Page 79 of In Death's Hands
Murmurs of approval ripple across the room, and although I appreciate what Turan is trying to do for me, I really don’t want her to bring any more attention to me.
Being the no-nonsense man he is, Nathan quickly steps forward, eyes wholly on Celestina, to say, “He claims to act on behalf of one of the Fates. He also claims that the one responsible for what happened to us is one of us.”
Shock rumbles across the room. Celestina frowns, seeming deeply concerned and as if she has forgotten about me entirely. She may not like the presence of a human, but it clearly does not matter as much as the fate of her people. I can respect that. I may not like her, but she’s had to hold a people together while none of them had a clue about what was going on or even who they were. As I think about the strength it must have taken to rally all those powerful Origins, a reluctant respect grows for her.
“Where is this man?” she asks.
“Already in your holding cell,” answers Thalnus, suddenly entering through the tiny door and bowing stiffly before moving to the front of the crowd. I hadn’t seen him back at his place, but it was clearly his power that moved us all here. I’m starting to differentiate the dark, wispy sensation of Nathan’s power against the cold and silky feel of Thalnus’. As the large man moves closer, he appears in the mirrors over Celestina, but that’s not what catches my attention. A red mass appears to be swirling around her reflection. My eyes jump from the mirrors to her, and I suck in a breath when I realise that whatever I’m seeing above us isn’t truly there. When I look back up, I focus on the red covering most of her body, and I see that it’s not a mass at all, more like a bunch of cords tangled up in each other dancing around her.
“What’s that?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
Turan is fully focused on Celestina, but Nathan and Atys both follow my line of sight.
“Mirrors, love,” answers Atys. “Surely you’ve heard of them?” His tone is teasing, if quiet.
“A way for her to still see everything while being at the heart of the room,” counters Nathan.
“No,that. The red threads around her. It reminds me of what I saw in your cave.”
When neither answers, I glance back down at them and catch them frowning at me, and then at each other. Not reassuring. When I look back up, the threads are gone and Celestina is the only thing reflected in her full, calculated glory.
I realise I’ve missed part of the conversation when Turan clears her throat to catch my attention. Everyone is looking at me, and I have no clue what for. My ears warm and my palms feel clammy as I tighten them. “What was that?” I ask, cringing at myself.
Turan frowns at me, displeased, but stays quiet.
Surprisingly, it’s Thalnus who come to my aid. “Liv has been of invaluable help in the capturing of this individual. And due to the outrageous lies he tells, I believe she could still be of value to us.”
My eyes widen and I really worry about the question I’ve missed. What sort of value do I have to them, exactly?
“That is also my assessment,” confirms Nathan.
“Gilfred!” Celestina calls.
I frown when a short, heavy man wearing leather trousers and a purple silk dress shirt with flip-flops of all things literally runs up the dais to settle at her right, breathing heavily.
“You know what to do.”
“Yes. Yes, Supreme.” He bows three times before running out of the room.
My wide eyes meet Nathan’s, and although his face reveals nothing, I could swear I see an amused spark in his gaze.
“Turan?” asks the so-called Supreme.
“Yes?”
“What is your assessment?”
“I believe the man thinks he’s telling the truth. He revealed that the brotherhood rallied behind one Fate. Or rather what is left of one.” Her mouth tightens, and my heart sinks at the reminder. At the possibility that one of the three Fates is nearing his death. How would the world work?
“Is that all?” I can feel her cold eyes sweep over Nathan and me, but I focus on Turan, not wanting a repeat of last time.
“It seems they act mostly as that Fate’s guards,” Nathan says, “and believe they are doing his bidding, although it is unclear how since the prisoner claimed the Fate hasn’t spoken in years. But we need to consider that they might not have had anything to do with our Awakening.”
Celestina stays silent for a few seconds, tapping her nails one after the other against the arm of her throne as she takes in his words. “If they truly have nothing to do with it—which I doubt—we’ll get to the bottom of it and turn our efforts to finding the true culprits.” She taps one finger against her mouth as she hums, “One thing concerns me still. Why did they wantherdead?” she asks, nodding towards me.
But I’m sick of letting them talk about me as if I’m not here. “Because they think I’m an abomination who should not be.” I see Nathan’s hands tighten out of the corner of my eye, almost as if he wants to reach out to me.
Celestina turns to me slowly, eyes narrowing. “Why would they think that?”
