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  "Which is a bad thing, Keeper!" Galax roared. "I nearly killed Calycanthus because I couldn't keep it in check."

  It was the boy's following words that had the Prince calm down instantly. "You love her." Although it was a statement and not a question, Calycanthus sounded surprised nonetheless. Frowning in sadness, Galax rubbed his chest when it felt like his heart was breaking all over again, like it had numerous times ever since he'd come to find out Solis had been kidnapped. Datura and Calycanthus stared at him in silence.

  "I do." Galax sat back down in the armchair, his head falling into his palms as he mutely cried over her loss.

  * * * *

  Chapter 7

  Solenum Everhart

  Once my wits had returned to me, Digitalis made sure they wouldn't remain. He pulled the sack off my head, revealing miles and miles of ice around us. Corium Desert. Thankfully, we were inside some sort of vehicle, the heater turned on full force. He hadn't said anything, just pinched my nose to force my mouth open then hooked a finger between my lips once I realized he was trying to make me drink something. He managed to make me swallow down maybe two times, which apparently was enough since about five minutes later I was knocked out cold. The moment I stirred, he'd repeat the same action.

  The second time I woke and he began the process of giving me more of the liquid that drowned me into slumber land, I'd been able to scan my eyes around the area quickly. What I'd seen was a city in ruins. It looked bombed and although normally such a description would lead me to think of something ugly, instead it was beautiful. The architecture of the buildings was very delicate and detailed. There were half broken windows decorated with beautiful engravings, the bricked walls carrying a different pattern each time. And everything was blue. Or at least, the buildings were of an ivory color and because everything was partly sunk into bright sapphire water with the moonlight bouncing off it, the ivory glowed a soft azure.

  The vehicle was parked on a barge made out of white wood and floating gently through the drowned city. It was Seputus Civis, or the Sunken City; a place that used to belong to the Palliums long, long ago. It had been taken from them; forcing them leave and move to Iodin City. Much like how they’d been forced to leave Iodin City and re-base themselves in Cobalt City today. This place had been abandoned for generations.

  Third time I woke and Digitalis uncovered my vision for a short moment, I saw a forest. There were massive trees in both height and width. Their bark was a light beige and the leaves an icy blue. I was in Regius territory, the Wastelands of Xenon. The trees were so similar to one another it was said you always got lost when you entered Immortalis Silva. Except when you knew where you were going.

  I didn't fight Digitalis as he forced me to swallow the tranquilizer, simply laying back down into the passenger seat before my body was taken over by sleep again. I don't know how many hours separated the short moments where I'd been awake, but the fourth time I stirred, he didn't make me swallow down the liquid and neither did he pull the sack off my face. The vehicle’s movement stopped; I figured we'd arrived.

  Next thing I knew, Digitalis, or I assumed it was Digitalis, manhandled me out of the vehicle. It wasn't that I wasn't cooperating, I mean, truly, what could I possibly do? I had no idea where I was and I was high from the many tranquilizers. Moreover, Digitalis wasn't someone you chose as your opponent without a weapon at the ready. Actually, he wasn't the kind of opponent you took on with weapon, period.

  Manhandling was needed, as I couldn't feel my limbs anymore, they were still partly asleep. It felt like millions of ants were crawling under my skin. Being high, I couldn't stop the giggle from escaping me when the assassin forced me to walk on tickling feet.

  Digitalis spoke. "You are the worst kidnapped victim in history." If it weren't for Acacia's murder and the consequences that followed, I would have said his voice sounded nice. It was soft and surprisingly gentle. "Why are you laughing?"

  "My feet are asleep." I told him honestly.

  "Keep walking."

  "Alright." I agreed, not wanting to oppose him. "But you're the one that drugged me." I reminded him in a slur. Was my tongue bigger than usual?

  "I shall stop speaking now." Ignoring him as he was me, I tried my very best to keep in mind that this situation may be the last I would ever find myself in. But whatever substance he'd used to keep me docile was also affecting my attention span and whatever it was inside of me that normally made me able to fear something. The drug had muted my very keen sense of danger I’d often wanted to get rid of, and the very small part in my brain that could understand I was being guided into the Regius base and that I should be scared, was missing that sense terribly.

  Digitalis' hand closed firmly around my shoulder, keeping me up while pushing me forward. As my head was still covered, I had no idea where I was going.

  "I'd appreciate it if you made sure-" I paused, trying to remember the words. Being intelligent was so hard right now. "That I don't walk into a wall." I finished uncertainly, not sure what I'd wanted to ask anymore.

  "You are really in no position to make demands."

  "Why am I not afraid of you like I normally am?"

  "It is because of the tranquilizer I gave you." Or maybe it was because now that he'd spoken to me and I'd heard his voice, he just wasn't as terrifying as he'd appeared in my mind. "If you are trying to humanize me in your thoughts, I suggest you stop. Just because I do not sound like a murderer and am polite, doesn't mean I’m not one." He guided me to some place specific, I could tell because he turned me at some point, ordering me to stay where I was before slipping his hands off my shoulders.

  Stretching my hands outwards to feel if anything was close by, he spoke again. "And now we are going to wake you up." A surprised shriek escaped me as cold hard water hit me straight in the stomach, making me fall backwards onto tiled ground.

  Screaming out in pain, I clenched my hands into fists as the water soaked me to the bone. The harsh spray was definitely not that of a shower; this was the kind you used on cars. Once Digitalis deemed me awake and clean, he stopped the water. I sighed in relief, letting myself drop down flat on my back as I tried to breathe properly. My muscles were numb now because of the cold water, but I was indeed wide awake.

  He pulled the sack off my face roughly, the back of my head connecting painfully onto the tiles beneath me. I winced, but didn't make a sound.

  "Get up." His voice was less gentle now. Managing somewhat unstably with shallow breathing due to the previous pressure on my sternum, I blinked my eyes as I tried to get used to the harsh white light coming from the many ceiling lamps, standing on shaky legs. Digitalis was nut a few steps away from me, his eyes curiously scanning me while I took in my surroundings.

  It looked medical. The room was clean with very white lights but no windows. There were six shiny tables. They were lined up next to one another on my right; a big large double door in front of me appeared to be made out of plastic and an exact replica of those were also behind me. On my left, there was another long metal table with instruments on them. They weren't medical instruments, but weapons: many, many knives of all sizes, shackles, burners, wrenches, hammers, and possibly gardening tools.

  "If you listen to what I say, we might not need to use those on you." The dozing state I'd been in earlier had played tricks on my mind. He hadn't seemed that dangerous, or felt scary. Now though...

  He had a dark blue transparent veil covering the lower part of his face and his sapphire hair was tied back in a tight ponytail. His eyes were a different kind of blue from Galax’s. All of his blue tones were different; Galax's were soothing while Digitalis' were sharp and cold. His clothing was strange. The mixture of the short tight vest above the long loose shirt, it was almost like a dress, but too short to be one. The pants underneath made the outfit more masculine, but because of his knee high boots, it made it so that if nobody told you Digitalis was a man, you wouldn’t be able to guess at first glance. His clothes, haircut and the veil
made it harder to identify him. But when you stood close by, you’d notice the square and strong jawline, the broad shoulders that weren't fake underneath the metal pads sticking out from the vest. He had a very lean waist, practically no hips, making him triangular shaped.

  "What do you want with me?" I couldn't help but ask. "I have nothing to give you. If you wanted me dead, you could have just done so back in Lithium Village or in Cobalt City." The disgust in my tone was not hidden.

  "I am following orders. Kidnapping is not in my job description." He murmured. "You may try and ask the Steward that question, but I wouldn't recommend it. He is not known for his kindness, even among the Regius." A shiver ran down my spine. I was to meet Xania Reinhardt?

  Feeling the need to pretend I wasn't scared, I said. "Because you are?"

  He looked confused by this. "No, I am not." It's as though he thought me silly for even suggesting that. "But you mean nothing to me. I don't care one way or another. Acacia Jacoby on the other hand..." He closed his eyes, an intimate smile playing on his lips that I truly just wanted to rip off. "She's another story altogether, but we know the end to that one, so let’s not retell." My body tensed when he unhooked the short sword from the belt hanging low on his hips, letting the hilt nestle in his palm as he showed it to me. While the blade was a simple metal, the hilt had intricate detailing, steel shaped into thin and delicate strings and swirls encasing the hand of the person who wielded it.

  “I named it Aster.” Digitalis said, the shock I felt not hidden from him, as there was no way I could keep it smothered. “Your mother is the only victim who managed to wound me back.” He turned the weapon over carefully in his hand. “She was a good warrior. Impressive and ruthless.” Pushing the blade back into the belt loop, he then proceeded in unbuttoning the top two buttons of his vest, revealing some skin to me, and with that, a large scar.

  “With the weapon that belonged to her; its name was Alia, Pallium for 'other'. I didn’t understand how true that was until this very blade scarred me.” He closed his vest then, his dark azure eyes fixing on me. “Your mother was like no other. After I took her life, I kept the weapon and named it to honor her.”

  While I’d initially felt fright and sadness wash over me as he’d begun to talk about my mother, I only felt anger and rage now, trying to keep it down and controlled, hoping it wouldn’t burst free as I was smart enough to know I couldn't take him on.

  “You look like her.” I detected a hint of discomfort in his tone, my appearance obviously unsettling him. "But you have your father's eyes."

  He turned around then, walking out of the same doors we'd entered through. At least, from what my orientation told me where we had come from. As soon as the doors closed, the double doors behind me opened, not leaving me any time to recover from my meeting with Zinc’s most feared assassin. I spun around to see who was coming in but slipped, as the floor was still wet beneath my feet. Being dizzy and still trying to kick off some remnants of the tranquilizer probably didn't help.

  I fell painfully on my back and opened my eyes carefully as I shook my head, hoping the black spots in my vision would fade. Once it did, I managed to focus on the face of a woman looking down at me curiously. Her long blue hair spilled over her shoulders like a curtain.

  "Hello." Her voice was like crystal. Her slitted eyes were blue, of course, and her skin naturally pale as a Regius. She was clothed with layers of soft sapphire silk wrapping around her like a loose dress, a thin golden cord tied around her waist to show off her hip line. A similar gold cord was tied around her forehead with a single blue bead centered between her brows. She looked to be in her early thirties. "My name is Maya Meek."

  "Solenum Everhart." My voice sounded rough as the previous hardships done to my body were settling in, leaving me battered. She pursed her lips, offering me a delicate looking hand with long nails painted blue to help me up on my feet.

  "You're still dosed. You wouldn't be this polite if you weren't."

  I raised an eyebrow at that. "Would you rather I scream in fear? Show my frustration with the situation? Perhaps get angry at everyone and everything that comes close to me?" I huffed. "I'm not an idiot. I get that I'm fucked and I know one of you will hurt me if I don't cooperate. Not that I'm going to cooperate when it comes to telling any secrets." I gave a stubborn look. "But I'm definitely not going to get manhandled with tranquilizers every second of the day." Her monotone expression formed into a grimace before she nodded and turned on her heel.

  "Follow me." She said simply and I did as asked, because again I realized, what else could I do?

  She led me through the double doors, revealing a long and fancy hallway. I'd thought I'd been in a medical facility, or a hospital of sorts in the previous room, but this looked like a castle worthy of royalty. We were walking on a long blue carpet, chandeliers hanging from the ceiling with burning candles in them. Metal armor was lining the walls on either side and as they weren't moving, I assumed they were empty. They were polished brightly; my reflection appearing every time I walked past one.

  "Are we underground?" I asked Maya. Her long hair was swaying back and forth as she walked at a relaxed pace through the endless hallway. There was the occasional gap in the lined up armory, giving space for a door here and there, probably leading to rooms. Rooms I'd never see the inside off, I was sure.

  "Partly." She answered softly, never turning her head to look at me. "I am bringing you to the conservatory."

  "I thought I was to meet Xania." I bumped into her when she suddenly stopped walking. She wasn't as fragile as she looked, as she didn't even so much as lose her balance.

  Turning around, she fixed her blue gaze on my yellow one. "You need to meet someone else before." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "But you must keep it a secret. If he finds out I disobeyed his orders, I will pay a harsh price."

  Before she could start walking again, I grabbed her elbow, making her raise an eyebrow in surprise. "Who are you?"

  "Maya Meek." She answered.

  "Yes, you said that already." Looking around, I let my Altor vision pop on and checked to see if I could spot any other blue hearts. "Why are you risking something for me?"

  "Who says that I am? Maybe this person is worse than Xania."

  I pursed my lips at her sudden defensive reaction. "From the look on your face, I'm rather sure Xania is your worst nightmare."

  Her eyes closed and I saw her gulp. "Please. I was asked a favor and I am complying. Don't make it harder than it already is. You may ask her questions, not I." She shrugged her elbow out of my hold and started to walk again, taking a right to open a door and beckon me to follow her in.

  As we walked up the stairs that was revealed, the atmosphere turned warmer and it became less dark, the candles no longer needed once we reached the top. Coming to stand beside Maya, I stared at the wooden door that was carved into a tree.

  "The conservatory?" I guessed.

  Maya nodded, knocking before she nudged the door open. "I cannot enter. I never have before and I will not start today."

  "Then how are you doing them a favor if they didn't ask to begin with?"

  The Regius woman gestured for me to step inside. "She had Robinia deliver the message to me. He is the only one besides Xania that may enter wherever he wishes to go." She pushed me inside when she realized I wasn't going to go in on my own. "I'll wait here for you." I heard her say as she closed the door behind me once I stumbled in.

  I blinked at the sight. It was a square room, with a partial second floor. The partial second floor was a wooden railing that hugged the center of the large windows the space was shaped out of. I'd stepped through a door in a tree, which was so tall, the top of it went through the glass roof. As did the other two trees present in this place. I could see many stacks of books and flowers of all types surrounded me. They were larger than I had ever seen flowers be before.

  Strangely enough, I didn't feel uneasy or threatened here. Instead, I felt incredibly comfortable.
Walking deeper into the space, I glanced shyly at the transparent pots and beakers on a large table that carried many flashy colored liquids, the tubes coming out of them spiraling outwards and disappearing into the floor. As I followed their trajectory, I realized they circled their way through the room, connecting to each flowerpot.

  This place was surreal, unlike anything I had ever seen before. Even the Pallium garage, foreign to me when I'd first seen it, was rather dull in comparison to this conservatory.

  "The view is incredible." Because I'd expected someone to be here, I wasn't surprised to hear the voice. I peeked out of the corner of my eye to take her in as she came to stand beside me and I felt shock run through me.

  She wasn't Regius. Or not entirely anyway. Her hair was Altor black, with two blue bangs hanging before her ears and framing her face gently. She was pale like a Regius, but she had to have had an Altor for a parent, as the traits were just much too dominant for her blood to have been diluted throughout the generations.

  "It is." I responded, shamelessly staring at her at this point, not caring that I could see an ocean of trees on the outside of her conservatory windows. She allowed me to take her in a while longer. She was wearing a long light sapphire dress, her arms naked. It was of lesser quality than the dress Maya had worn. The ends of this girl’s dress were ripped along the edges, the color in the knee areas faded. This girl was also a lot younger, maybe twenty-five at the most. Her hair was twisted gently over to the side, forming a braid, the ends of the locks resting on her right shoulder. She had a sweet face: high cheekbones, freckles covering the bridge of her nose with full heart shaped lips that offered easy smiles. She had very big eyes, and those eyes...

  When I noticed the color of them, my eyes widened in surprise. "You're Seer."

  She cleared her throat. "I am Kalmia and Sage's daughter. Like my half-sister, Vervaine, I do indeed have the gift of foresight."