I glance back over my shoulder one final time, looking at the tunnel Ilryth was escorted into. He and the warriors are long gone. I’m left with no other option than to follow Ventris in the opposite direction. I never would have thought the man who took me as a sacrifice could feel like my safety.
“Where are we?” I want to begin collecting as much knowledge as I can on my new circumstances, even if I’m going to verify all the information he feeds me with Ilryth later.
“We’re in the heart of the Eversea, the oldest foundations of our forefathers, near the base of the Lifetree and the edge of Lord Krokan’s Abyss—the halls of song.”
When I first arrived here, I remember seeing a castle in the distance. I assume that’s where I am now. “And where are you taking me?”
“The room of the offering.”
“I have a whole room?” I arch my brows.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, human.”
“For revering Krokan so much, you seem to take a disrespectful tone with his sacrifices often.” Constantly pointing out my impending demise is not a particularly joyful experience, but I’m growing used to it. More importantly, it seems to be driving Ventris to new heights of frustration and I am having far too much fun withthatto leave it be.
“That isLordKrokan to you.” Ventris whirls on me. His youthful brow is marred with deep lines, as if he’s spent his entire life to date scowling. “Do not think that, just because you know some words of the old ones and have Lord Krokan’s blessings on your body, you are suddenly in control here.”
“Aren’t I though?” I lean forward, hands on my hips. “You all need me.”
“And we will get what we need from you, one way or another.”
“You want me to fear you.” My words are soft as silk, but as strong as steel, and I am not backing down as he continues to try to loom over me. “But I don’t.”
“Then you forget your betters.”
“No, I know that you need me to engage in the anointing. You can’t force it upon me. I must learn the words. And I also know it’s too late to find someone else. There are only a few months left until the summer solstice.” I ease away with a smug smile. “So let’s cut the posturing, shall we?”
Ventris looks as though bubbles might come from his finlike ears from all the pent-up rage he’s keeping behind his flushed face. But, without another word, he starts down the tunnel. I follow and leave the matter be, for now.
Ventris leads me to a lavish room of encrusted marble and silver-edged mirrors. There’s a nested bed of kelp and sea foam. Two dressers flank an opening to a balcony beyond, and small pots above them glow with anamnesis saplings. The whole castle has been dotted with them, and I suspect they’re all behind the barrier that surrounds this place, keeping out the red rot.
“Please make yourself comfortable,” Ventris says, but I doubt he cares much for my comfort. “But don’t think for a moment of leaving. I am the Duke of Faith and it is my sole responsibility, and honor, to be the most in tune with Lord Krokan’s songs. I will know if traveler’s pools are used, or if you leave the protection of my duchy.”
No wonder he knew I was gone to begin with…I wonder if the more anointing I’ve had, the easier it has become for him to sense me. I rub the markings on my arms subconsciously, stopping the moment I’m aware of the movement.Don’t show your discomfort, Victoria.
“I wouldn’t dream of leaving,” I force myself to say, ignoring the unease that only grows the longer his eyes are on me. A slimy film coats me at the thought of this man watching my movements. I hope his insights into what I’m doing are not that granular, but more of a general “if I leave the Eversea,” as he said. But given Ilryth’s warning…I don’t trust anything to be that simple. I must be careful and get to Ilryth as soon as possible to learn what more I can about Ventris and his magics.
“Good. We will begin finishing your anointing as soon as matters with Ilryth are settled.”
“I would like to go see him,” I say before the duke can leave.
“He will be sequestered until he stands before the chorus tomorrow.”
“In the morning, then, before he goes.”
“You should not care so much to see a person of this realm,” he says with a cautionary tone. “You need to be severing your bonds with life to meet death.”
“I also need to deepen my bonds with the old ones, which is what I am focusing on,” I insist. “Duke Ilryth is the one who marked me for Lord Krokan. He is the one who started my anointing and taught me the songs of the old ones. We already have an established rapport to my teachings. The anointing will go faster if he can continue to teach me.”
Ventris regards me warily. I can almost feel him probing between my words, trying to pick them apart. I know men like him—he’s looking for some kind of weakness to exploit, or leverage to use against me. I won’t give it to him.
“Of course that is all it is. I will see it arranged.” With that, Ventris leaves.
I believe that he will arrange it. But I don’t believe that he buys that I purely want to see Ilryth out of a sense of duty as the offering. Not that I blame him. He’s right to be suspicious, after all.
Tethers to this world or not…I care for Ilryth. He is my friend. He is…becoming more. But I refuse to allow those emotions room to bud and grow. For my sake, for his, and for all our peoples. I am accustomed to walls around my heart, and swallowing my emotions.
Rather than heading for the bed, I swim to the archway that leads to the large, half-moon-shaped balcony. I’m finding I grow less weary than I used to. First, I needed less—no food at all. Now sleep is becoming optional. Will there be a point where I need any at all? Will my heart someday stop beating while I keep moving, and I will be sustained by magic alone?
