A Soul For Chaos (The Soulbearer Trilogy) (20 page)

Cinder greeted her first, his paws resting on her shoulders as he licked her cheek.

Dev was decidedly less cheerful. He tossed some clothes at her. “Put these on. We need to leave immediately.”

She didn’t miss the way he cast a glance into the bedroom, where Kell snored still fully clothed under the covers. “It’s going to take me a few minutes to get out of this without any help.”

Dev’s Adam’s apple bobbed as she came to him and lifted her hair up.

“Do you think you could loosen the laces for me?” she asked before turning around.

Loku snickered. “
You do enjoy torturing him, don’t you?”

“He deserves it.
”

The way his breath quickened and hissed through his teeth as he fumbled with the knot securing her bodice made her wonder if she was indeed torturing him. “If this bother’s you, I can always ask Kell to do it.”

“No.”

She jumped from the force of his one word answer, underestimating how much he would protest the idea of Kell undressing her.

He added softly, “I’m almost finished.”

The fabric fell off her shoulders. She clutched the bodice to her chest and turned back to Dev. “Thank you.”

He didn’t answer. In truth, he didn’t need to. The hunger in his stare spoke volumes and warmed her blood. As much as he tried to deny it, he desired her. Maybe one day, he’d finally break down and give into his feelings.

“
And you wouldn’t deny him like you did your prince last night, would you?
”

Would she? Every time she caught him looking at her that way, it revived all her complicated feelings for Dev. But would he be like Kell—luring her into his bed only to push her away in the end?

“
My dear little Soulbearer, the one basic lesson you need to learn about men is that they think first with their dick and then with their head.
”

The blood rushed into her cheeks, and she ran back into the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. By the time she emerged from behind the dressing screen in her travelling clothes, Kell was stirring.

“What’s going on?” His sleepy smile was contagious. She was going to miss waking up to it every morning.

She went to the bed and kissed his cheek. “I have to leave now.”

“Now?” He bolted up. “But the sun isn’t even up yet.”

Dev knocked on the door. “Trouble, are you ready?”

Arden dug her nails into her palms. She hated when he ordered her around, and hated it even more when he called her Trouble in the process. “I need a few moments alone with Kell.”

The door swung open, and Dev marched into the room. “No,” he said, flinging her over his shoulder like a rolled carpet, “we need to get on our horses and on the road before the Empress changes her mind and decides to cut off our heads.”

“Stop exaggerating.” Somewhere in the corner of her mind, however, she suspected there was some truth to what he said. She wouldn’t put it past the Empress to be that fickle.

Kell followed them, hopping into his boots as they went outside where Fane stood with their horses. “Let me come, too.”

“That’s not possible, Your Highness,” Fane answered. “Only those with magical abilities can enter the Conclave.”

Kell moved in front of Dev and tugged at her hips. “Are you capable of treating her like a lady?”

“I don’t think lady would be the proper term for Trouble.”

But Dev let her go, his words stinging her pride. She slid down his body and tumbled back into Kell, who dragged her away.

Once they’d gone a few feet, he brushed her hair out of her face and pressed his lips to her forehead. “You’d think he’d give us a few minutes to say goodbye.”

“This is Dev we’re talking about.”

Kell chuckled and leaned his head against hers, his fingers massaging the back of her neck. “True.”

“I’m going to miss you.” She ran her fingers through his hair, unsure what to say next. This was her chance to let him go, to plant the seed in his mind that they had no future. She knew she needed to do it, but her heart ached from the thought of it. “If you need to return to Ranello without me, please do.”

He shook his head. “No, I’m going to stay right here and wait for you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. If your father needs you—”

“The only thing I care about is  right here in my arms.”

The ache in her chest deepened. She wanted to believe him, but as soon as Loku made his presence known, she knew how Kell would react.

“
Like this?
” Loku asked her.

Kell’s eyes widened as he witnessed the yellow-green halos in her eyes flare to life, the way they did every time Loku spoke to her. His breath quickened, and his fingers dug into her neck. No, he’d never become comfortable with the chaos god living inside her.

She sighed and pried his arms down. “Kell, we both know that there are things about me that will always keep us apart, so please, go home and find someone more suitable.”

She managed to get a few feet away from him before he caught and kissed like he did the night before. “You’re wrong, Arden, and I’m going to prove it you. When I got back home, it will be with you. And when we return to Trivinus, I want you to marry me.”

Her tongue refused to work. He wanted to marry her? A yellow-haired witch with common origins? Was he mad?

“
Love does crazy things to a man. Or perhaps I should say, lust
.”

Even if Loku was wrong and Kell felt something more than desire for her, she still couldn’t agree to it.

Her silence cracked his confident smile. “Arden, please say yes.”

Sweet Lady Moon, he was proposing to her. Her head swam. “Kell, I don’t know what to say.”

“Will you two please hurry up?” Dev’s horse danced under him with impatience. “We have a long way to travel, and I don’t want to be stuck on those mountain roads after sunset.”

She never thought she’d be so grateful for Dev’s interference. She fled to her horse and climbed up into the saddle.

Kell gripped the bridle, keeping her there until he had his answer. “Arden, I’m serious.”

“So am I.” But when she saw the pain in his eyes, she added, “I need some time to decide.”

If he’d been expecting a joyous yes from her, his blank expression hid it well. Only the slightest of winces revealed his disappointment. His hand slipped away from the horse. “I’ll be here when you return.”

She offered a silent prayer to the Lady Moon that wouldn’t be the case. It would spare both of them more pain.

Fane came up to Kell and clapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Soulbearer. The Empress has ordered me to protect the prince, and I will make sure no harm comes to him.”

“Thank you, Fane.” She cast one more glance at Kell, the ache still throbbing in her chest, before she followed Dev through the palace gardens.

“
Admit it
,” Loku said, “
you care for him
.”

“
Yes, but I don’t think it’s enough.”

“So you’ll give up your chance to be a princess, to never have to want for anything again, to see all those people who shunned you be forced to kneel as you pass.
”

It was tempting—the fine clothes and jewels, the grand palace, the chance to have her revenge on everyone that had looked down on her—but she remembered how Kell confessed to her once that he despised those ladies of the court who were only interested in his title. “
I can’t do that to him. He deserves better.”

“You’re not being honest with yourself.
”

Dev led her to another steep road that climbed the mountain looming over Queembra. The sun rose up behind them, illuminating their path. It wasn’t until they’d passed the second switchback that he spoke. “What did Kell say that upset you?”

“He asked me to marry him,” she replied automatically.

She expected Dev to laugh or show signs of jealousy, but his made no display of emotion. Even his voice was flat when he asked. “And what did you say?”

 “I told him I needed some time to consider his proposal.”

He nodded. “Good answer.”

She waited until they’d scrambled up the next switchback before launching her own questions. “Why did you want to keep me away from the Lord Chamberlain last night?”

“Because he can be a dangerous man.”

“Dangerous enough to be the person behind the attacks?”

Dev didn’t answer right away. “Perhaps, although I don’t think he’s powerful enough to do it by himself.”

A trickle of ire formed between her shoulder blades. Why couldn’t he give her a straight answer? “What does he want from me?”

“I’m not sure, but you’d be wise to stay away from him until I sort this out.”

She urged her horse up past his and blocked the road. “Damn it, Dev, I want some answers, and I want them now. I’m not moving until you tell me why the Lord Chamberlain was looking for me.”

Dev sighed as though he were watching a child in the throes of a temper tantrum. “He wanted to take a closer look at you.”

The truth surprised her. “Why?”

“In case you failed to notice, you look a little like the Empress.” He kicked his horse past her and continued up the road, forcing her to urge her own to a trot to keep up.

“I noticed, but I don’t see why it’s such a big deal.”

“Then don’t worry about it, and leave the Lord Chamberlain to me.”

He was still hiding something from her, but she’d worry about it later. There were more pressing questions to ask. “How far away is the Conclave?”

“By Jussip, are you going to interrogate me for the entire journey?”

“Perhaps.”

He muttered what sounded like a string of curses under his breath. “If you don’t delay us any further, we should be there before sunset. I don’t want to be on this road in the dark.”

To add emphasis to his reasoning, the road crumbled under her horse’s hoof, and he let out a whiney of fear.

Once she’d calmed it down, she continued. “Is it safe in the Conclave?”

“It’s the safest place in Gravaria.”

“
You can believe him on that,
” Loku said. “
There are so many spells cast on that place that you can’t even think about harming someone without there being a spell to counteract it
.”

The knots in her shoulders began to loosen. “And what can you tell me about the Mage Primus?”

Dev hesitated, and she knew she’d only be getting a hint of what she wanted to know. “He’s the most powerful mage in Gravaria. He’ll oversee your training, just as he has the last six Soulbearers.”

“
And look how grand they turned out.
”

“
Not what I need to hear, Loku
.”

Her gaze fell on the bracelet Dev had given her last night. “Do you trust him?”

“With my life.”

“Then I suppose I will have to, as well.”

***

Kell watched Arden leave with a sinking feeling in his gut. He’d put his heart out on the line, and she didn’t return his feelings.

“Is something wrong, Your Highness?” Fane asked.

He forced the pain deeper inside, afraid to show it on the surface. Tonight behind closed doors, he would lick his wounds in defeat. But now, he was being watched by the Empress’s spies, and he couldn’t show any signs of weakness. “I hope Dev will keep her safe.”

“I’d expect nothing less from him.” He tugged on Kell’s shoulder before removing his hand. “Come along, Your Highness. The Empress wishes to meet with you this morning, and you can’t go looking like this.”

He waited until he could no longer see her before heading back to the palace.

Fane offered him a half smile. “You know what they say—absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

Or makes it forget
. He prayed Fane was right and Arden would come to realize how much she cared for him while she was gone. He’d done all he could. He’d even proposed to her. What sane woman would turn down a chance to become his queen?

As soon as he asked the question, he knew the answer. Arden. She was the only woman he’d known who didn’t care about his title, which made him love her all the more. If only he could forget about that thing living inside her. Hopefully, she’d learn how to suppress it while she was away so he’d never have to witness those eerie glowing eyes again.

Now that she was gone, though, he needed to focus his attention on charming a very different woman—Empress Marist. He shaved and dressed in what he considered appropriate attire for an audience with her. Judging by Fane’s nod of approval, he passed.

The knight led him  past the empty throne and into a different wing of the palace.

Kell slowed his pace. “Where are you taking me?”

“To the Empress’s chambers.”

“But aren’t most audiences granted in front of the court?”

Fane turned around, grinning. “In Ranello, perhaps they are. But since you are a royal diplomat, the Empress preferred to meet with you privately.”

Worry crawled up his back like a spider. He didn’t like where this was heading.

A set of guards stood beside each set of doors they passed until he came to the final room. When Fane knocked, another soldier opened it from inside to allow them in.

Inside, he finally caught a glimpse of the more practical side of the palace. The Empress’s chambers resembled his father’s office. Books lined the walls, and the Empress stood behind a large table with maps scattered across the surface. The Lord Chamberlain stood a few feet away, studying the same map she was.

She looked up when he entered. “You may leave us now.”

Fane and the soldier retreated, but the Lord Chamberlain remained where he was.

The Empress turned her gaze to him, a scowl twisting her features. “That includes you, Uncle.”

The Lord Chamberlain pressed his lips together in a thin line, but said nothing. He threw Kell a withering glance before disappearing behind the closing doors, leaving him alone with her.

Last night, she’d been dressed in finery befitting an Empress with a dress made entirely of golden scales, making her appear like one of the mermaids sailors told tales about. This morning, however, she was dressed more simply in a green silk dress that wrapped around her breasts and flowed to the floor. Her hair hung loose down her back. The effect inspired less awe, and he couldn’t help but notice how much she reminded him of Arden.