The Agrista (Between the Lines Book 1) (25 page)

  His wings looked as delicate as a bee’s. Gossamer iridescence peaked through a thin green-gold membrane that draped over the fragile frame like sheer eyelet cloth. They gave the illusion of the sun trapped in a skeletal prison of avian majesty, harnessing the power of an infinite universe as they soared through the air. Even Johanna, who thought him an ugly soul, couldn’t deny his outer beauty.

  “Alex, why can I see Cayden? I thought I could only see you. Can I see the others too?” Marie asked eagerly.

  “I guess I wasn’t too clear when I explained how it works. We were in a hurry, though,” he mindlessly rattled off in excuse. “You can see your siblings’ protectors in their Umbraic form as well. I suppose I thought you would’ve figured that out on your own when you saw Aruzhan at the castle.”

  “I hadn’t even thought of that,” she said, feeling foolish. “There’s still a couple things I don’t understand.”

  “Such as?”

  “Why couldn’t Marcel see us at the castle? Rotten as he is, he is my brother. Wouldn’t the same rules apply?”

  “No. He’s more than willing to kill any of you if it assures his ascension. If a fellow royal violates the sacred bond, they lose their sight. He can no longer see us. It seldom happens, but I suppose evil begets more evil.”

  “His Umbra Arécia can see us,” Marie thought aloud. “What if she betrays us?” The poor condition Arécia was in when they’d found her starving in a cell was proof enough of her loyalty, but Marie wasn’t so quick to trust when her life was at stake, not to mention the lives of countless others.

  “If she were to betray us, she would lose her sight as well, but Arécia would never do that. She hates Marcel as much as we do. Headstrong as she is, she has a good heart.”

  “There’s one thing I still don’t understand,” Marie smiled apologetically.

  “Yes?”

  “How did they capture Aruzhan if they can’t see her?” Alex stiffened at the mention of his sister.

  “I imagine she let herself get captured. They most likely threatened her with Cerin’s safety, and forced her to ingest Baindingu poison,” he shuddered at the thought.

  “That makes sense, but why was she in her Umbraic form when we saw her?”

  The Heavy Hall, perhaps a trifle trite in its naming, was aptly titled for several reasons. Originally and unspectacularly referred to as
the mess hall
, its well-known reputation had earned it the aforementioned title; a title that weathered the years to come as steadfastly as deep-rooted tradition.

  The Heavy Hall was named thusly because it was filled with heavy conversation, deep emotions, sorrowful goodbyes, and more lightheartedly, because one would be fifty pounds heavier after they partook of the Final Feast. The building itself wasn’t impressive, but what it stood for held strong over the years.

  It was a large, open building made of concrete, much like the other
official
buildings randomly scattered across Milités. Bland and gray with high ceilings, poor lighting and deafening acoustics, the atmosphere was expressly dependent on the attitude of the people it held inside, for it offered little in the way of ambiance.

  At the center of the room was a large, round wooden table on which the feast was laid, flanked by dozens of identical tables that cowed in size and symbolized parity. While knowing ones rank outside of the Heavy Hall was crucial, inside these thick walls, everyone was to feel as equals, for on the battlefield every man was.

  Marie rotated her head as if it rested on a wobbly swivel in an attempt to take in the copious amounts of food masterfully arranged. There were roasted meats, steamed vegetables, glazed fruits, crusty breads, and a cornucopia of stews, salads, and pastas, chased by an assortment of pastries and vibrant custards.

  Marie didn’t realize quite how famished she was until the warm scent of honey butter and pumpernickel bread wafted up her nose and caused her to noticeably salivate. Alex playfully wiped the corner of her mouth with the tip of his thumb and nudged her forward. The others quickly followed suit in their audible hunger pangs, prompting Fallon to gesture them toward the tables with a hoarse laugh.

  Johanna’s timid demeanor had disintegrated completely upon seeing the mounds of food, and she harbored no shame when it came to digging into the generous portions. As a slave, she hadn’t eaten well in years. She wasn’t accustomed to such rich foods. She made herself sick in her zeal, but was determined to try a little bit of everything, regardless of the ill aftereffects.

  Seeing that her father had wanted for nothing while she wasted away at Quinque castle only made her even bitterer toward Cayden than she already was, but she showcased a smile regardless. Determined not to ruin this bountiful blessing, she pushed her resentment aside and focused on what was right in front of her.

  “What happens to the food we don’t eat? There’s no way the nine of us can eat all of this!” Johanna exclaimed anxiously, feeling somewhat guilty for enjoying herself while her people starved under Cailene’s watchful eye.

  “Whatever we don’t eat gets distributed to the troops afterwards. Nothing goes to waste,” Fallon explained.

  “All these calories!” Bria huffed. “I’m not going to be able to eat for weeks after this meal, especially if I want to keep my figure!” Marie and Laylia shared a look of amusement and chuckled into their napkins. The others quickly chimed in with exuberant laughter, and the elephant in the room excused itself, just for the evening.

  Everyone enjoyed light conversation, good-humored jokes and comfortable silences. It was nothing short of a miracle to see everyone get along, even if it was only for a couple of hours.

  Cerin nervously picked at his food and excused himself early in the evening. When Marie was stuffed to the brim with delicious food, she decided to waddle off the mass consumption of calories in search of Cerin. After interrogating several dozen soldiers, the general consensus was that Cerin was either in the library or at the pub.

  Wanting to avoid drunken, starving men with salacious appetites, she decided to try her luck at the library first. Alex insisted on accompanying her, and for once she didn’t put up a fight. There were hordes of strange men lurking about with lecherous dispositions and leery eyes. She didn’t want to succumb to a bad situation just to prove her independence.

  She approached a small, hexagonal building that was propped up with ribbed pillars and buzzed like a bustling hive. However, once Marie made it past the corrugated bronze doors, she could see that all the worker bees had gone home, and only Cerin remained.

  Being soldiers of Milités, the inhabitants here were men of action. Few were scholarly and most were more likely to find their pleasure between the sheets than between the pages of a book; though for a library, books were in short supply here.

  Massive rectangular touchscreens lined the walls of the open space and served as the only light source, with a blinding azure glow that made Marie wince in rhythm with the resounding electric current. A mahogany table traced the line of the charcoal gray walls, adorned with cushy leather chairs bolted to the floor, so as to assure that no nonsense would be had within these walls.

  “I hate this!” To the far left, a screen quivered beneath Cerin’s touch. Flashes of words and images fluttered across the screen as he repeatedly slammed his head into the wall.

  “Are you okay?” Marie cautiously approached Cerin, who jumped in surprise.

  “I’m fine,” he snapped, finding her sudden presence more hindering than helpful. “Their library is
beyond
ridiculous. Every scrap of information is organized by class, and each class requires a specific clearance. Without the proper codes, I can’t access
anything
! I’ve been scouring their database for a basic catalogue of their technology, and it has me chasing my damn tail! Why would anyone put a limit on knowledge?” He threw his arms up in exasperation. “Why can’t they have books here, like normal people? I hate technology!”

  “
That
makes you sound old,” Marie teased.

  “That’s the cruel irony of my situation, isn’t it? I’ve always been terrified of old age, even as a young boy. People look at the elderly differently. One’s identity gets lost in the withered folds of skin and white hair, as if they’re no longer a person. They’re treated as nothing more than a burden that’s suffered for the sake of propriety. I’ve somehow managed to reverse the process before I ever got to that point, and by cheating death I gave life to my worst nightmare.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m just as brilliant as ever,” he admitted shamelessly, “but because of my age, no one takes me seriously. I’m identified by my biggest mistake instead of my biggest accomplishment. People are so ruthless!”

  “You want to know what I think?”

  “Why not?” he murmured halfheartedly.

  “Perhaps the answer to saving Aruzhan lies in Aemilius’ lab. Even if it doesn’t, I have no doubt that you’ll eventually figure out how to break her spell, and yours. After you save her and redeem yourself, people will start to recognize you for your potential and forget about the past. In the end, they’ll be the ones who look foolish for ever doubting you,” she smiled encouragingly, but the mention of Aruzhan only seemed to bring him down further.

  “Obviously, you don’t know our siblings too well. They cling to resentment like ravenous leeches.”

  “That’s
their
problem. Why should
you
care what they think? I certainly don’t.”

  “Regardless of what happens, I’m glad to have met you, Marie.” Cerin half-smiled. “You’re not like the rest of our family. Perhaps it’s because you weren’t forced to grow up around their toxic personalities.”

  “Ha. I’ve had my own fair share of nastiness to deal with where I come from.”

  “Unless murder and incest were daily dinner discussions, you’re still better off.”

  “Now that I’m here, I can have the best of both worlds!” They laughed. The two of them seemed to share the same dark sense of humor. “Laylia doesn’t seem so bad,” she blurted out.

  “She’s not,” he paused, shaking his head. “She
wasn’t
,” he corrected morosely. “She was a very sweet child, before...” Marie sensed Cerin’s reluctance and cut him off.

  “I don’t understand how that could happen. Why didn’t Bria protect her from Marcel?” Marie didn’t realize how angry she was until she heard the vitriol and urgency in her tone.

  “Laylia’s always been secretive, even as a child. She’s a couple of years older than Marcel, but he was always bigger than her. I imagine she was ashamed, and didn’t tell anyone what was happening. Bria most likely didn’t find out the truth until after they’d left the castle, and I imagine that’s only because Laylia had a moment of weakness. By that point, all she could do was avenge Laylia, which Laylia wouldn’t have wanted, for Arécia’s sake. Arécia is Marcel’s Umbra. If Bria killed Marcel, it would mean Arécia’s death,” Cerin elaborated. “I fear what Marcel did to Laylia has left her quite numb to the feelings of others, not that the rest of us are much better,” he rolled his eyes. “She seems different with you, though. I think you’re good for her,” he smiled. “Why are you here, anyway?” he asked, suddenly changing the subject.

  “You barely touched your food, and you left dinner so early. I was curious where you’d gone to. I thought you might be ill or something.”

  “Ah. I’m quite well. As well any of us can be, considering,” he smiled weakly.

  “Are you nervous about tomorrow?”

  “Yes. It helps if you focus on something else, though. When I think of what Cailene’s done to Aruzhan, and how she’s persecuted the people she’s sworn to protect, it infuriates me,” he absently wrung his hands. “For what it’s worth, I’m a total coward, but it helps to focus on my anger. It gives me the courage I so desperately need. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, focus on what we’re fighting for. If you remember the reason we’re fighting, you might forget about the fight itself.”

  “I wish I could,” she said doubtfully. “As terrible as Cailene is, I’m worse.”

  “Oh? That’s a fairly bold statement.”

  “I barely know the people we’re fighting for. Being away from the castle, it’s easy to forget how awful it is for them. I feel so disconnected from this world sometimes,” she admitted reluctantly, fighting the onslaught of guilty tears. “I’m
so
scared, and that’s the
only
thing I can think about. I’m never going to be able to sleep tonight,” she frowned.

  “
That
, I can help you with.” Cerin flashed a toothy grin and pulled a vial of syrupy red liquid from his shirt pocket. “This is Sleep Solution. Silly name, I know, but it’s exactly as it sounds. A few drops of this, and you’ll be out like a drunk. Just a few drops, though. Don’t overdo it, or you’ll be completely comatose tomorrow.”