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Nudging Gus, I whisper, “You need to tell them what happened and why Abel kept us hidden.” When he shakes his head, I press on, “If you don’t, I will. This is important Gus, and I trust the other two, you should too.”
“Doyou trust him?” Liam asks, pointing at Kai.
I let my eyes wander to my husband-to-be, and I’m surprised when I find the answer is yes. I shouldn’t trust him, he hasn’t exactly earned it—yet, he hasn’tnotearned it either. Trust can’t be forced or rushed, and he’s never tried to do either. I believe that in his own way, he’s been as truthful with me as he could be. All that aside, even though he didn’thaveto, he saved me when I was lost.
“Yeah,” I sigh, feeling tired all of a sudden. “Not blindly, at least not yet.” The last part might not be essential in the grand scheme of things, but it’s important to me to clarify.
“Likewise,” Kai says, and I’m surprised to hear that.
I know that perception is a powerful and dangerous thing, so before we continue our talk, I get up from Gus’ lap and sit back down on the chair I vacated. I feel a twinge of guilt when Gus looks at me through his shiny, blue eyes, and the only reason I don’t walk back to him is because of the understanding in his gaze.
“It doesn’t matter,” Gus says, his voice husky with emotions. Before any of us can ask what he’s on about, he rasps, “Who did what, who said what, or who was affected in which way… none of it matters. The Leaders are dead, and new ones have to take their place. Since none of us were subjected to anything fatal, it’s a waste of time to even continue discussing it. We need to talk about how we move forward, so I ask again, Kai. Are you our Ruler right now?”
Surprised by the weight of my cousin’s words, I wrap my arms around my middle, feeling it’s easier to keep my composure this way. I’m proud of Gus. To be that level-headed isn’t easy when you’re battling a parental loss—I know this firsthand.
While feeling pride, I’m also feeling a level of sadness that threatens to swallow me if I let it. The sadness I feel isn’t just for me or my loss, it’s for Gus and the fact that he can’t even grieve in peace.
“It does matter,” Kai says. “I don’t mean to be inconsiderate, but you should hear this. Let me start by saying that I was out for three days before I took a turn for the better, and I believe it was the same for you, Gus. Liam, however, wasn’t affected as hard, at least not according to the security cameras in Nikolaos’ house.”
What the hell? Is he insinuating the same thing my dad did, that Liam is involved?
“Is that important?” I gripe, crossing my arms over my chest, lifting my chin as I stare at my husband-to-be. “I mean, everyone reacts differently, don’t they?”
Kai leans back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other while he holds my gaze. “I think we need to get one thing straight here, Nereid. I’m not accusing anyone. We all need to be on the same page, so I’m merely stating facts.”
Well, okay, yeah, that’s fair.
I mime zipping my lips and smile when Kai nods at me. Again, he points at the papers in front of him. “When Liam and I got here, my personal doctor took some of your consort’s blood. According to the results and Abel’s report, all three of us had traces of Phenobarbital in our blood, which isn’t fatal, though it was enough to make us sick. As for the Leaders, they also had traces of the same thing. There was also something else in their blood, something my specialist can’t trace. He believes it could be Jimson Weed. The problem is the results are inconclusive, something that worries him. His best guess is the drugs have been chemically altered, which is a job that requires a lot of knowledge.” Kai stops talking and gets out of his chair.
With his arms behind his back, he walks over to the huge, floor to ceiling windows.
“It’s my understanding these particular drugs would need to be mixed into the wine prior to consumption. However, we know it wasn’t in the wine since we didn’t all consume it, so that lends credibility to my specialist’s concerns.”
Kai might as well be speaking in Russian for all that I comprehend. Every single word sounds foreign, and my brain can’t process it.
“The Leaders were poisoned… my dad was poisoned… and there are no leads?” Gus shoots out of his chair, and I watch dumbfounded as it falls to the floor with a clang.
“If what you’re saying is true, then that’s a big security breach,” Liam says, his tone deceptively calm. “It was… it was preempted. That’s the only way we each received different drugs, and… well, it’s pretty clear that the death of your entire council was the plan.”
What? Is that what Kai was explaining?
“But… who?” My question comes out like a whisper, and I shake my head as I try to understand what happened. “Who could…” I trail off as the answer comes to me. It’s so clear I’m wondering why no one has said it yet.
“Alexander,” Kai says, mirroring my thoughts perfectly. “If your family’s Enterprise is still loyal to him, he could fiddle with the security cameras. He also came swooping in to save you just at the right time.”
Yeah, it all makes an ugly and indisputable kind of sense, and I can’t even defend my dad. The man I once knew and loved isn’t the same one who busted into the room, he can’t be. The dad who read me bedtime stories wouldn’t have hidden from me, there’s just no way.
We continue to mull this over, each of us has thoughts and suspicions, but no one can deny it looks like the work of a Drákon. We have the technology to circumvent or manipulate the security cameras, and we trade in knowledge—and even I don’t fully know the extent of that, so it’s entirely possible drugs and toxins have a division.
After a few hours, we’re all talked out, and the silence is deafening.
“Are you coming to Greece?” I ask Gus, only now thinking to invite him. When he looks at me uncomprehendingly, I explain about mine and Liam’s plans.
“I have to go,” Gus says, his voice monotone. “Dad needs to be buried in the Necromanteion of Acheron.”
The Necromanteion, or House of Hades, as some call it, was an ancient temple of necromancy, devoted to Hades and Persephone. While there are many myths connected with this place, no one but a Drákon knows its exact location.
According to a common Google search, it’s on the banks of the Acheron river in Epirus, which is near the ancient city of Ephyra. As with most things, what’s on the surface and visible to the naked eye isn’t always the extent of it.
