Page 85 of Only Cold Depths
A gust of wind howled through my mindscape, whipping the blue-moon peonies back and forth on their long black vines. The jewels on the door burned so brightly I thought they might catch fire. Then the door flung itself open, hitting the wall behind it with a loudbang.
Images started playing, still showing the midnight ball, but this time, Zane was front and center.
Zane in a shadowy corridor, passing the jeweled butterfly dagger to Inga, the palace servant who’d done my hair and makeup for the ball. Zane in the throne room, watching Kyrion and me trying to reach each other, despite the Imperium soldiers attempting to drag us apart. Zane discreetly flicking his fingers, his pale eyes glowing just a bit. A tiny wave of telekinetic power snaking off him and slithering in between first me and then Kyrion and the soldiers attempting to pin us to the floor. Then Zane and Kyrion fighting, and Zane dropping his sword a fraction of an inch so Kyrion could wound him . . .
Shock punched into my heart, and I staggered back a few steps. Zane reallyhadhelped us. He’d given the butterfly dagger to Inga and slowed the soldiers’ pursuit, just as Wendell had claimed. But the most surprising thing was that Zane had used hisowntelekinesis to knock the soldiers aside so Kyrion and I could finally reach each other.
Ever since I’d first met them at a Regal ball a few months ago, I’d had a nagging sense that the Zimmers were going to be a problem—thatZanewas going to be a problem. But the cold, hard truth was that Kyrion and I would never have been able to unleash our truebond without Zane’s help. We wouldn’t have been able to escape the palace, and we probably would still be trapped in Crownpoint to this day . . .
As soon as that thought popped into my mind, images of the midnight ball melted away, and a large permaglass cell appeared. The cell was divided into two sections, with me on one side and Kyrion on the other. Both of us were sitting on the floor and slumped up against the center wall, our backs together, even though we couldn’t touch each other through the thick glass.
A man stood in front of the cell, watching us both with a cruel, satisfied grin. Brown hair with a few silver threads, tan skin, and bronze eyes that gleamed as brightly as noontime suns with the magic he’d just stolen from us. Power rippled off Callus Holloway and washed over me out in my mindscape, and the sensation made me sick to my stomach.
Holloway snapped his fingers at a scientist wearing a white lab coat and clutching a tablet. “How long until they are ready for me to drain them again?”
This must be the future that would have happened if Zane hadn’t helped us. I shuddered. Holloway taking our magic over and over was even more horrific than I’d thought. I didn’t know how much time had passed in that version of the future, but Kyrion and I were both obviously on the brink of death, and yet Holloway still wanted more of our power. Greedy, sadistic bastard—
Kyrion murmured something in his sleep, shattering my connection to my mindscape. He rolled over and drew me into his arms, the warmth of his body soaking into my own.
My eyes snapped open. I was back in the real world in our bedroom at the Collier estate. I tried to go back to sleep and return to my mindscape, but I couldn’t drift back into my dream world.
Kyrion had been right. Zane had done everything in his power to help us escape from Holloway. An unexpected bit of happiness pulsed through me, although it was quickly drowned out by my simmering anger at Beatrice for abandoning me.
I didn’t know how to reconcile my brother’s recent aid with my grandmother’s dismissal all those years ago. And worst of all, I couldn’t shake this nagging sense of dread that no matter what I did, or how I tried to protect myself, Zane, Beatrice, and Wendell would still end up breaking my heart sooner or later.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
VESPER
Despitemybestefforts,I only managed a few more snatches of sleep. Eventually, I slipped out of bed, took a shower, and got dressed. Kyrion was still snoozing, so I called for some food, and a servant brought several breakfast trays to our suite.
Thick, fluffy buttermilk pancakes served with a sweet but tart orange-cranberry syrup. Stewed apples sprinkled with cinnamon. Hearty oatmeal studded with blueberries and topped with slivers of toasted almonds. The food was delicious and filling, and I ate seconds and thirds of everything.
I checked my tablet, but neither Daichi nor Tivona had messaged with any new information. I also called up the sites for the Erzton gossipcasts, but to my surprise, Kyrion and I weren’t mentioned. The gossipcasts’ main focus was on the marriage mart, along with the attack at the House Collier mineral exchange. Leland was in several interviews, and he seemed to enjoy speaking to the reporters and spinning the story as an industrial accident still under investigation.
I drummed my fingers on the table. Esmina, Pollux, and their Serpens Corp mercenaries were the biggest, most immediate threat, especially given Esmina’s desire to destroy House Collier. Ever since Esmina and Pollux had confronted me on Tropics 44, I’d had more questions than answers. Well, it was time to get those answers.
It was time to start playing offense instead of defense.
Footsteps sounded, and Kyrion strode into the sitting room. He too had showered and put on fresh clothes. He skimmed his hand across my back, then sat down across from me.
While he ate, I told him my plans. “I want to go to Asterin’s workshop and see if I can figure out why Esmina and Pollux targeted the House Collier mineral exchange. Maybe I can find some clue to their ultimate plot and what they want with me.”
Kyrion nodded. “Good idea. I’ll ask Siya and Rigel if they have any leads on where Esmina and Pollux might be hiding. The mercenaries must have a base of operations somewhere on-planet, maybe even in the city.”
He hesitated. “What do you want to do about the Zimmers?”
My heart plummeted into my stomach like a runaway elevator about to crash into the ground. “Esmina and Pollux are the most serious danger we’re facing right now. I’ll deal with my unwanted family later.”
Kyrion’s face softened with sympathy, and he squeezed my hand. “Meet me back here for lunch?”
I squeezed his hand back. “It’s a date.”
KyrionandIwentour separate ways. Asterin had some business with Aldrich and Verona, so she gave me the code to her workshop and promised to meet me later. She also arranged a transport for me, complete with some House Collier guards.
The transport dropped me off in front of Asterin’s workshop and returned to the estate, but the House Collier guards took up positions at the end of the street. More guards patrolled the shipping yard, mineral exchange, and public square. Too little, too late. Esmina and Pollux weren’t stupid enough to return to the scene of their crime, and the mercenaries wouldn’t show themselves until their next attack.
I just needed to figure out when and where that might be.
