Page 13 of Somnium

“I have indeed.”

Cadi opened her mouth, but a sudden pinch in her gut made her hesitate. She couldn’t believe she was actually about to ask this, but she couldn’t temper the growing need to understand.

“How does that work? I mean is it not weird at all? Working for him?”

Sera tilted her head, her tone laced with what seemed like feigned ignorance. “Elias? Why would it be weird?”

Cadi sighed; She was beginning to think Sera was enjoying this. It was clear the woman had no intention of making this easy, so Cadi was just going to have to come right out and say it.

“Because of his history with the Order.”

Sera shrugged, a slow smile curving her lips as she reached for a handful of grapes, then deftly tossed them into her mouth one at a time.

“Nah. I’ve known the kid long enough that I’ve learned to tune out his brooding and he pretty much lets me do my own thing.”

Cadi lifted her brows at Sera’s casual use of the word “kid” when describing Elias. Between the two of them, Cadi had assumed Elias was older, with Sera’s features betraying nothing about her age. Not a line or shadow was anywhere to be seen, almost as if her face had been carved by the gods themselves.

Maybe she should ask about her skin care routine next.

Sera’s voice pulled her back to the table. “He’s really not as bad as they make him out to be, you know.”

Cadi’s eyes met Sera’s, her brows drawing tight in question.

“Sure, he’s annoying as hell and some nights I wanna set him on fire, but he’s a good dude. He knows what he stands for, and I respect that.”

Cadi smiled, unsure of how to respond. From the small bits she had seen of him at the bar the other night, he didn’t exactly give the “dangerous rabble rouser” vibes that Zoe and the others had implied, and if Sera’s assessment was any indication, it seemed safe for her to assume that there was the Elias she knew, and the one the Order hated.

She took another sip of wine, irritated to find that she now had even more questions than when she’d started, and her curiosity was not even close to sated. Her thoughts were quickly interrupted, however, when Sera held out her phone to proudly show her the image of a massive black dog playfully exposing its belly. Cadi gasped, snatching the phone from Sera’s hand to admire the creature.

Her questions could wait. This was far more important.

4

CHAPTER FOUR

CADI

The soft brush of nylon over stone filled the sacristy, the gentle sound creating a hypnotic effect that seemed to magically ease the constant chatter buzzing through Cadi’s mind. It had been almost two weeks since the night at The Crow’s Nest, and ever since she hadn’t been able to stem her curiosity about Elias Masterson and his history with the Order, particularly what would drive someone to leave in such a dramatic and public fashion. She hadn’t been able to get her mind to stop sorting through every possible explanation.

That was, until now. There was something about the structured repetition of temple duty that had allowed her mind to finally relax. Now, if only she could figure out a way to feel this level of peace when it came time to clean her apartment.

Her first official shift as a temple attendant had been busy, yet shockingly simple. The head attendant, who had insisted that Cadi call her Polly, had greeted her with so much enthusiasm Cadi briefly wondered if she and Zoe were related. They reviewed the list of tasks together: restocking candles, steaming acolyte robes, and sweeping floors before Polly had gently shooed her out the door to get started.

Over the next hour, Cadi had slowly started to feel more confident navigating the winding corridors, and even had started to gain a loose understanding of the Order’s hierarchy. As she expected, attendants sat firmly at the bottom with three ranking tiers, the lowest being third tier. First tier attendant was as high as someone could climb without being Dedicated, at which point they were granted the title of third tier acolyte and the whole ranking system started over.

As much as she hated to admit it, being a temple attendant really did have its advantages. The Somnium following the first one she had gone to with Zoe had been a complete blur, and while she felt more comfortable with the ritual aspect now that she knew what to expect, getting the deeper dive into the inner workings of the Order scratched an itch that simple attendance didn’t quite satisfy. There were so many things that she still didn’t fully understand, not only about Somnium, but the other members of the Order. Before Sera had whisked them off to Bacchus last week, Cadi had watched several people weave through the crowd to hand out what appeared to be handmade jewelry. She’d made a mental note to find them when she had the chance to get a closer look at their offering.

It felt good to be meeting new people and learning so much. Even if she still wasn’t fully sold on everything.

A long sigh cut through the silence and Cadi’s respite, pulling her attention to the far side of the room where Celine leaned back against the cupboards, her unused broom resting next to her with a nonchalance that made Cadi’s blood boil. Cadi rolled her eyes, stooping down to gather up the pile of debris and carefully tip it into the waste basket.

Temple duty itself wasn’t bad, but being partnered with Celine already had her contemplating violence. The woman was so lazy she made slugs look motivated, and ever since the night at The Crow’s Nest, her demeanor toward Cadi had completely changed. Now it seemed that every comment was greeted with some sort of biting remark. Apparently, her hospitality had been reserved for when she thought Cadi wasn’t a permanent fixture.

Cadi had struggled to suppress a groan when Polly told her who she would be working with on a weekly basis. It seemed that, for some reason, Celine’s partners kept asking to switch.

Shocking.

The echo of hurried footsteps carried down the hall to the sacristy, and a moment later, Polly appeared in the doorway. Her round face was splotched red, her chest rising and falling quickly as she worked to steady her breaths. Even so, her bright smile remained firmly in place.