Page 103 of Of Serpents and Ruins
The smell of the savory fish stew brought back even more memories of mundane activities. Despite the rocking of the ship and the splashing of the waves, I did not find my stomach unsettled even a little. The wild fresh air of the sea as well as the steady motion brought me only a sense of awareness that this was indeed where I belonged.
After a couple hours, Kine found me in the galley. Maybe it was my expression. Maybe he just knew me that well. Maybe it was obvious. But he nudged my arm and tilted his head forward, his other hand resting on the belt of his robe. "Do you need to talk about something, Bug?"
"Is now a good time?"
"Now is as good as any other," Kine said. "Can you spare us a moment, Sen?"
Sen shrugged. "She’s the queen. Won’t force her to stay until the potatoes’re peeled."
"Very good of you, Sen." Kine cupped his hand beneath my elbow and drew me out to the narrow hall and then to one of the cabins. "So what’s going on?"
"You know something’s up, then?"
His mouth quirked. "Just a feeling." He opened the door to a cabin that, based on the dresses hanging on the hooks on the wall, was likely mine. It was small and cozy but clean.
I contemplated my words for a moment then sighed. "Can you tell me who Elias is to me?"
Kine shrugged, his golden eyes contemplative. "Don’t know. Just know he’s been as loyal to you as blood."
"So you don’t know him?"
He shook his head once more, his loose azure curls set off by the golden tan of his skin. "He said the life bond happened after the fall of Taivren. You and I weren’t in touch as much then because our duties took us in separate directions for a time. You saved many people. Most likely his family was among them. He resembles the Lenven family in the Mylko and Kairos lines. I think he referenced them once."
It made me uncomfortable to think of anyone owing me such a life debt.
My arms folded tight beneath my breasts, I paced. "Elias said that you and he are the ones who wanted to get me and that Brandt opposed my return."
Kine swore under his breath and then rested his hands on the top of his head. His mouth pursed in disapproval. "Bug—" he started.
I held up my hand. "Listen, I’m not angry. I know Brandt loves me. I trust him. I trust you." My shoulders drooped as I curled up on the small green settee. "I remember Brandt begging me to not come back before you all had the answer."
Kine perched on the settee beside me. "Brandt wanted you back more than anything but only if it could be done without risking your life."
"So you and Elias came to get me." I didn’t want to offer much more than that in case there was a hole to be sussed out.
Kine nodded. He rubbed the side of his head then sighed. "Elias was the reason I found out you were even still alive, that you’d been born over on Earth. He was determined to get to you as soon as possible, but no other method worked until the veil was thin on what you called Halloween."
"So he told you that I was alive. Is that the whole reason you trusted him?"
"Not the whole reason. See, I knew he couldn't hurt you. The tattoo, the one that indicates the life debt—it’s magically formed. It’s sacred. If he hurts you, he hurts himself. He was crushed when you died. I do remember him at the official funeral. It took months to get that set up because Brandt kept opposing it." He offered a small shrug. "When I saw the life mark on his forearm, I knew that Elias could be trusted to get you back."
My brow arched at this. Perhaps that did make sense.
My gut twinged. "But he and I never had… We weren’t romantically involved, were we?"
"Not that I’m aware of." Kine chuckled. "Brandt rather dominated your focus once you two met, and before that, you were obsessed with your dual proficiencies."
"Do you think I should be worried about Elias?"
"Are you worried about him?" His brow lifted as he studied me. He looked at me with an expression that said he trusted my concerns more than the tattoo.
"I…I don’t know. I’m worried. I feel like there’s something I should feel when I speak with him, and I don’t, and it bothers me that when I look at him, there’s just nothing. No recall. No twinge. Just an awareness of his presence."
"Odd, but not impossible," he said, his arms still folded over his chest. "The bond you and I share is long-rooted. Obviously your bond with Brandt is intense and of a deeper level even than that of the family you grew up with. Did you mention your worries to Auntie Runa?"
"No. It didn’t seem important given how much else I don’t remember. I just…I feel like I’m missing something with him."
Kine nodded slowly. "He’s a private individual. All I know for certain is that the very magic of Sepeazia binds him to protect you. Even if…" He frowned, shaking his head.
