“He left of his own accord, don’t worry. And he likely hasn’t gone far.” He lifted the steaming mug of tea only to set it back down again. Anxious. Clearly anxious.
Orin never looked anxious.
What was going on?
I glanced again to the door, but I couldn’t bring myself to get up. “No more riddles. Tell me what you know about him, the Order—all of it.”
A flash of lightning lit the room, followed by a distant rumble of thunder. Orin’s eyes darted to the window as he gripped the edge of the table, bracing himself as if to stand. I thought he might rush outside, but then he fixed his gaze back on me.
“I’ve been speaking with your other allies,” he said. “Having them fill in some details and answer questions about the notes Eamon sent. I’m starting to get a somewhat clearer picture of the mess surrounding you, Lorien, and Aleksander.”
“And?”
“And you know that Aleksander is a descendant of King Argoth?”
I nodded slowly, confused.
What did Argoth have to do with any of this?
“It was the Void Order who ultimately drove Calista and Lorien apart,” Orin explained. “But this was done at King Argoth’s command. He was one of the Order’s most powerful founding members.”
“A command he made out of jealousy?” I asked. “Because he loved her, and he was afraid Lorien might interfere with that love?”
“That’s always been my belief.”
I turned this over in my mind several times. “Did Calista actually love Lorien, though?”
“Once upon a time, maybe.” Orin’s expression tightened. “Love is a fickle, complicated thing, isn’t it? We can only guess at their true feelings for one another. And you’ll find that much of their history—all history, for that matter—changes depending on who’s telling the story. King Argoth wanted her to kill Lorien. Ofthat much I’m sure, at this point. But I believe it was more about his desire to control the Vaeloran Cycle than anything else.”
“She didn’t kill Lorien, though. She just…scattered him. Cursed him.”
“Yes. Much to the disappointment of the Order—and Argoth—I’m sure. One could surmise from this that Calista didn’t trulyhateLorien, at least. But that’s conjecture on my part. Whatever the reason, she spared his soul even as she cursed it.” He glanced up, studying the wooden plank ceiling for a moment before continuing. “And so the Order was forced to create other weapons who would keep working to dismantle the Vaeloran Cycle.”
“…Create?” Something about the word made the hairs on the back of my neck lift.
Orin’s eyes flicked toward the window again, another flash of lightning highlighting the tired lines of his face. “Most of the Void Order are brilliant students of Vaeloran magic. They have extensive knowledge, and some even have traces of that magic for themselves—the chosen Aetherkin like me, you know.”
“But Aetherkin who stopped being loyal to the Vaelora, in this case?”
“Correct. Instead, those who pledge themselves to the Order have spent generations developing their own corrupted kinds of power. An occult science, a twisted alchemy, rather than the divine-blessed power that governs so much of our world. But much of what they’ve done—and are doing—is experimental, part of a fanatical attempt to establish a new world order. The spells you witnessed in the Hollow Grove are examples. The roads that have been forged between the realms, like Nocturnus, are a result of their experiments as well. And…” He trailed off, gripping the mug tightly in his wrinkled hands as he bowed his head.
Though I didn’t want to, I asked, “And what does this have to do with Aleks?”
After a weighted pause, he finally met my eyes again. “I believe Aleksander is another one of their experiments. A corrupted entity—a weapon whose ultimate purpose is to consume and nullify Vaeloran power.”
All of the air seemed to leave the room.
Orin continued before I could catch my breath enough to reply. “Actually, I believeallthe descendants of Argoth have been heavily subjected to this weaponization.The Void King, Argoth was sometimes called by those closest to him—by those who knew his true plans and desires. Because he was hellbent on draining away the powers that sustained the balance between realms. And the Order has honored his vision and legacy by continuing to try and create the ultimate destroyer out of his bloodline.”
I stared at him, my vision blurring at the edges. “Aleks is not a destroyer of anything. He wasn’t created like some kind of…of…”
“Moldedis the better word, maybe.” He paused. “A being that isn’t truly Shadow or Light, but capable of manipulating both.”
“He isn’tanyof those things. He hasn’t manipulated me, he?—”
“What do you know of his past? The things he endured, and was shaped by, as a child?”
Anger flared through me at the question. At the way it sounded more like an accusation.
