CHAPTER NINE
“Can you believe that asshat?” I stomped through the streets, mindless of where I was going or who I was bowling over as I went. “I mean really, can you see me married to that smarmy beefcake batting my lashes and kneeling before him? Hells no.” No way would I kneel for him as a supplicant or as a woman.
“Lexi,” Terran said, jogging to keep up with my rant. “Please, Princess, cool. People are taking note. Your words are treasonous. Please.”
“Terran.” I pointed my finger into his chest. “I have never been anyone’s doormat and I’m not going to chill. If that woman wants to sit on her throne and refuse me as her daughter, then why should I care? There are some major flaws in the hierarchy of Attalos and I’m not going to get railroaded into a fucked-up marriage to some pretty-boy yes-man just because mommy dearest says so. Screw. That.”
I heard the intake of breath around me and realized that I did, indeed, have an audience. Terran and I were standing in the merchants’ square with wide-eyed amazement surrounding us on all sides. My mind tried to recap what my mouth had just been spewing and I winced.
Getting my head chopped off is not on my ‘to-do’ list for today.
My apology was on my lips when a woman in an apron stepped off the stoop of the bakery and stretched out a dainty, flour-dusted hand. Her blue, velvety wings stretched to their full span as she snapped her fingers. Not sure what I was expecting, but as the sharp snap, snap, snap, continued and gained strength, I just stared. In a matter of seconds, a chorus of snaps rose up and filled the square.
I scanned the faces of the crowd and caught a flash of fuchsia. On the far side of the merchant area, the woman from my vision turned away and melted into the crowd.
Ignoring Terran’s protests I rucked up my skirt and swept across the stone courtyard and around the corner. Trying to catch a glimpse of the drunken brunette I’d seen not three hours ago, I hustled through the narrow stone streets, the click of my heels tapping out my hurried pace.
“Where is she?” I asked Terran, searching up and down the alleys and doorways as I ran.
“Who, Princess?” Terran asked behind me.
“The woman from my vision.” When his expression blanked out, I remembered he still thought I collapsed with some kind of seizure. As we made our way back and forth, weaving along the water-bordered streets, I gave him the Cliffs Notes version of my visions and what I had seen.
“And you saw this woman just now? In the square?”
“Clear as day.” I came to the end of a street and headed around the corner, searching the faces of people we passed. No one looked familiar. Crestfallen, I dropped the fabric of my dress and let it flow to my feet. “Damn. I lost her.”
Standing with my hands on my hips I took stock of our surroundings. I recognized the fountain from the night before and strode closer to the bronze statue of the Fates. Last night was a blur, but I distinctly remembered stumbling past that fountain on the way to the royal carriage. I oriented myself, glancing from the dock where Estes had met us with the launch and tracing my path back along the row of neo-classical townhouses on my left.
For the briefest moment, I wondered which one Rowan had taken me to. Was it his? No. He’d said that it was one of the Queen’s townhouses, he just had a key.
“Terran? Why does the Queen have townhouses? The palace is big enough to house half the city. Who uses them?”
Terran’s gaze roamed down the long line of crisp architecture set against the blue sky. “Military Commanders, breeders, some of the sons of the noble houses—citizens who are important to the Queen—”
“Whoa,” I raised my hand and Terran stopped mid-sentence. “Breeders? Did my father live in one of these? Do you know where Balor lived?”
“Not which one, exactly, but the breeder’s homes are farther down. The Queen saves the view of the fountain and waterway for her more important guests. Breeders are across from the market shops.”
At my insistence, Terran led me further down the row and around the bend. He was right, the farther we walked from the fountain, the dirtier and more crowded the streets became. This retail sector certainly wasn’t like the market square where Freya had taken me shopping, and it was a far cry from the scenic view of the waterway and the fountain back in the courtyard.
“If I had to guess, I’d say Breeder Balor lived in that house there.”
I followed Terran’s pointed finger to a postage-stamp yard and the plain row house beyond. The front door was open and four duty soldiers slugged large totes out of the gated yard. One by one, they carried their loads out into the street and loaded them on a hovering wagon. When they set the trunks on the platform, the cart adjusted to the load and leveled out.
“She’s seizing his belongings.”
Terran scrubbed his palm over his mouth and nodded. “It would seem so.”
I closed the short distance as quickly as I could. If they took everything, I might never know who my birth father was. Could the Fates be so vicious as to let me find him just to strip every ounce of hope away from me? Yes. Yes, they could.
“Get it all. Got it?” a familiar voice barked from inside, “Every trace of the traitor is to be wiped from the city.”
Joy, twice in one day. Lucky me.
Constable Tasso darkened the doorway. Something about the way he stared at me made my skin crawl. “We meet again. Princess. Grace, wasn’t it?”
The way he smiled at me, I’d lay money that he had a voodoo doll of me tucked away somewhere with pins sticking out of my eyes and a tuft of stuffing bursting from the slice across my throat.
“Why are you doing here?” I wanted to sound tight when I spoke, but emotion leaked out and my voice shook with fury. If they had their way, I’d have no chance to look through my father’s things. “Master Constable Estes ordered you—”
“Estes does not outrank the Queen,” he snapped. “Official palace business, this.”
“Packing the things of a dead man. Super impressive.”
Tasso’s eyes narrowed. “The Queen herself called upon me to—”
I raised my hand and watched another soldier pass with a full armload. “The Queen, herself, eh? Well, good for you. You can climb up my mother’s asshole if you wish but I have no interest in following you.”
Constable Tasso lunged across the little yard and was in my face before I blinked. The rank stench of stale garlic washed warm over my face and my fingers inched the fabric of my skirt up my calf. He obviously thought his size was of benefit to him, but with my agility, I could palm and plunge my knife faster than this asshole could cry for help.
Come on douchebag. Make your move.
As far up in my grille as Tasso was, I heard the gentle vibration as something in his breast pocket buzzed. With a glare at me, he retrieved a small electronic tablet, flipped up the cover and stared at the little screen. His face softened, displaying the smug look of a spoiled child with a secret. Tasso clicked his communicator shut and signaled for the men to finish up.
“Off to lick my mother’s boots?”
“Actually, I am called to serve the Queen. This errand is not an obligation of duty, though. This I will do simply for the personal satisfaction of watching the aftermath.” Tasso’s lips twisted in a smile as his gaze danced over me. Before I could figure out what he was up to, his men finished loading the last of my father’s belongings and off they strode, my father’s life boxed and forgotten.
“That guy is bad news, Terran. I’ve known a lot of evil in my life and that man is dangerously unbalanced.” I drew a deep breath and tried to calm my Spidey-senses.
“I’m not sure what his wreckage is,” Terran said, watching the back of the wagon disappear around the bend.
I had to laugh. “Damage, Terran. You don’t know what his damage is.”
Terran recaptured a wisp of blond bangs that had escaped his queue in our run and resumed the order of his military look. It didn’t suit him nearly as much as the floppy bangs. When he gestured to the door, I followed him up the walk toward the now empty townhouse. “I don’t know what you expect to find now. Duty soldiers are trained to be thorough.”
The faded cream on cream walls and modest tile floors spoke of a simple life forgotten. Forgotten. Is this where I lived? I walked through the empty space, pushing at the resistance of my own mind. Gods, why couldn’t I remember any of this?
The furnishings had obviously been skeletal to begin with but with the Tasso-troupe finished their fine-tooth-combing, nothing personal or even decorative remained. “What? Did they think leaving a picture on the wall might leak some traitorous secret?”
Terran stepped into an adjoining room and I moved behind the plain, brown settee in the living area. I tried to imagine that battered man from the courtyard living here in better days. I couldn’t picture it. That man had life in his eyes and this place had no sense of personality. It was sterile and sad. My heart sank knowing, without even looking, that the rest of the townhouse would be the same.
“Why do you think he did it?”
Terran tilted his head. “Who? Balor?”
I moved to the rectangular window at the front of the house and glanced out at the shops across the way. “Being a breeder is a bit of a big deal, right? So why risk defying the Queen to keep me, just to turn around and give me away?”
A small boy, probably ten or eleven years old, carried a package out of one of the shops across the street. He had the same mint green skin that Stitch and Terran had and I wondered if that was an identifier of an Earth Attalosean . . . Attalosi?
Standing too long in one position had me stretching my back from side to side. There was no help for the ache that was now my constant companion. I knew almost nothing about my life, and standing in this empty townhouse wouldn’t change that. “Forget it Terran. Let’s go. We’re not—”
The creak of a floorboard in the back of the house had me reaching under my skirt and drawing steel. Terran heard it too and jogged to my side, his nightstick out and humming. He must have activated something within the baton, because the rune designs that covered its surface glowed white against the black cylinder. With quick hands, he signaled for me to stay put while he moved toward the back hall.
Yeah. He had a lot to learn if he thought that would work. Gods, what I wouldn’t give to be wearing my leather gear instead of floor-length silk and heels.
Faint footsteps had us aimed at a partially closed door at the back of the house. I eased the door open. The blinds were raised and mid-afternoon light filled the space.
“Come out,” I said, ready and steady. “Don’t do anything stupid. We’re armed.” The shadow of movement passed behind the open crack of the door and I adjusted my grip.
“Armed, Gracie girl? Well, I guess his plan worked then.”
It took a second for the words to sink in, but when my mind caught up, the woman from my vision stood directly in front of me. She looked different—focused, angry, drunker—though there was no question it was the same woman I’d seen.
“Now stand still.” She reached forward and for some reason, I did as I was told. Her finger touched my forehead and a tingle seeped into my skull and stung my eyes. “Give it a minute.”
Standing face to face, forgotten images flickered at the edge of my mind. Teasing. Flirting with my consciousness like a clouded dream in the waking hours. I knew her. I studied her more closely. What appeared to be dark brown hair in the shadows of her haunted hollow was actually a deep auburn laced with the silver-grey of rising age.
Fire Fae. How did I know that?
“Who are you?” I lowered the point of my blade to rest against my thigh.
“I am Sera.”
“And how did you get in here? Surely Tasso and his men didn’t let you in.”
The coy smile that spread across her features softened her appearance. “No. I waited until those bastards left. I want to speak with you. Alone.” Her cold stare raked over Terran and I stepped between them.
The woman shrugged. “The Queen has spies everywhere, Princess. Not a word in front of your soldier friend.”
It went against my every instinct not to defend Terran, but I needed answers and what she said was true. I’d only known him since I woke up this morning. The woman was important. The Fates were manipulative bitches, but what I saw in my visions always meant something.
I cast an apologetic glace to Terran. “Hang back so we can have some girl talk time.”
It was surprising, in the short time of knowing one another, how well the two of us could have a silent conversation of looks and head shakes. It reminded me of how Galan and Nyssa knew exactly what was going on in the other’s head without a word spoken.
After a heated argument of furrowed brows and tense glares, Terran had expressed just how much he disagreed with stepping back and leaving me alone, and I had reminded him I could take care of myself.
Terran threw his hands up and eased back to the far wall. It warmed my heart, how he kept his weapon ready and his mossy-green stare locked on our Fire-Fae visitor. Sweet.
“Now then,” I said, stepping closer to the woman, “what do you have to tell me?”
The woman turned and without a word pivoted back into the bedroom. Crossing the room, she ducked into the closet and disappeared behind the sliding door.
I followed, dagger ready, peering inside the dark space to where a hidden panel in the floor lay exposed. A run of twenty or so steep steps led below and as I started to descend, Terran’s hand caught my shoulder.
“It’s all right,” I assured him. “Wait here. If I’m not back in half an hour, come find me.”
I didn’t wait for his response but heard the jumbled attempt at modern world cursing as I left the bedroom behind. I giggled to myself. I’d have to help him with that.
At the bottom of the stairs, an earthen tunnel lit with multi-colored firelight stretched outward. Flames danced from six strange stoneware bowls fastened to the wood supports of an underground passageway.
“Giving you up nearly killed him. You should know that.” The voice of the woman drew me farther down the length of the tunnel toward two framed doorways opposite one another. “The Queen’s breeding program is meant to wipe out any lingering Earth, Wind and Fire genes in the noble families. Balor was Water as far back as time. His genetics are . . . were the strongest I’ve ever seen.”
I followed the voice and stepped over the packed-earth threshold through the doorway on my right. The fire in the sconces increased the lighting, illuminating a charming, comfortably decorated underground studio apartment. It was homey, from the soft white-washed walls to the oversized sofas, to the iron bed in the back. “He loved you very much.”
“You knew him well.” It wasn’t a question. Bits and pieces of memories fluttered together in my mind. My gaze swept over the mementos of a life shared: pictures, candles burned low, books, a child’s quilted throw framed on the wall over the small table. “I remember this.” I stroked the velvet symbol embroidered in the center panel. “This was mine.”
The look of disillusioned loss I’d seen in my vision returned. “Years ago, it was.” She took a picture frame down from the top of a bookshelf and held it out to me.
“You spent time with us. You played with me.”
“Sort of. Balor always turned my visits into a game but they were much more important.”
I eased closer and accepted the picture she offered. In the framed photo, I stared into the same kind eyes I’d seen last night on that horrible stage. What it would have been like to get here a week ago . . . a month . . . what about a year?
“I’ve lost my chance to know him. I came back to find my family and now all I have is this Breeder-Eligible-sister-wife crap. It’s really fucked up, if you ask me.”
She nodded and ran her fingers along the back of the cushy, white club chair.
“And that is the crux of everything you are, child.” She fingered my hair and eyed me top to bottom. “Everything we made you.”
A smile softened her expression as her gaze focused on something beyond the windowless room we were in. “He walked into my apothecary in the outer ring shortly after the fortnight of conception six cycles past. He knew he carried twins and had it all worked out, how he would present one child and keep the second, hide her from the corruption of the nobility, groom her to value justice and diversity.”
“So why come to you?”
“My family’s reputation for magic is know in some of the oldest circles of citizens. Balor wanted my help to protect the elemental diversity that makes Attalos unique.”
Sera moved toward the open door and gestured me to follow. “When the Queen declared that all Breeders be pure-blood Water Fae, Breeders of all other elements were slain. She boasts of purifying the race for the longevity of all.”
“How very Aryan of her.”
Sera lifted the latch on the door across the hall and stepped into the same apothecary shop I’d seen this morning. “Your father believed otherwise and hired me to equip you with what you would need to unite all four elements of the citizenry.”
“Equip me how?”