Page 113 of Storm of Desire
The mirrors weren't foolproof, but her brother's elemental weavings of Fire were powerful enough to manipulate the images they showed. "No sign of her," he replied. "I swear I've scoured every blasted volcano on this rotten island. Every wave surrounding it. Every inch of every town or hovel. Something's shielding her from myview."
"She was on a ship. Norway. She has to be heading toNorway."
"Let's not make that assumption. She's played gamesbefore."
Amadea bared her teeth, her heart rabbiting in her chest as she paced. "She's got to be out theresomewhere."
"Of course. We'll find her, Dea. She cannot simply vanish, and my sons are searching for her as we speak." His tone softened. "I told you it's not something to worry about. It wouldn't be the first time Árdís has disappeared, but she will be brought back again, and this time we can remind her of her place in the world. Word has been contained. None of the court knows what has happened, outside of those loyal to us. They still believe she's pouting within her Chaos bubble. We just need to manage the situation a few more days, and when she's back, she will mate with one of my sons and we can stabilize the power structure here at court. There's nothing to worryabout."
Amadea rolled up her sleeve, revealing the stark burn scar on her arm. "Isn'tthere?"
His dark eyes sharpened, and he captured her hand, turning her wrist to view theburn.
Their eyesmet.
"It seems my daughter has been keeping secrets," she snapped, tugging her sleeve back down. Nobody else could know. "If she learns to master Chaos magic then she's no longer a pawn, Stellan. She's athreat."
"She's never revealed a hint of itbefore."
Amadea turned away, wrapping her arms around her as she sought a soothing view in one of the mirrors. Each mirror had been spelled to reflect the skies outside, for there were no windows in Hekla, and this one showed the smoking caldera that surrounded Krafla, the volcano that housed her exiled son,Rurik.
"I shouldn't be surprised," she admitted. "Our grandmother had the gift, and so do I. It runs in the matriarchalline."
Stellan's hands came to rest upon her shoulders, and he squeezed. "Chaos magic or not, the girl'suntrained."
"So was I." A whisper, torn from her throat. She rested her fingers upon his, clinging to that small touch. "And I can still see the look on Grandmother's face when I killedher."
"You were protecting me. You had more to fight for than she did. And now you have both skillandcause."
"Your own blood will be the blade that ends your immortal life." Amadea pushed away from him. "Grandmother laughed at me before I took her life, because she could see my future.Thisfuture. Why should I not beworried?"
Stellan's eyes hooded, and he moved to pour them both wine. "We of theZillittumake our ownfate."
"Do we?" She pitched her voice lower again. "Three children you will bear. The blood of their father will stain your hands. We thought we would make our own fate and take our own court, buteverythingGrandmother ever predicted cametrue."
"Not exactly. There were fourchildren."
She pressed her hands to her womb, the image of that Chaos-blighted abomination forever etched into her memory. "That thing was a monster. An abomination. And you took care of it, didn't you?" His expression shifted minutely. "Didn'tyou?"
Stellan came to her, capturing her arms and rubbing his palms down them. "I took care of it. I will always take care of you. We are one, Dea. First andforemost."
Twin souls, who could never be torn apart by their loyalties to mere mates... orchildren.
A psychic thought caught their attention; one of thedrekiguards requesting entrance. Amadea snarled, but Stellan shook hishead.
"He wouldn't dare interrupt," he pointed out. "Not unless it wasimportant."
True. Amadea snatched her wineglass up and curled into her golden throne, glaring at the door. "Enter."
The second she saw who knocked, she almost found her feetagain.
Balder staggered in with Roar draped over his shoulder. They wore the signs of failure all over them, and her nostrils flared as the stink of charred flesh hither.
"What happened?" Amadea demanded, but she felt that twist of unease unfurl within heragain.
Roar collapsed to one knee, his face a smoking ruin.Dreklingwere barely scraps, but Stellan had insisted upon keeping the boy, when his human mother left him on the doorstep of Hekla. Over time, she'd come to see Stellan's argument. Roar was hungry for attention, for power. An ambitiousdreklingwas a dangerous tool, but if wieldedcorrectly....
And Roar had managed to shift, through pure will power alone, if nothingelse.
