Under the Roses

67 - None Can Follow Into the Night

AUSTIN

Austin kept as far from Euryn as he possibly could.

It wasn't that there was anything inherently bad about Euryn. Being a demon didn't automatically make one bad. But there was an awful feeling about him, and Austin didn't want to be near him at all.

Which was sort of impossible in the tiny carriage they were riding in. Austin sat across from Euryn, but maybe that was worse, because when he looked in front of him, all he saw was the demon.

It wasn't that Euryn was horrifically ugly or anything. If anything, he was quite beautiful.

Austin wasn't too shocked to know that Euryn was Rome's father. It wasn't too hard to tell, even if Rome hadn't said it aloud.

They didn't really look alike, though. Euryn's skin was a strange color, which wasn't quite white. It had almost a bluish sheen to it. His hair and eyes were black, but in the light, they glittered that same dark blue. But it wasn't just their coloring that was different. It was...almost everything, really. Austin couldn't guess who Rome's mother was. But it wasn't his business.

"Excuse me," said Euryn with the tone of someone at the edge of their patience.

Austin blinked, looking up. Had he been spacing out? It was a bad habit—the one habit his mother hadn't been able to make him break. "Pardon?"

"There'll be no pardoning here, I'm afraid," said Euryn. "Just wondering...you're a pretty important person, right?"

"I'm not important," said Austin. "I'm just a student."

"An important one," Euryn replied. "Important enough to have your words desired."

Austin thought about it, and perhaps it was a little hard to deny. Yes, he'd been tasked with speaking about the Revolution, the kingdoms, the world. He didn't feel important, though. He wondered if important was a feeling.

Maybe this was importance. The dread that hung over him. The feeling like if he messed something up, said something wrong, he would ruin everything. Maybe that was what importance was.

Austin realized he'd been silent for far too long, and now it was too awkward to respond to Euryn. He pressed his lips together, and Euryn raised an eyebrow. He looked like Rome when he did that.

"You're well-learned?" Euryn said, and Austin was glad he spoke again.

"I should hope so," he said, but he meant it too much for it to sound like a throwaway joke.

"Well, you speak Royal Auvish with a decent accent."

"'Decent?'" said Austin. He thought he was pretty good at Royal Auvish. He spoke it regularly in Auvyn, and he had learnt it alongside Cerieven and Ailthean dialects when he was first learning to speak.

"It's decent," Euryn repeated. "Your accent is a little weird. It's rather charming, though."

Austin wasn't sure whether to be offended or not. He glanced out the window. They weren't even in the city yet. When Rome had left, Shatter had gone with him. Not that Austin would be willing to ride Shatter to the capital of North Auvyn, but he did wish he'd had the option. He wanted to get there both as soon as possible and never.

"Tell me, though," said Euryn. "If you're so learned, why would you ever choose to study in Auvyn, of all places? You know Auvyn isn't the friendliest place for foreigners."

"I know." He was tired of this talk. He'd heard it too many times before. And he didn't even know Euryn. "I just wanted to."

"Hm," said Euryn. "I thought Cerieve was one of the best kingdoms. But it must really be horrible if you had to run all the way to North Auvyn to escape."