Heir of the Gods

Ch. 58: Plans Revealed

Elias slumped in his chair, staring into the fire as he listened to the sound of the revel outside. Laughter and music swelled up from the greensward behind Malitech's mansion, the smell of bonfires sharp in the wintery air.

The library was dark and quiet, a refuge for his throbbing head from the whirl and clamor outside. Elias knew he was supposed to be enjoying himself. As Malitech had put it, this was a celebration for both of them. For the new alliance and the turning of wheels into motion after a long and anxious wait.

He couldn't ignore the vague feeling of dread that had plagued him over the week since he had met Malitech's "secret weapon", as he called the death maiden. Igraine, she said her name was though a creature such as she was seemed...beyond something as common and mortal as a name, somehow.

Malitech practically revered her. Indeed he was more courteous and respectful to her than he was to anyone. Elias couldn't tell if it was because he feared her, or if the prince was simply so enamored of the power she wielded and offered that he was willing to set aside his pride to please her. Either way, Igraine's word tended to be law and she acted more like the lady of Malitech's house than a counselor or even a mystic.

She was the reason behind the festivities. They had been her idea and in her honor, though Elias had yet to actually see her join in the merrymaking. 

The pop of a log in the fireplace startled him. He glanced at the clock and swore, realizing he had lingered overlong in the peaceful confines of the library. Downing the last of a glass of water he'd had brought by a servant, Elias stood and stretched. His body ached from the many hunts and rides the prince had hosted over the past few days.

Briefly, he wondered about the consequences of slipping quietly to his room and sleeping for the remainder of the week.

He dismissed the notion with longing and turned to leave the library. The heavy door groaned as he pushed it open, the sound reverberating through the entry hall. It was nearly as dark as the library, only illuminated by a few sconces along the walls. Elias' boots echoed an uneven rhythm as he limped across the marble, heading slowly toward the main door and the awaiting winter night.

A sudden chill stole over him, frosting his breath and setting his bones to aching. A footstep overlapped his and Elias turned, his eyes sweeping the hall before following the stairs. There, halfway to the top, Igraine stood watching him. Elias met her misty eyes, which glowed silver in the twilight of the room.

"Come," she said, the black silk of her gown rustling as she turned and ascended the stairs. 

Elias didn't move. Igraine did not look back, obviously confident that he would follow.

And he did, after glancing once more at the doors that separated him from the life outside and trapped him with the death here. It seemed better not to provoke her ire, even if he would rather face down a hurricane in a rowboat than be alone with her.

With a sigh, Elias limped up the stairs, turning to the left and following her down a hall leading deeper into a wing of the mansion. He slowed again when she pushed open the door of the rooms at the very end of the hall. Her personal rooms.

Like she could sense his hesitation, she called, "Come, Elias."

His lip lifted in a sneer. Would he always be someone's dog, called to heel?

The sneer died when he realized that, yes, he would. Unless something changed. Unless he forced something to change. With that thought, Elias strode through the open door, repressing a shiver as he stepped into the dark confines of Igraine's rooms. 

No fire warmed the space and all the windows were open to the winter night. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised. Death and cold went hand in hand. He lingered just inside the door, squinting into the gloom. By the grace of a full moon, he was able to see the dim outlines of the furniture, but he could no longer see Igraine.