Chains of Fate

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

Ten minutes had passed since we encountered Rowan, and what happened left me shaken. Rowan confused me with Eden, which was the strangest part about it. Either way, something in his words made Eden's memories activate. I knew it wasn't a coincidence. Was Eden becoming unstable in this place of magic, or were her memories roused by familiar people? Did Eden know Rowan?

Titus didn't say anything as we moved along the main street of Eremith. I assumed he was quiet for my sake, and I appreciated that. But the silence was starting to get to me. If we didn't start talking soon, my thoughts would consume me. "These streets are disorientating," I noted. "Was Mayra actually serious when she said to go to The Little Kitten?"

"Any guess of yours is better than mine," he said. His blue silk outfit seemed to blend with the glass itself. "My aunt is a confusing woman. I don't know if there's any hope in understanding her."

The mention of her relation to him set me thinking. I hesitated briefly before asking, "What did you think of the queen?"

His posture stiffened. "She...wasn't what I expected."

"What did you expect?"

"Well," he said, "I thought she would be more...amiable?"

"Is that a question or a statement?"

Titus sighed. "I didn't expect her to be so cold. I thought she would be like Mayra, but when we first met it was like I didn't even exist. Like I didn't matter to her." His hands balled into fists. "I don't know how to respond to her. It's like she's on an entirely different level than me."

I considered that for a moment. "Well..." I began, grasping for something to make him feel better. "She's just the Sylph Queen."

That brought a wide smile to his face. "And ruler of most of the magical creatures in Etheia."

"Objection." I raised a finger. "The council seems to butt around in her business. So she doesn't rule alone. And that pegasus must rule beside her, too. Could he be the Sylph King?"

A sharp laugh escaped Titus. My objective complete, I gave him a smug smile. It was obvious there was no Sylph King.

I considered that for a moment, looking at Titus.

At least, there wasn't one yet.

We turned a corner and a nearby nymph was startled from rearranging flowers on her window sill. It was the same nymph from earlier—the one with the light teal skin. With a yelp, she bolted into her house. I shook my head. She knew I was a Harbinger and that Titus was half-nymph. But she couldn't have known that Titus was Astera's son. Maybe Astera was being so cold to him because she didn't want anyone to know about his birth. I didn't know the laws or etiquette of nymphs, but I thought it was plainly obvious that having a child with a human was off-limits. And for the queen herself to do such a thing...

"It's starting to get dark," Titus remarked, jumping me out of my thoughts. "Where did Mayra say the inn was again?"

I frowned at the darkening sky above us. "Is it horrible that I don't remember?"

He stopped and stared at me. "Yes!" he said in exasperation. "She was talking to you when she said it!"

"Not just me. You were included in that too!" I snapped. "She said something about signs, but that's all I remember."

Titus ran a hand through his hair, letting out a deep breath. "Okay, let's try to find some signs. At worst, we'll simply ask someone."

I snorted. Asking someone would indeed be the worst thing, considering that every nymph we passed stared at us with apprehension—or was that awe? I couldn't tell.