Page 103 of To Bleed A Kingdom

She smiles, her eyes glinting with mischief. “She’s seen this face, but not the mask. I require a much different one when handling her.”

“You say handling. I say meddling,” I reply in a teasing tone, even though we both know I'm not. Slinging my feet up on the table, I clasp my hands over my stomach. “Then you’ve met Darius.”

Frowning at my dirty boots soiling her black tablecloth, she flicks an onyx and gold glittering finger and a stream of power pierces my shins, flinging my legs back onto the floor. “Many times, as have you.”

Muttering a curse, I rub away the needlelike pricks piercing my shins as I consider pressing her about mine and Darius’ strange bond. It’s intense and volatile, almost carnal in its desperate need to break down all my barriers. So unlike any of the other bonds I’ve formed. It's confusing and unnerving that it exists at all. I never thought I could form a connection with another being such as the one we have, and I sure as fuck never thought one could be created without either of us initiating it. I have so many questions and not a clue how to find the answers. Which is unusual for me. I'm much more knowledgeable than most, thanks in large part to the female sitting across from me, and I usually handle situations such as this easily enough. This should be a nonissue for me. But ever since arriving in Seboia, I realize how little I actually know, and how much more I need to learn.

With the way Zenith watches me, her eyes full of mischief and a smug smirk, it's clear she knows what I'm thinking. It’s almost like she’s daring me to ask. But I never know with her. On one hand, Seers are mysterious and evasive by nature. If she doesn't want to answer, she won't. On the other hand, her insight could prove invaluable, given the situation. And this is a situation with which I desperately need help.

“Darius and I have formed a bond,” I say, feeling anxious she won’t give me answers, and just as anxious that she will. “But neither one of us created it. Tristan seems to think it may be preordained.”

Zenith nods sagely. “Tristan is a wise soul. You know he wouldn’t have said such a thing without careful consideration.” Placing my teacup and saucer on the tray, she slides it to the side, then focuses her inscrutable gaze on me. “Why don't you ask me what you really want to know?”

I hesitate, rifling through the dozens of questions tumbling within my mind. My aunt is giving me a rare opportunity. I know if I don't ask the right question the correct way, she won't answer. It’s like a game where she's the only one who knows the rules. And anyone who plays, must abide by the rules.

“Do Darius and I have a bond like my mother and father?”

Her smile widens, telling me I’ve asked the correct one, and a surge of excitement bubbles within my chest.

“It is similar, but no, it is not the same. Neither is it similar to any of the other bonds you have formed. This one is ….special,” she says delicately.She pauses for a moment, then her uncanny eyes sharpen. “I need you to listen to me very carefully, Lena, and remember this, because there will be a time in the near future that you'll wish not to, but you must. Gods, man, immortal, fae, we all make mistakes, but the Stars do not. Accept the bond.” I open my mouth to speak, but it snaps shut when she purses her lips and shakes her head. “Don't question me any further on this, but do know that this bond is meant to be. As for Darius…”

Her eyes glaze over and the blackness of her pupils churn, whirling outward to swallow up all the white as if a storm sweeping up all light. It suddenly stills, revealing the ancient fragments of starlight hidden beneath. She blinks, and when she lifts her lids once again, the whites of her eyes have reappeared and the starlight has disappeared.

Smiling warmly, she says, “I have known Darius since the day he was born. I opened this shop so I could watch over him.”

“What?” I rear back in surprise. “Why?”

“Darius will be vital in the war to come. I had to keep him safe until that time neared.”

Panic trembles my limbs, quaking through my chest and lungs, rattling my voice. “What will his role in the war be?”

Lips thinning, she shakes her head. “I cannot tell you any more than that. This is one of those things that you must discover for yourself, but I will give you one last breadcrumb, as you like to call them.”

Those familiar, yet unfamiliar brown eyes pass over my face, touching on the markings beneath my brow, on my eyelids, coiling around my arms, then dropping to my vambraced hands. The sight of the leather hide does something to her, and an anger I’m unaccustomed to seeing from her hardens her features. Sharpening her cheekbones. Hollowing out her cheeks. Illuminating her eyes. Making her appear ethereal, yet eerie, unnatural.

“Darius must be protected at all costs,” she says in a booming voice, a thousand ancient voices lacing her own.“If he does not live to see the war, if he does not survive the battle, blood will spill and the realms will fall, washing away all that you hold dear.”

Chapter 21

Lena

Rounding my lips, I blow out a breath on the parchment. A cloud of charcoal dust plumes above, speckling the air before falling to fuse with the film already coating the wooden tables. Lifting the parchment, I ignore Lottie eyeballing me from behind the counter and instead scrutinize the sketch.

It’s a basic design of a short sword and dagger. Not even a very good one. It’s clumsily drawn across vellum and appears to be sketched by a child. But I'm not concerned with that. I've never claimed to be an artist, and I'm not really designing it, per se. I’ll leave those stylistic decisions up to Aurora. This was just the only way I could think of that would guarantee there was no miscommunication on my part as to where I need the gems to be placed. I doubt many people request a blacksmith to embed jewels along the center of a steel blade.

A leather pouch drops on the table, round cut emeralds and sapphires tumbling out as Amara seats herself beside me.

“Zander blessed these, but he still needs to do the others.” Reaching for my mug, she tosses back the last remnants of coffee, then sighs contentedly. “How can Lottie make such terrible food, but amazing coffee? It’s baffling.”

“I've never seen her eat the food she serves, but she does drink the coffee.” Stacking the drawing on top of the others, I pass the stack to Amara. “I suspect her standards for what she ingests are higher than what she serves.”

“I bet you're right,” she mumbles, flipping through the pages. “There’s what, five here? One for Kace, Griffin, Aurora …You’re commissioning weapons for all of them?”

I nod. “I can’t guarantee we won't have to pick up and leave without a moment's notice. If that’s the case, I can't leave Darius unprotected. Not after speaking with…Zenith.” I stumble over my words, almost forgetting I can’t use my aunt’s real name. “If I'm going to order one for him, I might as well for all of them.”

“I still can’t believe she's been coming here all these years.” Amara laughs and shakes her head. “That old bat’s such a sneaky bitch.”

Hearing someone noisily clear their throat, I look up to find Lottie standing at the edge of the table, staring us down with a disapproving frown. “You should not speak of the Seer that way. She’s a well-loved member of our society and highly respected.” She sneers. “Unlike some people.”

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