“By the order of Ethim il Ruethe, I, Jonas Chase al Surne, protect and serve at the behest of Ellie Markham and her betrothed, the Earth Lord, Cadmus Storm.”
“Very impressive,” Arim said with no small amount of sarcasm. He muttered a few words Ellie couldn’t understand but had Jonas grinning.
“And right back at you.” Jonas saluted before joining him at the end of the table.
“Really, Arim, such language, and to a guest?” Ravyn looked annoyed, her brother surprised and her sons confused.
“You speak Djinn?” Aerolus stared at his mother. “Fascinating.”
“Great, here we go again,” Darius groaned.
“Ellie, we need to talk.” Cadmus shot her the message laced with urgency.
Damn, damn, damn. Did he know about Lexa? His eyes were dark, his face blank. She couldn’t read anything from him but what he’d sent, the appearance of his mental guards a warning in itself.
She sent him the answer slowly. “Can I finish breakfast first? I’m starving.”
His face softened, and he nodded before turning to something Samantha said. He squeezed her thigh under the table, and Ellie felt terrible for deceiving him. But it was for a good cause, she reminded herself. He needs me, and he needs to trust me.
And lying to him should make him trust me, how? She deliberately ignored her conscience, hoping against hope she could deal with the consequences.
Chapter Fifteen
Cadmus kept half an ear on Samantha and the other half of his attention on his affai. A lengthy interrogation with Arim had produced nothing but that Arim thought Ellie to be a possible threat, as if that were news. His stubborn uncle still refused to say what exactly he’d done to Ellie upon entering Tanselm, only that he trusted she wouldn’t willingly harm anyone herself.
Great. So the visions and dreams meant what, exactly? That Ellie would make Jonas do her dirty work? That his affai, who chatted pleasantly with his mother, would soon clear the way so that ‘Sin Garu and his Netharat could blast Ravyn into the Next? Cadmus took a deep breath and a hard swallow of novra juice to calm himself. He felt guilty for thinking such thoughts of his lovely affai, but the doubt that had been with him since his dream refused to fade.
He ignored Aerolus’ scrutiny the way he’d ignored Arim’s all morning and shut them both out using Lexa’s handy technique. That bit of Darkness enforced his Light, enabling him to be twice as strong when it came to defending himself. It also didn’t hurt that Tanselm lovingly embraced him at all times. He could feel her love with every breath he took.
Eager to focus on matters not his own, he turned to his sorcerer brother. “You know, Aerolus, my link with Tanselm has only grown since I’ve been back. I have to agree that Tanselm is definitely female.”
Darius and Marcus glowered at him.
Aerolus beamed. “I knew it. We’ll have to do some studies, of course, maybe involve the Great Hall. Alandra, purie, what do you think?”
Alandra winked at Cadmus and involved her husband in a discussion that focused the table in another direction.
“I’ll get you for this,” Darius telepathically threatened Cadmus with a growl.
“Aerolus, your brothers’ gifts are as strong as yours, so perhaps they could assist you in this study when they have the time,” Ravyn offered. “Anything that concerns Tanselm should concern us all, right, Arim?”
Arim shrugged. “If you say so.” He turned his discerning gaze on Ellie and lingered a moment, a frown darkening his face.
“So Arim,” Jonas said “Tell me about about Lord Sava. I heard all about your trip with Aerolus to Aelle and how you met their new king. I’ve always wondered just what he’s like.”
“I’ll tell you what he’s like. He’s a pain in the ass.”
Alandra glared at Arim and turned to Jonas with a Dark wave of joy. “Lord Sava? A great man. Absolutely the best.”
Aerolus raised a brow behind her, momentarily pausing in his conversation about Tanselm. But when Alandra turned on him with a suspicious look, he merely smiled and returned to boring his brothers with academic matters.
Ellie decided to use the diversion to her benefit.
“Samantha, could you show me to the ladies’ room? I had a hard time finding it this morning.”
Cadmus groaned. “I’m sorry. I totally forgot about that. There’s a central bathing chamber down the corridor I should have shown you. I’ll give you the tour as soon as you get back.”
She nodded and left with Samantha.
“The first time I spent the night here I had the same problem,” Samantha admitted, striding down the hallway in an outfit similar to Ellie’s but in red. “It’s a real pain in the ass using a freaking chamber pot when it’s that time of the month, let me tell you.”
Ellie commiserated. When they reached the restroom, she sighed with contentment to see modern plumbing.
Samantha gestured to the room. “I’ll wait out here. These people use magic on a daily basis, but they were in the dark ages before I showed them the comforts of the modern bathroom. Xiantope, my ass.”
Ellie grinned and entered the facility. When finished, she took a few deep breaths and stared at her reflection in the mirror on the wall. Despite what Lexa had advised and the odd shielding Cadmus had affected earlier, she knew she needed to tell him the truth. He would trust her. She knew it deep inside.
Coming to that decision, she left the room only to find the hallway empty.
“Samantha?” Granted, they’d only walked a little ways from the dining chamber, but she didn’t feel right leaving Samantha behind.
A few minutes later, Samantha returned. “Sorry, I heard something funny around the bend and decided to investigate. Nothing wrong there.” She waved a hand at the area around them, and Ellie felt a strange, almost numbing buzz.
Samantha shook her into consciousness. “Ellie, talk to me. What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know.” Ellie clutched her aching head, trying to break free from the fog in her mind. “I feel dizzy.”
“You looked like you were going to pass out. Let’s get you back to Cadmus.”
Ellie leaned on Samantha as they walked towards the dining room. Oddly enough, the room had emptied by the time they returned.
“Okay, that’s weirdness number two.” Samantha tried to grin, but the expression came off as a grimace. Her green eyes looked murky, almost black, and Ellie had to blink to clear her own vision. A tiny suspicion shook her, which she immediately banked.
No way someone was impersonating Samantha. She wore the same clothing, the same hairstyle and attitude. And yet…something seemed off.
“Excuse me, good sir,” Samantha called out to a young serving boy who’d entered the hall. “Have you seen Prince Cadmus?”
The boy nodded. “Yes, Princess. He’s in the east tower looking for his affai.” His eyes widened when they lit on Ellie, and he grinned shyly, bowing his head.
“Thank you.”
Samantha kept her hand on Ellie’s as they left the hall. They continued down several corridors, and Samantha walked faster, forcing Ellie to jog to keep pace.
“Samantha, can you please slow down?”
“I’m sorry, but I’ve got a really bad feeling about this. Something’s wrong.”
Ellie hurried, feeling the same. But her steps seemed clumsy, her movement decidedly slow. “Go ahead of me if you need to. Let Cadmus know I’m on the way.”
Samantha nodded and moved out of sight. But Ellie followed her footsteps, and soon entered a large stone chamber littered with fallen men. Shocked, she noticed Queen Ravyn standing across the room talking to Ellie’s mirror image.