Shadowstorm (Sorcery and Science Book 6) (35 page)

The look on Aaron’s face confirmed that.

“He was at my graduation reception. He overheard when Davin talked about how I’d defeated a Triad. I saw him perk up at that. He stared at me. He didn’t even know I was Terra Cross then, but the look in his eyes said he was interested in me. Davin thought he wanted to hire me as a bodyguard—but no, he must have wanted me for his Elition project. It was clear I was powerful. So when he learned that Ariella and I were going to Wellspring, he arranged a test to see just how powerful.

“The blue-haired Elition was probably just part of the ruse. I’ll bet she wasn’t Elition at all. As soon as we got out, Lord Adrian was right there, almost as though he’d been waiting just out of sight. He’d probably been monitoring us remotely.

“And then he tried to take us into custody for ‘trespassing’. Luckily, Davin showed up and managed to talk him out of it. Lord Adrian must have known he couldn’t get away with his plan, not with so many witnesses around…”

The memory of the masked men flooded her mind, and she stumbled back.

Aaron caught her. “Are you all right?”

“You.” One of the masked men felt so familiar, not then but now looking back. “You were the leader of that group of masked men in Wellspring. You chased us into that building. I…” She pushed away from him. “I shot you.”

He expelled a resigned sigh. “Yes. And it hurt.”

“Ariella and I almost ended up as two more nameless specimens in Lord Adrian’s project. You claim you were only after rogues, but that’s not true at all. If Ethan hadn’t come…and Davin…we wouldn’t even be here having this conversation. I would be just another living weapon, wouldn’t I?”

Aaron swallowed. “Ethan is alive.”

“What?”

“He’s alive. His death was staged so he could return to Sarah Avan. They’re lovers.”

Her mouth opened, then closed again. “I don’t even know what to say to that. How long have you known?”

“A couple of weeks. Davin and I found out when Ethan and his band of Avan Spirit Reapers attacked us in Orion.”

“That’s…surprising.” She shook the thought from her head. “But irrelevant. I asked you a question—and you are deflecting.”

“I didn’t know you back then at Wellspring.” He’d gone very quiet, which worried Terra. It meant he was holding back. “But I was impressed.”

“That’s all you have to say for yourself?” she demanded. “That you were ‘impressed’? You’re treating this all like a game, Aaron. You think you can out-strategize me with wooing words and sly evasions. Well, I refuse to play along anymore.”

Then she turned and walked away from him. She didn’t know where she was going, only that she had to get as far away from Aaron as she possibly could. She hurried down the path, the blank faces of the Elitions she and Aaron had killed in her foresight swirling around in her mind.

“Terra!” Davin called out.

She pivoted around to find him rushing down the path after her, Ariella running beside him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to rush off like that. I just need a moment.”

Ariella handed her a flask. “Here, take this. It’s strawberry-vanilla tea. It should settle your head.”

“Thanks.” Terra took a sip, the warm, sweet liquid soothing her throat as it slid down. She leaned in to kiss Ariella on the cheek. “You look stunning.”

Ariella tossed the flask back to Davin, then took Terra’s hands. “As do you. That outfit reminds me of the one you wore the day we graduated from Rosewater.”

Terra smiled at her. Except for the color—sapphire trimmed with pink, instead of
sky blue and purple—
the crisscrossed sleeveless top and
wide-legged chiffon pants were
identical to the set she’d put on that day nearly two years ago. Though she’d opted for boots rather than sandals this time around. It was February, after all, and even with the portals, she had a long hike home.

“Terra,” Davin said.

“Davin.” She took his hand too, the three of them now linked.

He cleared his throat uncomfortably. “I just wanted to say—”

“You don’t have to say it,” she cut in quickly. “I know. And I forgive you.”

“I haven’t been a very good friend to you. Or a very good brother.”

She shook her head. “All of that is in the past. What matters now is that you try to be a good husband to Ariella.”

Davin’s gaze shifted to his bride. “I will be.”

“I’m serious. You may be my brother in blood, but she is my sister in spirit.” Terra took their hands and linked them together. “There is darkness rising on the horizon. I can feel it coming.” She rested her hands atop theirs. “And when it gets here, it will try to break apart these bonds that we’ve forged, turning friend into foe.”

“The Xenens,” Davin said.

Terra nodded. “I’ve seen them for years, their faces filling my foresights. I didn’t understand. I thought I was just going mad. But they’re coming.” She stepped back. “Ok, that’s enough doom and gloom for one day. Let’s go dance.”

* * *

527AX February 14, Laelia

Terra danced with Ariella and Davin, then just Davin, and finally Ariella. After those three dances, she decided she was being selfish and wandered off to the dessert table so the two of them could have a chance to dance together. And that’s where Aaron found her.

“I thought I was clear that I was done talking to you,” she said, keeping her eyes trained on the strawberry she was dipping into the chocolate fountain.

Before he could say anything, metal clinked against glass. Terra turned, staring out across the makeshift dance floor to where King River stood with a glass in his hand. The music went silent, and conversations fizzled out. Everyone waited.

“Today, we are here to celebrate the marriage of my son to the woman I always knew he would marry. Almost like destiny.”

Appreciative chuckles rumbled from the crowd, the loudest of them all from Chimera.

“It is a time for new beginnings…and endings.” King River’s teal eyes shone out across the dance floor, his gaze settling on Terra. “Not so long ago, my daughter was married. But unlike this marriage, she was not given a choice in the matter.”

Beside Terra, Aaron shifted his weight, the fabric of his suit swishing as he moved.

“Everyone should have a choice.” King River looked at Aaron. “
The marriage of my daughter to you was never sanctioned by the high priestess of Laelia.”

“
What are you saying, King River?”

“That the marriage is not valid according to Elition law.” He stepped forward, the crowd parting before him. “It does not exist. It
never
existed.”

The rage that had begun to spread across Aaron’s face receded, and he went very still. “Terra and I had a ceremony not unlike this one.”

“It was nothing like this one,” King River said, his jaw clenched tight in a rare decay of composure.

“
This is easily fixed,” Davin said, stepping forward.

“What are you doing?” Ariella muttered to him.

“It’s ok,” he whispered back, then continued his forward gait. “Legacy is still here. She can make it official.”

The half-eaten strawberry slipped from Terra’s fingers, splattering her boots with semi-liquid chocolate as it hit the ground. Shock punched through her body, the poison of betrayal flooding her. Davin’s betrayal. Mere moments after she’d forgiven him, he was doing it all over again.

Memories of that horrid cell filled her head, pushing out all else. The bars, the drugs, the screams…the way it had pushed her over the edge, throwing her into madness. Veronica’s face at the moment of her death. The blood on Terra’s hands. The harsh sting of acid scorching her throat. The battlefield of Elition bodies. She and Aaron fighting side-by-side, dispensing death.

King River shook his head. “No. This ends here. I will allow her to be used no longer. Nothing will be made official.” He gave Terra a half-smile. “You are free.” He turned slowly in place, his eyes panning across all the Elitions there. “Elitia is free. Free from exploitation. Free from the affairs of the human world. We will no longer involve ourselves in the wars, the fighting, the senseless power plays. Henceforth, we will worry about Elitia—and only Elitia.”

Silence fell over the crowd gathered there, an eerie stillness broken only by the soft flutter of the falling blossoms. No one said anything. No one knew what to say. Of all the possible outcomes, Terra had not foreseen this one. After over a decade, King River had ended the alliance just like that. She wasn’t sorry. Nothing but pain had come from working with the Selpes. By now, everyone must have realized that.

Almost everyone.

“What in Aurelia’s name do you think you’re doing?” Davin demanded.

“Watch your tongue, Davin,” King River warned him. “I am still your father. And your king.”

Davin shook his head, anger overruling propriety. “Why, Father? Why are you ruining almost twenty years of hard work—
your
work—twenty years of stability for Elitia?”

“I’ve begun to realize I was wrong all these years.”

“Wrong?”

King River let out a joyless laugh. “You would not understand, Davin. Perhaps when you are—”

“Don’t say ‘older’,” Davin cut in angrily. “Don’t you even dare.”

“Wiser,” finished King River. “When you’ve had to live through all that I have. When you’ve faced the choices I have. I’ve been a fool. A blind fool. I willingly admit that now.”

“You’re being a fool
now
.”

“Correcting past mistakes is often a messy matter. I wish I’d listened to Edward before any of this happened. I really do.”

Davin’s hands grasped him by the sleeves, shaking him. “Don’t. Not now.”

King River sighed. “I thought you would understand, that it wasn’t too late for you. But you’ve become someone else. Someone who craves power. Someone who becomes intoxicated by the very hint of it coming his way. I have only myself to blame. If I hadn’t made this alliance with the Selpes, then you never would have been seduced by their dark ways. You would not consider them your friends.”

“Aaron
is
my friend,” Davin insisted.

“But he’s the Selpes’ emperor first. So what now, Davin?” King River asked, folding his hands in wait.

“Will you take back your foolish declaration?”

“I think you already know the answer to that.”

“Oh, yes, River,” a voice said, each word scraped out with sick pleasure.

Lord Adrian stood on the path, the backdrop of pink blossoms doing nothing to soften the harsh lines of his silver suit. If anything, the contrast only made the sharp cut of his suit more jarring.

“Adrian,” growled King River. “You are not welcome here. Leave now, before I have you thrown out.”

Lord Adrian walked toward them, utterly relaxed. Too relaxed. “You’re under the misconception that you’re still in charge.” A stream of Diamond Edges emerged from the forest, surging around him. “You’re not.”

As Selpe soldiers flooded the grounds of Laelia, Terra pivoted around to stare down Aaron. “What have you done?”

“I had nothing to do with this.”

A shadow fell over his face. Aaron looked up at the sky, frowning when he saw the mass of airships hovering there. He stormed across the lawn to Lord Adrian, matching him stride for stride.

“What do you think you’re doing, Lord Adrian?” he growled under his breath.

“You didn’t actually believe I’d let you go off into Elitia alone and unprotected, did you?”

“I can take care of myself.”

“Yes, you’re a very capable soldier, Aaron. But you’re the emperor now, and it’s my duty to ensure your safety.
King River cannot be trusted. You just witnessed that for yourself.” He stopped at the edge of the dance floor, raising his voice so all could hear. “King River has gone rogue.” He waved the Diamond Edges forward. “Take him.”

Ariella moved forward to intercept them, but Davin’s hand caught her arm, holding her there. “Let me go, Davin. They’re going to take your father.”

“And if you interfere, they will take you too,” he replied, his eyes hardened with determination.

“We cannot allow—”

“Trust me.”

The Diamond Edges continued to advance, surrounding King River from all sides. He turned once on the spot, his eyes panning across the ring of soldiers with cool calculation. As the Selpes raised their guns, Terra made a run for the line. She would not allow her father to face them alone.

“Stop,” Chimera said, planting himself between her and the soldiers.

“Get out of my way.” She looked over his shoulder, watching King River draw two knives. “I need to save my father.”

He crossed his arms against her chest and held his ground. “Your father, little princess, told me to keep you out of it.”

“He told you… What does that mean? He knew this would happen? He knew the Selpes would come here?”

Chimera said nothing. He just stood there like a mute wall—a wall standing between her and helping her father.

“Please,” she pleaded, fear mixing with rage, flooding her with adrenaline. A sizzling energy buzzed across her skin, igniting it. This usually led to… “Get out of my way. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Chimera lifted his hand and rubbed two fingers together. “I feel it. The Phantom energy is building in the air. You are doing this.”

“Yes. But I can’t control it.” And she didn’t want to. She just wanted to release, to expel a mind blast that would topple every Selpe in sight.

“Well, you’ll just have to find a different target. King River has already escaped.”

He was right. The ring of soldiers had fractured. King River was gone. A trail of bodies marked his escape path.

“Find that traitor!” Lord Adrian roared, and the soldiers scrambled. His Diamond Edge guard remained, forming a wall around him. “You six.” He stopped a group of passing soldiers. “Make sure the Empress is safe,” he told them, a dark smile creeping across his lips as his eyes turned on her.