If he let it, the pain would become a gaping chasm inside him, pushing him off the edge of sanity and straight into madness. There was no telling what he’d do if that happened. If he lost control and allowed the despair to take over. A man with his power? It wasn’t a far leap to fear the worst.
A small shudder slid down his spine at the thought of losing control. Not just because of the irrevocable damage he would inevitably do, but because of what it would take to send him there. If Lucian gave in to the violence begging to be unleashed, it meant that Effie was gone.
Forever.
And if that was the case, no one would be able to stop him from tearing Elysia apart. That was no metaphorical threat. As a Guardian, he could weave together the strands of life, but so too could he break them. It would take less effort than releasing a sigh. With his power fully unchecked, Lucian could unmake the world.
“Guardian?”
From the exasperation fused into the title, it was clear that was not the first time Quin had called him.
Lucian was frozen on the second to last stair, his foot suspended in the air mid-step. Clearing his throat, Lucian cleared the last of the stairs and stepped to the side, making room for Quin to do the same.
Trinity was eyeing him, doing nothing to conceal the curiosity in her gaze. Lucian ignored it. Let her wonder. If she managed to stumble upon the nightmares that consumed him, she was welcome to them. Lucian sure as shit didn’t want them.
He scanned the narrow hallway jutting off from the landing they were standing on. It had been decades since he’d last had reason to come to Val’don. So far, the hidden city was as unremarkable as it was unfamiliar. But the only constant in life was change, so that did not surprise him.
“I don’t remember this area from my last visit,” Lucian murmured when he felt both siblings’ eyes on him.
“Val’don is like a hive. We are constantly extending its reach.”
Lucian nodded.
“This is one of the back entrances to the city itself. Go to the right; it will lead you to the residential wings by way of the dining hall.”
“And the left?” Lucian asked, although given the Councilman’s earlier orders he already had a pretty good idea.
“The left will lead us to the gaol.”
Lucian felt his body tense, but managed to keep his face impassive. He knew Effie would have to be kept somewhere secure and guarded, but she was not a criminal. Not really.
“Let’s go,” he said finally, feeling a muscle tick in his jaw.
This time, Quin took the lead. Trinity was just behind Lucian, almost at his side, as if she was walking beside a friend and not escorting a potential threat. Any other time, Lucian might have appreciated the effort.
Ignoring his guards, Lucian focused on creating a mental map. He would need to know how to make it back here on his own. From the little Lucian could see, this part of Val’don was more bunker than city. The walls and floors were the same muted gray, illuminated only by a string of lights that ran along the ceiling. As he watched, one of the lights brightened to a blinding white before flickering twice and dimming back to the soft orange of the others. Squinting, he tried to identify the source of the light.
“Star motes,” Trinity murmured. Lucian’s expression must have conveyed his lack of recognition because she added, “In ancient times, it was believed that the glowing motes were fragments of fallen stars. Now we know that they are just small bugs with the ability to light themselves up once the sun sets. The mirrors provide more than enough illumination during the day, and the star motes take over at night.”
“How do the creatures stay alive if they are confined?”
Quin’s answering grin shone with pride. “One of our more intricate advancements.”
Lucian raised a brow, shifting Effie in his arms.
“Impulse based translocation.”
Lucian blinked.
“Transverse orientation?” Quin tried again.
Lucian stared.
Flushing slightly, Quin explained, “It’s similar to the atmospheric replication we use in the city proper, but on a much smaller more nuanced scale.”
Fluent in over seventeen languages—many long since obsolete—Lucian had no clue what the other man was blathering about. It sounded like he was just stringing random words together.
“We found a way to use their natural instincts to our benefit.”
“Why didn’t you just say that to begin with?”
“I thought I did,” the other man mumbled.
Trinity jumped in. “The star motes are drawn to the orbs. We were able to recreate the atmospheres found within their nests. Once the sun goes down, it emits a powerful pheromone that helps the star motes find their way home.”
“Why would they need help when light literally shines out of their asses?”
“They’re blind,” Quin answered as if it was obvious.
“Go figure.” Lucian shook his head. “Alright, so you trick them into believing your orbs are their nests in order to light up your hallways at night.”
Quin rubbed the back of his neck. “Basically.”
“And during the day?”
“They come and go as they please. It’s a perfectly harmless process.”
Lucian wasn’t sure manipulating creatures into believing they were home when they were actually enslaved was really harmless, but it wasn’t his place to say. Mind snagging on something else that Quin said, Lucian asked, “And this is what you call atmospheric replication?”
Quin and Trinity nodded.
“You use it throughout Val’don?”
“Exactly. The earth was never meant to be inhabited in this way, at least not this deep below its surface. Our ancestors had to find a way to modify it so that our people could safely survive down here. That meant purifying the air and water, filtering out any harmful substances and increasing the amount of those we need, ensuring that the nutrients we needed to grow food were present in the appropriate amounts, and so forth . . .” Quin trailed off, looking uncomfortable under the intensity of Lucian’s stare.
“And in all this time the land has never rebelled?” Lucian asked, impressed despite himself. He knew better than anyone the amount of magic required to make something resist its own nature.
“It might be easier to understand if we show you. Perhaps tomorrow?” Quin offered.
Lucian nodded his agreement immediately. “Yes, I think I would like to see how you’ve managed this feat.”
There was an undercurrent of awareness that had pushed itself to the surface during the man’s explanation. Lucian was practically vibrating with the force of it. Instinct informed almost all of his decisions; he would not ignore its pull now. He’d come here hoping for asylum, yes, but also for answers.
Somehow, the people of the Vale held the key, and Lucian wasn’t leaving until he had it.
Chapter 9
“Here we are,” Quin said, standing outside a twelve-by-twelve cell.
A low growl sounded in Lucian’s throat before he could stifle it. Three of the four walls were encased in jagged stone, the fourth was made of metal bars the size of his wrist. While its stone floors were surprisingly clean and it was larger than he expected, within it there was nothing save a bucket and a coarse-looking blanket.