need them to do it for long enough that we can take down Nazarov and the emperor, then take down the rest of the Paragon,” Lucian said. “It won’t be forever.”
“I don’t know . . .” Astrea shook her head. “No, I think the longer we do it, the more they’ll believe it, and the harder it will be to step away. And I don’t think we can ‘take them down.’ There are too many of them.”
