Page 147 of Between Wrath and Mercy

“I understand. Thank you for showing us what you have. I wish we could stay longer; I’d truly love to learn more from you. Perhaps when we return with Elora, we can accompany her for a lesson with you.” While I did wish to learn more from him, bringing Elora back here was out of the question.

“It would be my pleasure.” The Supreme stood, brushing his palms down his robes in a surprisingly common gesture. “Now, let me have a novice bring you something to eat on your travels.”

When the Supreme left the room, Rain and I shared a glance before standing. It would do us no good to speak of it while still inside the cathedral, but I was sure Rain could feel my disappointment even without the bond, muted by the lava-stone once more. I took a few steps over to inspect the display of gears and statuettes which sat on a handsome sideboard at the back of the Supreme’s office—bending down to take a closer look. I pressed the small button at the base, and it sprung into action. The miniature gods were on display in a moving clockwork of gears and platforms, and they spun, interacting with each other in turn before spinning back to their original location. I had watched three revolutions by the time the Supreme came back.

“Ah, I see you’ve found my kinetica. A rather neat, little toy.”

Rain came up behind me to look as well. “Where did you get this? It’s incredible.” Rain’s voice was true, and I smiled at his appreciation. When the man was in awe of something, it showed. He was easy to read in that regard, and I found joy in his delight.

“It was a gift. From your father’s first bride, actually.”

Rain’s head shot up. King Soren’s first wife was a subject no one dared to bring up in Vesta. For fear of death, or worse.

“Yes, I knew Larke, and I was rather fond of her. We studied together when we were children until her sister died. Your father was promised a bride as part of the treaty, and Larke had to abandon her studies with the Myriad to fulfill the Folterran’s end of it.” His gaze was far off when he spoke. “She was brilliant, one of a kind. She made this herself.” His smile was sad as he traced a finger across the bottom platform. He sighed before turning to us.

“The novice in the entry will have your basket packed. I hope you have safe travels, and I will pray to the gods about your success at the Cascade.” The Supreme took my hands and squeezed before sending us on our way.

It was hours later, after I’d successfully rifted us from the well to the apple tree, when I felt Rain’s trepidation through the bond. He’d been quiet, almost lost in thought during our trip back, and I didn’t push him. His feelings had changed frequently, and I worked on learning to block it out like I could with harrowing, not wanting to invade his privacy. But finally, I decided he had enough time to dwell on whatever it was that was responsible for his eddying thoughts. I turned to where he sat with his back against the tree and was about to speak, when he interrupted me.

“I got you something.” His voice was quiet, but I could hear and even feel the mischief coming from him.

“Oh, really? Nicked something from the Seat, did you?” I chuckled as I approached him, guessing he meant something else with his words, and I’d be met with a kiss, knowing full well he hadn’t had the time to get me anything at all.

“Actually, yes.” He grinned as I sat down on the ground across from him. It was night, the new moon swiftly approaching, and it was difficult to make out his features. I stared at him in confusion as he opened up his jacket, digging through one of the inner pockets.

I gasped as he placed his gift in my hands. “You didn’t! Rain, are you kidding?” I was in shock. I could feel the amusement mixing with a bit of hesitation coming from him as I looked down at the book in my lap. I traced my fingers over the title, remembering the lesson the Supreme had given only hours before. “The Divine Instruction? When?” The slim text had only a hundred or so pages in it, and the book itself was barely larger than my opened hands in which it sat.

“When he was worrying about our dinner, and you were distracted by the kinetica.” He gave me a sheepish grin.

“Rain, he’s going to notice! He probably already has!” I reprimanded him even though I was secretly elated he’d taken the book. I felt a tug of amusement down the bond and realized he’d felt my excitement, counteracting my rebuke. I studied the book, flipping through its pages. I needed to know what was in it. I needed to know exactly what was expected from me. I couldn’t help it as I looked up from the book and smiled at him, though his expression wasn’t the same grin from before.

“Yes, well, I’ve been thinking about that. First thing, what’s he going to do? Start a war with Vesta over a book? With what army? We can deny it or take the blame and apologize, play it off as a hysterical mother worried about her daughter.”

“You can’t be serious.” I glared at him, making sure to let all of my anger seethe through the bond. A hysterical mother? He’d been the one to take it, not me! Hysterical father, more like! And then I was mad all over again, at myself this time, for being unable to control my emotions. The swell of joy that flew through the bond at the thought of him being a hysterical father would only encourage him further.

Gods, how am I supposed to keep up with my spinning head?

“I’m teasing, dear heart.” He gave me a wicked grin, surely having felt the dizzying emotions I was sending toward him. His expression sobered before he continued. “Second thing, I don’t trust him.”

I looked at him in confusion. The Supreme had seemed infinitely warmer than I thought he would have been. He’d only made me uncomfortable once, but it had been about Lucia. Any time anyone who didn’t know her spoke of her, it made my blood run cooler. But the way he spoke to us before the font, and our time spent studying texts, even the way he spoke of Larke, all of it made me trust him more. But Rain had felt the opposite, and I wondered why.

“Em, I never told him about going to the Cascade. He surely has spies in the palace, and then the way he talked about—” He paused, clearing his throat before he spoke again, voice quieter. “Larke. It was odd. No one talks about her at all, let alone fondly. If my father ever found out he spoke of her, that he was keeping trinkets she’d made? My father has not been a good man late into his reign, but he used to be. Larke—she was never good.” He shook his head. “Obviously, he never spoke of her to him, or all of Lamera would be nothing but rubble.”

“Do you know anything about Larke? I’ve always been curious.”

“Barely. Other than father killing her, of course, what the Supreme said was the most I’ve ever heard about her. Mother told me she committed atrocities Father wouldn’t even speak of.” I nodded, confirming the same. It itched at me, not knowing anything else about the Folterran princess who was supposed to end the centuries-long feud with Vesta but somehow only fueled it further and died for it. With Soren on his deathbed, I wondered if anyone would ever know.

“Besides all of that, I asked him to showusthe prophecy, and he declined. I could understand if he didn’t want us to take it to the palace and show Elora, but to not show us in his study? As he said, we are very soon to be the ruling monarchs. I don’t like it. So, I took it, and we’re going to read it now and leave it here.”

“We can’t just leave it here!” I couldn’t believe he wanted to leave one of the oldest books to have ever existed out here in the middle of a field.

“I’ll put it in the basket and encase it in stone, and we’ll bury it under the tree.”

I rose a brow, dubious. “And what, we’re going to memorize it?”

“Yes. We aren’t going to leave this tree until we have it memorized. It’s getting cold, though, so come here.” He took the book from me and set it down in the grass beside him, to my horror, and then pulled me into his lap. I promptly snatched the book from the dampening grass and held it open in my hands.

Thankfully, this tome had a bit more modern language in it. Showing Rain my neat trick with the glowing fingertip, I had him skip to the end, showing us the pages that the Supreme stayed away from.

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