— From The Official Record of House Avus, As Recorded by Atticus, Son of Eximius
In the dark, it was impossible to tell how long I'd been kept here. The minutes that passed may as well have been hours or days for all I knew. Time was an illusion in seclusion. I had nothing but my own beating heart and the beast in the corner to keep me company. I glanced in its direction from time to time, always to find glowing red eyes peering back at me. I wondered why it remained with me when its master was so far away. I remembered what the others in Pavos had claimed about the creatures and wondered if it was relaying information about my condition to its rider even now. I turned away, eyes drooping once more as my head fell forward. Sleep. It was the only thing I could do to pass the time, the only thing that kept me from the agony of consciousness.
Ksenia, at least that’s what she'd told me her name was, had come several times since our first meeting. Always seeking information from me that I wouldn't give, always threatening me with even more solitude if I refused, always offering me the opportunity to hear some ultimate truth she continued to withhold if I gave in. I ignored her every time, not even speaking a word as she came and went. Her frustration was mounting, I could tell, and sometimes I wondered why I was refusing her at all. It wasn’t as though theGeisthad won my undying loyalty. I didn’t believe in their cause so greatly I was willing to die for it, especially when they’d never lifted a finger for me. And I wasn’t protectingValineither. For the way he'd lied to me, for the way he'd lied to everyone, I was nearly tempted to give him up to the enemy simply out of spite.
But something told me to hold my tongue. I didn’t know these people. I didn’t trust them. They claimed to have some truth that would turn me to their side should I know it but, if that were the case, wouldn’t they have told me already? Why would they withhold such a thing, just to use it as a bargaining chip for information they didn’t have? I didn’t know who, or what, they were and, until I had a better idea of the situation I currently found myself in, they wouldn’t know a thing about me either.
Minutes or hours after I'd fallen asleep for the dozenth time, the door to my cell opened again. I raised my head, expecting to seeKsenia, the only one who ever came to speak to me here. But instead, there was a man. He was young, probably younger than I was, and dressed in a simple long sleeve shirt and belted pants that appeared casual but, I could tell from a life lived in luxury, was made of fine materials. His blonde hair was combed into an immaculate wave that bounced on top of his head as he stepped forward. The guard behind him looked between us and hesitated.
“That’ll be all, Gunner,” he spoke simply but with an air of authority that outweighed evenKsenia’sconfidence. This was a leader, I could tell.
“But, my prince, the prisoner—” the guard began to argue.
“Is tied to a chair without weapons and restricted from using magic, yes?” the prince asked with a raised brow.
“Yes, but sire—”
“Then I shall manage on my own. Leave us.”
This time, the guard didn't hesitate. He simply bowed and exited the chamber, closing the door tightly behind him and leaving us alone. The prince waited until he was gone before he turned to me. He clasped his hands behind his back and stepped forward easily. The beast in the corner shifted but, if the man noticed, he didn't respond.
“You’ve frustrated our dear little spy,” he informed me and something like amusement lied beneath his tone. Indeed, he smiled a moment later, a warm, friendly grin likely meant to put me at ease. It didn't. “Kseniaclaims she can’t get a word out of you. Roman, my Captain, says we should kill you and be done with it. I wonder, what doyouthink I should do with you?”
I narrowed my gaze. If he was intending for me to beg for my life, he would be sorely disappointed.
“You’re not a fool,” he continued, seemingly unbothered by my lack of response. “You’re a trained warrior ofPavos, a Victor of the Trials. Fools rarely get so far. So, tell me. If you were in my place. If you had a wayward spy retrieve a valuable asset from the enemy and bring them to your city, among your people, but couldn't speak to the level of danger such an asset might pose, what would you do with him?”
I kept glaring.
“Kseniais convinced you're the key to defeating our enemies, but I haven’t yet decided whether or not youarean enemy. Nor am I aware of what, exactly, it is you’re supposed to be able todo in order to end amillenniaof war. Seems a great risk to my people, then, to leave you alive within my city. And yet the prospect of ending a centuries-long war is far too enticing to resist entirely,” he said, sighing dramatically. “If only you were more cooperative.”
The beast in the corner prowled forward from the shadows as if called into action by this man's words. Every muscle in my body tensed as I strained against my bonds to put distance between myself and the creature. But the monster didn't approach me. Rather, it strode lazily toward the prince, sitting dutifully at his feet and allowing the man to run a hand over the soft white leather of its head, even purring slightly when he scratched behind its ears.
“It’s our fault, really,” the prince continued as though he wasn’t petting the most deadly creature in the world. “We should have been upfront with you from the very beginning. Regretfully, telling the truth to complete strangers is not often our way. It can’t be. Not if we hope for our secrets to keep us alive as they have for a thousand years. Still, we cannot expect you to be forthcoming with us if we are not the same to you. First and foremost, I do believe introductions are in order.”
The beast licked its lips before laying down at his feet. The prince merely sidestepped the creature and strode forward.
“Having lived inPavosfor a time now, I can assume you're no stranger to humans?” he asked, raising a brow.
I didn't respond.
“I'm human,” he informed me. “Kseniais human. Roman is human. This whole city is made up entirely of humans. We've been free from the tyranny ofGeistrule for nearly twomillennia.”
I gaped at him.
“Yes, I know what a blow that must be to your religion,” the prince continued with a shrug. “Your all-powerful gods arenot so omnipotent after all. Nor are they gods. The beings you worship in the prison they put you in that you call home are not deities but rather a separate race of creature much like theZverhere.”
He nudged the beast with a toe. TheZverlet out a growl that it didn’t seem to mean and returned to licking its paws.
“Sure, theGeistappear like us in form. Other than being taller and slightly more attractive than your average human, they seem almost the same. Except for the magic they wield, that glowing aura about them, the almost predatory grace with which they move and, of course, their immortality. Though, that's a gift that has been granted to you now as well, has it not?”
He raised a brow and I frowned. This man, whoever he was, seemed to know more about me than I'd thought. That meant he had the upper hand in these negotiations and likely had all along. It wasn’t a comforting realization.
“But they can die,” he said then. “They can be killed, as you've seen, and they're ruled by much the same motivations as men, despite how vehemently they'll deny such blasphemy. Tell me, though, in your short time inPavos, did you witness the actions of a benevolent deity in the form of Deimos? Or, more often, did you note malicious intent, vindictive willingness, greed and selfishness that compared quite acutely with the political powers that be in Sanctuary itself?”
I frowned.
“Like I said, you aren’t a fool,” he continued. “You’ve already put all of this together yourself. The gods you were raised to worship fall woefully short of the glory they received at the hands of your ancestors. They’re a disappointment and your service is no honor at all. Am I correct? Oh, you don’t have to speak if you’re still withholding your voice. Just nod.”
