Page 11 of A Broken Ember

I dragged my eyes to him. Blinked. “What is going on?” I hoped it wasn’t what I suspected—that he wanted me. He couldn’t want me. That just made everything more complicated, and I couldn’t afford that. My job was to get the information for the Circulus and discover a way to weaken them. Feelings would just get in the way.

“Everything will be explained to you in time, but right now I must go. My father . . . I can’t keep him waiting.” He spoke with a hint of terror, his eyes becoming distant. He hadn’t shown any of that weakness on the plateau, but that was in front of hundreds of draconis. Now, it was just me, a traitor, someone whose words were forfeit. My eyes followed the lines of his scars as I wondered if Odon had inflicted any of them. The Ruptor growled.

I blinked, stunned. I had just met the man, yet I couldn’t deny the Ruptor’s protectiveness.

Anastasius turned to leave. “Someone will bring you a meal. I will see you at dawn.” With that, he was gone, the door closing behind him. Once his footsteps faded away, I relaxed a little, breathing out slowly. I wandered over to the table. A container of dye sat in the corner with a sharp quill in it. Thin shavings of a material I didn’t recognize was stacked in the center. It was clear the two were intended to be used together. I frowned and brushed it off as just another odd De Vita quirk.

The bed begged me to collapse within its folds, but I resisted for another moment in favor of investigating the bath. And, more importantly, the water it contained. A moan tumbled from my lips as I quickly cupped some, bringing it to my mouth again and again. It smelled of citrus, reminding me of home, and tasted just as sweet. It was likely not intended to be ingested, but I didn’t care. It quenched the agonizing thirst more and more with each greedily slurped gulp. My thirst abated, I shed my clothes and climbed into the warm water.

I smiled. I wouldn’t fail. I had already learned where their castle stood within the Sand Eye and could speculate on much more.

Numbers. They had hundreds of flying, semi-able-bodied draconis.

Relationships. Odon and Anastasius didn’t get along, destabilizing their leadership.

Weaknesses. They bred without discretion.

Advantages. They were adaptive and resourceful. Knew their terrain well.

At this rate, I wouldn’t need to stay long, but judging by the sensation of weakness stationed outside of my door, not everyone in this clan was as trusting as Anastasius. A tail would make it more difficult to find out Odon’s intentions in the Neutral Strip and why he was taking Circulus. Not impossible though.

I scrubbed my skin, removing layers of dirt, the blisters on my palms opening with the friction. I hissed as clear fluid seeped from them. Wounds were not something the Circulus dealt with, so I let them be, not knowing how to tend to them. The dirty water stung the open flesh. As I washed my hair, the wound on my neck burned like fire. A curse fell from my lips. My Circle was broken, but I was also weak. My reflection in the water revealed the swelling of my neck, redness streaking from it down the newly darkened skin of my chest. The sun had seared my body, broiling my normally pale hue. I splashed the water, disturbing the image before jumping out of the extravagant tub.

A pair of towels were laid out nicely beside the tub, and I used them to dry myself. They were soft, so unlike anything I had ever known at the Circulus. The De Vita land was desolate, yet the simple comforts they had were plentiful. When I arrived I hadn't expected such . . . generous treatment. I set the towel aside, letting it hang on the edge of the tub. I would need to dispose of the dirty water, but now, the bed’s call was too strong. I let it engulf me naked, noticing how the fresh linens smelled like lavender. Within moments, sleep took me.

Chapter 10: Anastasius

I met my father alone in his chambers. He wore a casual tunic, his weapons stowed away. He sat on the end of his grand four-poster bed, looking no less threatening than he had on the plateau, with his chest covered in sweat and blades clutched in his hands. His hair had been unwound, likely by his Chosen—-my mother—but I didn’t sense Amartya’s presence now. I swallowed.

“You fool! You’ve brought the enemy into our home!” Father rebuked me. I let out a low, warning growl. Now that my decision had been made in this matter, nothing could deter me from it. Still, standing up to my father was something I hadn’t done outright since I fought to spare Ercan’s wings. I preferred to act in the shadows. Maybe that made me a coward, but that changed today.

“You won’t change my mind,” I said, my eyes staying on his, which were livid. He clenched his fists at his sides. He huffed, running a hand through his hair.

“You don’t understand what you’ve done!” He broke eye contact and began to pace.

“What’s so wrong with Selecting him, Father? It’s not like I’m refusing to adhere to the Choosing process. What do you have against him?” I wondered if he somehow knew Claeg’s true identity. I had introduced him as Eleos, but what if he’d recognized him as I had? Claeg bore the same eyes as his father. Odon’s already tense body became impossibly rigid at the question. I was poking a tender nerve.

“Besides the fact that he is our enemy? By the gods, Anastasius, do you not see how dangerous he is to you? I don’t know what he has told you, but he will only ever see you as weak—somebody whose Circle needs to be completed. Do you have a death wish?” He paused for a moment to glare at me. I had expected my father not to trust Claeg. He had no reason to, whereas I wanted to. Damn it all. The Ruptor didn’t scare me. He had taken care of Enid. With tenderness.

I folded my arms, unwilling to budge on my decision.

He shook his head with a huff. “And when he betrays you?”

“I’ll take care of it,” I vowed, knowing that what he would think I meant was different than what I intended. Not that I believed we would get to that point. Maybe that made me a fool.

“He won’t pass the Choosing. I will see to it that he fails. And once he does, you will Save him and your pet for this insubordination,” Father growled. I stiffened at those words. Ercan. He meant Ercan, the only Circulus whose wings remained intact while living among the clan. I bowed my head, not voicing my thoughts that I would never partake in the tradition of Saving a draconis, but I didn’t want to antagonize him further. “Get out of my sight.” He waved a hand at me, and I quickly obliged. We hadn’t even discussed the draconis he had Selected for me, but it didn’t matter.

I headed straight for Claeg’s room, grateful that my father didn’t seem to have fully realized who he was. I just had to make sure it stayed that way. Hopefully, Claeg was wise enough to keep his mouth shut. And when Ercan saw him . . . No—for both of their safety, they mustn’t see each other.

I knew Ercan’s story well. His mate had been taken from him by Claeg—his own son—for being weak. Enid and I had found him nearly suicidal after his banishment. Ercan had found a friend in Enid and me, but he never talked about his son anymore. I didn’t know if he still held a grudge against Claeg and would he hate me for Selecting his son. By the gods, if Ercan told my father who Claeg was . . . nothing would stop my father from Saving him.

The farther I went into the castle, the less I saw of the sun until the only light was the flames within the sconces. Still, the fire highlighted the walls, which flowed like a smooth wine. My heart panged with guilt. If I was locked away from the stars, I would wither away like a plant starved for the water that sustained its essence. I sucked on my lip, vowing to find Claeg better accommodations as soon as possible.

“Good evening, Prince De Vita.” Oriana bowed to me as I passed her. She was identifiable as the perfect blend of her brothers, with Rohit’s fiery hair and Mateo’s ruthlessness.. Her face was innocent enough, but within she was one the most brutal draconis in our clan. She had found many Circulus in the hunt to find Hen and brought them home to interrogate before Saving them, most of which Ercan and I had freed one way or another. Some fled to the land Hen came from—Eikonia. Others preferred death for their weakness. But there were still a few who fell through the cracks, like the unfortunate soul who followed Oriana with her head bowed. An assortment of bruises on her face were in various stages of healing. Her eye had been slightly swollen a few days ago, but today it was pinched closed by swelling that disfigured her face. She kept her eyes down.

“Anastasius?” Oriana pressed, jerking me out of my trance.

“Hmm?” I tore my eyes away from the draconis, whose name we still didn’t know, to Oriana.

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