became the Soulbearer’s Protector, there was one place in all of Gravaria he was to keep the Soulbearer from going to at all costs.
Lothmore Palace.
****
The silence was keeping Arden up at night. Or perhaps it was the absence of a familiar presence that let her know she was never alone. Either way, she missed Loku.
A week had passed since Varrik contained the chaos god, locking him away in the deepest part of Arden’s mind where he no longer threatened her. But, in the same respect, she’d become so accustomed to hearing Loku’s endless commentary that she realized with some surprise that she’d been using it as a compass in her life, a measure of where she was in the grand scheme of things and where she should go next. Without him, she had to rely on her own judgment.
Without him, she was lost until she could trust her own bearings.
And she certainly could have used him tonight as she lay in bed trying to unravel the mystery of her father. Varrik hadn’t called her Daughter since the day he contained Loku, which was fine with her because she couldn’t bring herself to call him Father. They still treaded lightly around each other as though they were scared to move too quickly and have the ground shatter from underneath them. But with each lesson, she came away learning a bit more than she had that morning. Each day, he helped her trust her intuition more than the day before. And each interaction left her wondering if she’d be able to put the past behind her and forge a new relationship with him.
Her thoughts swirled around her head until they all ended with even more questions. She threw back the covers and grabbed her robe. Cinder hopped off the bed and followed her to the door. If she wasn’t sleeping, she might as well get a book from the library and try to read.
Arden jumped as Cinder growled in warning.
A cold voice asked from behind her in the hallway, “Going somewhere, Soulbearer?”
She turned to find Callix watching her, the moonlight glittering in his eyes. She wiped her palms on her robe. “Yes, I’m going to the library.”
“Let me accompany you.”
Her heart beat double time as he walked beside her. “Loku, where are you? Why does this guy act like he hates me?”
But no answer came.
Callix opened the door to the library and stepped aside so she could enter first. “Are you looking for something in particular?”
“Just something to occupy my mind.” Her eyes never left him while she backpedaled to the nearest shelf. “Any recommendations?”
The cavernous library held more books than she could ever imagine—even more than the Conclave seemed to have—but Callix wasted no time grabbing a book from a shelf five cases down from her. “Try this.”
She glanced at the title, relieved to recognize the letters. “ A Realm Unleashed . What is it about?”
He closed the space between them until she could feel his breath on her cheek when he replied, “Why don’t you read it and find out?”
A none-too-subtle nudge from the elf let her know his patience had worn thin. He followed her back to her room and closed the door behind her. A shiver coursed down her spine. That was plain creepy .
She paused to see what Loku would add, but the silence only added to the crawling sense of unease that canvased her skin. The warmth from the covers helped chase it away, though, and she started reading about a time when the three kingdoms were engaged in constant warfare. By the end of the first page, her eyes grew heavy, and she remembered nothing after turning the page.
The book was still sitting across her lap when she awoke. Sunlight sparkled along the gold-leaf lettering, giving some levity to the otherwise oppressive weight of the book. Perhaps Callix had been wise recommending the book to her—it certainly put her to sleep. She set it aside and dressed before going downstairs.
From the moment she reached the bottom of the stairs, she felt Callix’s eyes on her. He
Lothmore Palace.
****
The silence was keeping Arden up at night. Or perhaps it was the absence of a familiar presence that let her know she was never alone. Either way, she missed Loku.
A week had passed since Varrik contained the chaos god, locking him away in the deepest part of Arden’s mind where he no longer threatened her. But, in the same respect, she’d become so accustomed to hearing Loku’s endless commentary that she realized with some surprise that she’d been using it as a compass in her life, a measure of where she was in the grand scheme of things and where she should go next. Without him, she had to rely on her own judgment.
Without him, she was lost until she could trust her own bearings.
And she certainly could have used him tonight as she lay in bed trying to unravel the mystery of her father. Varrik hadn’t called her Daughter since the day he contained Loku, which was fine with her because she couldn’t bring herself to call him Father. They still treaded lightly around each other as though they were scared to move too quickly and have the ground shatter from underneath them. But with each lesson, she came away learning a bit more than she had that morning. Each day, he helped her trust her intuition more than the day before. And each interaction left her wondering if she’d be able to put the past behind her and forge a new relationship with him.
Her thoughts swirled around her head until they all ended with even more questions. She threw back the covers and grabbed her robe. Cinder hopped off the bed and followed her to the door. If she wasn’t sleeping, she might as well get a book from the library and try to read.
Arden jumped as Cinder growled in warning.
A cold voice asked from behind her in the hallway, “Going somewhere, Soulbearer?”
She turned to find Callix watching her, the moonlight glittering in his eyes. She wiped her palms on her robe. “Yes, I’m going to the library.”
“Let me accompany you.”
Her heart beat double time as he walked beside her. “Loku, where are you? Why does this guy act like he hates me?”
But no answer came.
Callix opened the door to the library and stepped aside so she could enter first. “Are you looking for something in particular?”
“Just something to occupy my mind.” Her eyes never left him while she backpedaled to the nearest shelf. “Any recommendations?”
The cavernous library held more books than she could ever imagine—even more than the Conclave seemed to have—but Callix wasted no time grabbing a book from a shelf five cases down from her. “Try this.”
She glanced at the title, relieved to recognize the letters. “ A Realm Unleashed . What is it about?”
He closed the space between them until she could feel his breath on her cheek when he replied, “Why don’t you read it and find out?”
A none-too-subtle nudge from the elf let her know his patience had worn thin. He followed her back to her room and closed the door behind her. A shiver coursed down her spine. That was plain creepy .
She paused to see what Loku would add, but the silence only added to the crawling sense of unease that canvased her skin. The warmth from the covers helped chase it away, though, and she started reading about a time when the three kingdoms were engaged in constant warfare. By the end of the first page, her eyes grew heavy, and she remembered nothing after turning the page.
The book was still sitting across her lap when she awoke. Sunlight sparkled along the gold-leaf lettering, giving some levity to the otherwise oppressive weight of the book. Perhaps Callix had been wise recommending the book to her—it certainly put her to sleep. She set it aside and dressed before going downstairs.
From the moment she reached the bottom of the stairs, she felt Callix’s eyes on her. He
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