“Oh, what the hell, I’ll take a glass,” I said, much to Alois’ amusement.
He poured me a splash—more of a sip, really—and my fingers briefly grazed his before I took the drink. There was no more spark between us, no heat or overwhelming passion—nothing like what I experienced with Torin.
If that was just the beginning of our souls twining together, what will it be like when he is finally in Vespera?The thought had a shudder working its way through my body, and I took a quick sip of the whiskey to cover up my movements.
The alcohol was smooth and woody, but with an undercurrent of fire that burned the back of my throat. I sputtered a cough, trying in vain to disguise my disgust. Aloischuckled warmly before tossing his own back and gesturing for my glass. I gave it over, still attempting to control my cough, as he drank that as well.
“How—” I coughed again, my eyes watering. “How can youenjoythat?”
Alois set both glasses on the cart with athumpbefore turning back to me, resting his head on a hand. “It’s an acquired taste. And I’ve had many years to acquire it.”
I shook my head as I wiped beneath my eyes.
“Maybe my mother had some sense in keeping alcohol out of my mouth. That was abhorrent,” I said with a shudder.
Alois’ face closed off for a moment before he cocked his head curiously.
“That’s twice now in the span of a few minutes that you’ve mentioned your parents.”
I diverted my gaze to my hands in my lap.
My fingernails need a trim; I could probably use a deep moisturizer as well.
“Ellowyn,” Alois probed.
I pulled my steely gaze from my lap and regarded my husband. “I heard you the first time. I simply chose to ignore the statement.”
He huffed with an eye roll.
“The arrogance of youth,” he mumbled, and fire roared through my veins. My Destruction Magic sparked and was instantly swallowed by the bracelets on my wrists.
“It’s not ‘arrogance’ or even my age, Alois. It’s simply that I have a lot of conflicting feelings regarding my parents and the events surrounding their disappearance, which I’m certain you can understand,” I snapped.
A grin flashed across Alois’ face before fading again.
“More than anyone,” he admitted.
Against my better judgement, my interest was piqued.
“Did you know that I’m the only surviving heir to the original family that governed Samyr?”
I shook my head, already enthralled by his story.
Damn him, distracting me from my purpose here.
“I’m not surprised; it’s not common knowledge. As far as most are concerned, I grew up in Vespera—the lower districts with Rohak. But I was spirited away from my home by my mother when I was barely four. The current rulers initiated a coup against my family. Some dispute or other caused it.” He waved his hand around as if the reasoning truly didn’t matter. “My father and I were the only remaining descendants of Kaos, the full burden of the god’s magic falling to me when I was barely beyond toddlerhood.”
I sank against the chair, crossing my legs as I listened to his story.
“My mother brought me to a house in one of Kiluo’s poorest districts in the middle of the night. I remember watching over her shoulder as our home burned, the fire lighting the dark sky in brilliant shades of yellow and orange. It’s something I’ll never forget. Nor will I ever forget the Keeper who imparted visions on a four-year-old without my knowledge or consent. The pain, the understanding, thetruththat I pulled from those visions was not something a child should ever have to experience. I thrashed, I cried, I tried to claw my eyes out at one point.”
I shifted uncomfortably at the pain in his words. I didn’t want to feel anything but apathetic animosity toward the man across from me.
How dare he make me feel sorry for him?
“I begged the Keeper to stop, begged my mother to release me. But she held me down. Pulled my hands from my face and made me weed the truths from the lies; forced me to see the branching of time and discern the correct path to take to reach a desired outcome. Those were some of the most painful momentsof my life. The constant niggling of Kaos’ consciousness invading my own was not a pleasant aftereffect, either.”
He paused, and I cleared my throat.
