Chapter Ten:
Desideria

 

Men thought they ruled the world.

Desideria had always known as much, even while she’d seen female leaders rise and fall, sometimes laying destruction at their feet and sometimes being swept into the ground. She’d seen them at the forefront and the back, giving orders in firm tones or from whispers in the dark. Their influence couldn’t be denied, yet there had always been the tendency to do just that.

If the men on the Council had realized they’d been led into revolution by the murmurs of one woman, would they have done it? Or would they have continued to debate about the issue for so much longer? No, the one who had started all of this had known what she was doing, had whispered in just the right ears, and now… Now, everything had changed even as they’d stayed exactly the same.

The Takeover may have erased certain lines of discrimination: race, sexual orientation, origin for everyone but witches… but it hadn’t erased the misogyny that had been inherent in society for so very long. And racism… that had turned to prejudice against the different species, and the flames were being fanned by those who thought it suited them to fight amongst themselves.

Fools. They had enough problems without making it worse.

“Did you really think it wise to put off an Elder’s request for a meeting for a week?” Elias finally asked, staring daggers at Julian.

“I didn’t think my brother would mind waiting a few days when my wife said she wouldn’t have time until now,” Julian said with a shrug, leaning back against the couch.

“Do you still have balls, Julian?” Elias asked sharply.

Desideria giggled.

“I can show you if you want, brother,” Julian dared him.

There was a light of something, a spark, and the mood in the room changed. The werewolf at Elias’s feet shifted uneasily, the tags Jace wore clinking slightly with his movement.

Only Nyla seemed unbothered by the shift, but then, it wasn’t hard to figure out that she only wanted Elias in her life because of the information he could offer — and she had her own sources beyond him. It would suit her just fine if the two siblings were at each other’s throats and out of her way.

“And here I thought you were in the habit of taking your time in arranging meetings,” Nyla said innocently. “I didn’t think a week would matter when we have so much time to waste.”

Elias looked at her, and something passed between the two.

Desideria perked up. Oh, that was interesting. She didn’t know what had transpired, but Nyla had deliberately allowed time to pass before letting this meeting take place — and Elias knew why. He didn’t much like it, either, but then, he was used to everything going his way.

And he held no love for his brother’s wife, whose presence placed an additional barrier between the two.

It was silly, all things considered. It wasn’t as though Julian never strayed from Nyla’s bed — or that Nyla never strayed from his. It was the way of the witch families. They married out of duty, but that didn’t mean they had to be faithful.

Elias was in his own way of getting closer to Julian, for all that he never seemed to want to take responsibility for anything he did.

Desideria scoffed to herself, pulling the attention to her, and she realized they’d continued talking while she’d considered. The pause was brief before they returned to their intense conversation.

“Leave the fledgling alone,” Nyla stated, her voice going cold as she stared at Elias.

“I haven’t the faintest—”

“I would suggest,” Nyla interrupted, her voice softening considerably, “not lying to me, Elias.”

“Because you aren’t lying to me?” Elias demanded, his fingers digging into the handle of the leash he held.

“I haven’t the faintest idea what you mean,” Nyla mocked.

Julian looked between the two of them like he was watching a tennis match, and Desideria thought he’d benefit from some popcorn. He had every reason to support either side, but he was staying neutral.

Good boy. He knew some things needed to be sorted by others, and this fight didn’t involve either of them — even if Julian’s brother tried to draw him into it.

“I know you’re supporting the rebellion,” Elias stated, dropping the words into the air like they were bombs. A threat.

Something Nyla would care about.

“Is there a question?” she asked.

Elias stared at her then glanced aside at Julian — who only held up both hands, palms out, as he continued to stay out of their discussion — before looking back. “Are you admitting to treason?” There was a touch of glee in his voice — oh, poor, dear misguided soul that he was.

Desideria wished she could digest popcorn, because this really would’ve been the perfect time for it. Wasn’t there always popcorn with the extra dramatic scenes?

“I admitted nothing,” Nyla pointed out, as though she was speaking to a child.

For all his strengths in manipulation and politics, Elias couldn’t see that he was being set up as the other witch set the game board to outmaneuver him. “You said—”

“I said nothing incriminating,” Nyla replied. “I merely asked a question.”

“Elias, is this something we need to discuss?” Julian finally dared ask, finally starting to look irritated.

“When my own sister-in-law stands accused of treason?” Elias asked, incredulous as he stared at his brother. “When my brother may be accused of aiding and abetting her? That’s the very reason you’re here.”

“So you’re wasting everyone’s time then,” Julian said, drolly.

“Are you saying she’s innocent?” Elias asked, disappointment dripping from the words.

Oh, the poor, dear misguided soul…!

“I left my brand-new fledgling at home alone for this,” Desideria reminded them, spinning the chair around once for all that it lacked the effect it might’ve had on a human. It was still fun, even if she didn’t have the ensuing dizziness. She paused, then canted her head. “He’s capable of entertaining himself, but times are dangerous, my sweet.”

Elias shot her an irritated look.

“Ohh,” Desideria said, putting one hand over where her heart had once beaten within her chest. “Big bad Elder is putting me in my place.” She feigned a gasp.

Across the room, Julian was trying not to smirk.

“You and I will have words, too,” Elias warned. “I have business with you as well.”

Desideria blinked at him.

This time, it was Nyla who didn’t even bother to hide her smile. Oh, she knew better than to insist Desideria do anything.

“Business?” Desideria asked curiously. “Are you going to accuse me of treason as well, dear Elias?”

“You’re making people nervous with your…” Elias seemed at a loss for the right words, trailing off and not picking up from where he left off.

She helpfully chimed in, “Do you know the story of Cassandra, the Seer?”

Elias sighed. “This is no time for a mythology lesson, Desideria.”

“Lady Desideria,” she corrected him. “We aren’t friends.”

“Then it’s Elder Elias,” Elias snapped back at her.

He was like a cornered animal, feral and snapping. All he was doing was making it easier for everyone in the room to gain an advantage over him. She wondered if he was always so easy to provoke. He didn’t have a reputation for a temper…

“You’re trying to say my prophecies lack merit,” Desideria said, spinning again in the chair and gazing up at the ceiling, where the stars lay scattered above them past the ceiling.

“You’re scaring people,” Elias said bluntly. “Stop it.”

“I only tell them the truth, Elder Elias,” Desideria purred. “But you don’t like the truth, do you, precious? You’ll let everything fall instead of listening.”

“Of course he will,” Nyla said disdainfully, glancing between them. “He’s even willing to endanger everything for an old feud with a dead human.”

Elias stared at her, and the anger in his expression bled into something more resembling hatred. “I would suggest holding your tongue, Nyla.”

“That’s Mrs. Ivers,” Nyla said, her voice dripping honey then, so sweet it was almost painful to hear.

“Elias, Nyla, and Desideria,” Julian said, abruptly authoritative as he straightened up. “Can we please have a civil meeting?”

“No,” Desideria said without missing a beat.

This meeting had never been fated to be civil. No, she’d seen several outcomes of it, and none of them had been peaceful. None. It was as though the four of them coming together was doomed to cause strife. How could it not when they stood at four different corners?

Elias held the position of status quo adherent, steadfast and lofty. Nyla stood opposite him, naughtily helping those she should’ve disdained. Julian lay somewhere between them, and Desideria…

Desideria sought to preserve balance — not between the four of them, but of the world outside even though it felt impossible. She’d seen it fall away into ashes so often in her visions, in her nightmares, and the screaming intoxicated her and terrified her all at once. Fire after fire broke out in the city, yet Elias disdained her warnings that all would burn before the end.

“The time may come when you must take a side,” Desideria told Julian, rising from the chair and crossing to seat herself in his lap, astride him, and leaning in to nuzzle his throat.

Elias’s fury and jealousy were palpable, and his pet reacted again to his master’s shift in emotions. Ah, he was so beautifully broken, wasn’t he? It was almost a work of art, something to truly behold…

But she drifted too far from reality.

“And have you taken a side?” Elias asked, his voice brittle.

“No,” Desideria said, peering over her own shoulder to look at the witch.

Elias let out a bitter laugh. “If you lie about this, what else do you lie about, Lady Desideria?”

Desideria shook her head, turning her head to gaze at the cornered animals. “I support people, not positions,” she said. “I helped you once…” She trailed off. “Several times, in truth, for your brother.”

She had erred. Perhaps that was what had led to Tavi’s creation, the rebirth of a magicless witch who never should have been reborn — not yet, at least, not when it would cause such a large ripple effect across the world.

Oh, those who thought one person couldn’t change history were fools indeed, and they would deserve every second of their demise. She couldn’t even count the ways Tavi’s rebirth had affected the future, even if he wasn’t even fated to be a part of the conflict. His mere existence had been enough to change what might’ve been history…

“So that’s why we’re here?” Nyla interjected. “For you to chide Desideria for frightening people with the truth and suss out whether I’m aiding the Rebellion?”

Elias jerked his head in a nod.

“Who do you think you are?” Nyla asked softly, rising from her seat.

Elias rose as well, mirroring her. The werewolf pup scrambled to all fours. He bared his teeth at her, and Nyla flicked her wrist at him. It yanked the pup back, wrapping the leather leash around the sturdy chair leg and locking him in place.

“Do not touch my pet!” Elias snapped.

The anger in his voice took Julian aback, making him still beneath her. “Off,” Julian murmured to her.

Desideria shook her head. “This is between them,” she whispered. “Do not intervene, my Li.”

Julian gritted his teeth, but she stared at him, locking eyes with him. He grudgingly dipped his head in a nod to her.

“He has no place in this,” Nyla said coldly. “He’s an innocent you’ve twisted and corrupted, and I’ve no quarrel with him. You’re the one who seems to have lost his way. So I ask you again: who the fuck do you think you are?” Her voice never rose in volume, but it didn’t have to.

Elias dropped the handle to the leash, taking three steps toward her.

Nyla held her ground, her eyes blazing.

“I am Elias Ivers,” Elias hissed. “Elder and Patriarch of the Ivers family, Liaison to the werewolves.”

Nyla laughed, and that seemed to stun Elias more than if she’d slapped him across the face — then again, perhaps it amounted to the same thing. The words that followed certainly did. “You are nobody,” she told him. “You hold power only because others believe you are far more powerful than you truly are.”

Another sharp gesture and a word, and Elias’s words died in his throat. His hand flew to his neck, grabbing it, and he stared at her in disbelief.

Julian started to shift beneath her, restless, and his hands went to Desideria’s waist.

“No,” Desideria hissed.

“They’ll kill each other,” Julian hissed back.

“Listen to me, for I’ll only say this once,” Nyla said, stalking toward him — and another disdainful gesture held him in place. “Do you see how helpless you are before me? You and your pet alike?” She smiled mirthlessly at him.

Desideria watched her in awe — a little impressed, really.

“You’re barely a witch,” Nyla said quietly. “And that’s what so many don’t know, isn’t it? They believe you to be all-powerful, when you can’t even fend off a simple silencing spell.”

Elias tried to speak, choking on the words instead.

Nyla waited for the coughing to subside before she went on, “Your brother married me for my power.” Disdain dripped from her voice. “We know why I married him.” Her eyes flicked to Desideria, who canted her head in slight acknowledgment.

There were reasons Desideria liked Nyla — mostly, anyway. She’d have made a good queen in times of old…

“Now hear me, Elias Ivers. Your allies mean nothing in this room, and make no mistake, I have allies every bit as powerful as yours outside of it. You have no idea what’s coming, and you refuse to acknowledge any warnings.” Nyla shook her head, something almost piteous in her voice then. “Remember that, Elias. Your silken tongue means nothing when it’s silenced. You are nothing unless others decide you matter. Take care with what you do with that power, lest it be ripped from you.”

The werewolf pet looked stunned, staring up at Nyla as though the words held some special significance for him. Maybe they did. They felt like they did, resonating just so, leaving a space in the universe for some void to be filled before it closed again.

Nyla didn’t seem to notice or care.

“If you attack me, I will be forced to kill you,” Nyla warned him. “Worry less about my allegiances and more about your own, Elias.”

Without another word, she stalked to the door. She yanked it open and flicked her wrist scornfully behind her to free Elias and the pup from her spells before slamming the door behind her.

Desideria slid from Julian’s lap, finally letting the witch up. “I think she’s angry,” she offered helpfully.

“I think we noticed,” Julian said, but his voice trembled slightly.

Elias touched his throat again, then cleared it. His eyes blazed. “I will destroy her for this,” he snarled when he could finally speak again.

Julian stared at Elias. “You’ll do nothing to her,” he countered.

“Are you a traitor too, then? My own brother?” Elias asked, and those words, too, held so much meaning — so much… pain.

Desideria returned to her chair, watching the two of them. If only they could come together… but no. The fates were not nearly so kind as to allow them to have one another — just as they had not been so kind as to allow her to keep her Teodoro, her beautiful brother and the father of her poor children.

“The fates are cruel,” she whispered, but neither of them seemed to hear her. At the very least, they didn’t acknowledge her.

“You know she’s right,” Julian stated.

“You act like I’m… like I’m little more than a magicless human,” Elias spat like an angry cat.

Julian shook his head, going to Elias and resting his hands on his shoulders. Both of them ignored the quivering werewolf on the floor.

Desideria didn’t. She got to the floor, crouching down and beckoning him close. The ‘wolf glanced up at his master, but when he got no response, he crawled toward her.

She ran her fingers through his hair, glancing up at Elias and Julian.

Julian pulled Elias close, and while at first Elias resisted, he soon pressed against his brother.

“She can’t speak to me like that, Julian. Not without consequences — especially if she’s aiding the rebellion,” Elias said, his eyes flitting to where Desideria petted the werewolf’s head.

The werewolf was watching so longingly that it made Desideria ache, and she wondered… She wondered. “Shh,” she whispered to the slave. “The fates are cruel, little ‘wolf. But…”

Julian shook his head. “I’m telling you, Elias. Don’t pick this battle. Leave her alone.”

“As she tries to destroy everything I’ve worked for?” Elias asked incredulously, jerking back away from his brother. “While you let her?”

“There’s more than the eye can see…” Desideria whispered, dropping a kiss on the top of the ‘wolf’s head.

He didn’t react, but she knew he was listening.

Julian barked out a laugh. “No one lets Nyla do anything,” he said dryly, but he didn’t try to pull his brother close again. “It isn’t personal for her yet, Elias. Don’t change that.”

Elias stared at Julian, and there was such betrayal in his gaze that Desideria ached to see it despite how the witch had acted. “You’ll take her side, won’t you?” he asked, that strange hurt making his voice dull.

“I’m not taking sides,” Julian insisted.

“Go to him,” Desideria told the ‘wolf, who glanced uncertainly up at her before sloppily licking her palm and returning to Elias’s side.

“There’s no room for neutrality in a war, Julian.” Elias shook his head, and he buried his fingers in his ‘wolf’s hair, drawing him closer. “Don’t ask me for more information. You won’t receive it.”

Julian watched Elias with the ‘wolf, seeing the tenderness he’d been denied. He inhaled deeply then let the breath out slowly. “I’ll always be your brother, Elias.”

“Just go,” Elias spat, glaring at him.

Julian hesitated.

Desideria wasn’t sure she’d ever seen that much emotion from Julian unless it was cockiness or arrogance. This night had held all manner of surprises… She rose, silently walking to the door to follow Nyla out.

Behind her, Julian said nothing, but his footsteps sounded behind her as they left Elias behind.

Oh, the poor, dear misguided soul indeed…