His brother’s true name.
Only he knew of it.
At its utterance, Shu’Khan turned.
“Iridias,” he smiled, returning the tone in kind.
“Your hands,” Kailorien said. “They’ve wandered.”
Shu’Khan tilted his head, then rose, unhurried. He held Auryn like a lover might, arms cradling her as though she were something precious.
A lie. An illusion.
Shu’Khan held nothing in such high esteem.
“Your anger will damage the flooring,” his brother drawled. “Misplaced, don’t you think? Considering We are merely offering assistance.”
Kailorien’s hands clenched so tightly at his sides that his nails bit into his palms.
“Assistance?”
Shu’Khan looked him up and down. Inspecting. Searching.
“Your little Sokâr wandered in here all alone, unguarded. So, We generously offered our company to ensure the Resh’Agar was keeping to his duties.”
Beneath Kailorien’s feet, cracks formed in the marble. Shu’Khan looked amused. His blue, frigid eyes snapped back to Kailorien’s.
“Rest assured, she witnessedit all, Iridias.”
He stepped closer, seeming to glide along the floor even with Auryn in his arms. His bracelets jingled as, with deliberate grace, he placed her in Kailorien’s arms. She sagged into him with a soft moan. Her heat was alarming. Her pulse raced like wildfire.
“You gave her entry,” Kailorien hissed. “You allowed her to set foot in here? To see the ritual?”
To see the monster I become?
To witness all that?
“We did. Out of pity. Or curiosity. She was stumbling around. Lost. Her connection with you caused her to feel the backlash of the ritual. A shame she did not cast a consecration ward.”
Shu’Khan stared at her for a moment, then stepped back and straightened the cuffs of his robe, as if nothing unnatural had transpired.
Kailorien held Auryn tighter against him. “Stay away from her, Seravael. I won’t repeat myself again.”
But his brother did not look intimidated in the least.
“She felt it once,” he said, voice smooth as velvet. “And she will feel it again. And again. Every time,Iridias.”
Kailorien’s eyes narrowed.
Shu’Khan smiled. “Might We suggest an alternative?”
No answer.
“She has been researching your runes. Their volatility. Their nature. We will sanction this. Support it.”
“You’ve already poisoned her enough.”
“Ah,” Shu’Khan said, tilting his head. “We know that look. Pride. Possession. But you cannot protect her. Not from this. Not from Us. This web is too layered for her to navigate alone.”
