Dorian shakes his head knowingly. “You mean, we never know.” I sigh. He’s got that right. “Take comfort in who he is, who his family is. They probably didn’t even tell his parents.”
“Probably not.” And I catch myself rolling my eyes. Because it’s not fair, is it? That Nico gets a friendly escort home and I had to run for my life. I’ve always known that’s how it would play out, but I never realized how it’d make me feel if and when it did.
Like less than.
I swallow hard, pushing the notion from my head, regaining focus and coming back to my surroundings, reality, the fact that I’m underground in Night territory. I put my guard back up like a wall, because I definitely slipped a few beats there. “All right, your turn to answer. Why were you out before the Sun?”
“I’m a member of the Night, remember?” This time he gives me a full smile.
But I don’t return it. Instead I lift an eyebrow. “I won’t soon forget.” This wipes the smile from his face, and I swear if the light was brighter I might spot a bit of warmth speckling his cheeks. So cocky. So infuriating. So …
I steal a glance to spot him worrying his bottom lip. Jaw flexed, he runs a hand through his hair, the longer side falling delicately over his ear.
Despite that tiny spark of intrigue daring to awaken those stupid butterflies in my stomach, I will keep him in his place at least until I’m sure I’m not in danger.
He stares over at me, catching me watching him. I look away.
* * *
FROM THE TUNNEL, we enter a narrow stairwell. The steps have been pieced together with scraps of wood, metal, what looks like old, broken doors, pieces of discarded furniture. They’re creaky, mostly steady. The cave joins another cave, and before I can find my bearings we’re back at the cavern where we started, stars and moon mural before us. Four tunnels, one of them labeled GARDENS.
“It’s like a labyrinth,” I breathe.
“You have no idea.” Dorian motions to the soldiers’ cave. “This one next.”
“Okay…”
“Ninth room down.”
Room? More like cave. Like a long hallway, cavern after small cavern opens up from the main tunnel as Dorian and I make our way to the ninth one. There are numbers painted on the walls outside each “room.” The air is cool and damp, and water trickles down rocks from somewhere not too far off. Once we reach cave number nine, I hesitate.
It’s dark, bone-chillingly eerie down here alone with Dorian, member of the Night. And suddenly I’m not so sure I’ve made a good choice making that deal with him.
Just as I’m about to back away, take myself quickly down the path we just walked, a group of girls comes up from behind us. They’re chattering. Laughing. The sudden noise puts me on edge, and, on instinct, I hug the cold wall behind me.
They approach and one of them, the tallest, nudges Dorian in the back of his knee, making his leg bow forward completely out of his control.
In normal life I’d laugh at how completely awkward and out of character it is to see him flop forward like that.
But this isn’t normal life and nothing about it humors me.
The girl and I make eye contact and she smiles, two small dimples hooking the corners of her eyes like perfect crescent moons. Under different circumstances, I’d return her smile. Instead, I only nod.
Dorian shoots the girl a seriously devious look. “I will get you back for that.”
“Pfft!” She stops, telling the others she’ll catch up later.
“When you least expect it…,” Dorian singsongs, but in a grave, sinister voice.
“Yeah … yeah…” Ignoring him, she turns to me. “I’m Bronwyn.” She shoves her hand out to shake mine. I hesitate but accept.
“I’m—”
“Veda, I know. I’m so glad to finally meet you. Dorian’s said so—”
“All right…” He cuts in before I can ask how the Sun she knows my name and, more, what in the world Dorian’s been saying about me. “You’ve probably got to get ready, eh, Bron?”
“Oh! Right. See you in a bit!” And she’s gone, fast as she arrived.
I stare over at Dorian, waiting for an explanation about the whirlwind-girl.
“Bronwyn.” I cock my head slightly. “My sister.”
“Ah.” Makes sense.
“She’s a pest.” He shakes his head. “Shall we?”
“Hold on. How did she know me?”
“Remember our deal, Veda? Details?”
I narrow my eyes at the slight edge in his tone. “I do.”
“Well.” He clears his throat, softening his voice. “Inside there…” He nudges his head into cave number nine “… I promise things will make more sense.”
I straighten my shoulders, take a deep breath, and march into the cave, not glancing back.
Inside is a lantern, a couple of candles, a mat on the floor made out of wool or animal skin. Atop the mat is a mound of what appears to be black clothing. But none of that is remarkable in the least.
What does stop me in my tracks is the ceiling-to-floor mural.
Dorian stares at it with me. “Each room has one.”
“Really? It’s beautiful.”
He nods, chest slowly rising and falling but with purpose.
Like the murals I’ve seen so far down here this one too is so much freer, the paint showing movement as opposed to the harsh angles and coldness of the Sun mosaics up on the island. Above me is the night sky, full moon, swirling stars, perhaps a planet or two.
Beyond the stars, on the main wall, is a battle scene. But instead of people with swords drawn, the moon and the Sun are at war. They aren’t personified, but represented by different colors, warm and cool. The Sun is all fire: reds and yellows and oranges. The moon, all ice: blues and purples and grays. Two sides exploding into one mess of color where they meet. And in the middle, at the place they completely touch, is a five-pointed star.
I walk straight up to the star, something about it pulling me closer.
Dorian stands behind me. “The mark of the Moon’s daughter. The one who will lead the Night to victory. Who will ensure we defeat the Imperi once and for all.” His tone is low, soothing, as he breathes the words out.
“That sounds like horseshit,” I say. Dorian literally responds with a laugh, a genuine “Ha!” It catches me so off guard that I allow a small laugh too. “If you’d said that to anyone else, V, they’d have thrown you back up that devil’s den fast as a ground snake can slither.”
“Can you blame me?”
“No.” He steps forward so he’s next to me.
I turn and face him, widen my eyes like, so?
He raises his brow right back.
I blink. “Then you understand why I’m at a loss. Everyone knows those legends are all made up. Stories from long ago, concocted to explain the unexplainable. Like the creation story of Bellona?” He opens his mouth to argue, but I continue before he can get a word out. “The myths I’ve been taught about the Night?”
Dorian takes a long, deep breath in. “All right, that’s fair.” He touches the star. “But this is different. Trust me.”