Aelin
This entire evening was a fucked-up version of DeJa'Vu.
The familiar sitting room was still oversized and gaudy - made to entertain parties of up to thirty people - with garish couches and chaises spread throughout. I lounged in an armchair next to the roaring fireplace, with Arobynn across from me.
It could have been one of the many nights we'd spent analyzing my next target - except for the fury that still danced in his eyes.
Well, that and the fact that I could feel my mates and cousin in the hall outside, monitoring every word, every breath. Something I doubted my companion was aware of. I'd known they'd never obey the order to remain in the dining room, and the five of them were stealthier than ghost leopards when they wanted to be.
I was selfishly glad they weren't in here though. This was between me and Arobynn.
Not to mention the fact I hadn't deigned to fill them in on how I suspected this little tête-à-tête would end. Or how I'd prepared for it.
I crossed one leg over the other, revealing my simple black velvet shoes, and a bare leg - not missing the way the silver eyes flicked downward of their own violation.
The silence between us stretched as thin as spider silk, neither of us willing to break first.
"So, all of this was punishment - for a crime I didn't commit," Arobynn said at last.
"I'd rather you not waste my time with lies," I responded with saccharine sweetness.
A mocking grin stretched across his lips. "I never thought I'd see the day where you would insist on the truth, Celaena. Does that new policy expand past these walls?"
I nearly rolled my eyes. "My court knows everything there is to know about me, and my past," I add pointedly.
His eyes widened infinitesimally at my use of the term 'court' before he mastered himself.
"Painting ourselves as the victim, are we?" Arobynn sneered. "I don't recall it taking much encouragement to place those knives in your hands."
Well, he was right about that.
"I am what I am," I shrugged. "I make no excuses nor apologies for it. You saw an opportunity and you took it; I take no issue with that."
The King of Assassins smirked like he won something.
"What I do take issue with," I said, my words laced with deadly venom, "is you assuming I would fall for your scheming and manipulations."
He cocked his head in feigned confusion, and I plowed ahead, hoping to hell and back that I was playing this right.
"You knew who I was, when you found me. You took my family necklace and told me my life was at risk if anyone were to discover who I was." I stared him down, unblinkingly. "You molded me into your very own secret weapon, and when I attempted to break free of your control - well, we both know what you did."
Arobynn scoffed but didn't deny it. Even he knew there was no use in it now.
"And now that I've returned, you're what - trying to set yourself up as my savior and ally? As though I wouldn't think twice about it?" I contended. "Why?"
"You're right that I saw an opportunity. I was young and angry, and I was trapped under the tyranny of that bastard king. So, I gave you the tools you needed to defeat him." He settled back into his plush armchair, raising a single, mocking brow. "That is what you came back to do, isn't it?"
I snorted. "You can't honestly expect me to believe that was your end goal all along."
"Why not?" He challenged. "You would have been dead on that riverbank without me. I saved you. More than that, I gave you freedom - gave you strength and skills, gave you the ability to end men like that General out there in just a few blows."
"That General just so happens to be my cousin, you know." I commented mildly.
"And who would you have become if you'd been raised under his care - some quaking, pampered princess, scared of her own shadow?" He shook his head, lip curled in disgust. "I made you into someone to be feared, and all I get for it is your contempt."
"What a tragedy it must be to be you," I mused dryly.
Now who was playing the victim?
"Oh, I'll be just fine - even if you refuse to put a halt to your little schemes that attempt to fuck with me," He said, adding slyly, "What else do you have in store for me, your royal highness? Perhaps I ought to save you the trouble and tell you how else you can continue to be a thorn in my side."
Gods, but he was an obnoxious bastard.
I ran a single finger down the arm of the chair, not rising to the bait.
"While that would be convenient, I prefer to do my own scheming, thank you," I flashed him an empty smile. "Besides, you of all people should know your debt isn't anywhere close to being paid."
Arobynn pressed a hand to his chest in mock affront. "Debt? For what, exactly? For -"
I cut him off before more honeyed lies could pour from his lips. "Spare me the paltry excuses, I'm in no mood to humor your madness."
His lips flattened into a thin line, displeasure flashing in those slate-gray eyes.
Too bad. I knew exactly what would have spilled from them had I allowed him to continue.
Truth and lies, lies and truth, just like he'd always taught me. Enough of both to keep your opponent perpetually off-balance as they tried to make sense of the nonsensical. But I had no interest in playing the confused and conflicted protegee, falling for Arobynn's poisoned words once again.
"Fine," He ground out, pausing to decide on the best avenue of approach.
I drummed my fingers against the arm of the chair, watching him, wondering what tactic he would try next - which manipulation he thought would sway me now, after I'd called him out on his lies and treachery.
"Fine, I won't try to convince you of the altruism of my past actions." He released a long-suffering sigh, as though I was still an unruly teenager he thought was being unreasonable.
I nearly snorted at the sheer gall of him. Only the King of Assassins would find my resentment towards his role in torturing then butchering my lover and setting up my subsequent entrapment and imprisonment tedious.
"Tell me what I need to do to make you understand that I stand with you," He pleaded, bracing his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward, eyes intent on mine. "Do you even know why I had you capture that demon? So that we could attain its knowledge, learn what he knows that can help us take down the king, the two of us. Together - you and I can bring him down together, the monster whose actions drove you to that icy riverbank in the first place."
It was clever - placing the blame for all I'd endured so squarely on the shoulders of another, particularly when that individual was already my enemy - I'd give him that. Clever, but not unexpected.
I tilted my head, as though I were actually considering his statement. "Why should I believe a word you say?"
Arobynn glanced down for a second, as though he was ashamed. "I have had a long, long while to think on all the wretched things I've done to you, Celaena. I'd like to make amends."
Honestly, the man should have been an actor - his talents were wasted when all he used them for was villainy and mayhem.
"I prefer Aelin now," I said easily. "But if you're so insistent that you've mended your ways, how about you start proving it by giving me my family's amulet back? Then you can back up your words with actions by giving me your resources - let me use your men to get what I need."
I could practically see the wheels turning in that cold and cunning head as he regarded me solemnly. "In what capacity?"
Not a word about the amulet - not even to deny he had it.
"You claim you want to take down the king," I murmured, my voice dropping a decibel, as if to keep the fae males outside from hearing. "So, let's take down the king. But only if we do it my way. My court stays out of it."
"Does your bevy of fae males not know how to handle themselves in a fight?" He asked, shooting a sharp smile my way, not able to disguise the spark of interest. "Or do you just not want them to see what a vicious little killer you are?"
I had a feeling my 'bevy of fae males' was itching to show Arobynn just how well they could handle themselves in a fight. But there would be plenty of time for that later.
"My reasons are my own," I shrugged. "But they are non-negotiable."
Arobynn leaned back, crossing his ankle across his knee. "What's in it for me? These are dangerous times, you know. Just today, one of the top opiate dealers was caught by the king's men and slaughtered in the streets. Such a pity; he managed to escape the annihilation of the Shadow Market just to be caught buying dinner a few blocks away."
More nonsense to distract me. He didn't care one iota about the dealer, nor any of those killed during the destruction of the marketplace.
"How quickly your claims of support dissolve like the fog when real action is required," I observed coolly. "How about the assurance that I won't send a tip to the king about this place - about how you operate and who your clients are? Not to mention the little fact that there is currently a demon rotting in your dungeon, it's blood now a permanent stain. Did I mention that their blood doesn't wash away? Such a nuisance, that is."
His knuckles turned white where they gripped his propped leg. For someone who had perfected the art of blackmail, he certainly did not enjoy being on the receiving end of it.
"Resorting to threats, Aelin?" He sneered. "What if I were to make threats of my own? If I were to mention to the king's guard that his missing general could be found at a certain warehouse, and several fae warriors are wandering his city? Or, worse, that his mortal enemy is shacked up with them in the slums?"
He was nothing better than a hissing tomcat, backed into an alleyway by a superior predator. Not that he knew that. Yet.
I leaned back into the chair, unbothered by his posturing. "Then I suppose it would be a race to the palace. Of course, you have quite the handicap considering I already have men stationed by the castle gates, messages in hand, ready for the signal to send them this very night."
"You'd have to get out of here alive to give that signal," Arobynn hissed, eyes narrowed.
I allowed my lips to curve up into a small smile. "You would think so, wouldn't you? In this case, however, the signal is us not returning, I'm afraid. All of us."
The cold glare the King of Assassins sent my way would have once turned my veins to ice and have dread clawing up my spine. But now? I let my smile widen.
"How cruel and ruthless you've become, my love." He drawled flatly. "Will you become a tyrant as well? Perhaps you should take a page out of the king's book and start slipping rings onto the fingers of your followers now - before it's too late."
I didn't dignify that comment with a response. Fragile male egos always lashed out when they realized they were outplayed.
It was a phenomenon I was intimately familiar with.
Keeping baleful eyes on me, he reached into his tunic. My breath caught in my throat, even as I forced my posture to remain relaxed as a golden chain glinted around his long, pale fingers. A tinkling sounded as he slowly withdrew the chain and -
I saw it.
The Amulet of Orynth.
It was exactly as I remembered it.
The cerulean blue framed the ivory stag with the golden star between its antlers - that immortal stag of Mala Fire-Bringer, brought over by Brannon himself and set free in Oakwald Forest - the carved stone all but alive within the immaculate likeness. I remembered how massive, how incomprehensible, how much larger than life it had felt clutched in my childlike hands.
And it wasn't just the size of the amulet, but that sense of indescribable otherness it emanated.
I could feel that still-familiar pulse of power as the amulet met the open air of the room. Only this time, I knew exactly what that strange, pulsing presence was.
A pale imitation of the power currently contained around my neck.
A Wyrdkey.
The third and final, if my assumptions on who held the other two was correct.
A dark, near-limitless power - though not one that was innately malevolent in nature.
After all, it was the same power that had made my ancestors mighty queens and kings; had made Terrasen an untouchable powerhouse so lethal no force had ever breached its borders. Until I'd fallen into the Florine River - until the man in front of me had removed the amulet from my neck, and a conquering army had swept through the following night - burning the once powerful kingdom to ashes.
Briefly, I wondered if Arobynn's power and influence following his rise from local assassin lord to the unrivaled king of our Guild had been derived solely from the necklace that he'd worn all these years. If he was anything special at all or had just been extraordinarily lucky to find my half-frozen corpse that night.
But it wasn't worth ruminating over.
Not as my ancestor's legacy glinted in the King of Assassin's hands as he removed it from his neck and held it aloft in front of me.
A wry smile tugged at his lips. "I must admit, I'm loath to part with it, I'm afraid I've become rather attached to it over the years."
I had no doubt about that. No doubt that it had become a trophy, a sign of his dominion over me. Yet, the fact that he was wearing it tonight - he'd known I would ask for it. Perhaps he'd planned to offer it to me all along, in an effort to win my trust. Or, more likely, to convince me to stop framing his clients and interrupting his business.
I didn't dare to breathe as he handed it over.
The golden chain glinted in the candlelight as it hung innocuously between the two of us.
I reached for it, my fingers grazing the warm metal, and pain and ecstasy and strength and weakness flowed into me -
An echo of the boundless power that I'd already mastered. Of life and death and destruction and creation. Of the Cauldron. Of the force of the cosmos themselves.
Careful to keep the tendrils of that awful, terrible power bound, I wrapped my fist around the amulet. It was heavier than it looked - and warm from where it had rested against Arobynn's chest, or from the near unparalleled power dwelling inside of it.
The Wyrdkey.
I wanted to laugh.
The Wyrdkey.
One of three in this realm. One of the most powerful artifacts in existence.
That quickly, that easily, he'd handed it over. The sheer luck that Arobynn didn't possess the magic needed to feel it, to notice the behemoth disguised as pretty jewelry ... to feel its call brushing up against his senses like a cat rubbing along his legs ...
It was luck. Pure, dumb, luck.
I almost walked out right there and then. But despite having my prize in my grasp, it wasn't the only reason I was here tonight.
And I wouldn't be leaving without accomplishing all that I'd set out to do.
I slid the Amulet of Orynth around my neck, its weight becoming heavier still as it rested so, so close to that of the Cauldron's. The combined force pressed down on my bones, spread through my blood like ink in water.
I could almost hear them, desperate to be joined. Together together together. Let us be joined. Together.
Valiantly, I ignored their primal pleas.
Ignored as they whispered to me. A force to be reckoned with. To create, to ruin. To weld and to cleave. A force to make the realms tremble.
"You do have a habit of collecting that which doesn't belong to you," I said coldly. "I'll give you a few days to gather your best men, or whatever cretins are licking your boots these days. Then we're going to plan. And you're going to help me take down the king."
Arobynn hummed, slate eyes flashing with discontent. "Any other requests, O mighty one?"
I smirked, rising out of the chair. "You know, I think I quite like this game - the one where I give the orders, and you jump like an obedient little field mouse. Let's keep playing, shall we?"
His answering smile was serpentine, but he didn't dare to speak.
I glided towards the door, ignoring the heavy weight of the dual pulses of power thudding between my breasts. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and I knew this wasn't the end.
"One more thing," Arobynn said, rising from his own seat.
I paused, turning back towards him, towards those silver eyes that once again gleamed, bright with challenge and triumph. Eyes that might very well haunt me until I was no more than dust floating among the stars.
Slowly, deliberately, the King of Assassins drew near enough to kiss me, embrace me. He took my hand in his, and I fought back shivers of disgust as his thumb caressed my palm.
"I'm going to enjoy having you back, my dear," he purred.
Then, faster than I'd ever seen him move, he slid the obsidian ring onto my finger.
The room pulsed.
The hidden dagger I'd drawn clattered to the wooden floor, the black stone cool against my skin. I blinked down at the ring, at the line of blood that had appeared on my hand beneath Arobynn's sharp thumbnail as he raised my hand to his mouth and brushed his tongue along the back of my palm.
My blood was a gleaming brightly ruby on his lips as he straightened.
My heartbeat pounded in my ears, drowning out any conscious thought. My face was frozen, my breath caught in my lungs. I couldn't -
"Blink," he ordered me.
I did.
"Smile."
I did.
His eyes were sharp, intent on mine. "Tell me why you came back."
I didn't hesitate.
"To kill the king. To save my kingdom."
Arobynn leaned in close, his nose grazing the column of my throat. His breath ghosted over my skin. "Tell me you love me."
"I love you."
My stomach roiled. I didn't blink.
"My name," he breathed, "say my name when you tell me that you love me."
"I love you, Arobynn Hamel."
He huffed a laugh, warm against my neck, then brushed a kiss where my nape met my shoulder. "I think I'm going to like this. I think I'm going to like this very much."
He pulled back, obviously admiring my blank face, my features that were now empty and foreign. His predatory gaze shined with victory and possession. "Take my carriage. Go home and sleep. Do not tell anyone of this; do not show your little court the ring. And tomorrow, come here directly after breakfast. I have plans, for you and I. For our kingdom, and for the rest of this wretched world."
I didn't blink. Waiting.
"Do you understand?"
"Yes."
He lifted my hand again, kissing the wyrdstone ring before moving to open the door. "Good night, Aelin," he murmured, his hand brushing against my ass in a proprietary manner as he shooed me out.
Without a word, I left the sitting room, stalking through the hallway without acknowledging my mates and cousin as I passed them. Ignoring the restrained rage evident in their tense frames.
I knew they'd heard every word uttered inside the room, had seen the final touch Arobynn had made - that of a man convinced he had a new, shiny toy to play with.
But I didn't even look at them.
I didn't move, other than to follow Arobynn's orders and head towards his carriage. I didn't speak as we climbed inside, just sat there and stared at the curved wooden wall.
A perfect, broken, obedient doll.
The small space was stifling as my court seethed silently, the only noise the clatter of the carriage wheels rolling down the city streets.
I knew every minute was an agony for them, but there were too many eyes on us - too many, even as we finally reached the warehouse and stepped out of the carriage. I was thankful they understood that much, at least. I didn't wait for them to follow as I slipped inside the dark building and up the stairs.
A slave following orders.
The curtains were already shut inside the apartment, a few candles left burning. I stood in the center of the room, waiting until all five of them were present, the door clicking shut decisively behind them.
My mind whirled relentlessly, waiting until the last possible moment to face them.
I could have waited an eternity, but then Aedion spoke, his voice hoarse. "Aelin?"
Gulping in a harsh swallow of air, I turned, lifting my hands in front of me. Five sets of furious and terrified eyes greeted mine.
Pulling off the ring, I attempted levity. "I've got to say, I was expecting something a bit grander than that."
Incredulous silence reigned supreme for a long moment.
And then, the apartment erupted into utter chaos.