Page 29 of Tangled Power
“For nearly twenty years, the courts have been trying to measure its depths. No one has been able to find something that reaches it. Even strong earth wielders like Michael can’t sense it. Or so it has been said.”
“Twenty years? I would have heard about it,” Rose replied. “I would have still been at Compass Lake.”
“Would you have heard of Suden gossip, though? You were young and carefree, from what I remember. Many Suden wereaware. The Compass Points were also reluctantly told. But it’s not like it was general knowledge among the courts.”
“So, Luc made this hole to nowhere? That not even other Suden can feel the bottom of? Why?” She cringed at her curiosity. She needed to stop asking questions and find Luc.
Juliette smiled coyly. “Well, that is where we get into salacious gossip.”
“You can spare me. I’ll ask Luc,” Rose replied as she circled the hole. The size made her nervous. She remembered the memory about the playground splitting because he was upset. Some would say he’d been trying to throw the child who was picking on his brother into a crack in the earth. Was this a similar situation? To her, Luc was so tightly wound. He had such a firm grip on his emotions and reactions. This idea of him losing control felt strange.
He’d been young, though. It was similar to her own childhood experiences when she’d barely realized that she was calling the wind.
“You’re not curious about the gossip?” Juliette asked. “You believe Luc will give you a true representation of the situation? Why?” She genuinely didn’t understand why Rose wouldn’t seek third-party information on this particular event. An event that, in all likelihood, Luc was incentivized to lie about.
“You saw him when we came into town, Juliette,” she said, leading them away from the hole. The essence of his magic pulsed there. It was faint, but sure. His scent wasn’t present, but the resemblance was still clear. “He’s not hiding the fact that something about this place causes him discomfort.”
“But he also clearly didn’t tell you ahead of time.”
Rose put her hands on her waist, stopping them in their tracks. “Why are you so determined to think the worst of him?” She needed this conversation to be over. Juliette was onlyinterested in driving a wedge at this moment. While annoyed, Rose knew the real answers were with Luc.
“Why are you so determined to trust him blindly? As far as I can see, everything he’s done for you has only improved his position.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder. “He must be one hell of a lover.”
Rose fumed but reined in her reply, disappointment softening her tone. “I thought you and I understood each other better than that.”
Juliette’s eyes widened at the words, vindicating Rose’s calm response. Juliette had not expected it. Was she surprised Rose valued the time they spent together and the knowledge she shared? She didn’t think she had miscalculated. Even though Juliette was prickly, they had established a kind of relationship, one in which Rose deserved more credit than Juliette was currently granting.
“I guess not,” Rose said, the silence building between them, making her fear she was wrong. “Please continue to assume I’m a mindless idiot led by an excellent tumble in the sheets.” She turned to walk away, looking for the inn.
“Rose, wait.” Juliette’s fingers gripped her arm. “You’re right. I do respect you more than my words indicated.” She averted her gaze as she continued. “It’s part of why I’m having difficulty understanding your trust in him. It doesn’t make sense with what I know about you.”
She gave Juliette a searching look. Nodding, she said, “Can you just accept that if you don’t think I’m capable of being manipulated by a pretty face, I must have reason for trusting him?” Juliette wanted a full accounting of why Rose trusted Luc. But Rose wasn’t sure the facts would help. Yes, Luc had catered to her demands when he brought her to Compass Lake. He’d sided with her even when he realized her enemy was the Norden Point, and he’d encouraged her to take her place,offering his support for her challenge to Aiden. All of those things individually could be chalked up to Luc making his own life easier.
It was well known that he was working on the mist plague alone. Keeping Rose sequestered went along with that. It was also understood that Luc disagreed with almost everything Aiden did as Norden Point, so supporting someone with a claim to be his replacement wasn’t a surprise, even if it had never been done before.
No, her ultimate answer was that her gut trusted Luc. More than that, her magic trusted him. She never feared the power he wielded; she was drawn to it. If she was being honest, her heart trusted Luc too. However, she wasn’t willing to look at that too deeply herself, let alone drag it out for Juliette to assess.
After a long pause, Juliette nodded. “I’ll try,” she said.
That would have to do, as she went to find Luc.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The inn was his only refuge in this godsforsaken village, and he had it in his sights. Carter shuffled behind him, but he was distracted by the hole, like so many others. For a moment, Luc couldn’t help but watch. Carter’s eyes darted around the depths in a pattern Luc was all too familiar with. He was searching for the bottom. But where others gave up quickly, realizing it didn’t exist, Carter’s gaze lingered, squinting and focusing on something Luc couldn’t perceive.
He left Carter to it. The faster he could get to his room, away from the eyes that trailed him around Loch, the better. It had been foolish to come here. When he realized the compass wouldn’t change course, he should have told Rose what was happening and met them on the village outskirts when they were ready to leave. It was unlikely that Aterra was hiding here. They would have been fine without him for a night.
His magic was loath to be away from Rose, though. He was having a hard enough time keeping it in check when she was close. The struggle if they separated might be insurmountable. But he probably should have tried.
No, he had to admit he was a glutton for punishment. Rose would learn of his past here, and though he’d been too muchof a coward to force the conversation ahead of time, he wanted to be available when she learned it. Maybe this was the thing that would change her mind about him. Would she finally stop looking at him with that unquenchable thirst? He was kidding himself—it wasn’t only lust that colored her glances at him—nor his at her. It was more. It was themorethat kept him on his toes and striving to be worthy of it—whatever it was.
Unaware of his surroundings, Luc slammed into someone in the street. He looked down at the child he knocked over. No apology left his lips, but he offered a hand to help him back up. He was Suden, like most in this village.
“Thanks,” the fae said, dusting off his trousers as he got to his feet. “You might want to watch…” The child must have glimpsed beneath the hood as his words faltered. “Sorry, sir. That was my mistake.” He hurried off, and Luc was unsure what to say if he tried to call him back.
“I wouldn’t have let you off so easily,” another voice said, crossing Luc’s path. “No matter who you are under the hood.”
Bold words, Luc thought. Did this second fae already know who he was, or would he be just as surprised as the first?
