Breaker (Ondine Quartet Book 4) (6 page)

Maybe the paths we embarked upon were as unpredictable and startling as spring.

I joined him. “Let’s go.”

We settled into the lush, leather seats in the back. Rain steadily fell, rivulets streaming across the windows.

“Everything is running on time,
sondaleur
. Catrin will be arriving at any moment. Your friends have been setting up your room and the confirmation ceremony will proceed as scheduled three hours from now.”

Good. “Ian?”

“He has settled into the east wing of the House.”

I’d made arrangements for Ian to move into one of the Governing House’s countless spare rooms. When word got out, the Council, especially Marquisa LeVeq, had foamed at the mouth but there was nothing they could do about it. Ian was under my personal protection as well as Tristan’s.
 

After what happened with Bastien and Rhian, suspicions were running at an all-time high. I didn’t want the sole nix in our community to become a primary target.

Placing Ian in the House wasn’t just because he was my friend. It was also for his own safety.

Jeeves scrolled through the calendar on his phone, a slight frown marring his brow. “We need to make a decision on the event coming up in a few weeks.”

I gave him a sidelong look. His voice was too casual.

“Several Council members feel it’s inappropriate to hold the Governor’s Ball this year, especially with Rhian’s passing —“

“Cancel it.”
 

“And several believe it’s important to hold it, now more than ever,” he finished.

“What do you think?”

He didn’t hesitate. “We should hold it.”

“Can’t we just end it? Burn the tradition?”

“In the history of Haverleau, the Governor’s Ball has never been cancelled.”

“Except for that tiny massacre last year,” I muttered.

“Well, yes, but that was an exception and technically the ball did take place.”

“Here’s a thought.” I spread my arms. “We can have it and I just won’t go.”

A stifled laugh came from the driver’s seat.
 

His mouth quirked up. “Unfortunately, I don’t see a way for you to get out of this. An event like the Governor’s Ball tends to imply the presence of the actual Governor.”

The beginnings of a headache throbbed behind my left eye.

“If I may make a suggestion.”

I rubbed my forehead. “Please.”

“The Redavi crave stability. Events over the past year have been overwhelming and changes have occurred rapidly. They want to believe parts of their lives still remain untouched by war. Give them a normalcy they can believe in.”

“Even if it’s a lie?”

His expression sobered. “Sometimes the lies are what allow us to discover the truth.”

Holding a formal event for Redavi to gloat about how fabulous they were made me nauseous.

But we needed political support. And in order to receive it, we needed to demonstrate an act of good faith.
 

My objective was to end this war and if giving them something to dress up for would get me there, then I’d be the first in line for canapés and hors d’oeuvres.

I glanced out the window. The rain had stopped.
 

“All right. But let’s make sure everything is in place.”

Jeeves nodded. “I’ll have Garreth and Julian begin security preparations.”

Anxiety twisted my stomach. It was a hollow gesture at best.
 

If the Shadow chose to attack, there was nothing we could do about it.

The numbers hang high where red towers over sea. Can you find me now?

My mind had cycled through those phrases countless times this week. Aubrey and Ian had scoured the web, searching for any possible references.

Nothing.

What I needed lay behind those cryptic words. Until I figured them out, instinct told me the Shadow wouldn’t attack Haverleau.

This was a game to him. A win didn’t count unless you earned it fair and square. Sportsmanship was the first rule of any competition.
 

Cheating meant wondering if you truly were the better player. And the Shadow wanted there to be no doubt he beat the
sondaleur
.

Find me, Kendra.

What kept me up at night were the thoughts of what might happen if I couldn’t.

The car pulled into the gated Governing Complex. The white exteriors of the interlocked buildings had turned beige from the rain, the cobblestones slick and dark.

Royal gardinels and other governmental employees hurried across the courtyard, busy completing preparations for the confirmation ceremony. A general emptiness hung in the air, the vacuum left behind by sudden tragedy.
 

We walked up the grand marble steps to the Governing House’s ebony doors. Behind me, I felt the slight pause in activity, the eyes boring into my back.
 

I straightened my shoulders.

Jeeves left to handle the final details for the event and I headed down the main corridor to the back door. The walls closed in. Gardinels, chevaliers, and other employees murmured or nodded as I passed.

I didn’t know any of them.

The mildly claustrophobic sensation faded as soon as I entered the Royal Garden. Cheerful poppies and friendly sunflowers danced, merrily greeting me despite the dreary weather.

The guest cottage’s red roof glistened. A gardinel with short, dark hair stood at attention next to the front door, his expression blank. A garnet
pedaillon
peeked out from beneath his shirt.
 

I stopped. “I’m Kendra.”

“Morgan.”

“You don’t have to stay.”

“Prince Belicoux assigned me.”

“There are three chevaliers here.”

He looked pained. “I have to follow orders.”

A crash echoed from the cottage followed by a string of expletives.

I sighed. “Come on.”

He followed me inside and we headed into the formal dining room.

“Left! Not right, left!”

“That’s what I’m doing! You’re not lifting your end high enough —“

“Yeah, let’s see you turn when there’s no room to maneuver.”
 

Alex and Cam carried both ends of a massive dining table. They’d managed to shift it an entire three inches to the left.

Cam grunted. “Okay. New plan. We push it back first then edge it out this way.”

I leaned against the wall and crossed my arms. “Put your legs into it.”

“Shut up, Irisavie.” Cam wiped the sweat off his forehead. “Jeeves said we’d get out of Calculus for helping you and Ian move, but I’m demanding more.”

Alex nodded. “At least three classes.”

Morgan marched over and lifted the table. Cam and Alex stepped back.

The selkie’s back and arm muscles bulged. “Where do you want it?”

Cam pointed to the open sliding doors. “Outside.”

The gardinel shot him a dirty look, but diligently took the table out.

I looked at them. “I didn’t ask for it to be moved.”

Alex shrugged. “We want to put in a ping-pong table.”

“You know these are my living quarters, right? Not a bachelor pad.”

“Oh, come on.” Cam stretched his arms, exploring the available open space. “Were you really planning on using that table?”

Eh. He had a point.

“I thought you wanted a place where we could all hang out.” Alex wore a sweatshirt the color of muddy water with “100% Badass” printed on it in bloody font. “Isn’t that why you chose to live here instead of the Governing House?”

Not exactly. “I like it here.”

Cam settled on a chair and shrewdly said, “Because you like being an outsider?”

“No. I just didn’t want to live there. Not yet.”

Moving into Rhian’s former living quarters didn’t feel right. It didn’t matter if my grandmother was gone. That space still belonged to her.

The guest cottage was a compromise. Technically, I was still within Governing House grounds, just not in the actual house. Its location provided me with a sense of autonomy as well as sufficient privacy away from prying eyes and gossipy mouths.

I glanced around the first floor. Cam and Alex had left most of the cozy furnishings in the living room in tact, though an obscenely huge flat screen TV now hung on the wall. Judging by the connected gaming equipment, they planned on spending a lot of time here.

“How did you guys pay for this stuff?”

“Connections, Irisavie.” Alex leaned against the wall. “The more important question is did you pass your test?”
 

I grinned. “With flying colors.”

He gave me a fist bump.

Cam scowled. “How do you get out of the rest of the year just by passing a test? We’re inducted chevaliers now. We should be excused from academic coursework for the rest of the year, too.”

I clucked. “You need your education.”

“My friend, the Governor.” Alex shook his head. “Talk about the ultimate hook-up.”

“True.” Cam’s eyes lit up. “You could get us out of the rest of the school year.”

“Nah, I don’t think it works that way.”

“Come on.” Cam stood and put an arm around my shoulders. “We’re fellow elites, inducted together.”

“Don’t embarrass yourself.” I shoved him off. “Did Blaise and Ethan help?”

Alex nodded. “They complained the entire time about the amount of electrical equipment Ian had. He took them out for lunch to make up for it.”

“Weak,” Cam scoffed.

“And yet you couldn’t lift the table,” Alex pointed out.

“I told you. No room to maneuver.”

Mm-hmm.

The garden filled most of the view from the bay windows, but I could just make out the second floor windows of the Governing House.

Tristan’s room was at the end of the row. Being in closer proximity meant we could see each other without attracting too much attention. The Governor and Warrior Prince working together wouldn’t raise any flags.

I’d been busy finalizing everything at the Academy this week and hadn’t had an opportunity to be alone with him since Rhian’s funeral.

But we’d made plans for him to come over tonight.

Cam frowned. “What are you smiling about?”

“Just thinking about how much I like it here.”

“I like it here, too,” another cheerful voice added.
 

Chloe arrived, her cheeks flushed and silky blonde hair tied back in a ponytail.
 

Over the past few months, a subtle change had taken place. Her body was harder, more sculpted. She stood differently, with her shoulders back, posture straight, weight balanced evenly over her feet.

But those physical changes were nothing compared to the internal ones.
 

Chloe glowed. Her cornflower blue eyes now held a calm, focused resilience. She exuded command and there was a certainty in her movements that hadn’t been there before.
 

If an Aquidae charged, she’d shoot it down without blinking. Then she’d turn around, smile sweetly, and chat with you over tea.

Cam’s eyes lasered on to her with an emotional intensity that burned. In the Selkie Kingdom, something had started up between the two of them again. Chlo wasn’t ready to talk about it and I wasn’t going to pry.

I suspected they didn’t understand what was going on between them, either.

“I thought you were having lunch at the cafeteria,” Cam said.

“I was. Julian asked me to bring you a message.”

Of course he couldn’t come here himself because that would involve seeing me.

I shoved aside my irritation. “Is everything okay?”

She nodded. “He needs Cam, Alex, Ethan, Blaise to report to the Training Center.”

“Not me?”

She hesitated.

“Just tell me.”

“When I asked him about it, he said the Governor was likely too busy to attend chevalier matters.”

She’d tempered it. Whatever Julian said was a lot blunter than that.

“LeVeq’s a joke.” Cam shook his head. “I still can’t believe he has magic.”

He stated it the same way most people would say, “I can’t believe he’s an Aquidae.”

Chloe blinked. “So?”

“So that’s weird. I mean, how can you be a chevalier when—“

“That’s like me asking how you managed to become a chevalier when you’re shorter than everyone else,” I pointed out.

Alex hid a smile.

Chloe’s brow furrowed. “Kendra’s right. Julian’s magic has nothing to do with his job.”

“Yes, it does.” Cam’s jaw tightened. “The fact that he kept something that important from us compromises our ability to trust him —“

“Maybe because he knew you’d react the way you are right now —“

“And on top of that, he’s been hanging out with Aquidae. Who knows what kind of stuff he’s been doing? I don’t trust him.”

I looked at Alex. “You feel the same way?”

He shrugged. “I think Julian’s magic is cool and he’s a strong chevalier. But people aren’t sure if he should be in charge.”

Damn it. This kind of distrust could rip the corps apart and that was the last thing I needed right now.

“Do the other chevaliers know about his Virtue?”

In the Selkie Kingdom, the elites had witnessed Julian’s Projection Virtue in the lead up to the Aquidae attack.
 

Alex shook his head. “We kept it to ourselves.”

Good. “Well, he won’t be going on any missions any time soon. He’s under orders to stay in Haverleau.”

“That’s not going to stop him,” Cam told me. “He’ll leave again. LeVeq is not going to stick it out as Head Chevalier.”

“You don’t know that,” Alex murmured. “I’m betting on him.”

“That’s cause he’s been supplying you with all sorts of goodies.” Cam stood. “He’s bribed you into giving your loyalty, Girard.”

Alex followed. “Maybe. But I still think he’s cool.”

They reached the door. Cam halted.

“Wait.”

He strode to Chloe, tilted her face up, and gave her a scorching kiss.

Testosterone saturated the room. Good God.

Just when I began to worry about their oxygen levels, he broke off the kiss. Chloe looked slightly dazed.
 

“Now we can go,” Cam said smugly. He glanced back at me as he neared the door. “You should never trust a Redavi chevalier, Irisavie.”