“You recognize this.”
Faust remained silent.
Footsteps banged down the hallway and two sharp raps hit the door before the person continued through the hallway.
“We’re being boarded. I need to hide you,” Cian said.
“Hide me?” Faust asked.
Cian wove through the stacks and shoved a few trunks aside, snapping his fingers.
Something clicked and bolts unlocked under the wooden floorboards. Faust stared as a block of the floor popped up and slid to the side, revealing a large hold.
Cian motioned to Faust. “There’s a small window and rations in there. You shouldn’t have to hide there for long.”
The space made his skin crawl.
“Please, Rath.”
Faust took a deep breath and climbed down into the space, pleased to see a bunch of journals, chests, and clothing.
“You can go through anything you want in there, but when you hear knights nearby, remain quiet, all right?”
Faust nodded. It wasn’t like he had a choice, and he didn’t want to be caught. That wasn’t an option.
Cian moved away for a moment, and the sounds of a trunk opening echoed. Cian returned with a blanket and some small pillows. “These should help you be more comfortable.”
Faust caught them and sat on a trunk, looking up at Cian. His heart pounded, his nerves jarring at the thought of being locked in a room. He had no good memories of such a thing.
Cian hesitated. “Do you want me to stay with you?”
Faust wasn’t certain. Cian was a stranger Faust shouldn’t trust. “It would look suspicious if you did.”
“It won’t be long. I promise.” Cian kneeled. “Please trust me.”
Faust took a shaky breath and gave a brief nod.
Cian closed the hatch.
The hatch locked in place, and Faust flinched. The trunks thudded atop it, sealing the space. He rubbed at the stone in his hand, staring at the small window. The light filtering through the translucent cover spread thinly over his surroundings, but it did nothing to calm his nerves.
Chapter Five
Faust waited for Cian to stop rummaging around the study above his head before taking in his darkened surroundings. His skin was icy under his fingertips as his eyes adjusted to the dim light of the hold.
Piles of clothing covered a small stack of journals, but most of the room contained trunks of various sizes and designs. Some even looked like they belonged to royalty.
He arranged the blanket and pillows in an open corner, longing for Ignas’s piles of comfortable pillows.
Faust picked through the clothing, finding some were roughly his size and in the same fashion he wore. He set the clothing aside in favor of going through the journals, hoping to find something interesting to pass the time. Qinn’s familiar handwriting scrawled over the pages. He moved the stack of journals to a small pile of pillows and stretched his leg out.
Most of the journals he encountered in the first stack spoke of Qinn’s undying loyalty to Linos, but one spoke of Qinn’s hardships. The people ostracized Qinn early in his life, blaming the death of his family on Qinn’s inability to control his strong and volatile magic.
Faust ran his fingertips over the smudged ink. This tore at Qinn.
A drop of water fell to the journal.
Faust touched his face, surprised by the tears. He wiped them away, and closed the journal, grabbing another. It held more notes about Qinn’s time with Linos and the deity’s endless sense of adventure and fun. He read through the entries with a bit of happiness fluttering in his chest.
I expected no one to accept me for what I was. Linos did not fear me. At first, I thought it was because he didn’t understand, but then he said I was the one Alimphis favored, that the wind liked me. I didn’t know others could hear the voice like I could. Linos kept coming back after that, always with the wind. I thought he’d stop seeing me, but he kept showing up. He announced that I was to live with him in the castle. I wasn’t royalty. I thought there was no way they’d let me, but they did.
Linos was forward like Aris, and that amused Faust. Once Aris decided to do something, it would be done.
Living in the castle around people who feared me was strange. Linos always guided me to the forest to have fun. It was strange not having to worry about catching my food every day, too. Linos helped me with my magic and even gave me a set of stones in the shape of polished diamonds. They were the first gift I’d ever received. It moved me more than I thought it would. We set out after that to play hide-and-seek like Linos loved. I’ll never stop hearing his laughter whenever I go into a forest. I’ll never tire of hearing his joy.
Linos was a bright light in Qinn’s life. Faust could read these entries for hours, reminded of his own feisty Linos, who demanded to be called Aris. He touched his chest over the Mark of Linos. By Alimphis, he wanted Aris at his side.
Faust peeked out the curtain, but not a lot of time had passed. He probably had time to browse another journal before they inspected this room. He picked one last journal.
It detailed the fight to win Qinn as an official consort. Vasil didn’t participate, and neither did Sortiris. Faust hadn’t expected that, especially after the looks Vasil sent him. He continued to read. It listed Emoris’s, Lathil’s, and Linos’s initial attempts to court Qinn. The deities pulled different colored ribbons from a bag to see who would go first. Lathil won the first try, but it didn’t appear to end well.
Faust read the conclusion slowly, his hands sweaty along the leather binding. He didn’t know what he’d do if Qinn held feelings for Lathil.
I cannot be with Lathil no matter how much he wants me. His ability will never allow me to remain out of his control. It will tear at him until he can no longer handle the battle. I cannot do that to him. He has accepted Mihail as his consort, calling off our courtship after several months of trying. One day, I hope I can help Lathil bury his ability and start anew. At least Emoris doesn’t seem to share the problem. I will give Emoris the same chance I gave Lathil, but Emoris has someone who loves him more than I ever could. I hope one day Emoris will see that.
Faust read the passage again. He frowned, thinking back to the strange vision he’d had of Emoris. There seemed to be something wrong with Emoris, but there shouldn’t have been anything wrong with Lathil. The deity never let off that kind of air.
Loud bickering drifted closer, and hurried footsteps echoed from the hallway.
Faust tensed, curling in on himself, his eyes on the ceiling of the hold. Cian’s light footsteps moved closer to the door, and Faust swore he heard the cocking of a gun. He’d heard the sound enough around Ignas to recognize it.
A harsh knock resounded a moment later.
“Open up, Cian,” Gawain’s voice echoed. “They want to check every room.”
Cian huffed but unlocked the door.
Faust huddled close to the wall.
“See? Just Cian, like I told you,” Gawain said.
“I will look through the whole room,” Marc spat.
Faust covered his mouth, remaining as still as possible when heavy boots thudded above his head. They stopped so closely, Faust’s hand twitched on reflex to grasp magic.