Page 82 of Of Serpents and Ruins
"He can't just stay chained up though. He’s not an animal!" I hugged myself.
"Most of the sages believe that if Brandt became agitated, that might escalate the timeline," Kine interjected. "The last time, it happened with the kapis attacking along with the second earthquake. The earthquakes triggered agitation and protective instincts. The thunder was loud…but was it that loud? There must be something else we’re missing here. Maybe it was some of the council resisting the idea of letting Stella have her ring back."
"I think he’s just starting to lose his mind," Elias said, his tone dark. "He practically crushed Candy. It’s a miracle she’s not dead."
I kept my arms folded tight over my breasts. My body ached, throbbing and pulsing with the remnants of energy. I felt like I wanted to run and scream and crawl under the covers and hide. Fragments of my transformation energy still burned in my fingertips.
"He isn’t beyond hope any more than I am," I said flatly, biting back the urge to snap at him. "The Gola Resh wants us to suffer. Do her powers allow her this much leeway? It seems like it’s so fluid. Or is there a loophole we could exploit?"
Kine shrugged helplessly. "The Gola Resh and the Babadon have always had magic beyond this world and beyond our understanding. They maximize momentum. We’ve been figuring it out as best we can, but we just don’t know. Since we're here for the night, I’ll speak with Tile to see if there’s any other scrap we can use to sort this out."
"He’ll be glad of the company and to discuss his theories with someone," Hord said, "but I don’t anticipate much help coming from it. The truth is, the Gola Resh is doing what she wants because she wants to."
"And we have to be willing to accept that the erosion of Brandt’s mind may be too much." Elias stared at the window.
Part of me wanted to throttle him for daring to say that, but he spoke the words with such heaviness it suffocated me.
Instead, I covered my mouth and shook my head. "It isn’t."
"So long as he lives, I will not give up hope," Hord said, arms braced on his hips but his head down. "Our family is strong. He is strong. There is a way out." His mouth opened then closed as if he was about to say something else, some final gasping declaration of hope.
The weight upon my head and shoulders pressed down even harder.
Hord squared his shoulders as he ran his thumb over his nose. Then he straightened. "We have guest quarters set up with everything you need. I’ll show you to them myself. Then in the morning, we’ll continue with the plan. Difficult decisions await us."
STELLA
"Difficult decisions" was an understatement.
The soft torchlight flickered as Hord guided us through the castle, his steady footsteps echoing off the carved walls. Once or twice, my feet almost carried me in a different direction entirely, as if my memory had kicked in and knew where I was supposed to go except we weren’t going that way.
The room Hord led me to was not mine. It was lovely in its own way, simple and beautiful. The same dark stone composed these walls and floor, but the light came mostly from tall, globed oil lamps. Garnet-red oil glistened in the wells, shimmering in the light.
The focal point of the room was a large luxurious bed with an embroidered red quilt and black pillows. The bed frame, like the rest of the furniture, resembled mahogany, but the room smelled of sandalwood and lavender. No fireplace or other source of heat was present, but the large vents in the ceiling and floor made me wonder if they used lava for heat here.
Elias cleared his throat from the doorway. Kine must have gone on to speak with Tile. "May I have a moment?" he asked.
I nodded, arms still folded over my breasts. Kine's robes were too long for me and trailed on the floor. "Of course."
He glanced around, his gaze flicking from the wardrobe to the bed to the lancet window to me. "I don't like us being here tonight. I don't have a good feeling about it, but since we can't leave, I just…" He gestured toward the window and then dropped his arm, his jaw working.
"Do you feel like something specific is going to happen?"
He shook his head then shrugged. There was a wildness in his deep-set eyes. "I don't know. I don't think so. Just…it's uncomfortable." He crossed into the room and scanned it. His hand brushed along the wall and pressed against the curve of the oil lamp. "I know they will have been strengthening the wards to protect against the Gola Resh's entry, but they won't be as strong as they could be. I know that everyone here will do everything. I know I will do everything I can." His gaze fixed on me. "Do you want me to stay with you tonight, Stella?"
My eyebrows lifted. "What?"
"Even without the silencing oil, it's hard to hear anything in these rooms. The stone absorbs sound on its own," he said, continuing to circle and glance around. "I'm in the room next to yours, but if something goes wrong—"
"You're really on edge tonight." I turned along with his circles, keeping an eye on him.
He nodded. His deeply tanned skin had paled. Sweat ran along his hairline. "I don't have a vision giving specifics, not even foresight right now. Just fear." He shook his head and then rubbed the back of his neck. "If you don't want me to sleep in here, I understand. I just want you safe. You and your happiness mean everything to me, Stella."
"I'll be happy when the curse is removed. Both of them." I tilted my head as I watched him. "As far as safety, I don't know what else can be done."
He removed a slim polished stone from inside his tunic and held it up. It resembled a moonstone. "This is just a flash stone. It's connected to my consciousness. If you grab it and squeeze, it'll let me know you need me. If I can't get to you, I can at least sound the alarm."
I accepted the stone and held it in my palm. Smiling a little, I glanced up at him. "You're very kind."
