AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The scent of animal fat tickled my nose, but hunger was forgotten as I tried in vain to follow the outrageous conversation that had me both riveted and terribly confused.
“Their marriage,” he continued, “was predestined, just like yours. House Trajan being the critical role in all of this, mind.”
“But I didn’t marry into House Trajan. Unless…”
“I see they took your osnat. I’m sure your husband will procure you another as soon as one can be found. He’s quite possessive, which is a family trait, it seems.”
Demos glanced sharply at his brother. “So it’s true? Lucius is the Heir?”
“It is,” Phobius answered.
“Why didn’t you tell me this months ago, Phobius?” Demos was washing his hands with the rest of the water from the canteen. “So much time has been wasted that you could have prevented.”
Phobius rolled his eyes. “You and I both know that things have to be set into place first. Had I told you, it would have unfolded much differently.”
Blowing out a breath in frustration, I clenched my fists. “Please don’t tell me this is about some white queen prophecy.”
Phobius had a look of surprise on his face. It almost made him seem normal.
“I see you already know what you are. Good. Saves me time, then. All of this is about one thing, Sierra. You leading Titus back to its rightful place and time. Man has abandoned the old ways, the true ways, the ways that protect Titus and keep it whole. Greed and conceit have weakened the bond, and if we’re not careful, if you cannot see to this end, then all hope is lost.”
“Are you saying the world depends on me?” I scoffed. “This isn’t real, is it? I suffered from hypothermia, and I’m somewhere in the middle of the forest, frozen and at Death’s door, right?”
When Demos and Phobius simply looked at me, the former looking worried, the latter seeming irritated, I asked it again. “Right?”
“I assure you. This is very real, woman.” Phobius dared me to argue.
“Melos,” Demos replied softly, coming up to me and scooping me up. “Me finding you in Providence wasn’t by chance but by choice. Auria and the others came to us with instructions to find you. Alpha Queen Mari had requested a bride, and while the Owl went to procure a candidate, I used the opportunity to carry out the elementals’ order and found you. You were not the original Fealty choice. I made that choice. I was told to find the strongest, rarest Omega in the land, and I found you just in time. I was to deliver you to the Heir of House Trajan. Though he wasn’t the right one, Ander’s meeting you set things in motion, and now here we are. But there is much to do. Something the Fates cannot show us, only in hindsight do we see. A lot of the things we’re telling you now we had to learn along the way.”
He looked at his brother with a scowl. “And some we had to hide from one another, it seems.” He cupped my cheek. “Is that why you ran, Melos? Because you’d learned Lucius is a Trajan?” he asked me, softer now.
A longing for Lucius threatened to drown me. I still had yet to reach down into the bond, to sweep my fingers into it and fill my hand with the essence that bound Lucius to me. Anger and resentment and self-pity was much too loud, screaming at me to not even consider trying it.
“Yes. He’s known all along that the dead king was his father. He had me fooled. He lied to me when he said he didn’t know anything about his paternity. And, no, he didn’t admit it, but I saw the truth in his eyes. He used me, and only the gods know what his intention is now.”
“Granted, Lucius is a creature of scheming,” Phobius joined in, butting himself into the bubble of intimacy Demos and I had made, “I can tell you, however, he truly had no intention of mating with you, Sierra. He tried to fight it, in fact.”
“How do you know him, anyway? What are you to him?”
“An advisor, I guess you could say. And a friend.”
“Does he know… what you are?”
“Only part. Besides Demos, you are the only one to know it in full. That knowledge, in the wrong hands, would mean our demise. It’s already dangerous enough taking flight.”
I thought about that, then stupidly it hit me. “You’re Neil’s pet.”
He made a face, and Demos laughed, something I rarely heard from him.
“I am no one’s pet, I assure you.”
I huffed. “Phobius, that was you on my balcony that night. Don’t try to deny it. In fact, I last saw Fear a few weeks ago!”
“Actually, I haven’t seen Neil since the night of the welcome feast in Ordelpho. Which was when I last saw you, before yesterday. It was when I’d returned from Odessia. Remember I had left, back in Port Minerva?”
I shook my head. “That’s not true, though. I saw you on the Freedom. You shared food with my…”
He smirked. “Oh, please do continue. With your what?”
