“Surely whatever it is can be found within the walls of the palace. Or from our seer.”
I leveled my gaze with the commander’s. His eyes weren’t a vibrant gold like mine, branding me a Chosen of Scorpio. His were brown and soft, a sharp contrast to his lethal stature. He’d always been large and robust, appearing far more brutish than he truly was. He also ran hot, opting for his summer uniform even in the dead of winter we now faced, mild as it was.
Guardians were less sensitive to the cold and heat, so our year-round uniforms consisted of sleeveless garments to expose our glyphed arms. Other territories—such as the fire kingdoms of Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius—opted to dress their Chosens with less clothing to reveal the celestial markings that scarred a Chosen’s body. Despite our sometimes-provocative nature, Scorpions were thankfully more modest than that. In public, at least.
“A text with answers on how to break Scorpio’s curse,” I said finally before looking back at the prisoner. This was the most Alekko and I had spoken in a long time, despite both of us residing in the palace.
“That’s what Gregorios is for. And the acolytes and alchemists from the Academies. You’re a guardian, not a bookkeeper.”
“Since you’re so hopeful today, does that mean you’ve gleaned anything useful?” I prompted skeptically, averting the conversation away from myself. Not that I offered much to talk about anyway. There was no need for pleasantries or whateverpointless chatter passed for small talk. Too blunt for some and too withdrawn for most, I preferred to keep to myself whenever possible. It was easier that way.
Safer.
Alekko conceded with a sigh. “Gregorios tasted his blood.”
“And?”
“And nothing.”
“So like all the others, he’s somehow immune to Blood Sight.” I cocked my head at him. “Remind me again why you’re so hopeful?”
“Because the moment we lose hope is the moment they truly win.”
I crouched down, noting the bruises and lacerations marring the prisoner’s skin. “What were the total casualties?”
“Six men, three women, and two children, with many more wounded. The city guard spotted him fleeing moments before the explosion.”
“Looks like you’ve done enough damage already,” I noted. “Even if he is different, we won’t get much out of him thanks to your handiwork.”
“This fucker blew up innocent people at a shrine who were giving their daily credence to Scorpio,” Alekko growled. “We have to get something.”
I craned my neck to look back at him. “Maryn has guards stationed outside of all temples and shrines across Antares. How did he slip past?”
“In the Baron’s District, yes. Our resources are stretched thin as it is. We don’t have enough guards to keep up with every place of worship and protect against every attack in the royal city, let alone the queendom.”
Gaianos was made of millions of floating lands inhabited by our people for the last 16,000 years. No one truly understoodhow the skylands remained afloat, or stayed stationary, only that it was the work of the Astrals.
Suspended at varying altitudes, some skylands stretched for several miles, whereas others were only as wide as a tree trunk. Every territory consisted of them. Many people feared our queendom’s curse would weaken the Zodiac’s magic that kept the skylands floating above the Barrier—the lowest blanket of clouds spanning across the planet—or that the curse existedbecauseof a weakened Zodiac.
A falling skyland had never occurred in our history before. Still, it made the Scorpion people uneasy about the future of our queendom. Especially as the apostai’s presence ramped up lately. According to recent reports, Scorpio had more apostai attacks than any other territory. I wanted—needed—to know why.
“We were lucky Vesperah was doing a patrol nearby when it happened,” Alekko added.
“Ahhh.”
“What do you mean,ahhh?” Alekko rebuked. “There’s nothing toahhhabout.”
“It explains why you’ve beaten this guy to a pulp.”
Vesperahwas thecaptain of the City Guard—second in command to Alekko, and also his lover. I should have known she’d been involved, given how riled Alekko seemed. “And you’re certain no one paid her guards to vacate the premises?”
“Vesperah trusts her team, and I trust Vesperah. Not everyone is asociopathic leech, Raithe.”
“Solipsistic,” I corrected. “And you’re right. The rest are just leeches.”
“You don’t actually think that. If you did, you wouldn’t be risking the queen regent’s fury.”
“Your point?”
