Earthbound, p.28
Earthbound, page 28
Elevated Dareous’ eyes flashed, and he leaned forward in his seat. “I was chosen by the Sky herself to lead. Our assurances are not of the mundane—”
Elder Genoa sighed and held up his hands for peace. “Enough ideology, Dareous. What we need is a plan for how to keep this from ripping the Order apart. We need to call an assembly. Today.”
Dareous nodded in agreement as Solace cleared his throat. “Something to say?”
“I have an idea, if you’d hear it.”
The two Elders exchanged a look, and Genoa gestured the go ahead.
“Rather than squelching rumours, stoke the fire,” Solace proposed. Dareous raised an eyebrow and Solace pushed ahead. “No doubt those stirring up discord over the assurances will want Tehran to join them. His would be a powerful voice for their cause. Best friend of Knox, and Overseer. Let them recruit him.”
“Once identified, we can dismantle the leadership from the inside without pushing the Order into civil war,” Tehran added. It had been Solace’s idea, serving to put additional space between the conflict and Emilia. He had jumped at the plan.
Dareous sat silent, rubbing at his temple.
Genoa spoke up. “It’s not a bad idea.”
“Maybe not, but it’s dangerous,” Dareous countered. “Some lies burn themselves out. Some lies are poison, turning what was once whole sour.”
“Which is this?” Tehran asked. The room remained accusingly silent. He tipped his chin and sighed. “You don’t know what you’re dealing with, do you?”
“That’s what we need to find out,” Genoa said. “This could be a small group or widespread. We don’t know how many within the Order are compromised. With Overseers being disavowed, we need to know if they are being robbed as claimed or if they are laying down their oaths.”
Some of the pretence dropped from Dareous and he looked to Solace while ignoring Tehran’s question. “Can he manage this? In his state?”
Solace looked to Tehran, expression solemn. “He can. He’s raw, but that is what they will expect.”
“His reputation alone will lend to their trust. He made no effort to hide his feelings when Knox was disavowed,” Genoa added, a hint of disapproval colouring his tone.
“He will need to take a vow of secrecy,” Dareous said, continuing to talk as if Tehran wasn’t staring daggers at him.
“Is that necessary?” Solace asked, tone turning sharp.
“Of course,” Genoa agreed.
Tehran felt a tremor of uncertainty course through him, leaving his limbs unsteady. “I have already pledged myself to the Order.”
“You have, but the Order is now of two minds. It will be safest to swear to me directly.”
Tehran frowned. “Bind myself to one man? You are not the Order, Dareous.”
The Elevated’s mouth pinched. “Elevated Dareous, Overseer. I am protecting the heart of our covenant with the Sky. Your oath would not be to me as a man but rather an extension of the Primary Oath, recognizing me as the embodiment of the Order.”
“Your hesitation is justified,” Genoa soothed, leaning forward on his seat, “but without knowing who is corrupted, swearing to the Elevated alone is the only way to ensure you aren’t caught in their web. There is precedent for such measures.”
Tehran glanced toward Solace, whose expression was as troubled as his own.
“But to double-bind an Overseer? This is extreme. One wrong move, and he could become oathtorn or disavowed,” Solace argued. “We cannot lose more good Overseers.”
“The only danger is if he is swayed to believe the Order is wrong, if I am wrong to protect our oaths to the Sky,” Dareous said. “It’s not so arduous.”
“I’m also bound to Emilia,” Tehran reminded.
Dareous raised a brow, his eyes taking on a light that made Tehran shift uncomfortably. “A Bonding Oath should in no way interfere with your oaths to the Sky—if sworn properly.”
“Of course they were,” Solace spoke up. “He’s only questioning as any sane person would under the circumstances. You’re asking him to risk far more than being disavowed.”
Genoa’s wizened mouth turned thin, wrinkles deepening. “We understand the risk we are asking of you. Few could manage multiple oaths without crumbling, but you must. To protect the Order. To keep the Mercurial safe.”
Tehran swallowed. He had managed to balance his oath to Emilia and the Order this long. Still, to bind his Primary Oath to Dareous directly felt tenuous, but what option did he have? To refuse would be to set himself against the Order, and any protection he provided over Emilia would vanish. Solace’s plan was still their best hope. When he returned to the Reaches, far from internal politics he’d have the time and space to figure out his next steps forward. “What would you have me swear?”
Dareous leaned back in his seat, thinking a moment before instructing Tehran on the phrasing. It left precious little wiggle room for interpretation. A thrill pricked at his skin as Tehran spoke the words, followed by a deep dread curdling his stomach. “Satisfied?”
“I am. You’ve done well, Overseer. Make a show of grieving and some discontent. Hopefully it won’t take long for the interested parties to show themselves.”
Tehran’s jaw flexed. “A show. Right.”
Dareous waved a hand. “You know what I mean. Stay here in the city under the pretence of taking time to grieve.”
“Stay? I can’t stay here in the Capital. What of Rikken and the rest of the Reaches?”
“What of them?” Dareous asked.
“They are being overrun by these earthbound even as we speak. Crops are threatened. People are dying. Every day I wait here is a day longer that they suffer alone. They need protection.”
“They are not the priority right now. If we fail to keep the Order from fracturing, there will be no one to send.”
“Not good enough,” Tehran snapped. “I cannot sit here idle while my cluster is in danger.”
Solace jumped in. “This is the exact type of behaviour those wanting to use Tehran will expect and could draw them out. We can let it leak that he is leaving the Capital in a rush.”
Genoa pulled at his beard, nodding. “It would paint a convincing picture of a disgruntled Overseer taking matters into his own hands.”
Dareous looked pensive, clearly unhappy at the idea, but he nodded. “You may go, but if the ploy fails, we expect you to return to the Capital as soon as the earthbound are dealt with. We need to take control of the rogue elements here, not fret over a few clusters on the edge of the wild.”
A thread of tension released from Tehran’s shoulders despite the Elevated’s condescending tone.
I’m going home.
◆◆◆
The sound of the door opening ended the discussion, and a moment later, Elder Venier and Emilia rejoined them. Tehran and Solace dipped their heads and pressed fists over their sternums as the three Elders gathered themselves and filed from the house.
Tehran was surprised when Venier reached out as she passed and squeezed his arm, sympathy in her eyes. She left a few paces behind the others and closed the door behind her. It felt as if the house itself sighed with relief at the Elder’s exit.
Solace sagged as the tension lifted. “That was—interesting.”
Triple-bound. Tehran’s power had never been any more at risk, and they both knew it.
“I’m going to put some tea on.” The older man patted Tehran on the shoulder and dipped his head to Emilia before leaving them alone.
Emilia’s eyes met his, hesitant. He pulled her into a hug. The warmth of her arms around him loosened a torrent of mixed emotion. This meeting was meant to be the end of the pull and politics between them. Why can’t it be as simple as this—holding each other, sure and safe?
The answer came immediately. Another oath. More lies. Why couldn’t he simply protect those he cared about without having to participate in this maddening dance of nooses and knots? They both stared into the dying flames within the hearth, Emilia resting encircled in his arms, silent.
His breath felt tied within his chest, full lungs out of reach. Each oath: to the Order, to Emilia, and to Dareous, carefully wound around one another. He walked a precipice. One misstep, and he would betray a vow, and in doing so, let down everyone he cared about.
The fact he could not even speak of this to Emilia made him all the more restless. To keep her in the dark, again. It’s unfair. The whistle of the tea kettle echoed through the house, rousing them both, and without a word they made their way to the kitchen.
Solace set out extra heavy-handled mugs before pouring his own cup and retreating with a nod. Tehran pinched a familiar mix, jasmine and dried wild berry. The hot water swirled with crimson threads as it diffused, the floral fruity scent wafting into the air.
He set a cup of hot tea before Emilia. She looked up appreciatively from the small kitchen table tucked next to the window and reached out a hand for him. He sat next to her with his own cup and grasped her fingers as a lifeline of comfort.
“Okay?” she asked.
“Okay.”
“We did it.” Her relieved breath gave way to a soft smile. “I feel like a weight has been lifted.”
“I’m glad,” he said, forcing the smile to reach his eyes. “You deserve some peace.” They sat in silence drinking from their cups, clasped hands resting on the table.
“Tehran?” The tentative way she said his name brought his eyes to hers. Her mouth pressed with uncertainty. “I want things to be different with us.”
“Different how?” he asked, apprehension building.
She put her cup down, hand trembling. “No more secrets.”
He steeled himself, desperately clinging to the fragile peace they held in this moment of tea and companionship. “I’m still oathbound, Em.”
She lifted her eyes from her cup and held his gaze. “Of course you are. But I want to choose us. To protect us.”
Tehran felt as if he could hardly breathe. Me too, Em. He searched for the words, a safe path through the tangle of vows within him. He wanted to reassure her, to meet her with an equal offering of transparency, but his throat pulled tight, cutting off the words.
“I copied some pages from the Book of Oaths,” Emilia blurted.
He sucked in a sharp breath and pulled back. “What?”
“I needed answers. To do something and take control. To no longer live within the shadow of those pages.”
“If anyone finds out—” He stilled in sudden understanding. Last night. She learned the true power of an oath was worked out through action. The knowledge cut into him, sharp and bitter.
“I had to know,” she said. He pushed back the dread swelling in his chest. “My whole life has been dictated by words I’ve never been allowed to see. I needed to know what binds us.” Her gaze pierced him, stealing his breath away. “What stands between us.”
“Between us?”
“Elder Venier explained a few things to me. I feel like I understand more than I ever have.”
“You didn’t tell her you had the book, did you?” He couldn’t help the question, but inwardly winced at the hurt that sprang to Emilia’s eyes.
“Of course not,” she said, tone affronted.
What false hope had the Elder given her? His chest flared with pain, wishing for a different reality, one where he could speak openly, but it wasn’t possible. “You read the oaths?” he asked, trying to reopen the conversation.
Emilia’s eyes lifted. The look of hope hurt almost as much as her disappointment.
“I never understood the link between assurance and oath.” She paused, letting her hand drift across the corded lines of his forearm and rest there, her dark eyes meeting his for a long moment before shifting back to a conversational tone. “I knew they were detailed, but I had no idea the number of assurances there are. How can you remember it all?”
He took a swallow of tea, working past the choking sensation. “The Sky doesn’t let us misstep without warning. The assurances are not meant to be punitive; they are a reminder of our continual choice to serve.”
“You feel it?”
He gave her a tight smile and nodded. “I do.”
“But sometimes you feel it but can push past it?”
His throat turned thick at the continual questioning. Case in point. “There is room for some flexibility. Because we are bound, I can say more, but yes, even now I feel it.”
She chewed at the inside of her cheek, clearly deep in thought. “But are there some things you still can’t say without breaking an assurance or oath? I’m bound to you fully now.”
“Some of the Sky’s secrets are for the Avowed alone. The Book of Oaths is one of those things, Em. The fact you’ve read it has me choking on a stone.”
She frowned, looking confused. “But you made an oath to protect me from the Order.”
The conflicting oaths warred over his very breath. “I must fulfill both; my oath to you and my oath to the Order. Not exchange one for the other.”
A crease cut across her brow as she blinked back tears. “I should’ve known better than to hope we could have something more.”
Her pain twisted a knife in his chest. “I will protect you. But I need your help.” She pulled her hand away, shoulders stiff. “Emilia.”
She gathered herself. “It’s fine. This is what it means to be bound to an Overseer.”
“Give me time, Em,” he said, feeling her retreat further even as he spoke the words. “I’m not worried about the Book of Oaths. I’m worried for you. About your safety. You must keep it between us. The Order cannot learn of you digging in places where you do not belong.”
She gave a curt nod.
“What did Elder Venier say to you?” he asked, a suspicion forming. Clearly their conversation had an impact, and the only reason he could imagine was if they had found common ground.
“Why?”
“Because it’s my job to protect the Mercurial.”
Emilia’s eyes narrowed, her voice turning cool. “She was kind. And understanding. She promised Knox’s sacrifice will not be in vain.”
“But if she spoke out of place, led you to believe the Order was acting maliciously, she could be corrupt.”
“Corrupt?” She cut him off, anger flashing in her dark eyes. “She’s the only one today that showed an ounce of compassion. Of humanity. If you are looking for corruption ,why don’t you start with the Elevated?”
He almost choked, and his voice came out as a strained whisper. “Elevated Dareous can’t be involved, not truly. The Sky wouldn’t allow it. The oaths guard against it.”
“They haven’t protected the Overseers who’ve lost their power,” she said pointedly. “What makes Elder Venier a suspect and not the Elevated, other than your own unwillingness to take a closer look?”
He stared. His chest constricted, and his vow to Dareous churned in his gut. Did Venier tell her of the disavowed?
“I can’t talk about this.” He stood and gathered their cups from the table, taking them to the nearby sink.
“Fine. What about Rikken?”
“A team is being put together.”
“And we’re going?”
He didn’t answer immediately, letting the clanking of dishes in the sink buy him a few seconds. He picked up a cup to rinse it out and it shattered in his hand. Heat flooded his cheeks at the unwitting strength humming through his limbs.
“Tehran.”
He turned to look at her. She stood, arms crossed, and eyebrows raised. He dropped the ceramic shards into a bin and dusted his hands off.
“What?” He cringed at the annoyance in his tone. It wasn’t her fault he was twisted in knots.
“What are we doing?”
“We need to stay in the Capital until the inquiry into Knox’s death is complete.” Please stop asking me questions. The lie was shoddy. There was no inquiry and they both knew it.
“We should talk with Venier.”
“Why?”
Emilia scoffed. “Because you are standing here, lying to me.”
“I explained to you how this works, Em. There are things I can’t tell you.”
Emilia stepped nearer, her expression earnest. “Do you want to keep secrets from me?”
His heart broke. “No. Of course not.”
“Then tell me, and we can figure out what to do together. If we can’t, maybe Elder Venier can help us.”
He dropped his head. “I can’t.”
He could barely acknowledge the true reason without the conflicting oaths starting to tear at him. If Venier was involved in undermining the Order, any time spent with her would put Emilia in greater danger. The two women together would be a storm he could not weather with his oaths intact.
“I need to do this alone.”
She took a half step back, hurt and anger colouring her face. Before he could protest, she spun and walked from the room without looking back. He slumped into a chair, not daring to follow. There was nothing to say.
Sky’s Alone
Knox
Knox sat before one of the camp’s many fires as night fell, the Council meeting still sour in his throat. Kipp curled up against his chest, her stuffed rabbit pressed into her face, breathing the slow even breaths of deep sleep. He should have tucked her into a bed an hour ago, but the peace and warmth radiating from her tiny frame kept him from disturbing her.
“She wouldn’t go down on her own?” Loghin asked as he stepped into the yellow light of the flames, a steaming cup in his hands.
Knox looked down at Kipp. The depth of fierce protectiveness and fondness he had for the child surprised him. But then, her father already demonstrated she was worth sacrificing everything for. Now that she was his charge, he could offer no less.
“She didn’t want to go to the tent on her own, and I didn’t have the heart to make her.”
Loghin sat with a wry twist to his lips. “She has you bound, no doubt about it.”
“I won’t forget my duty,” Knox said, his voice turning sharp.
