Page 7 of Steeling Light
I’m probably wrong, but I don’t care. I’d rather not hate my mother even if she’s not my favorite person.
“Darian and Cole aren’t coming to Selithar. They’re busy, and I’m only passing through.”
She frowns and somehow still looks like she’s smiling. That’s her gift. Just like Cole always looks like he’s ready for battle, Adelynne Emlyn’s smile never wanes. Even when she’s unhappy or sad. It’s why she became Countess.
And that’s why she never understood me. The power of Light is meant to bring cheer as Flames are meant for destruction. You can’t bring cheer with a frown, and yet, my smile is nothing special. My mother’s, though…
“Lee,” she says, her concern deepening. “Is it true what they’re saying? Are you three hiding from Gethin? And a Wyrdling wears the Painted Crown?”
I close my eyes, my hands balling into fists, and I try to calm down so I don’t lash out at her. Why do I expect her to know what’s happening in Draenyth? Why do I get so frustrated that she’s not doing anything useful? She’d be powerless against the House of Steel just as she was powerless against my father. I’m sure Gethin would love to have a reason to collar the Countess of Light, and the best thing for everyone is if she just stays away from anything important.
“We’re all fine, Mother. You don’t need to worry about us. Just stay away from Draenyth right now. It’s not safe for anyone but the House of Steel, and if anyone were to recognize you as my mother, it could be very dangerous for you.”
She takes another step toward me, but this time, she doesn’t try to touch me. “So, it’s true,” she says, her voice becoming not much more than a whisper. “You’re going to start a war with Gethin, aren’t you?”
I don’t answer her. Instead, my eyes go to the floor as I try to maintain at least some secrecy. Just because this is my mother doesn’t mean that the gossipmongers hiding in the shadows aren’t ready to spread every secret I have to the four corners of the city and beyond.
“Young woman,” my mother says, her voice becoming far sharper. “You will tell me if you and your brother are going to war with Gethin.”
I look up at her, and I see past the beauty, past the light and permanent smile, and I see the concern in her eyes. Her voice softens as my gaze meets hers. “Please talk to me, Lee. Tell me what’s happening so I can somehow get you and your brother out of it. This isn’t your fight. This is drama between the Great Houses, and you’re…”
“Worthless?” I ask, and this time it’s my voice that’s sharp.
I pull away from her. I meet her eyes, and none of the glamours that she’s so well known for find a purchase in me. I see Adelynne Emlyn for the woman she is, not the costume she presents.
“Lee! I have never said that! That was…”
I don’t bother listening to anything else she says. “Darian and I are Cole’s closest friends and only confidantes. We serve the Prince of Flames and the Queen of Earth. Not the House of Light. Not you. We are tied to thisdramaand cannot be untangled from it, and you, along with the rest of the people in Selithar, should be a part of it too. Gethin is trying to destroy all the other Great Houses, and he’s going to be successful if we fail. Don’t you see how important stopping him is?”
“But you’re…”
I huff. “I’m more than Light, Mother. I’m useful.”
Images I’ve tried to forget for so long flash through me as the conversation and emotions come too close to the ones I’ve pushed into a dark recess of my mind.
Memories of my father in this very hallway. The shattered pieces of a vase. Blood. So much blood. I don’t remember the pain anymore. Cole taught me how to deal with pain, but the words… I’ll never forget those words.
You’re nothing. You’re worthless. A girl whose only value is to be a pretty whore, like her mother. A boy whose only value is to entertain his betters; just another type of whore. Forget whose bloodline spawned you. It’s better to be childless than to spawn a bloodline that will only bring shame and disappointment.
I shake my head, but the images won’t leave my mind. I take another look at my mother, and my body moves instinctively. No, I’m not staying here. I’m not putting myself through this. There is nothing in the world so important that I will force myself to stay in this place. I’m not a child any longer, and the only people who command me are Maeve and Cole, and they wouldneverforce me to stay in this building.
Without another thought, I turn toward the nearest balcony. I run, ignoring the glances and odd looks from the people I pass. My boots are heavy on the dark rugs.
My breath is just as heavy as panic threatens to overtake me. The sense of pride that I’ve learned to force so well glazes over the fear, sealing it away for a moment as wings sprout from my back and brush against the crystalline walls on either side of me.
Fear ruins the transformative powers of Steel, and I smile amidst the memories that have haunted me my entire life, letting me forget long enough that when I burst from the hallway onto the balcony, my wings are ready.
I run across the balcony and leap. My legs push hard against the zircon under my feet, and my wings pump the still air beneath them, giving me enough lift to clear the chest-high railing.
Then, I’m falling headfirst toward the cobblestones of the City of Moonlight below me. I take a deep breath as my wings stiffen. Every feather hardens against the others as I tense, turning a mass of feathers into wings that cut through the wind.
Then I shift them ever so slightly, and they stop cutting through the air. Instead, they force my body to turn, slowing my downward descent. The speed doesn’t change, but the direction does, and instead of plummeting to my death, I’m soaring a hundred feet over the city that I hate so much.
“What am I supposed to do now?” I mutter.
Staying at the Keep of Light would have been nice for most people. They’re known for their nightly performances and elegant accommodations, but I… My history with the Keep of Light isn’t something I’m going to get over as easily as I’d hoped.
Instead, I’ll have to settle for an inn. Luckily, there are plenty of them in the only Immortal city known for tourism.
