Rion backed away, magic circling his form as he scanned the shadows, searching for the one responsible. His entire body froze when his eyes locked onto a male in the corner.
Liam stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the far wall, weapons still at his hips rather than drawn. He wasn’t hiding, per se; either that or it was an extremely bad hiding place.
The two males just stood there, studying one another, their magic dancing in the space between them. Rion’s breath was shallow as he struggled to find words.
“I guess you’re as fast as rumors claim,” Liam stated, emotion absent from his tone. Rion’s lips parted, but his throat had gone dry. He straightened slowly, hand lowering from the weapon at his side. The dancing sand lowered too, resting between the cracks in the marble. “I figured you’d follow me eventually. Surprised it took you so long.” Liam’s magic recededas well, sinking back into the crevices and holes. It was no wonder Alec never bothered to fix them.
“I didn’t think you’d want to talk.”
“I didn’t,” Liam said flatly. The words hurt just as much as they had all those years ago. “But circumstances have changed.” He pushed off from the wall and started down the hall. Rion followed, unsure what the male intended. He doubted after his mother’s warning that Liam would go against his High Lady, but Liam had more reason than most to want him dead.
Liam entered a side terrace, one of the many open to the elements outside. All manner of greenery crawled along the walls and columns. A table stood in the center with four double seated sofas circling it. Liam dropped into one, then reached for the amber liquid in the glass pitcher resting on the table across from him. He flipped over two glasses.
“You drink?”
Rion stepped into the room, cautiously peering at the growth overhead. “On occasion.”
“Good, I doubt we can do this sober.” Liam filled both glasses and slid one across the table. He sat back and took a long sip, staring at the ceiling as if it contained all the answers to their questions.
Liam didn’t gesture for Rion to join him. He didn’t even look at him.
Rion’s jaw worked as he recalled those final words.Get out of here. And don’t ever come back.Grief. Anger. All rightfully deserved.
Liam was giving him a choice. Either they could talk, or they could continue in silence the way they had for nearly eighty years.
Rion drew in a slow breath, crossed the room, and seated himself across from Liam. He picked up the glass, turning itaround as he sat back. He could drink it, he supposed. Liam had poured it from the same bottle.
Liam, it seemed, missed nothing. He gestured to Rion’s glass. “How long have you had to do that?”
“Since the day my father died.”
“You mean the day Lady Saoirse killed him.” A bitterness there. He wondered if Liam resented not being told the truth. In a world where it was almost impossible to lie, Rion supposed that was fair.
“I take responsibility for his death. It was me she was protecting.”
“And yet she wouldn’t have been forced to make that decision if it weren’t for our false history.” Liam said it more to himself than anything. He gave a slight scoff then downed the rest of his drink before shifting forward to pour another. “My father died that day too, did you know?”
Rion swallowed hard. “Not at the time, but I—I figured it out later.”
Liam drank again, then stared off. “Vairik,” he practically spit the name. “Without him—” Liam cut himself off and shook his head. Rion hadn’t considered how much the truth would affect those around them.
Everything they’d ever known. It was all a lie.
Silence filled the space again, an eerie quiet that threatened to swallow everything whole.
“How’s your mother?” Rion dared. She’d always been a kind female.
Liam was silent, likely debating whether to answer. He certainly didn’t have to. Rion knew what it was like to treasure a mother. Perhaps that one truth was what had Liam tilting his head to glance at the ceiling again before finally saying. “She didn’t cope well after my father’s death. It didn’t help that,” hepaused, grinding his teeth. “Knowing it was you made it worse. She treasured you, you know.”
“I know.” Rion remembered Liam’s mother’s kindness. She’d cared for him the day his own mother had disappeared.
“You saved my life,” Liam said, breaking the thick tension in the air. “It was difficult to accept at the time, but, given what my mother had already endured, I’m grateful for her sake.”
Rion swallowed hard. “You never told anyone what happened that day. Not even Saoirse.”
Liam’s jaw worked. “Because it didn’t make sense. None of it did. I played it through my mind over and over. I lived their deaths a thousand times.” Liam paused. “They wanted me to blame you like the others did. Everyone tried to coax what they perceived as the truth out of me. I knew something wasn’t right, I just couldn’t place what it was.” He lifted his glass. “Here’s to finally discovering the shitty truth.”
Liam stared at his glass as if confused why it was empty then filled it again. “I didn’t poison yours,” he said, “If I wanted to kill you, I’d fight you in the open where honor actually meant something instead of hiding in the damn shadows.”
