I looked out of the large bedroom window. The mountain tops, completely uniquely bathed in the sun, even though still under the white cap of snow. At least for once An won't be able to complain that the weather is always bad here, there's not a single cloud in the sky. I'd say spring is officially here. There is nothing that can spoil the magical atmosphere of beautiful weather. And she's still frowning, I should ask her what she's thinking so hard about. Or I can wait a couple minutes, close my eyes for another while and ask her later. She won't get over it that quickly anyway. She never gets over it.
I got back so late I can't bring myself to get up. I just lay down, I refuse the morning. It's still way too early. She tore the blanket out of nowhere, jumped out of bed and ran out of the bedroom as if her heels were on fire. She scared the crap out of me, I've never seen her run anywhere like that. She usually has too much time for everything. That made me get up and go after her. Find out what's so important that it can't wait another five minutes. Or ten, during which I could fall asleep. But I refuse to give up my own blanket, it's too cold outside the bed for that. With or without sun. It's just like that in the morning in the mountains.
Andrea bent over the table, wrote something on a piece of paper, and without removing her ring let the message disappear in the flames, which is quite unusual, but not that unusual I guess. I brushed my hair back from my forehead with the back of my hand and tried to open my eyes. The reflecting rays of the sun are burning holes into my retina. "All good?"
"I completely forgot," she watches with a slight smile, my eyebrows raising above the half-closed eyes. "you know what, it doesn't matter. It's not important." I wanted to protest, to argue that it seemed important enough, but I'm sure I could hold a present minded conversation with her. Negotiations with Jaubert have, apart from how long they are, one more drawback, afterwards I always need to get as far away from the castle as possible. Which dragged on badly yesterday. But it's amazingly easy to get out of this horrible place with people I have almost nothing in common with. How the fuck was I supposed to know that trading one title for another meant, among other things, giving up friends and everything normal and ordinary I had.
I threw myself on the couch, pulled the blanket closer to me, and waited for her to come to me with a stack of her own letters. I rested my head on her thighs and closed my eyes again. I wanted to ask her to tell me what was going on, if it was significant, important, urgent or dangerous, and if all the letters were just routine messages, but I fell fast asleep before I could.
It's her fault, though. If it wasn't so nice to lie so close to her, I wouldn't have fallen asleep. At least I think so. But I just love being so close.
"I should start doing something too." I squirmed under the blanket, who knows how many precious minutes later. I want to spend time with her, undisturbed. And instead I fell asleep. With comfortably deep, perfectly dreamless sleep, which I really missed. I don't dream and I don't need to start. I need rest.
"Haven't you done enough yesterday?" she asked when I finally woke up and opened my eyes.
"Not really, I need to sign a new contract with Jaubert, but I can't agree on terms with him." I sat up and stretched. His suggestions are still ridiculous, I lost half the day I could have spent with her because of him. Totally pointless. "I won't give him permission to mine until he comes up with realistic terms. Which he won't, so I'll have to come up with something else."
"But now Lucien is supposed to open the biggest mines, you'd have to open the smaller ones and change the mining order, right?" she looked at me with her over-wise look. It didn't occur to me that she has any awareness of how mining works, even though - like everything around her - it makes perfect sense. Because she is too old to understand everything. And because she was probably there when someone invented it all. The whole system, waiting lists…
Well, I'm going to need coffee for this. "That's the problem, he has the biggest mines and he knows it. I don't know if the mines in the lowlands are ready and he knows that too. So I'll have to check them, ideally today. After the celebrations, the new season will start and I want to have it done." I headed to the kitchen, checking the mines will take me another half day. I took out the mug and placed it in front of me. Asking her if she wants coffee is pointless. In fact, the whole breakfast goes around her. Unless it's a shot of something strong. It should scare me, but I'm actually starting to understand. It saves time and nerves. And there's a chance I'll get to it at some point. "How well do you know Jaubert?" I called out to her. She has a habit of having all sorts of information on everyone around her. I'm not sure why. Maybe I'll come to that too in time?
"Well enough for him to sign anything you give me." she replied after coming up behind me. She refuses to talk to me through the wall or yell. I prefer not to get up and walk here and there.
"Do you trust him?"
"No," she laughed. "he was born a nobody and now he's part of your Council. I don't want to know what he did to get there, but he'll always make sure he stays there. He's the type. Whatever you need, there's sure to be enough to find out. On him or anyone else."
"So you have something for every member of my Council?" with a raised eyebrow I poured the hot coffee into the mug and returned the kettle to its place. Andrea jumped onto the kitchen counter, that's another thing she really enjoys. I would sit on a chair, like a normal person.
"No, I have nothing on that fanatic Muriel."
"What makes you think she's a fanatic?" I asked surprised. I put my coffee aside and walked over to her, placing my hands beside her but not touching her. Why does Muriel bother her, shouldn't she be her favorite? I mean, she is a priestess. Their priestess.
"She drags everywhere that book," she held up one finger, "into every conversations she inserts something from that book and ends it with the words 'Let the Light accompany your journey'," she raised a second finger, "and even though I have a crown, she always refer to me only as the Heiress, the one who carries the Light or at worst as the Child of the Light." she raised a third finger and waved them in my face. "She's unwaveringly committed to it."
"That doesn't mean she's a fanatic." I hid her fingers in my palm and kissed her. Muriel is overly pious, but I wouldn't call her a fanatic, I'd rather say she's overly reverent and a bit sycophantic, but she certainly doesn't subjugate everything selflessly to her faith. "She follows your rules as you wish. And expands the firm belief in Light and your power."
"Don't get me started… you want to know what Lucien was doing on Lemford, for example? It's going to be a pretty thick file." she can't wait to tell me. Guess it's some casino scandal I don't want to hear about. I hope it's just from the casino. Otherwise, it would directly affect the Council and thus me.
"I want to go check the mines. I'll decide later." I reached for the mug and walked back to the bedroom with the coffee. It'll take me about two hours if I hurry. And I'll have a solid few hours for her. I finally took a sip of that amazing drink and I forgot to add sugar. Great… just great. I hate the bitterness.
"Can I go with you?" she asked in an unexpectedly adorable way. Leaning against the door, she watches me with a smile on her lips. What has gotten into her this time?
"You want to accompany me to the mines? Like Athran blue steel mines?" I checked incredulously, she doesn't look like someone interested in a walk like that. She doesn't really seem like someone who cares about any of this at all. She forwards all blue steel contracts straight to her Council and only bothers to read and sign them after all the terms have been negotiated. Which reminds me, I need to look into the new mining contracts myself. There were slight changes in prices, but for which region? With my shirt unbuttoned and a mug of unsweetened coffee, I returned to the table.
There is a report waiting for me above the files with the papers I'm looking for. They usually don't wait for me on top unless it's important. It's such a subtle genius system, I don't know how Basil does it. I just know without him, this kingdom will fall to pieces. I pulled out the message and quickly run through it. Andrea was in Narral yesterday? Andrea was in Narral yesterday!
She came into the living room behind me, dressed in unusually dark colors, ready for our trip. Well… dark for her, white shirt is overdrapped with looser red one. "I wanted to talk to you,"
"You were in Narral yesterday!?" I cut her off angrily. I put the message down after I got to the part with the seven dead guards on some hill outside the city, which is about as significant as the explanation she has for me. What the fuck was she thinking? Wasn't she going to stay in bed all day? Where's the I'm going to watch the little fish!? I'm on vacation?!
"Alright… I guess we can start with that." she replied guiltily. Her gaze slid to my desk and back to me again. "Samson was there."
I was about to take a breath when I was interrupted by a knock. I really don't have time for them right now. Basil is carrying more contracts for me, I quickly thanked him and slammed the door angrily. I know exactly what these contracts are. And also what I have to do. "You'll have to explain it to me on the way. The Council wants to have the contracts done as well." I took a long coat that she has and added "And don't you say I shouldn't subordinate to them. Let's go."
From the outside, the Athran Blue Steel Mines look just like any other mine. Between the wooden houses are several paved paths that lead to shafts dug into the rock. At first glance, they look quite ordinary. The veins of dark ore are almost lost there, because next to the bright veins of magic, everything looks ordinary. They grow through the stone and the ore and change its properties. Hard to believe it took people so long to discover this critical material when it was shining right in their face. "So where's Samson?" I asked as I made my way to one of the larger buildings. This whole place is built like a small town, completely deserted and lifeless at the moment. Miners have no reason to stay here unless the mine is open. Mainly because waiting lists require a break of more than five years.
"He's dead, I didn't even get to talk to him."
"So instead of looking at the little fish like you wanted to, you decided to try to get yourself killed." I shook my head disapprovingly. Even as an Immortal, she shouldn't be so irresponsible, she shouldn't risk her own life and then moralize hypocritically. "That's absolutely brilliant."
"Why should I get myself killed?"
"You were directly in Narral." I gave her an angry look. "They don't like you in that country and if it espaces your notice you're at war with them. I mean they don't really like any of us. And think of all the bloody rules. I don't even know where to start with the list of everything that could have happened to you and what a stupid idea it was! How in the name of Light you come up with that?"
"Steven, don't raise your voice at me. It was actually quite brilliant, I can't die so you don't have to worry, although dying in Narral would be pretty bad I admit… it's led me to a lot of things." she insists. We stopped in front of the door to the building. I raised one eyebrow but said nothing. I'm very interested in what she thinks. Where did this trip take her? And why it was such a good move. "For example I don't know where you stand on this very topic, Narral."
I almost gasped in surprise, biting my lip instead. Doesn't she know where I stand? What the fuck does that mean? "I think I made a pretty clear distinction when we were planning that attack." I raised my hand and knocked on the door.
"That's about the war, what after it?"
The door opened, I stopped the avalanche of words with my finger without taking my eyes off her. "You want to know if I plan to turn a blind eye to what's going on there, just like father. The answer is no, but you damn well know that." it's a pretty clear decision for me, I never liked what he did and I never agreed with it. Very openly. In my opinion, a land without magic should look quite different. But that's true of a lot of places. And I can't fix them all. I don't have the time or mood for that.
I turned to the man in the doorway and put my hand down. He must be at least fifty, his graying hair falls over his shoulders, but to my surprise he is wearing a clean suit. This is new, he usually wears something that suits his job, so a dirty shirt and dusty pants. "I hope I'm not early." I laughed and walked inside.
"Can someone like you be somewhere early? Can I complain about that?” the man in front of me asked with a smile. It's the only reason why this visit doesn't bother me even more. Nice to see him. He taught me a lot about mines. And actually not only about mines, but life and it's insignificant details. The colours around us, shapes carved into the stone by nature itself, the beauty we normally don't see.
"I think you would be quite surprised. And you can always complain, the question is what I'm going to do about it." I laughed, I've known him probably my whole life and he's one of the few people I don't mind working long hours with. "Andrea, this is Eli Tier, he takes care of all the mines in the lowlands."
"It is a great pleasure to meet someone like you, Eli. Steven is quite secretive about his friends." she smiled and held out her hand to him. I'm not trying to make any formal introductions, she doesn't like it and he probably doesn't care. Although I kind of have to rely on Eli not acting any different than usual. And that tends to be a problem in the presence of Hallies' Heiress.
“It's a great honor.” with a big smile, Eli shook her outstretched hand and immediately bowed. Suspiciously deep. "Meeting someone like you is big… big…"
"Honour?" she added after Eli ran out of words. He laughed nervously. "Despite the reputation, I'm still somewhat human. I don't currently have my sword and I don't plan on making this bloodier than it needs to be. Don't you speak Athran?” she asked curiously, it's not unusual for people from Zessia to move to the North and vice versa. She must find it so strange that her countryman would care for my mines. This is a bit unusual, but it has a simple explanation. Athran is not my first language and Eli knows it. I actually didn't like the language as a kid. And he knows that too.
"Of course he speak Athran as well." I answered her question. She is so adorable when something genuinely surprises her. But I should have find it adorable or nice. I am angry. She's so irresponsible. "I need to know how the mines are doing, are there any ready?"
"Let's see." I walked over to the table, the whole room we're standing in looks like an office. It was supposed to be an office, but I get the feeling that Eli spends a lot more time in it than he should. Maps hang on every wall, the table is cluttered with papers thrown on top of thick books with records of the owners. He is always here when I need to talk to him. It's like he's sleeping here, but I can't see personal things. Nothing that... nevermind, the other table is just full of things like pencils, his sketchbooks, tools for his models and mugs... "The first one is in the mountains,"
"That one is quite small and unnecessarily far." I stopped him immediately. Maybe I should explain to him again what I really need. If he didn't get it from that letter.
I checked Andrea, I'm afraid she will get bored. Then she comes up with terrible crap, like a trip to Narral. Really brilliant. How can it seem normal and cool to her? A number of things could have happened that would not have ended with her death. And even here she takes it too lightly. Is there a way to explain to her that I need her to be safe? Purely for me because these trips of hers scare me to death.
She turned to one of the large maps on the wall, with a marked numbers of mines in the area. Some stretch hundreds of meters underground, others seem much smaller. It basically sums up and pretty much simplifies the entire lowland with minor deviations, even though it's a map from last year. Right next to it hang plans showing how the blue steel is brought to the surface. It only appears in large quantities in Athran, mainly due to careful planning. This way we can also guarantee its quality.
Andrea is really interested in the map. I assume she doesn't know much about mining itself. It's common knowledge that blue steel is only found in magical veins, and that it takes a lot of mages to find and mine it, and a good line of commoners to mine the ore. I'm sure she knows as well as the others that the ore is not allowed to leave the town adjacent to the mine until it is processed into ingots and properly marked. But she probably knows nothing about mine preparations, time intervals and other technical formalities. I don't think she would ever care. And it's not talked about much, for quite obvious reasons. But she can easily lead me astray, she has a great memory and many of her explanations end with words I never cared, but I was there or Jon likes to talk at dinner. He talks all the time. And he also knows how this all works.
“It's an ideal mine,” Eli continued in his monologue, most of which I only half listened to. I can't help but look at her. Why should I care about the depth of the shafts when she is so far away from me. Plus, my thoughts keep going back to what she was doing at Narral. How did she know Samson would be there? And how did she think of going there alone? And why the fuck did she kill the patrol? She couldn't get around them? What if she got caught?
"But I don't know the man at all." I finally answered him. A long map zooming in on the mine appeared on the table, along with lots of notes in the margins, but nothing about its owner anywhere, which is rather unusual. These mines are quite prominent and the owners are well known.
"I must have a record of Mr. Woose around here somewhere." Eli reached for another thick book and began flipping through it. Andrea laughed, I looked up from the book to see what she found so funny.
“Lord C. Woose?” she asked amused. Eli nodded next to me, continuing to flip through a thick volume with an alphabetical list of names, he's already at P. Probably because he opened the book at R. "C for Carmel?"
It makes perfect sense now why she's laughing. Does her family have to be everywhere? That I'm even asking. "Why didn't you tell me he has a mine here?" it's not even remotely funny. She knows full well that they are breaking the law with this name and they don't care. I could start a case against them and still lose even if I am in the right.
"I didn't know." she argued with a laugh. "He is the only one who takes care of such contracts, puts money into promising investments, buys land, mines, islands..." she paused. As if she could give Eli some hints.
"That's amazing." I ran my hand through my hair angrily. I'm almost starting to wish the mine wasn't perfect. But then I would have to go back to dealing with Jaubert, which would be even more annoying. "We'll go there and take a look. Just the two of us."
"You can't go there alone, be smart." Eli protested immediately. I rolled my eyes and held out a hand in front of me to hand me the folder. If there's one thing I'm not in the mood for, it's arguing with him about whether I'm competent enough to go down the damn mine. It's not that hard. I'm sick of everyone underestimating me. I'm going to end it.
"How many shafts are there?"
"One," he answered seemingly unsure. "there's another one at the very back, but it's unstable." something doesn't seem right about Eli's answer. I just shrugged my shoulders, took the folder with the documents and turned to leave. An old friend with gray hair seems really nervous to me. I convince myself that it's only because he doesn't want me to go there alone accompanied by the Heiress as I leave the office. Andrea must follow me. I want to hear her explanation and I don't want to wait until we go back to my place and have privacy. I can handle both things that way, check that mine and see what's going on.
"What good is the mine in Athran to Jonathan?" I asked as I made my way over the huge concrete blocks while trying to read the papers in my hands. "It's only been open once, and only for part of the season, on my father's direct orders. It doesn't make sense if he's not using it, it's..."
"Totally useless." she replied dispassionately. "He's obsessed with contracts like this, taking it as an investment for the future. My guess is that he wanted to wait until the returns from the other mines dropped and then offer his own. It's not like he couldn't wait for the right time, but it's quite possible that he simply forgot about it." she laughed. I'm still not having any fun. "He's afraid we'll mine all the gold and our whole family will go bankrupt."
"Well, with the way you decorate everything, I wouldn't be surprised." I closed the folder and looked at her. Even though she's wearing dark clothes, she can't forgive herself for the gold embroidery. It just amused me, we are inevitably getting closer to them owning all the gold. I still give it a few more centuries, but we'll get there. "What will he say about opening the mine now? Prices will go up." I got off the big blocks, turned between the tall trees and continued to lead us along a well-trodden path to one of the smaller hills in the area.
"What should he say? Just make him an offer." she shrugged. She really doesn't care one bit about these contracts. “If Jonathan can't resist something, it's a new contract to play with.
I stopped in front of a large rock. I handed her the folder I had been holding and examined the stone. Judging by her look, she didn't realize right away that it wasn't a real stone, but just an illusion. It's not easy to know, there's so much magic around here that ordinary illusions get lost in the middle. Even so, I expected that she would recognize it much faster, so I couldn't forgive myself and laughed. Heiress and who knows what else is not so special. As if I haven't been saying it all along. I let the stone in front of me light up and copied the numbers from the folder in the air.
The stone disappeared, an almost square entrance opened before us. The sides are supported by large wooden beams. Everything inside is dusty. Who knows how all that mess got there. No one had been here for quite a few years. Andrea put the folder down on the table and looked around. All the walls are supported by the same beams, the same width and the same distance apart, stretching far into the dark depths of the corridor. At least they look solid. I firmly believe that they stretch all the way down. Eli made it clear that only one shaft was unstable. But she looks at them with the same interest as I did when I was in the mine for the first time. I bet she's wondering the same thing - about how much those beams can hold. The answer was always enough. "This looks, well, interesting." she looked around again, the only source of light here being the occasional vein of magic criss-crossing the wall. We have to provide our own light source.
"Take off your coat." I held out my hand to her. With a raised eyebrow, she undressed and handed me a light cloth. "It's going to be hot down there, because of all the magic." I explained quickly, taking off my clothes as well and hanging both coats on something meant to serve as a hook. It's actually just a metal staple in the wall. "It looks safe here, but just to be sure, don't touch the wall, I have no idea how this place is going to react to you. We need to go down and check the ore." I have no idea how much I should explain to her and what I should point out. We never discussed this part of my job. I'll probably figure it out along the way.
"Aren't you going to need a pickaxe or something?" she asked. She made a small glowing ball in her hand which she raised above our heads, it will be following us the whole time I'm sure.
"No," I laughed, genuinely amused. "you haven't spent much time in the mines, have you?" instead of answering she shook her head. A pickaxe… do I look like an ordinary guy who would bother with it? "Just follow me and watch your step. It's slippery and uneven here. You can tell me about Narral." I took her hand and slowly led her through the wide tunnel. I have to watch where she steps too, she never listens to me and looks at the glowing veins of magic instead of under her feet. Just like a little girl. I know it looks nice, but it's dangerous here and she could hurt herself.
"How do you even know I was there?"
"It was in the morning report." I simply announced. How else would I find out, it's not like she'd told me herself or planned to. I always hear it from someone else and among the last. And it's really hard not to take it personally. "You are not the only one who has her people there and to whom they report regularly. You killed seven people.”
“Actually… ten.” she corrected me. I threw up my hands in exasperation. "It started with me trying to find out who helped Mallette escape. It was someone from Athran, which wouldn't be so weird if it wasn't someone from the castle." I focus on the road or try to. It's not someone from the castle, not directly, and she already figured that out. Or someone told her. "It was Edgar. I have proof of that, not just the paper Will brought." she confirmed my assumption. I gritted my teeth but said nothing. "It doesn't surprise you."
"No, not surprising. I've known that for a while." I took a deep breath. And even though I don't expect her to ask why I didn't tell her long ago, I should probably elaborate. It's only fair. "There aren't many people who can pull it off like this, and Dad has a habit of making his problems seem to disappear, even if it involves creating new, not necessarily fake, papers, aiding and abetting escapes, or outright violating everything that other people follow. It was his ship, the one Mallette got on. He bought it a few months before that escape, making sure his name wouldn't appear anywhere, I just don't know what he got out of it." I stopped at the crossroads. One path leads to the unstable shaft Eli mentioned, the other to where I want to go. If I remembered that map, I might know exactly which one it was supposed to be. I turned right, the tunnel slopes at a steeper angle, but I'm pretty sure it's the right turn. "So you met him there?"
"Yeah, we met…" she repeated with a smirk. "you could call it that. City officials were there too, or at least they seemed like ones, I didn't feel like asking. And Catarina was there, she brought Samson. To the meeting your father ordered."
Why does it sound like everything is my fault again? I have nothing to do with it. I didn't even know he called Cat back, she should be working on something else. "Cat was there?" at least I don't have to pretend to be surprised. Why would she be in Narral? Father usually keeps her out of the country, sending her off the continent more often, just to be safe. Just like me. It's much easier to keep it a secret that way. That is, unless I need her to keep an eye on my old friend who is now unsupervised. Great. Why does father always have to get involved?
"Mhmm…but as usual, she's the least of the problems. And I should learn to aim that stupid gun of hers, I just shot her in the leg like this."
"You shot at her!? Why? You can't just…she's part of my family, dammit."
"Just… to be clear, she shot me first." she must have seen my confused frown. When did she shoot her? "Not now, years ago and if your brother didn't need to find a distraction every time he travels outside the continent," she began, I stopped. I put my hand on the wall, it's not nearly as warm as I need it to be. "it doesn't matter. The problem is Edgar, he'll do anything to save you. Whatever he thinks is protecting you." I sent a pulse of magic into the wall, the veins on and in the wall lit up. They wind through the entire tunnel and lead deeper and deeper. That is encouraging news. It is an extraordinarily beautiful sight to watch the light go out again. One vein after another among the dark stones. At the moment I'm not happy about it one bit, but under different circumstances it would be beautiful. "I don't want him to do something stupid."
"We have to go lower." I said firmly, adding to my stride. I walked past her. She tells me things I have known for a long time and I didn't care for it in the slightest. My father choosing to destroy himself is not a decision I can change. I don't need his protection. And he doesn't mine either. If he wants to dig into the crap in Narral, that's not my problem, it's the Heirs' problem. And it really pisses me off that An is presenting it to me as some sort of accusation. I didn't give him all the power and I didn't reassure him that he could do anything. "You know he'll stop at nothing. You should know better than I do." she knows it, so why is she pushing it? "He must have somehow concluded that Samson knew more and wanted to ask him."
"I know he's cocky and wants to get his way, no matter the cost, but I always thought he was loyal. That's why none of the four of us got in his way. I wouldn't have thought he was going both ways." the tunnel continues to slope and narrow, I can't turn to her and maybe I don't want to. How is he not loyal? I understand that she has her doubts, but this is something else entirely. Why should he play it both ways? And how would he even get to the other side. She herself claimed that no one knew. Unless he somehow found out and then it would be all fucked up. If he knows…
"What do you mean?" I must know it. I stopped abruptly, turned around and readied my hands to catch her. She wouldn't stop in time. She never pays attention.
"I mean, while he wanted a promise from me to do whatever it took to protect you, he didn't count on it completely and made a deal with the Twins. It suddenly makes a lot more sense why nothing happened to you all this time. Like in Tayonne." she explained in a low voice. "They leave no witnesses."
"That doesn't make sense," I let her go, turned and continued down the tunnel. It doesn't make the slightest sense to me. He would never betray them. It's like he's addicted to being close to the Heirs, building a Legacy with them. So why would he want to throw it away now? Even if he knew it, his best chances were on their side. Like mine. "what exactly, he told you."
"He said he was going to take Samson to Athran and I knew he was lying. I killed Samson before he could end up as a Mallette. He was pretty surprised to find out I knew about it too. But I wouldn't say he's already figured out who he actually works with." so he just works with them because he believes it will help me? That's bullshit. He would check absolutely everything, every single sordid detail.
"If he wanted anything to do with them, he would know everything about them. It's a habit that doesn't change."
"You really don't think they use their names."
The tunnel narrowed again, but leveled out. It's getting significantly warmer around us, I had warned her about it and almost forgot myself. The air filled with the sweet, heavy scent of magic. "How do you know he lied?" I slowed down but didn't stop. I just put my fingertips to the wall. The whole area around us glowed bright blue, individual veins merging into one. I haven't seen such a stockpile of magic in one place in a long time. It is usually mined much earlier to prevent this from happening. Mining around such a deposit is much less safe, but the final ore is that much better. It wouldn't be the worst solution.
"I just know he wasn't telling the truth. Don't you know the saying about not lying to the Immortals?" she answered quickly. She looks at the tunnel with interest, everything around us fascinates her, so much. I'm lucky she still listens to me. I didn't realize that either. I have a feeling that everything she doesn't know well is eager to study and therefore pays zero attention to everything I say. It would certainly fit in with the expeditions she likes to talk about. She loves to explore new things. "Is there always so much magic in the mines?" she asked as I examined one of the cracks in the wall. She stretched past me and continued on. The deeper we go, the less support there is. I hope she noticed it too.
"Usually not, but it's not unusual in a mine that's been closed for so long." I picked up a small stone and turned it in my hand. It's a good mine, full of good quality blue steel, so why did they keep it closed for so long? Why didn't father tell Jon he should open it? When was the last time he talked to him, even if it was just about work. When was the last time he talked to anyone? Normally spoke and didn't convince everyone that the others were trying to get rid of me. The dinner went well and then it went to shit again. As if a new threat came and he succumbed to it. "But even if he wasn't telling the truth, that doesn't make him a traitor."
"It's not the only thing. He visits A Dun'Amanh regularly and refuses to explain it to me. I told him to stop it, but he doesn't care. There's this mess in Kuzsi that connects directly to someone who wants his own portal leading to that exact place and the same one in Dira'K. And then there's the whole Witty thing." she paused. She's either giving me time to process any of this or she's thinking about more accusations. There are already a lot of them. I didn't even realize how bad it really was until she added them up like this. They could punish him for just one of those things. And he calmly adds nore. That's nice and definitely supports her theory about his disloyalty. Except he's my father. I know him. I know he wouldn't. He couldn't. "Whatever he's doing, he can no longer be trusted as a member of the Senate. And outside of the Senate, really. He's burning one bridge after another and I don't know how he plans to come back. He betrayed us, Steven."
He not to be trusted? It's getting a bit over the top now. He must have some plan, something to explain it all. Another pulse I sent into the wall of the tunnel bounced back and bit into my hand unpleasantly. I cursed silently. I should focus on one thing. Either my job or my family. "These are all just your speculations. He would not betray the Senate." I sat down on the ground and leaned my back against the wall. I need to gather my thoughts and calm down. I definitely should have kept this conversation for when we were back home. It makes me sick to think of all that lies ahead for him. I'm pretty sure they could kill him. Neither of them admits betrayal. And they're really good with swords.
Andrea is still distracted by all the magic here. It fascinates her more than I would like. There was a loud crack of stone, there are all sorts of noises here, but I'd expect it to startle her or want to check on me like she always does. She just frowned and continued to study the thick, blue, pulsing line of magic on the wall undisturbed. She extended her fingers to her. The magic in the wall reacts to her much more intensely than I would have expected. It directly mirrors her movements and wants to get to her.
It's one of the hazards of working in a mine. A risk to mages. They can be tempted by the power around. It attracts all that light, the whole vein. All that power just wants to get to her. It wants to consume her. Does she even notice? She must be aware of it. She should damn well know these rules, better than I do. And someone like her…
"An,"
I watched half in horror as a bright light shone in her hand. Even that didn't stop her, she put her hand to the stone wall as if she wanted to further support the light in its gluttony. To support all that accumulated power. "Anie, what are you doing?"
I jerked up, accompanied by another loud crack in the wall. Maybe she missed it completely. She must realize that this is reacting to her, she is directly causing this. The wall around us could collapse at any moment, because of her. Bury us both here. "Andrea!" I yelled, I need her to stop. Before this whole thing comes crashing down. I can do a lot, but I can't hold the whole tunnel and I'm guessing neither can she. It's a few tens of tons of rock and dirt above us.
"Andrea!" I jumped up to her, grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the magic in the cracks of the stone. The light dimmed but did not disappear. The first shower of stones was released. This whole thing could come crashing down at any moment and she hasn't even stopped with the orb. She can't help it. Damn, I should have known. "You have to stop it, now!"
She yanked her hand out of my grip. She turned on her heel and caught the falling rocks before they hit the dirty, slippery floor of the mine. She made me scold again, we don't have time for this, what is she waiting for? That the stones would obediently return to their place, as if she had never released them? "An, stop it!" we have to go back now. Before it crushes us here. "You'll kill us both!"
Against all logic, exactly what I thought was unthinkable happened. Andrea lifted the stones back into its original place, like a giant puzzle, the pieces of rock fell into place and re-formed the vault of the tunnel. The mine corridor returned to its original state, as if we were not even here.
“You're not a fan of ordinary magic, are you?” I admired her work. How she managed such a thing will be a complete mystery to me. She does everything so effortlessly, every kond of magic. In doing so, she had just lifted a few tons of stone. Without a single word. Just like that. I know imagination can do a lot hand in hand with magic, but this is too much.
"I find them terribly boring. But if you tried a little, you could do the same. You just have to drop the equations.” she smiled, twisting her wrists and holding out her arms. It must be making her dizzy. All the magic around is not very pleasant for me either, it slowly seeps into each of our cells and forces them to do more than what they are built for. And she decides to cast spells in it. "Can we go back?" she asked.
"Time to get out of here. How do you feel?"
"Fine." she announced with her back to me. She headed up the same way we came - not that she had a choice - much faster. She's a terrible liar. I should probably be pleased, but I'm not.
"If Jaubert insists on his ridiculous conditions, this mine will have to be opened, here it will be closer to the city..." I thought aloud. It's not exactly ideal, deliveries will be delayed because this mine is not ready for mining, but the returns will be higher later. Besides, I have to talk to Jonathan anyway, if anyone can take Dad's side - besides me - it's going to be him. And I have a feeling that he will really need someone.
Her fall snapped me out of my thoughts. She slipped a few steps in front of me, hurrying and not even looking at her feet. Her fall was accompanied by the sound of spilled glass. I picked her up before she could even curse. "Anie?"
I looked at her anxiously, she seems to have hurt her hand. I should have gone first or reminded her to look under her feet. I know very well that she never does. She frowned angrily at her own injured hand. Almost aggressively, she undid the strap on the broken watch and shoved it into her pocket. "Edgar is no longer a member of the Senate, he has lost all his rights that come with it. This is just the beginning of what he will lose." she informed me, breaking out of my grip and taking a careful step aside.
I let her roll up her sleeve and put her good hand to the injured one. She wouldn't let me help anyway. "Please tell me you don't believe he's a traitor."
“You know I can't tell you that." dark eyes fixed on me. I don't like how convinced she is of her own truth. I can't be wrong, I just have to trust that father has a plan. Otherwise, everything I've ever learned and what I believe in would go to shit. "I understand that its your father, but the same rules apply to him as to the Heir. If he does not change his behavior, he will have to stand before the Senate, explain his actions, and he is in real danger of losing his power."
"Anie, stop it." I don't care about her lesson and the enumeration of what is at stake. It is clear to me that they will not sentence him to death like the others. At least not right away. And if they ban him from magic, it will be the beginning of the end, because he will never accept it. I don't need to hear it. "I want to talk to him about everything first."
"You should be careful."
"Careful with my own father?" I was surprised. It exceeds all limits. It's one thing what she thinks he's doing at work. But at home?
"Don't be naive, Steven. Edgar may be your father, but it's only a fraction of who he really is. He's always been a dangerous man. He can match the Immortals and he knows it. Losing his seat in the Senate will slow him down, but that's about it. You wanted me to tell you honestly what's going on. And I'm telling you that I've run out of patience with him." she started to walk again. She probably enjoys this conversation as much as I do. Maybe it's hurting her as well. She cares about him, but I can totally understand why she doesn't have the patience for it. He's my father and that's where it starts and ends. I can't give up that easily. We continued up in silence, but this time I held her and made sure behind her that there was nothing on the ground she could slip on.
I picked up the papers she had placed there earlier from the table. All the contracts inside seem a lot less important to me now than when we came here. "I'll have to talk to Jonathan, any chance he'll be back before the party?"
"You think after everything that happened, he's only coming back for some contract…" she grumbled, putting on her coat and flipping her hair. "Actually don't answer that sounds exactly like something he would do."
"So what happened after Narral?" I asked as we walked back to my place after more than an hour of dogged silence. Well, it wasn't exactly silence, and it wasn't that I wanted to be silent or maybe angry, it was just that I needed to pick up the rest of the papers and prepare the draft of the new contract together with Eli and she didn't join. And frankly, I would be more scared if she joined.
One more reminder from the Council and it would definitely ruin my whole day. Andrea threw her dirty coat on the floor and ran to the table where a note with a blue ribbon was waiting for her. Message from Will. She smiled to herself and let the message burn, at least it's not too bad. It must have been a response to that morning's message. Whatever it is, it's been resolved. "Are you listening to me?" I asked, taking a seat at the table she's leaning against.
"Of course I am, you asked what happened after Narral." she walked around the table top, pushed aside the message I was reading and sat down on the table. "Then I talked to Emmett."
"You did?" I leaned back in my chair and supported my head with my hand. I wonder what he told her. And what did she say to him? She wanted to talk to him about the ring. About our engagement. But I assume she mentioned Catarina too. Which is fucking awesome because it makes everything so much more complicated. If - not when - Emmett finds out everything about Catarina, he's going to freak out. In that messed up way. And I need him to calm down and stay here. I need him to behave as normal as possible.
"He already figured it out, as usual." she laughed, shaking her head as she did so. "He said we are a perfect match because we're both equally hot-headed and share the same idea that we can change this world. He even asked where my ring is."
"And where is your ring?" I leaned towards her, placing my hands on her thighs.
"Well, that's probably the last thing we should talk about."
"You don't like?" I asked surprised. I was sure she would love it.
"I haven't seen it yet." she admitted. Of course she hasn't seen it yet, why? I laughed and stood up.
"It's just never that easy with you. Get up, I'll cook, you'll explain." I dragged her into the kitchen without waiting for her usual protests that I didn't need to bother. I sat her on a chair and went to change, when I came back she was already sitting on the kitchen counter with a glass in her hand. Typical.
"You know," she sipped, looking me over carefully. Who knows what she came up with. Her ideas are usually dangerous and absolutely out of the place. "my family has a lot of rules. Being an Immortal is bound by a lot of rules that come from the Legacy, its protection, preservation and development. From the mistakes we've already made that we'd like to avoid again. And from the fact that there are four of us and we can't argue among ourselves. And so before anyone is asked to become an Immortal, the Heirs must take a vote. And Jonathan suggested we'd vote on the subject of your Immortality at the last Hallies' Heir Meeting."
They vote for me? I stopped cutting the vegetables and looked up at her. Their last meeting was a few months ago. And she's only telling me now? Should I be surprised or angry? What is going on here? "And how am I doing?"
"Everyone voted for, everyone but me."
That doesn't surprise me one bit. She's so terrified of me doing it that it can't really surprise me. She would do anything to stop it. But can she stop it? If they voted on it and she's in the minority. "May I ask why?" I wiped my hands on a towel and drank too. This should be fun.
"Because I still don't feel like you understand what you're getting yourself into. The others are only in favor because we're down to four of the original five. Or seven if you count the Immortals. It's just a numbers game for Stephan and Damien." she began. I picked up the knife and continued to cut the pepper. Making sure the strips are the same thickness. I don't really care, but she likes everything to be perfect. And if I interrupted her with questions, she might change her mind about what she wanted to talk about. And then I would have to ask again. "It may seem like a good idea to you now, but have you thought about what it will be like in a few decades? How long will you enjoy fighting everything around you? And I don't mean just the surrounding nations. There are much worse things, like behind the Barrier. How long will you enjoy maintaining our Legacy? Following my orders?"
"So you're afraid I'll want to take it back," I stated, almost offended. Much worse than eternity seems to me the prospect of a precisely defined time that I can spend with her, because it could end definitively very soon. And then what? I can't leave her like that.
"It's a valid concern, you would have to become Hale. Has it ever crossed your mind?" she raised another argument. Why would I have to become Hale is beyond me. I am happy with who I am. Unlike others in my family, I never had a problem with it. Being Steeles is actually awesome. I pulled out the pan and looked at her for a while with it in hand. She has pulled her legs closer to her in an absolutely adorable way, sitting on a wooden counter top with her back against the dark paneling. Without a doubt, she is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. And I plan to marry her. Life is so beautifully unpredictable sometimes. I could never have planned this.
"Then you have to explain why?" I went back to her again. "You say that being an Immortal is a service, that you try to keep magic at bay, but why would I have to be Hale for that? I plan on being my own person even after we're married. I understand that you have a lot of reservations, but being Steeles has its perks. I won't give it up, not even for you."
"I say being an Heir means service. You can't hear clearly through the wolves howling. Do you have any idea how many spells are tied to my family?" she asked with a smile. She wrapped her legs around me and pulled me close. "Besides, it's not about the name, it's about what it means to be a member of our family. I don't think you'll have a choice. Not as one of us."
"And I thought Immortals always had a choice. I'll keep my name, as well as my opinions, attitudes, values, standards… thank you very much." I folded my arms and smiled too. I don't understand why she didn't take the ring, but at least she's still counting on some kind of future for the two of us.
"Mmm… we'll see about that."
"We'll see? I hope you haven't changed your mind."
"It seems even I don't have a choice with you. This isn't one of those things I can outright forbid you. You have a certain undeniable right to it. But I can still have my opinion." she finished the golden liquid in the glass and placed it on the worktop. "You wanted to talk about immortality, so what do you care about? If we're both going to take this seriously, you need to know what you're in for and so do I."
"How does it work? The ritual, I mean." I let go of her. Like her, I finished drinking. It's almost unbelievable that she came up with it herself. I assumed I would have to go back to it and ask.
"It would be best if you studied the whole thing yourself to understand how the whole formula works, but it's written in the old language. So it probably won't just happen, unless you want to start studying today. The ritual has several steps. You'll be the first to drink a herbal serum that prepares your body for death. Jonathan will read an awfully long text also in the old language that serves as the terms of the contract and you must agree to them. So I guess someone would have to translate that too..." she trailed off. Someone has to translate it, but why not her?
"Why Jon?"
"Because he's the only one of us who has experience with it. He's already performed the ritual three times."
"Three times?" that number doesn't match. Like me and Emmett, Jon and his brothers are separated by several decades and Jonathan is the youngest. His siblings were already Immortals when he was born. He performed the ritual with his wife and An. One Immortal is thus missing.
"I never said everyone would wake up in the end." she clarified in a quieter voice.
No…
It would explain a lot if someone like me appeared in the past with whom she planned a future but never woke up. Her fear would then make much more sense. If she lost someone she might have loved. The same way I'm about to. That would definitely make sense. I'm just annoyed that I'm not the first in this either. I'm never first in anything, that's very nice. And she never mentioned someone like that. That's not nice. Why, though?
"Who is the third?" I need to know. If someone was here before me, I should know.
"Does it matter?" she returned to her tone which clearly announces that she does not want to talk about it.
"I think I have a right to know."
"Trust me that person is long lost in the past."
"An,"
"Steven, let it go." I nodded. I have no plans to do such a thing, but right now I need my answers on one topic. "Then you drink the second serum and trust me, you don't want to know what it's made of," she continued, her eyes fixed on the empty glass sadly. She jumped down. downstairs, she crossed the kitchen and picked up a bottle. It's alcohol from her province, but of course the bottle is described in Athran. She must have realized by now that it wasn't the whiskey she was probably expecting. But she's not complaining yet.
"The latter is poison." I'm guessing. Why else should I not ask.
"Yes and no. It's poison, but you don't want to know what kind, because it comes from a particularly nasty animal, and that's all I'll tell you about it." she poured the liquid into the glasses and jumped back onto the counter. "It'll kill you, yes, but not right away. First of all, it's a powerful hallucinogen, controlled by a spell. What you see… it's like a dream, quite strange and different to each person, yet it seems real. You see what you wish for, something you truly desire, but you have to give it up. Besides, it's not the same as when you're in A Dun'Amanh. Not quite. Only you can decide for Immortality. Only you can decide that you want to come back to life and get on with it.” a sad smile remained on her lips. Someone she knew very well decided to stay there and not here. That's another thing she's afraid of. That I will make the same choice. But who was he? She never talked about someone like that. And she doesn't even want to talk about him now. So how do I find out? It's not like she goes to the graveyard. Ever.
"So what dream was waiting for you?" she knew I would ask. It's perfectly clear.
What would she of all people have to give up, she doesn't strike me as someone who would sacrifice anything. Not that she couldn't. She tends to win in all circumstances. Just like her family. Like today down there. She just put the stones back in their place. And she doesn't strike me as someone who would mind sacrificing power or glory. She doesn't really rely on any of that. She just wins every fight under all circumstances. So why would she give up and choose another path?
"Quite ordinary, actually. Imagine that typical old brick house, far from all the cities and hustle and bustle, with a wooden porch and a view of the garden. In other words, the complete opposite of where I grew up and spent my whole life. A place that is good for everyone but Hallies Successor.
The garden there was covered with a thick carpet of soft grass where you could lie down and watch the clouds by day and the stars by night. Lie there undisturbed knowing that your empire is not collapsing. In complete silence and peace. Undisturbed and for as long as you want. At the very back of that garden were bushy fruit trees with little flowers on their branches. The last rays of the setting sun shine through the leaves of those trees and bathe the whole dream in its beautiful golden colour and warmth." she seems happy just talking about it. It sounds quite idealistic, but it must mean a lot to her even now. She remembers all the details. She holds out her hand, waiting for me to come back to her.
"I remember walking to the porch, across the old house, in my old, worn-out body, when I noticed that I wasn't alone. There was a man of the same age sitting on the porch, I couldn't see his face, he probably didn't have one, but I knew he was waiting for me, so I sat down with him and together we watched the little children playing in that garden. Maybe ours, maybe not." her gaze drifted to the royal ring on her hand. "It was a perfectly innocent twenty-four-year-old girl's fantasy. I could have sat there and ended it all, but I didn't." she said to my t-shirt after burying her face in it.
"I never thought it was your dream to grow old." I admitted with her in my arms. Stopping aging is something that almost everyone desires. Ordinary people have a few decades, a fixed amount of time during which they must accomplish everything. Eternal youth never came to me as a sacrifice, but a full win. Then I would never have to give her up. Anie would only be mine, for as long as she'd wanted. I kissed her hair, she smells like no one else, the sweet scent of lotuses mixed with old magic.
"It's not that incomprehensible, you know. It's always something you can't have. No one in my family ages. None of them have changed a bit in my entire life." she raised her head. I'm starting to understand that sad smile. Her family is not normal and neither is mine. A centuries separates us and we all have a clear goal from day one. Rule for as long as possible. And yet still looking the same, defying time and delaying the inevitable end. Lead people to the image of infinity and try to make them believe it. "Jonathan looks the same as the day I was born, so do my uncles. Parlasse looks exactly the same. Even my grandfather never aged and as the oldest of us, he never crossed fifty. Not even my mother, all my ancestors. All the portraits in all the paintings are exactly the same. Even the Palace was built back to its original form. With every tiny crack and scrape anyone has ever made before the fire. And none of that will ever change. Living an ordinary life and growing old still sounds appealing, you know? Leaving perfectionism behind and watching my hair lose its dark colour and my skin lose its elasticity."
"So what changes your mind if it sounds so peaceful and romantic."
"It's a perfectly normal dream that a lot of people have." her sad smile was replaced by her mischievous one. "But I couldn't just sit there and let things be. Not when I was looking at those kids. How many people would have lost a similar dream if I stayed? Why should Jon or Damien continue what they're doing, if I gave up myself? My job is to give people the opportunity to have that dream or a completely different one. They should have been able to decide how to fulfill their life or waste it. It's always been my job and I realized I wouldn't have it any other way. "
"Yeah… that sounds a lot more like you." I bit my lip, it means she herself hasn't changed a bit. Which gives me hope and comfort. I took her face in my hands and kissed her. "Somewhere inside you is a small, cute girl with ordinary dreams who wants what everyone else wants. That's good to know." it just confirms that I wasn't wrong about her one bit. Like me, in the crazy world they've built around her, she needs someone to tell her it's going to be okay. Or just sit there, close enough to know she's not alone. I kissed her forehead and went back to cooking.
"Funny how this little girl always beats you." what does she mean -always? "A lot of the work is on Jonathan, but only you can decide." she followed up on my previous question. "If you can't do it, there's no going back. When you wake up, there's a third serum waiting for you that will preserve your body, stop aging completely. And a whole new world awaits you, too."
"How new?"
"Well, first you have to recover. Dying is pretty uncomfortable, especially the first time. It's uncomfortable both physically and mentally. You can't shake the feeling that you just died, that the place you were supposed to end up doesn't want you and that it's going to repeat. I don't know if it's the same for everyone, but I felt like a piece of me was just missing. It died with me, but didn't come back, and there was only emptiness. It took me a few days to get used to it." she watched me carefully. My every move, if I wanted to change my mind and run away screaming right now. "It comes with a lot of new responsibilities and new feelings. You're in no danger, almost nothing can hurt you. And it's much easier to cast spells because you're directly connected to the old magic, although you're not actually using it… not directly." she frowned as she thought hard about what spells I am actually using.
I often think about it too. Our approaches to the same thing are quite different. I can't help it and I need to think ahead about what I'm going to do. I usually write it down if it's something important. And aside from a few big things driven by my instincts and desire to survive, I don't do much with magic. Mainly because they raised me to behave like a human being and not show everyone what I could do. She is the exact opposite of me, apart from a few runes I haven't seen her write a single spell and she leaves all the mundane activities like braiding hair, serving things and even entertainment to spells. And I don't know if I like that approach or not. I mean, I should say no, but I actually want to say yes.
"I know old spells too, you know." I defended myself.
"No, you know translated spells, it's not the same." she argued smugly. "It's like a person needed a drink of water and you handed them a flask full of salty, marine nastiness. They can drink, but what's the point."
"You are so arrogant." I rolled my eyes.
"You have no idea how much." she jumped down again. She followed me instead of the bottle. "You should try it sometime too. You're wasting way too much of your talent."
"Wouldn't it be even worse if I wasted it on equations?"
"True, I'll just have to teach you the old language." she grabbed my waist and watched me cook. She keeps complaining about it because it seems like a waste of time. It seems to me like a great way to keep hands and thoughts busy. The meat changes colour quite slowly and the vegetables stew lazily, but she can't complain like this about food from the North.
"It seems to me that all the Hales are terribly lonely. You only have each other." I said a moment later. Meanwhile, the meat had time to turn golden and the vegetables turned into an attractive, colourful side dish. "Have you notice?"
"And what did you expect? It's hard not to be alone when everyone in your life just flashes by. After a while you stop trying to keep them there and you just enjoy the time you think you have and silently dread the day it will expire." I took a breath to ask another question. "I know exactly what you want to say, but the answer is no. Loving me isn't enough." nothing is more important from my point of view. The fact that I love her is the perfect reason. If we're going to start a life together and other craziness, it should be because I love her. I would do anything for her. And this is a unique opportunity to have enough time for everything. "Sometimes love just isn't enough." she added thoughtfully. I'm starting to get the inescapable feeling that I'm really not the first person with whom she's planning such a future. And it doesn't apply to my brother, exceptionally. "Sometimes it's just easier to be alone."
"Easier? I thought you were doing all of this for your family first and foremost. You're risking everything for your family. That's what you told me, but basically you're all alone."
"And that surprises you?" she asked, amused by my confused expression. "Sure, we're doing it for the family to keep what's left of the Hallies descendants, but what you're talking about is something else entirely. Stephan's dream of his own family started as quickly as it ended, he's stuck in the past and prefers to spend his time lost in thoughts about his own son who even the great Aner could save. Jonathan is busy with me and making sure everything looks safe for me and Damien is busy feeling sorry for himself."
"Feeling sorry?" he doesn't strike me as the type to feel sorry for himself.
"Mhm… he left the family for a while, well, not that he left… but he wasn't there… I guess you get my point. He was busy with his own life for once and he seemed genuinely happy, not like now with that fake smile. It was right around the time the Twins showed up. I'm," she mused. "I don't know exactly when he came back, but I know for a fact that he thinks it's his fault. He thinks that if he had paid more attention to work, they wouldn't have gotten to me."
"You think so too?" it's hard for me to judge how Damien's work is going and how it was going before. I really don't even know what his job entails. Andrea is always well informed and he is even better at it, but for example his ridiculously thin file on Teyber shows that he doesn't know everything. If he had the chance to stop it then, he certainly would have. He is just as protective of her as her own father, maybe even more so. He's not betting on Andrea not doing something when he warns her. He goes there with her and watches over her. But he could very well screw it up.
"I know that even if he had stayed, he wouldn't have changed anything. I would have left the continent anyway and they would have found me. It couldn't have been avoided, because neither of us expected it." she frowned slightly. "The thing is, his job is to protect me and he feels like he's failed. Of course it's partly his fault, partly Stephan's, Jon's, and mine. We all screwed up. It's just that a scared Jonathan needed someone to blame and Stephan let him. He told him that he once again failed a family that never loses, under any circumstances. That he chose a foreign woman over me. And that it's his fault, as always. Like when his little sister died, because he wasn't there either." why would Jon accuse him if he had no reason to? Andrea always defends Damien, but I think there's something to Jon's version as well. "Don't even think about it, Steven." she cut off my thoughts without me saying anything. "Jonathan has a habit of blaming Jim for absolutely everything, but that doesn't mean a thing. He couldn't change anything, before or now. He'd do best if he didn't come back at all and just get married… but Service is like a drug after a while, you can't give it up, you want to commit to it, to kill something and not think about the consequences. You need the violence and fighting, because it's suddenly a part of your existence. That's why it's easier to be alone. You don't have to defend yourself to anyone."
"But that doesn't apply to the Immortals. All four of you are still here." I objected.
"So what you're saying is that it doesn't apply to Heirs." she remarked sarcastically. This made me reconsider my statement. Her mother is not here, only they are left. "And that's not true either."
"I see why it's hard," I let two plates land next to me. "it actually makes a lot more sense now."
"This make sense to you?" she asked as if it made no sense to her.
I smiled mischievously as I nodded. She is unnecessarily worried. "You're just as scared as we all are. I'm just going to have to convince you that I'm not going anywhere and I'm staying here with you. I don't want to just hang around and obediently wait for you to come back, Andrea. I won't just wait. And you're getting so good at explaining everything now, we don't have a choice, darling." I gently caressed her cheek. “We should eat before it gets cold.
We were both silent as we ate. I tried to sort out my thoughts. Somehow arrange everything that's happening and assign priority to individual points. Or I'd better try. I can talk to my father, but that's about it. He completely ignores everything I tell him. Andrea, for the first time in all this time, seems at least a little bit sympathetic to our future, the one in which I have more than a few weeks left. And at the moment, the situation at the borders is not developing badly either.
Yet, I can't calm down, not completely. Everything has started to change so quickly and it doesn't scare me nearly as much as it should. Lately I've been just taking everything as it comes and that's not like me at all. But if I'm being honest with myself, what chance do I have of actually changing or influencing any of this. With my power, I can only change a small part of everything that happens, mainly because I don't understand anything at all. I've gotten dragged into an old family feud that I have absolutely nothing to do with, except for the fact that it's dangerously affecting my fiance and I'm going to have to work really hard to get her out of it.
She stood up and walked back into the living room. She stayed at the table for about ten minutes longer than I expected. I guess I shouldn't complain, at least she ate something. She usually just says she's not hungry and puts the cutlery away. I try not to take it too personally. She does it even when I'm not cooking. But, even as an Immortal, she still has to eat, right? Sometimes she even mentions it - that she should eat - but I have never once heard her say that she is hungry.
She stares at the black tabletop with a gaping void. "No messages?" I asked quietly, not wanting to startle her. I carefully placed my hands on her. She pulled them to her body, resting her head on me.
"None at all, it's the stupid calm before the storm. Tomorrow it all breaks out and I don't know what to prepare for, other times I'd have a desk full of reports, complaints, warnings… not this time." if I didn't know her, I would say that maybe she is afraid of tomorrow's celebration. I don't like when she worries. That should be on me.
"I've got a whole bunch of reports, if that'll put you at ease. And one is more interesting than the other, all the secrets, the shenanigans, the accusations that will come out tomorrow. Besides, there's one of my friends around here who left years ago to get together with the Nobles. It'll be fun. Trust me." I tried to calm her down and I scared myself. When did this become my own idea of fun? It was always just an annoying chore. And now I enjoy planning it. "Don't you find it odd that we didn't actually meet at any of those parties? We never spoke."
"Well, not really. For one thing, there's Edgar's rule that kids stay away. And then—"
"I haven't been a kid in a long time."
"Sure, you sound like that. Adults don't jump in." I have nothing to say. I shouldn't jump into it, but I've been participating in all these events since I was fifteen. And even so, I only caught a glimpse of her a few times together for about ten seconds. "And then I don't enjoy these forced meetings. Besides, you probably didn't spend much time at the bar and I didn't leave the place. So we just passed each other."
"Right, but didn't you want to get to know me?"
"Not really. I knew your brothers and the chances of you doing better were slim to none. And I'd say Edgar saw it the same way, considering how things turned out with Emmett." shouldn't I be offended? She didn't want to get to know me and she spoiled my older brother. It doesn't get much more personal. "Besides, Vivian was always around you."
"She's my mother."
"She definitely is…" she grumbled. "As if it wasn't enough that I have to avoid him tomorrow. And Jonathan and my Council… especially my Council."
"Close your eyes." I whispered. "Stay here and don't cheat." I thought of a great way to divert her thoughts to something more pleasant and get her to take the ring. I want her to have it. Especially tomorrow, maybe we agreed that we won't officially announce anything, but she can have it. That's not against anything. I mean it is absolutely against all the rules and etiquette, but… I want her to show everyone that she belongs to me. It's selfish and childish, but I want it.
By the time I got everything ready, Andrea barely moved. She hid her face in her hands, but she's still standing in the same place. Good thing she's following the instructions. "Ready?"
"I don't know what for." she laughed to her hands. "You act strange sometimes and,"
"And you don't like surprises. I know, so? Take your hands off your face." she obeyed. She took a breath, closed her eyes and smiled. She must be smelling the sweet scent of cherry blossoms, perfect for Athran in the spring, there are groves of them and she said there were trees in bloom. In her dream. "Open your eyes."
We are standing on a wooden porch made of dark beams and boards, behind an old brick house. The wood pillars supporting the canopy are overgrown with vines. The dark wood on the steps is worn by the footsteps of all the people who have walked into the house and garden over the years. Shabby enough to make it feel real. A carpet of grass stretches to the bushy cherry blossom trees at the back of the garden. And everything in between seems absolutely idealistic, a cloudless blue sky, a light breeze carrying the scent of flowers and the setting sun. I think I did quite well.
Andrea gasped. My constructed place must be quite different from her dream, but I think I pretty much hit the main points. "Steven, I don't know what to say. It's so much more beautiful than the old dream."
"You just have to admit that I'm real good at surprises, sit down." I sat on the second step and waited with open arms for her to join me. "I understand your dream more than you think, and I can't promise you'll grow old with me. I don't really want to wait until my hair turns gray again, but this doesn't seem like a bad alternative. Just you and me, how long you'll wish. Maybe for the rest of eternity."
"Just you and me, that's really not a bad alternative."
"Open it." I handed her the box with a wolf's head again. If she doesn't open it now, I'm going to have to get a lot more creative. Maybe tomorrow's fireworks and falling flowers would be more romantic, but I don't think it's her style. This, just us, is it.
She took it with both hands, resting her thumbs on the lid, looking at me. I can't wait for her to open it. I'm getting nervous, but I'm still sure she'll love it. Damn, I know her. She looked down and finally did it. The lid jumped up with a soft click. On a blue cushion sits a ring with a square red diamond, surrounded by mountains of triangles, the same ones I have on my own ring. A silver ring in the middle intersects a band of blue steel. It's a perfect combination of her world and mine. At least according to me.
She's speechless, exactly the reaction I was hoping for. She covered her open mouth with her hand while looking at me. Brown eyes lit up with joy. I carefully took the box from her and pulled out the ring. I have to do absolutely everything for her. "Will you marry me?" I asked again with a perfectly irresistible smile that she couldn't resist. Never.
"You know I will." she laughed with tears in her eyes. Giving me her left hand. I gently slipped the ring onto the long finger, announcing to everyone that she's mine. It fits perfectly on her finger, filling a place that I feel has been empty for far too long. As if the ring should have been there all along.
She inspected her new piece of jewelry anxiously. There is not a single blemish on it. I took care of that, I wanted the ring to be perfect. And I think it is "Do you like it?" I asked, even though I know the answer. I know her better than anyone, even though I've only known her for a year. I know her better than she knows herself.
She moved closer to me, close enough that she could rest her head on me and I could wrap my arms around her shoulders.
"You probably don't need runes after all. You're pretty good at this. Just like the rest of us."
"No, it seems I don't." I didn't think about it until she mentioned it. It's just an illusion I wanted to bring to life, no more buts. And here it is. In all its glory. Although it pales in comparison to her beauty.
"I think this could be my new dream, one that none of us have to give up anything." she said after a few minutes of watching the grass bending in the wind. I think it could be my dream too. Just the two of us. On the cozy porch, with the never-ending sunset. With Anie. Beautiful and perfect. "Can we stay here a little longer?"
"We can stay here as long as you want." I kissed her hair and pulled her a little closer. None of An's arguments make sense here. This is the future that awaits us. One worth fighting for and dying for, as many times as necessary. A future that not even her fears can deprive us of. I won't allow it.
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