Terrence stared at the house. Priceless artifacts littered the floors, and the walls were cracked, paintings askew. “I do not even want to see the state of my room.” Terrence took two steps at a time up the wooden stairs, one hand grazing the metal railing.
Faust offered a faint nod and followed. He glanced into each room. The linen was cut and draped awkwardly on the four-poster beds. Chests were overturned, drawers pulled out, items thrown every which way. No room was left unscathed, and the farther they went, the stronger the earth magic became. “Volant were here, too.”
Terrence shook his head and came to a stop at a room.
The door had been removed from its hinges and bore a scar along the middle. They must have weakened the door by making it bow and then kicked it in.
Faust hesitated in the doorway.
Terrence made small steps inward, his gaze traveling over the items along the bedroom floor.
Jewelry lay smashed along the scratched wooden floors, and tattered clothing littered the floor alongside it.
Terrence crouched and ran his fingertips across a precious stone hair decoration. The matching necklace was in pieces. Terrence rubbed at the rings on his finger with a sad smile.
Faust couldn’t stand the suffocating sadness that blanketed the air, reminding him of the loss Konrad had experienced years prior with the death of Queen Arleen. “Was that a gift from your late husband?”
Terrence picked up the pieces. “Yes,” he said after a while. “Almost everything in here belonged to me and Gilroy. Emoris had him murdered in an attempt to obtain me.”
Faust stared at the damage, sick to his stomach. His eyes stopped on an elaborate painting left untouched. It looked like Terrence, but younger, and he was wearing the same jewelry Terrence had picked up. He looked so happy. Faust clenched his fists. He shouldn’t be in here.
Faust took a step back.
“Stay,” Terrence said and stood. He placed the broken jewelry on an overturned ottoman. “If they will go to such lengths to continue their pursuit of me, then you should know my past before I was made the court historian.”
Faust reluctantly nodded.
Terrence walked over to the closet with Faust. Once inside, he ran his hands along the fine wall, sending a trickle of water along a thin line with a small pulse of the water stone at his hip. The water flowed through the cracks and disappeared. A loud click rang out, and the wall crept to the side.
Faust stared, fascinated. It functioned with magic unlike the ones in Limorous’s castle. He needed to tell Konrad about it.
Terrence snapped his fingers, and the lanterns lit with a small flash of a fire stone.
“When did you learn you could use four stones?” Faust asked.
“I found out by accident, and it’s a bit of a long story.”
“I would like to hear it. If you wish to tell it, that is.”
“I do not mind, but it has been a long time since I’ve parted with this information,” Terrence said.
“I will not tell anyone,” Faust said. “I promise.”
Terrence nodded. “My past is not a pleasant one. There is a reason I have such strict guidelines for my guild.” Terrence walked over to a chest and began pulling out old journals and plenty of water and fire stones. “The Kingdom of Roltan wasn’t always as nice as it is now, and corruption still lurks under the surface. Our king has continued to raise taxes over the years and has caused quite a gap in terms of wealth. Those that could not pay could sell their assets, and that included their families.”
Faust gasped, disgust twisting in his gut.
“My parents sold me to settle a debt, and I eventually wound up working in a brothel. My name was changed to Alasian then, and the person I was before was erased from existence. No one would miss a poor boy. I don’t even remember my real name,” Terrence said as he examined a new bag, this one full of precious gems. “Many people landed in the brothels for the same reason. I served clients for many years before I met Lord Gilroy Clare.” A warm smile crossed Terrence’s face. “Gil had the audacity to question why someone like me was in a brothel when he came there to be naughty.”
Faust cracked his own smile. Nik behaved much the same way.
Terrence took a deep breath. “Gil said I looked like royalty and promised me many things every night he showed up, but I had never believed him. One night, Gil left a small bag of magic stones by accident, and you can imagine my surprise when all four reacted to my touch.”
Faust nodded. It was thrilling and scary all at once when the stones sucked out his magic.
“Gil came back for the magic stones and stood stunned for several minutes before he vowed to get me out of there. He told me to never let anyone realize I could use magic.” Terrence smiled. “Gil asked if I had any other secrets, so I showed him my journal of scribbles. He quite promptly announced I was to be his apprentice once I was free, even though we did rather unspeakable things.”
Faust raised an eyebrow, eyeing the bedroom behind them.
“I was obviously more than his apprentice, but the thought of a real skill and mastery at my fingertips gave me hope. I countered his proposal.” Terrence closed his eyes. “I said he must give me a new life as his partner instead and he could make us a team.”
“And he agreed?” Faust asked, baffled that Terrence didn’t want to be king or even ask for revenge on those he’d been forced to bed.
“He agreed quite readily,” Terrence said and closed the chest. He walked over to another and took out a sturdy suitcase, filling it with more items, mostly contracts. “But it didn’t go well. Gil tried his best to gain my freedom, but the price was high, and Lord Heath became a regular client.”
“The same lord who rules Akarvine today?”
“One and the same,” Terrence said. “Lord Heath tried to be sneaky and kidnapped me, but Gil summoned the royal guards. Lord Heath almost got away with it, but Gil had somehow bought my freedom right from under him.” Terrence traced a ring on his finger, his gaze distant. “Gil had made a deal with King Roland and had all the proper paperwork to obtain me.”
“Is that why Lord Verdine is here for you personally?”
“Yes, I was in debt to our king, but it allowed me a great bit of freedom. I have long since paid it back, but I enjoyed being a court historian, and said I would return should the need arise.” Terrence grew silent and continued to mindlessly move things around, gathering bags of magic stones.
Faust waited.
Terrence closed the suitcase and stayed on his knees. “Gil was murdered months later, and I knew it was Lord Heath, but there was no evidence—even Lord Verdine investigated, and he, too, found nothing.” Terrence stood with a grim smile. “But Lord Heath learned he could not have me.
“Gil had married me immediately after I was saved and gave me a new name. Alasian was purged from all records,” Terrence said. “By all legal rights, I was Terrence Clare and had just inherited everything of Lord Gilroy Clare’s. King Roland banished Lord Heath and warned that anymore meddling from the Kingdom of Alios would be met with force.”
Faust tilted his head. This incident must’ve caused the meeting Konrad was called to all those years ago. It had been full of tension at first, but somehow Konrad had lessened the animosity over Emoris trying to take Roltan’s king candidate. “Do you know why Emoris and Lathil want you?”