Page 8 of Aubade Rising
I pull away; his chivalry is unnerving. His stare is fixed on the horizon through the large glass windows, green eyes murky. The silence between us thickens and I slip out of his grasp and stumble to my feet, leaving him lost in thought as I escape the Concord chamber.
Chapter 6
“What the hell were you thinking taking a position on the Concord?” Dervla’s voice is icy cold from outside the Concord chamber where she lies in wait. I ignore her, stumbling ahead.
I have to get out of the palace, to find somewhere quiet. Everything is gone and I just showed my magic to my biggest enemy. My breath is ragged, it echoes along the corridors. I run, blindly searching for somewhere private to breakdown.
“Sage! Stop!” Dervla wrenches my arm, pulling me round to face her. I avoid her dark eyes and stare out of the window, focusing on counting the islets of the archipelago in the distance, nails biting into my palms.
“Are you alright? What did King Cado want?” Her voice is soft, gentle even, despite the vice-like grip on my arm and I let it envelop me.
Words tumble over each other in my mouth but none make it out.
“Come, let’s get you into the daylight.” Instinctively knowing what I need, she leads me through the palace via quiet back corridors, away from prying eyes.
The day is fading, shrouded by low clouds, the sunset struggling to scatter its last light. We huddle against the winter chill, at the edge of the formal gardens while I turn my face and hands to the remaining sunlight. My hands move of their own accord. The meagre warmth on my face counteracts the adrenaline running through my body and settles my restored magic. It’s fretting, looking for another release, a way to burn off the fear and uncertainty. I wrestle control; I can’t risk a light show here of all places, even a small one. Dervla reads the struggle on my faceand waits patiently until the sun slips below the horizon. My magic calms, irritated but resigned.
“Better?” She breaks the silence, eyes furrowed and concerned.
“Yes. No. Maybe. A little.” Swirling emotions lurk at the edges of my mind, threatening to overrule me. I wipe the thin film of sweat from my forehead. Her first question lingers, the smallest crack in our relationship.
“I had no choice. I have no home, no way of making a living. The Almanac…” I stumble on his title as shadows grow around us, my mind threatening to take me back to the dungeons. “He made it clear how little an Aubade matters in his city.”
She reaches for my shaking hand, holding it tightly. “It’s not his city. And we’re working to change that, remember? I wouldn’t have let anything happen to you.” Dervla’s consolation rings hollow, the crack widening to a chasm. To be a Mordros and an Aubade mean very different things. it’s not only our different magics causing the schism. She has influence in this city but she’s not invincible. The image of her collapsed in the water when we arrived in Pentargon is still fresh. As a member of the Concord, I’ll be untouchable.
“I know what I’m doing.”
“I really hope you do.” Her eyes stare into the distance, attention caught by something I can’t see. “Your research is critical and we don’t have much time.”
Her comment makes me bristle. For the first time, I wonder whether my friendship with Dervla is a little one-sided.
“I’ll arrange for a new laboratory to be set-up. Somewhere private where you can work uninterrupted.Be careful who you trust in the palace. People are rarely what they seem, especially King Cado or Captain Devath.”
Noted – not that I was planning on making friends here anyway I scoff privately to myself.
Dervla pulls on my arm, commanding my attention. “I’mserious, Sage. I grew up with them both and yet I still feel like I hardly know them anymore.” I pull away. I’ve had enough of being told what to do today.
“And Cado? What did he want?” she asks.
“To see my magic. The novelty of it, I suppose.” I start to tell her I disappointed him with whatever he was hoping to see, but a loud bird call sounds out a warning and Dervla tenses. My heart soars as she extends her arm and Kaens lands heavily on the leather gauntlet encircling it, russet feathers ruffled and amber eyes gleaming. She made it out of Athnavar safely.
Dervla nods at the majestic bird, communicating back and forth in their silent exchange of gestures before she turns back to me, whispering curtly, “We’re not alone out here. I have to go now; I have urgent business. Promise you’ll do everything you can to solve your research. I’ll be away for several days, but we’ll speak more when I’m back.”
They disappear into the blackness, heading for the city and I savour relief that Kaens made it through the attacks unharmed.
Chapter 7
The suite of rooms I’ve been given in the palace are beautifully spacious: the lounge alone is bigger than my whole apartment in Athnavar. Such compensation for being accused of treason and tortured. After Dervla’s abrupt departure I was left disorientated and still disgusting from the dungeons. A servant found me wandering the hallways and after realising that I had nothing to my name – no clean clothes or belongings and no idea of where to go for food – they took good care of me. I now have a new wardrobe of clothes, paper and pens to write with and a selection of books from the palace library to occupy my time while my wounded wrists heal. Over the last week, when it’s not been cloudy, I’ve watched the sun set over the city and archipelago, but this morning as I sit in the shaded windowsill, I prefer the sunrise.
In keeping with the Mordros disdain for frivolity, there is no artwork or decoration on the walls and the rough stone should feel unfinished but, with the scale of the rooms, it doesn’t. The floor is heated underfoot and I uncurl my toes to savour the new sensation.
I summon the strength to venture outside my rooms, to leave my heated floor behind. I have no choice but to attend my first Concord meeting today. My feet trip over the long ceremonial robes as I trudge up the endless stairs to reach the Concord chamber. The cream stone walls blur as I fall, bruising my knees badly. These bruises will match the shadows under my eyes. Sleeping has been hard; every shadow or movement in the corner of my eye makes me flinch and sends my heart racing. But the shadows stay as they are in the stairwell, the pain nevercomes and I press my knuckles into my sternum to bring my breathing back under control and climb again. I am safe. The darkness can’t hurt me.
The door to the Concord chamber is unwelcoming. I shrug off the vice of nerves compressing my straining lungs. I refuse to show weakness in front of the Mordros and steel my spine as I push through the doorway.
The members sit in a loose circle surrounding the large reflection pool, with several vacant spots. I expected to be made unwelcome and for their disdain to be palpable. But as I venture further into the spacious chamber, I am completely ignored. My presence is inconsequential compared to the ongoing argument.
“That is unacceptable.” The lethality of the tone cuts through the discourse and silences the room. The King’s jaw tenses but he does not comment at the Concord member who takes control of the room, rises to his feet and lifts an outraged finger towards him, careful not to point it exactly in his direction.
