Erik~~

         Three days later, the Order of Odalia reaches their decision.

I stand behind Rydersin as she faces the Preeminence. Looking at her, I could never tell that she was nervous. But she must be, right? I'm nervous, and I'm quite certain that I'm not doing a good job of hiding it. I have a lot riding on this, maybe not as much as Rydersin, but I do have a fortune waiting for me if Rydersin gets her wish. If Rydersin's request is denied, I walk away with nothing. My time wasted.

The Preeminence sits in his chair. One of the few things I appreciated when I was Tresais was that we weren't expected to stand when speaking in senate. There was never any awkward hunching or bending trying to find your notes. You could remain seated and shuffle through your notes with leisure. We weren't barred from standing. There was plenty of it when we felt like yelling at each other.

Or trying to strangle each other.

The Preeminence looks more like a grown-up Cupid than a dark lord. His blond curls might as well belong to a cherub, and if I squint, the gold laurel wreath in his hair could be a halo. He smiles, not cruelly, but warmly, and I don't think that's something I've ever witnessed from Jonas in the senate chamber in Elleany. His white cheeks have a light flush. A rosy happy baby. Hence cherub.

"Rydersin Torellae, you have brought before us by no means a small request."

Rydersin nods.

"Many of us have sisters who, had the law been overturned before this, would sit in this Order right now, and some of us would not be here." Those said sisters are not present in the chamber. "We are not naïve. We know our sisters would have excelled in our positions. My eldest is my daughter, and though she is still quite young, I think—no, I know that I should like to see her sit in this throne one day." He runs his finger over the arm of the black throne. "We know you came before us, asking to be Preeminence and that is all. But we have taken a vote and give our support to overturning the law that kept our sisters from these positions. Whether or not you are able to convince the other Orders to do the same, our decision is now recorded. Should the Orders at this time or in the future reach the same decision, the law will be overturned."

Rydersin bows her head, her hands clutched behind her back. "Thank you, Preeminence Merano."

"We all hope to be able to call you Preeminence Torellae. Set ul freyanay a Amoria"—to the ends of Amoria—"fa ul kreealis pera, abree soleil ana." And the stars beyond, go well. It's a common way Amorians say goodbye to someone they won't see for a long time.

"Fa bolee da zya set soleil saem shee," Rydersin says. And let me return to you once more.

*****

The boat glides over the still orange water of the lake. Orange due to minerals in the water. The Preeminence of Surielius, whose home overlooks the lake, is across the barge, speaking with Rydersin, both of whom are reclined on couches.

We were meant to be in Gadfrie where Rydersin's uncle is the Eta, but when we stood before their Order, they told us to return if we obtained permission from the rest of the Orders.

Xiaozhi joins me at the railing, two glasses in her hand. She holds one out.

I take it, hesitant. "What is it?"

"Juice."

I nod my thanks, not feeling the need to put effort into having a conversation with a person who only speaks one-word sentences to me. I never cared for diagramming sentences, but I do know juice doesn't count as one. Where is the verb? Where is the Here, Erik, here is a cup of juice. I thought you might like it?

The rest of the Order of Surielius are spread out among the barge's wooden deck. Meilin and Karn are also here, dispersed across the deck with the other few Veil members that are onboard.

I take a sip of the juice. It's not thick where it gets stuck in my throat, but a bit waterier so that it quenches my thirst that's been building in the hot sun.

For the past three hours, the wine has been poured and passed around freely. It feels as if we're the ones being wined and dined when I thought it was supposed to be the other way around. Like in Odalia where Rydersin refrained from having any during dinner, she does the same now, and I feel as if I must follow her lead. Her Veil haven't had any either. An inebriated guard does not make for a good guard.

"What do you think?" Xiaozhi's question catches me off guard. I wasn't expecting her to speak more.

"The party?"

"The juice."

"Oh." I stare down at the cup. "It's good." I take another sip. "Just out of curiosity, if I were to ask one of you for a glass of wine, would you bring it to me?" Not that serving drinks is part of their job description.

Xiaozhi narrows her eyes. "You've only known Rydersin for a short time, but this has been her dream for years—since she was a little girl. We won't see you mess it up."

"I can handle a glass of wine. I'm not a lightweight. And I have no intention of messing this up for her."

"See that you don't." She turns but as she does, Karn is making his way toward us. The tip of his nose that was white this morning before boarding has started to take on a pink tinge. His brown hair is styled so that it doesn't fall across his forehead but rather showcases his eyes that are a deep purple. His build is a few inches taller than me and is heavyset.

When he steps up alongside the railing, he looks back at Rydersin. "Has anyone talked to her?"

Xiaozhi and I shake our heads. The woman in question has been busy talking to Order member after Order member, starting well before we boarded the barge. Ever since Gadfrie turned us away, Rydersin has been downcast, but looking at her now, there is no sign of any of that disappointment. If I hadn't been with her, I couldn't guess her confidence had been shaken.

"I got an invitation for us to join a few Veil members at a bar tonight," Karn says, and I assume he's talking to only Xiaozhi. After Xiaozhi just made it clear she doesn't want me to drink, I can't imagine any of them would want me at a bar. "The Tresais is dating one of them." Hearing that title gives me a jolt. It shouldn't but it does. The word brings memories of when I held the title. The Tresais of Surielius's wife died a year ago, and I wonder if this Veil member was his personal bodyguard, and if they annoyed each other because they didn't want to confess their feelings to themselves and each other, and if finally the tension boiled over, and they're now passionately in love.

I used to like romance books, okay?

Karn continues, "If she likes us . . ."

Xiaozhi nods. "Did you tell Meilin yet?"

His cheeks take on a slight tinge of pink that isn't from the sun. "Not yet, no. I figured you'd want to ask her."

Xiaozhi shrugs, casting her gaze down at the water. "You can."

"So all three of you are going? Who's going to guard Rydersin?"

Karn drums his fingers against the railing. "We don't guard her at all times. Besides, if she was seen with a guard always hovering over her while we're here, it would indicate she doesn't trust Surielius."

"Does she?"

Closing her eyes, Xiaozhi lets the sun and wind hit her face. "Everyone trusts Surielius."

"All right, if Rydersin's as super safe as you say, can I come?"

Xiaozhi opens one eye. "Come again?"

"Can I come?"

Karn raises his eyebrows. "I didn't think it was a good idea to bring an alcoholic to a bar. Or do I have that wrong?"

I grit my teeth. "I'm not an alcoholic."

With an unamused expression, Xiaozhi turns so that her back leans against the railing. "Didn't you spend every night in a bar before Rydersin recruited you?"

I rub my forehead. "It's not what you think."

Karn crosses his arms. "Really?"

I rest my arms on the railing. "It's the one place here I feel normal. Where people don't usually care who I am or if I'm rich or poor. I just have to be able to pay. And last time I checked, enjoying alcohol doesn't automatically make you an alcoholic."

Xiaozhi pushes back a strand of hair that's come loose from her ponytail. "What do you offer by coming?"

"The joy of my company," I deadpan.

Neither of them cracks a smile.

"Okay fine. I was a Tresais. Even people who don't like me, still think I'm interesting to be around."

Xiaozhi takes Karn by the arm and pulls him a few feet away before they start whispering to each other. I need someone to whisper with.

Finally, they turn toward me, their arms crossed. "No," they both say. I was told Xiaozhi and Meilin are twins. I think I've been lied to.

"I love being where I'm not wanted, so, obviously, I'm going to come."

They scowl and start whispering again.

"Fine," Xiaozhi says at last. "Katia is the Tresais's girlfriend. Let's see if people really do enjoy your company." They turn and start walking away, probably in search of Meilin.

"Wait."

They don't pause.

"Does this mean you don't enjoy my company?"

*****

The bar reminds me of a pub that's probably been here for the past hundred years but that has been handled with care—or as much care as drunk patrons stumbling over legs of chairs and spilling things can manage. It's like I've been transported into a roleplaying game, and it's the tavern built of wood, wood, and more wood. A fire burns in a hearth, just like in those roleplaying games, and just like in those roleplaying games, it makes me extremely nervous. Who puts a fire in a wood building? Am I the only one that finds that highly worrisome? Maybe it's the fake fire they put in lampposts here. Though when they say fake, how fake is fake? Will it burn? Does it emit heat at the very least? There's definitely a crackle.

Chandeliers hang from the ceiling, casting more than enough light down onto the first floor and into parts of the second floor, which overlooks the first.

Karn nudges Xiaozhi and tilts his head toward the bar where all of the stools are filled. I'm not sure who is the girlfriend, Katia, they want to win over. While Karn and Xiaozhi head toward the bar, Meilin makes her way to an empty booth. I follow her and sit down across from her. I probably should have waited until I'd ordered a drink or even food because now I have to wait even longer until my hands are occupied with something to do. None of them spoke to me on the way here.

With four fingers, Meilin taps the wooden tabletop, which becomes a screen featuring the menu. It wasn't wood then. Maybe this building isn't wood either.

As she scrolls, she props her elbow on the table and rests her head on her fist. "The turkey sandwich is good." She doesn't look up.

After being in the sun all day, I'm starving. I could eat the worst thing on the menu and still be satisfied. "I'll try it. Thanks."

She nods, continuing to scroll.

I flip over to the drinks and after a few glances decide to go with mead. When I look up, Meilin is staring at me.

"What do you want to drink?" she asks, and after I tell her, she puts our order in by clicking on the screen. Once that's done, we're left in silence again but this time with nothing to do to ignore it.

Over by the bar, Xiaozhi and Karn are speaking to a few of the patrons, but it looks like they've drawn the attention of everyone over there. Everyone's head is turned toward them. One of the woman twists in her seat, looking in my direction. A grin on her face, she stands and says something to Rydersin's Veil before making her way toward me.

"Is that her?"

Meilin cocks her head, her eyebrows furrowing as she examines the woman. "Yes."

Katia reaches our table. "You're Erik Blackwood?"

"That's me."

She grabs me by the arm, dragging me out of the booth and toward the bar. "Is it true you were involved with the Clarignon incident?"

I'm not sure if incident is the word I would use. Incident seems too tiny, too clean. What Odette did was messy and awful and for all the families who lost someone, their world is now catastrophically changed forever. No. What Odette did was not tiny.

"Yes, but I didn't have much experience with Odette myself."

"You were in the catacombs though?"

"For the battle. It was my cousin and friend who were held down there as prisoners."

"Iris, right? We've all heard so much about her. And your cousin, the Epsilon was it?"

"The Digamma."

"Right." She pulls me up to the bar motioning for me to sit down in what was her seat. I don't argue. Mainly because she pushes me into it.

It's like they come out of the cracks in the wood; Amoris surround me asking me questions and oogling me. I'm used to attention, but not like this, and I kind of wish I could have had at least a sip of that mead I ordered, just to settle my nerves. I don't want to relive France.

"Did you know Clarignon is being held in Borilia?" Katia asks. "Will you visit her?"

"I'd heard she was there, but I won't. She's a bit . . . umm . . . sadistic."

Purple eyes widen.

Someone behind me taps my shoulder. "Tell."

I look around at them, trying to keep the disgust off my face. "You want to know why?"

"We've heard a little," Katia says, "but the details are vague. Our soldiers only knew about the battle, but fir everything that happened before that, they didn't have the most exact details."

"She murdered a lot of people. A lot. She was . . ." I search for the right word. "Fixated on Iris."

"The raggioet." Katia says to those around us as if she is in the know. There are oohs and aahs and nods.

"Clarignon wanted to understand what Iris being Expired meant. She tried recruiting my cousin to her Order. She murdered people in front of them. Are her Beta and Tresais in the same prison as her?"

Someone behind me says that they are.

A bartender sets a mug of mead in front of me before asking me to tell them everything, and for the next hour I do. I charm them, including, most importantly, Katia.

She grasps my hand. "You have to meet Aries. He'd find all of this interesting." Her grip tightens, and I spot Rydersin's Veil staring at me from the back of the crowd. "Say you will."

Live through this story again: I can do that. I'll win over the Tresais for Rydersin, and I'll be one man closer to my fortune.

"I'd love to."

So Erik's favorite genre just might be romance. Jonas's, if I remember correctly, is historical. Colton's is werewolf. Riley's is sci-fi. What should Percy's and Bently's be?

What books that are coming out this year are you looking forward to?