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I did not startle, sensing that Roccurem had appeared behind me even though the air did not stir with his entrance. I often wondered where he went when he was not here, but I assumed he might venture through the world after being contained for so long.
“Your father would sketch his visions as well.”
I rubbed at the slight stubble on my chin. “Good friends, were you?”
“No, I merely watched over him.”
I closed the journal, placing it back inside my council garbs.
“The halls are quiet,” Roccurem said, sitting to my right. “It is always quiet before a storm, I suppose.”
“And what storms have you seen?” I asked, leaning my elbows on the polished surface of the table.
“Many, my liege. Many. Ones made of spears of ice so cold it cracks skin and freezes blood. In some, the rain is so strong it can crumble buildings. In others, fire and ash engulf the world. All real, all possible, all dangerous.”
“My father spoke of you and your brethren, you know? When I was a boy. Fates shape the tendrils of destiny, time even. A whisper on the winds of catastrophes to come, but I didn’t believe it. I knew you also saw peace, rebirth, life, and death.”
Roccurem only stared at me, not seeming even to breathe.
“I also remember reading about those who could whisper what was to come in dreams. Over and over until the recipient understood, until they got it. A whisper to those they wished to influence.”
If Roccurem ever smiled, I never saw it, but the slight twitch of his lips told me all I needed to know.
“My liege, such powers as those would be outlawed and forbidden. It is not my place to interfere. I merely watch, maybe even suggest.”
“Why did my father lock you away? Was it for your safety, or was he using you for something else?” I asked, holding his gaze.
“You ask questions as if you don’t trust the one who made you.”
“I ask questions because it is possible I already know the answers, and I want to see if you would lie to me.”
The mist near Roccurem shifted, bent as if he were preparing to leave. Or maybe a fate could feel anger.
“Your father saved me from one who was very unkind. One who slaughtered and manipulated my brethren for their gain. Locked away is a mortal term meaning confinement. He protected me as he has done for you and many others. I owe him a debt, and I intend to pay it.”
I sat up straighter. “What debt?”
The council doors opened, and Logan strode in dressed in his council attire, the inky black and gold coat flaring behind him.
“There you are. I have been looking for you. You’re needed in Yejedin. They found something.”
I was on my feet a moment later, striding toward him. I didn’t bother to look back, knowing Roccurem was already gone.
* * *
My feet touched the ground outside the palace, the roaring in my head easing. I walked the stone bridge path, the weight on my shoulders feeling lighter with each step closer to her. Feminine laughter filtered through the open front door, filling the palace with warmth, making it something akin to a home. My power reached for her, seeking her warmth and the connection between us.
I paused in the hall, the curtains blowing in the wind near me. I closed my eyes, listening for a moment, afraid it would stop if they knew I was there. She would stop. I’d wished for Dianna to laugh again, and hearing it now was music to my soul. What a beautiful sound. If only the gods could bottle it up, I’d get drunk off of it every night.
A glass shattered, cutting off their laughter, and I was in the kitchen in the next second.
Imogen stood with her hands clamped over her mouth, her eyes sparkling. Neverra’s grin was so wide it had to be making her face hurt. Dianna’s dark hair spilled over her shoulder as she bent down, picking up the broken pieces of glass. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. She didn’t need dresses or gowns like the goddesses I used to fawn over. Her simple sleeping clothes made me forget why I had come in here.
“Samkiel.”
Neverra’s voice snapped me out of my daze. I tore my gaze from Dianna and cleared my throat.
Neverra and Imogen wore similar sleeping attire, and I realized it was still early. The plates on the island were piled with stacks of crepes. The same ones she had made for me so long ago, and I realized Dianna had cooked. She had not done that in so very, very long.
