“Even if the Raith… your… Eidolon, was it? Even ifnothin’happens when you touch the Lotus, it’s better than makin’ it bloom, lass.”
Teeth bared, I scowled until I thought my brows might become one.
But Goddess take her, she wasright. Again. Had my second Flourishing not produced a single, pathetic blossom, I might have had the capacity to argue. Were our lives not in immediate peril, perhaps I could have convinced the captain to run to the Grandmother. That the Lotus had even whispered my Truth was damning enough.
“General Tilcot can beat the High Priestess as hard and as often as he likes,” Alicia continued. “Canna argue whatwecan prove, can he?”
“No,” the captain purred, his smile brushing the back of my neck. “He certainly can’t. Marco, fetch me the Eidolon. We might just get through this mess.”
And then—as if the Goddess herself had grown weary of watching me bungle every facet of my life and had smashed a puzzle piece into my skull regardless of whether or not the edges fit—the solution popped into my brain. A backup plan, should the Eidolon fail, and all the better for the knowledge that Captain Asher Rawlingswouldn’tapprove.
Three booming knocks echoed from beyond the front door, and I jumped as if he could sense danger on top of everything else, wrenching free from his arms.
Meeting those hated obsidian eyes, I asked him to lie. “Do you trust me to do this?”
The captain laughed, breath spicy on my lips as he denied me yet again. “I trust you want to continue breathing, if for no other reason than to cause me as much misery as possible.”
For the first time since our meeting in another time, the bond vibrated with harmony.
Chapter 8
Having knotted the leather band containing a chip of Eidolon around my wrist, the captain stooped to inspect his effort. Ensuring the stone was separate from my twisted flesh.
I shivered, revulsion dancing on raw nerves. That the Raith was the only thing with even achanceof saving us was insult enough, for to embrace that heinous alloy was to shun Truth altogether. To be completely bereft of the one thing I wasn’t sure I could live without.
Ki.
“It always comes back to the Glaith,” I whispered, testing that these new bonds were loose enough.
The captain brushed the edge of my collarbone. “It’ll work.”
I didn’t bother arguing. Couldn’t muster the energy to ask him not to leave me defenseless and return my mother’s pendant, for fear that the general would notice something out of place. No, we were well and truly cornered, dependent on the plan of a brilliant woman who was either critical ally, betrayer, or some morbid combination of both.
A heavy fist pounded on the front door, growing impatient. “In the name of the Empire, open this door!”
“Let them in, Marco,” the captain said, pulling a rumpled dress-shirt over his head. Tucking the pendant away from unwelcome eyes as the soldier complied, revealing two burly men hovering on the porch. Faceless, until the light from the front hall spilled over them.
“Aiden. Reese,” the captain said in greeting, hand tightening on my nape, tethering me to his side. “It’s a little early for house calls, isn’t it?”
“Here on official business, sir,” the stocky one said, speaking through a mouthful of gravel. “We’ve been sent to escort the Priestess to the infirmary, and—”
“What a coincidence. We were just getting ready to make our way there.” Pulling a shawl from a hook by the door, the captain draped it about my shoulders and guided my scarred, twice-bound hand to twist within the fabric. Hiding the Eidolon until the moment was perfect. “Thank you, but your assistance won’t be necessary, Reese. I’m quite sure I know the way.”
Smiling through his teeth, Reese shrugged. “With all due respect, sir, our orders are to escort the Priestess. Alone. You and your men are to remain here until General Tilcot has finished conducting his business at the infirmary.”
Alicia didn’t miss a beat. “Well isn’t that a bit o’perfect timing?” Stepping between posturing, territorial men, she tossed her hair over her shoulder and laid a hand on Reese’s forearm. “My first shift at the infirmary starts in a few minutes, an’ I’d be a far sight more comfortable walking these dark streets with two strong, handsome men like yourselves.” She shivered, clutching her throat. Ignoring Marco’s tiny flinch. “Hate the thought of walking alone with so much fighting going on ‘round us. Mind if I join you?”
“Of course, miss,” the taller one, Aiden, said, moving aside, cheeks pink. “Happy to oblige.”
I scowled at the clever little bitch. Was she taking it upon herself to act as my minder, or acting on the commands of the man who’d offered her freedom? Did it matter?
Reese held out his hand, the other resting on the hilt of his weapon. “Come along, Priestess.”
Eyes lowered, I obeyed, giving up the heady flavor of the last rare and dangerous thing for the company of mundane soldiers.
“Mila—”
“Must abide by the rules of the game,” I whispered, for there was nothing left to say. Not now, with the vipers standing so close. He could only watch through icy chips of obsidian, face drained of all color, unable to take the power from my tiny, scarred hands.
