Brimstone By Callie Hart - 19

LORRETH’S LEATHERS CREAKED as he shifted, staring at the vampire. “I never thought I’d see you again.”

I watched the two males, waiting for the first fist to fly. The way they were looking at each other certainly promised violence. Leaning back against a pillar, Lorreth folded his arms casually in front of his chest. He’d unwound the silver chain that I’d used to restrain the other male, and I hadn’t done anything to stop him. If Lorreth deemed it safe to release him, who was I to say otherwise?

Foley—this stranger with blue-black hair; pale soulful cat eyes; and gold that flashed in his mouth every time he spoke—glowered up at my friend from under drawn brows. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you here , Lorreth. Walking around in the open like you’re on a godscursed vacation.” He spoke the words without emotion, but there was an anger behind them that ran deep. It charged the air, making the hairs on the back of my neck prickle.

Lorreth huffed down his nose, looking down at his boots. “It’s not like I want to be here, brother,” he said.

“If you two aren’t going to draw blood, then I have a cat to find,” Algat sniped. The look she sent me could have killed a dead man twice. “Here. The book that was promised.” She held up the tome with the faded black cloth cover that she had stabbed at me earlier. “I can’t guarantee you’ll find what you’re looking for inside it, but then again, what do I care? I’m here from an hour after dusk until an hour before sunrise. Do not return during those hours. You may peruse the shelves, but do not remove any other books from the library without written consent.”

She held out the book across the reading table. I went to take it, but she snatched it back at the last second. “Do you understand?” She squinted at me through narrowed eyes.

“Do I understand that I’m only permitted to enter the library for an hour in the evening and an hour before dawn? In my own court? Yes, I understand perfectly.”

“Good.” Algat shoved the book at me and left.

As soon as the stooped Lord of Midnight was gone, Foley rose from his seat. “She’s a vampire, Lorreth. She’s wearing Fisher’s dagger like she didn’t have to pry it from his cold, dead hands. And the way you’re angling your body right now tells me you’d stand against me if I went for her throat again.”

Lorreth looked over his shoulder at me, raising both eyebrows in query. “He went for your throat?” he asked.

I shrugged, nodding.

“And you don’t have a mark on you? Impressive.”

Foley made a sound of annoyance. “That really isn’t the point.”

“You must be getting rusty in your old age, Foley. Or perhaps you’re just out of practice because you’ve hidden yourself away in a fucking library of all places.”

The vampire’s hands curled into fists, tension drawing his shoulders up around his ears. “No one comes here,” he said. “No one apart from that old witch. This is the only place I can be without causing friction.”

I held up a hand, laughing quietly. “Uh, I’d say you just caused plenty of friction.”

Foley rounded on me, features drawn into a sneer. “I wasn’t talking to you .”

It happened fast. The chair behind Foley flew into the air and then crashed down onto the reading table. The vampire was lifted off his feet and flung backward. A banner of black streamed across the library, and then Lorreth was holding the vampire out of the hole I had created in the library wall by the front of his shirt.

“You’d be wise to adjust that attitude,” he said.

In a flash, I was at his side. “Lorreth, it’s okay. Pull him back in.”

But Lorreth didn’t obey. “She is a vampire. Half vampire. But she’s also half Fae. And she did not pry that blade from Fisher’s cold dead hand.” He laughed, shaking his head, as if he couldn’t even believe what he was saying himself. “He gave it to her.”

“Bullshit. He would never do that.” The male was angry, yes, but otherwise appeared unconcerned that he was being dangled precariously over the side of the building. “The only reason he would do that was if she was . . .”

Lorreth dipped his head, eyebrows up again. He made a ‘ go on. You’re almost there. Finish the thought ,’ kind of motion with his free hand.

Foley’s eyes darted to me, going wide. “No.” He shook his head. “That’s not true.”

“Isn’t it?” Lorreth scoffed. “Are you telling me you can’t smell him on her from here? It’s been two days since he was here last, and I can still—”

“Excuse me, but I’d prefer it if you didn’t finish that thought. While I’m fairly immune to the judgment of others, I don’t think I can handle my friend gossiping about the fact that I reek of sex right in front of me.”

“So, she’s tricked him, then,” Foley said uncertainly. “She’s found a way to control him. But that doesn’t explain why you’re protecting her like this. She’s the enemy, Lorreth.”

The dark-haired warrior glanced back at me again, a crooked smile taking over his handsome face. “She’s my drinking partner. And since you’re the one who left that spot wide open, you don’t get to complain about someone else filling the role.”

“She’s their queen,” he hissed.

“And apparently, you’re a vampire now, too. But you don’t see me trying to kill you .”

“Really? You’re holding me over a hundred-foot drop!” he cried.

“Ahh. Right.” The warrior snorted sheepishly, pulling in the other male and setting him back down onto his feet. “I’ll rectify that. But don’t think for a second that I won’t launch you back out of that hole if you try to pull anything,” he said.

Foley gave me a wary sidelong glance as he stepped back onto the library’s rug. Clearly, I still wasn’t to be trusted.

Well, the feeling was fucking mutual.

If Lorreth called this male brother, then he was closer than close. Somehow, he was family. But nothing about him made sense. For starters, he was a vampire who hated vampires. I had too many questions to count, and I wanted answers. “You look at me like I’m a monster, but I smell blood on you too, Foley. You’re just like me.”

His eyes glittered with malice as he stalked around the table. “Not so,” he whispered.

“No? Explain yourself, then. How do you know my mate? How is it that you live within this court and yet are not a part of it and not bound by its rules?”

Foley looked to Lorreth, a question on his face. “You’re telling me she is Fisher’s mate, and she doesn’t even know who I am?”

Apparently, Lorreth had decided that the danger had passed and his friend no longer posed a threat. He sat down heavily in a seat at the head of the reading table, holding out a hand and gesturing to me to hand over the book Algat had given to me. I gave it to him. “A lot’s been going on lately,” he said, cracking it open. Frowning down at the pages, he scanned the text on the front page and then began leafing through the book’s subsequent pages. “And I hate to break it to you, brother, but you’ve been gone a long time. We’ve written to you. Sent messengers. Tried to visit. And our attempts to make contact have been rebuffed at every turn. So, no. You haven’t been at the forefront of conversation lately.”

Foley stood at the end of the table, resting his splayed fingertips against its surface. He pondered his words for a long time before he spoke. Not to Lorreth, but to me. The ice had vanished from his tone, but it hadn’t been replaced by anything that resembled warmth. “I didn’t volunteer to become this. My death was taken from me. I’ve since tried to return the ‘gift’ that was given to me a number of times, though I have yet to be successful. I came to Ammontraíeth when I transitioned because there are no living creatures here for me to endanger. Or rather, far fewer warm-blooded folk who might tempt me to give in to my lesser instincts. In answer to your first question, I know your mate ”—he heaped emphasis onto the word, as if he still didn’t quite trust that the information Lorreth had given him was true—“because I once considered him family. He trained me to fight. He saved my life more times than I can count.”

“You saved his life once, too. Remember?” Lorreth interjected.

Foley bowed his head, waving the memory away as if it didn’t matter. “In answer to your second question, I’m not bound by the rules of this court because, as Lorreth said, I’m not a part of it. I’m permitted to exist here at Taladaius’s discretion, but I do not align myself with Sanasroth. If I had my way, I’d kill each and every one of the monsters housed in this black city and watch them turn to ash.”

“I’m honestly surprised that you haven’t done that,” Lorreth mused. He was still buried in the book, his eyes skipping over the text within. “But I’m also surprised that you still feel that way.” Gently, he closed the book and set it down, looking up at his friend. “You’ve been living among them—”

“I’ve been living here, among these books,” he said. “Not among them . I made a promise when I joined the Lupo Proelia. I swore to defend the living against these wretches. I might not have been able to uphold that oath of late. . . .” His cat eyes glowed unnaturally. “But I certainly haven’t broken it.”

Lorreth’s face was unreadable. He met Foley’s gaze, and a lot seemed to pass in the silence between them. It felt like a personal moment. The two males hadn’t seen each other in an age. They had plenty to catch up on, and I wasn’t particularly enjoying the way the vampire’s quick, odd eyes kept flitting to me, as if he were making sure to track my movements.

“I’m going to find somewhere else to be,” I told Lorreth. “I’m gonna be honest. This is pretty awkward. And I don’t feel like being here when they realize where all that debris came from and come to check on the tower.”

Lorreth chuckled, but he held up his hand. “Wait a minute, Saeris. Here. Take this.” He held out the book, its dusty, frayed cover displaying a foiled silver title that I hadn’t noticed before.

Elemental Runes and Their Purposes.

A Comprehensive Guide to Alchemy.

I took it—

“You heard Algat. She forbade you from removing that from the library,” Foley snapped.

I glanced down at the book, then back at the male, smiling coldly. “Just as you aren’t mine to command, I am not hers . She is Keeper of Records. I am queen of all Sanasroth. I’ll take this book and any other I see fit. If she has a problem with that, let her come and tell me so to my face.”

The arrogance didn’t come naturally. It was like new muscle, stubbornly refusing to bear weight, but I wouldn’t be chided by the likes of him. The male snorted, as if he pitied my naivety. He went to speak, but his eyes caught on the title of the book in my hand and flared.

“What do you need with that book?” he demanded.

His eyes simmered with intensity when I met them. Why I needed the book was none of his fucking business. The male had tried to kill me, and I was ninety-nine percent sure he’d still try again, even knowing what he knew about me now. Regardless, Lorreth looked at me like he hoped I would respond in a civil way, and I didn’t want to disappoint him.

I sighed heavily and explained. “I’m an Alchemist. I’m also God-Bound to Fisher. My hands are covered in runes, and I don’t know what they mean or how to control the magic they channel. My power is erratic, hence the giant hole that Lorreth just dangled you out of. So, yes. My life’s pretty complicated right now. And I’ve also been thrust into this world where everyone wants me dead, and—” I frowned, trying to analyze the vampire’s expression. “What? What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You’re an Alchemist.”

“I am.”

“The runes are real.”

“They are.”

“They’re not just tattoos?”

“No. Look, is this going somewhere? Because I have a forge to get to.”

“When was the last time you slept?”

I blinked at the unexpected change in questioning. “I’m sorry?”

“Alchemists required a lot of sleep to regulate their power. Their bodies needed rest in order to tap into their magic effectively. You look like you haven’t rested in weeks.”

“Wow. Thanks. ” The vampire sure had a way with words. My skin was porcelain these days, pale and flawless. There were no bags under my eyes. My eyes were bright. Personally, I thought I looked pretty good for someone who had just been through hell and back, but according to Foley, I looked like shit. He must have been able to read my annoyance on my face, because he averted his eyes, dipping his chin—the closest I was going to get to an apology, I presumed.

“When I first transitioned, I didn’t sleep, either,” he admitted. I got the feeling this wasn’t something he enjoyed talking about a great deal. “My body didn’t feel tired. I was . . . restless. That’s how it goes for some people. But rest is important even for vampires. I learned the hard way that the consequences can be dire if you don’t rest the body and the mind.”

Restless. That was precisely how I felt. I couldn’t seem to sit still. “And how am I supposed to make myself sleep if my body simply won’t let me?” I asked.

“I don’t know what will work for you,” he replied. “I found I had to enter a trance state to trick my body into it at first. That helped.”

“A trance state? How did you manage that ?” My mind was so loud. There were five trains of thought careening through my head at all times. The very idea of trying to quiet them enough to enter a trance was laughable.

“Find a focal point and fix your gaze to it,” Foley said. “Try to hear nothing but what is happening in the room around you. Let your eyes lose focus. Drift.” He spread his fingers, palm up. “It isn’t easy to accomplish. But mastery of the mind is a pursuit worthy of queens and peasants alike. And an especially worthy pastime for an Alchemist. Some magics are reflexive. They come to a person automatically, like breathing. But an Alchemist’s magic can only be harnessed.”

A brightness had come to him. A spark of interest in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. It opened his features. Made him look younger. Less angry.

I was going to ask the question, but Lorreth got there first. Leaning across the table toward his friend, he said, “We hoped you might remember information about the Alchemists. From your grandfather.”

The vampire smiled for the first time since he had tackled me to the ground. When I was human, I probably wouldn’t have been able to see the engraved swirls on the gold that plated his canines, but my senses had improved significantly of late. The pattern was intricate and beautiful. It was hard not to stare at them. “I learned from him, yes. But as I told you a moment ago, I’ve spent the past thousand years with only these books and the stars for company. I know them all like the backs of my hands.”

“Will you help us, then?” Lorreth was a measured male. He kept his emotions in check at the best of times, but now he seemed to be guarding them extra closely. It was almost as if he didn’t want Foley to know how badly we needed guidance. “Can you help us figure out how to seal her runes?”

I resented having to ask the male for anything at all, given the stunt he’d just pulled, but Foley was the first person we had come across in all of Yvelia who knew anything about the Alchemists and their magic. And if I didn’t get help soon, something bad was going to happen. I could feel it in my bones.

“If you do know how to seal these things,” I said, holding up my hands, “providing a little guidance would go a long way toward making up for the fact that you just tried to snap my neck.”

The vampire’s expression implied he didn’t really feel bad about what had transpired and didn’t care about making it up to me, either. But he inclined his head, wearing a stiff smile. “Anything for Kingfisher’s mate.”

“Great. Let’s get to work, then. The sooner I can close off the magic pouring into these—”

“Sleep first,” he said. “Without rest, you won’t be able to accomplish anything at all. And besides, I need time to collate the knowledge I’ve acquired over the years. I must track down numerous titles and crosscheck information—”

“But you saw what I just did to the wall! What if I destroy an entire wing of the palace next?”

“You won’t destroy anything. You’ll be asleep. ”

He was firm in his answer, but I tried one last time, just in case. “Foley—”

“You are not my queen.” There was no hate in this now. Only resolve. “I will help you, but not now. Your body might not feel it, but your control is clearly weak,” he said, gesturing to the gaping hole in the stonework on the other side of the library. “I’m only half sure of the steps we need to take, and I don’t know about you, but any situation I have entered into tired and uninformed has never gone well. So you should sleep, and I should read. Those are the only conditions under which I will help you in this.”

“Still stubborn as a mule, then,” Lorreth said. He grunted, getting to his feet. “Glad to see that hasn’t changed, at least. He is right, though, Saeris. If resting will give you a better chance of controlling your magic come evening tomorrow, then I can’t see the hurt in it. It’s just one more day.”

This was worse than when Elroy had refused to teach me how to make weapons until I’d mastered the art of making glass. The old man’s words damn near rang in my ears even now.

“Until you learn how to be gentle, I will not teach you how to be violent.”

There had been sense in his approach; I’d been too eager to construct the method of my revenge against Madra and her guardians. I had been reckless and foolish back then and liable to get myself killed doing something stupid. But learning how to blow and manipulate the glass Elroy was known for had taught me patience. Ish.

“All right. Fine. First thing tomorrow evening, then. I’ll be back here just as dusk is settling,” I conceded.

Foley nodded. “Make sure you get that sleep . . . Saeris ,” he said, trying out my name for the first time. “I’ll know you’re lying if you don’t.”