“Is it a matter of tribal security?” Aretha asked. The twins would have no problem using whatever means necessary to get answers out of you, and I was tempted, if only to protect you from yourself.
“It is not,” I said. You stared at me with unflinching resolve while I slouched back in my chair, defeated.
“Now, if that is all, your highness,” you said curtly, “I’d suggest you use this time to prepare for the Thrones’ return.”
I wanted to tantrum and rage, yell at you and claw you to bits, but of course, I didn’t.
“Dismissed,” I said icily. You countered with a smart little bow, then made yourself scarce. Stubborn, stubborn man.
As I usually did when something was weighing on my mind, I took the matter to my father. Papa wasn’t a priest, but he was the closest thing I could get to confession. After relaying to him the peculiarities of our trip to the under realms, I asked him what I could do to convince you to tell me the truth.
“Give up,” Papa said.
“What do you mean, give up?” It seemed the exact opposite of what I should be doing.
“Pressuring him to reveal himself will only cause him to tighten his hold. For whatever reason, it’s something Henri doesn’t think you should know. If you trust him, you must honor his privacy.”
“This isn’t privacy,” I complained. “More like betrayal.” There was a reason I’d honed my seduction to be able to compel the truth from people. You of all people should know that.
“Treason?” Papa asked with a knowing look.
“I didn’t say that.”
“You should be careful not to use your authority as the Parousia to compel him on a private matter, Vincent. It’s an abuse of power.”
How did Papa always know what I’d done, or what I was thinking of doing? “That’s ridiculous,” I said, feeling defensive. “Besides, it’s a potential security breach.”
Papa sighed, which told me he wasn’t buying it. Imightbe prone to exaggeration from time to time.
“Fine,” I huffed. “I’ll let it go… for now. But if he comes to you seeking your advice, tell him to come clean with me.”
“I will do as I see fit,mijo.”
With that settled—unsatisfactorily I might add—I then asked if he’d heard anything from Dad.
“No, nothing. I wish I knew where he was, but I trust him to know what’s best for the both of us.” Papa offered a little smile. “And I’m grateful for the years we had together.”
I held his hand and we stared over the balcony at the happenings below. As I was getting ready to leave, I noticed Stefan making his way back toward Lucian’s manor. He caught my eye and nodded, which meant that he must have some intel for me. Perhaps he’d been able to get the story out of Orcus—the true story—of what had happened between you and Bastet in the under realms.
“I’ll visit later,” I told my father and kissed him on the cheek, then traveled down into the two flights of stairs to Lucian’s wine cellar.
“Orcus asked me today if I’d ever visited the catacombs,” Stefan said to me over a bottle of wine. The man drank a lot and it seemed to hardly affect him. We no longer met in the vineyard, as it was now being patrolled by warborn soldiers. Security had been steadily ramping up, and there were fewer places where we could meet in private.
“The shadowborn do eat souls…” I said, thinking Orcus might be visiting the catacombs for the spiritual energy of the Shade Vale located there.
“Have you seen them?” Stefan asked
I shook my head. You’d told me they were creepy as hell and I believed you. “I only know that they’re underground. It’s where Mater keeps her…” How should I say this delicately? “Collectibles.”
“Orcus made it sound like a secret. And it wasn’t the first time he’s mentioned them.” I prompted Stefan to continue. “Earlier this week he asked me if I was scared of skeletons, then told me that if I wanted answers, I should see where the skeletons are buried.”
That could be just an expression, or it could be a clue that Mater was hiding something underground. “But why would Orcus want us to go looking? I thought he was loyal to my mother.”
“Maybe he is playing both of you,” Stefan suggested.
“Or he’s feeding you false information to lead us into a trap.”
“Also possible.”
