“So the spell actually worked,” Ronan murmured.
“Obviously,” Lucian replied dryly.
“Play nice.”
Kael’s muffled laughter told Effie he’d overheard the thought she’d intended for Lucian.
“I’m going to need to figure out how to get the hang of this. It could get embarrassing fast . . .”
Kael’s smile grew as his voice filled her mind. “Welcome to the club, little warrior.”
Chapter 18
“Council’s in session. We should go and request an audience so that we may tell the others. They’ll want to know that the spell was a success.” Ronan’s voice boomed with the force of his enthusiasm.
“It can wait. Effie should rest; she’s still adjusting,” Lucian said.
“Effie is right here and can speak for herself,” she said with a scowl. “And for what it’s worth, I feel fine.”
Lucian’s expression was blank, but she could feel flickers of his concern.
Kael reached out and squeezed her shoulder, his dimples flashing as he gave her an indulgent smile. “Luc is right, as much as it pains me to admit. You’re likely running off of pure adrenaline right now. I know that I was after the change. Trust me, you’re going to crash. Hard.” Eyeing her carefully, he added, “Sooner rather than later.”
“I’m not a child. You can’t send me to my room and order me to take a nap.”
Ronan and Kael laughed, but Lucian just continued to look at her. She had no doubt he’d try to do just that.
“Speaking of rooms, do I have to stay down here, or do I get to—”
“You’re staying with me,” Lucian answered before she could finish.
Ronan raised his brows but remained uncharacteristically silent.
“Well, the Council can wait, but we should probably meet up with Nord.” Kael glanced at Lucian for approval.
Lucian nodded. “He was going to be my next stop after getting Effie settled, but seeing as how she’s just going to argue until we bring her along, we might as well save ourselves the headache.”
“Hey, I’m standing right here. I’m not Shadow-touched anymore, remember? Both my hearing and my comprehension are near perfect again, so feel free to include me in the conversation.”
Kael at least pretended to look apologetic, Lucian didn’t even do that much.
His expression was fierce as he brushed the back of his fingers against hers. “I just got you back. You can’t be mad at me for wanting to keep you to myself for a while.”
“Well, why didn’t you just say that?” she asked, cheeks heating.
“I thought it would have been obvious.”
Effie sighed. More time curled up with Lucian sounded a lot better than being paraded around an unfamiliar place before a bunch of strangers. Or relative strangers, as the case may be. Too bad she’d already insisted she wasn’t tired. Changing her mind now would only raise questions. No . . . the only way to save face was to go along with them and hope it didn’t take too long.
“Where is the skulking blond giant?” Effie asked, hoping her voice didn’t convey the depth of her disappointment.
Kael snorted. “Oh, he’s going to love that description.”
“Likely in his room,” Lucian answered. “Ronan, why don’t you lead the way?”
With a nod, Ronan obeyed.
Once his back was turned, Lucian continued privately to Effie, “He’s been keeping up appearances as the Triumvirate.”
“By himself?”
“With two of the three of us preoccupied with finding a cure for you, he didn’t have much choice. Although, he’s managed to keep people unaware of our absence.”
Effie’s eyes darted to Lucian in silent question.
“Nord is a master illusionist.”
She didn’t realize Lucian had been speaking along the Guardian’s public link until Kael added, “His weaves are so detailed, not even we can tell whether it’s really one of our Brothers wearing the robes.”
Effie shook her head, trying to think back to all of the times she’d interacted with the trio and wondering if it had just been Nord and his illusions.
Lucian answered her question before she could voice it. “He didn’t bother with the illusions at the citadel. The Keepers were used to the Triumvirate coming and going as needed. It wasn’t uncommon for only one or two of us to be present for long stretches of time, or even for all of us to occasionally leave. Outside of Bael, however, it’s a different story. The realm needs to see the Triumvirate intact.”
They walked a little further in silence, Effie barely paying attention to her surroundings. “So . . . if Lucian’s Smoke. Whose Mirror One?”
“Depends on the day,” Kael replied, his mental voice amused. “Usually me, though. As our leader, Lucian practically always takes point. Nord and I just stand wherever is most convenient. That said, tradition dictates that as second-in-command, I stand at his left. So, that is where I generally end up out of habit.”
She hadn’t realized there was a ranking system in place between the men, although that, too, made sense. Lucian was clearly used to being in charge and practically everyone deferred to his judgment.
“Don’t think this means I am going to let either of you boss me around,” Effie told them.
Lucian’s voice was as dry as fallen leaves as he replied, “Expect you to break tradition? I would never . . .”
Effie’s fist shot out and slammed into his bicep. The resulting pain was immediate. It would have hurt less if she’d tried to punch a wall. Shaking out her hand, she scowled up at him.
“Now, now, fledgling, use your words.”
Before she could reply, Ronan halted. While she hadn’t been paying attention, they’d left the identical gray hallways and arrived in a new, much more spacious wing. It was decorated in red and gold and filled with expensive-looking furnishings. She almost felt as if they’d stumbled through a portal and ended up in the Palace.
“So this is where they keep the welcome guests,” she murmured.
Kael laughed. “Don’t feel too bad, little warrior. We were almost your neighbors in the gaol that first night. Lucian wasn’t exactly on his best behavior.”
“Making friends, were you?” she asked him with a knowing grin.
Lucian speared her with his eyes. “I had more important things on my mind.”
She knew he wasn’t upset with her teasing, but the wound was still too fresh for both of them. Smile fading, Effie took his hand in hers and squeezed.
“No one can blame you for that, Brother,” Kael said.
“And fuck ‘em if they do,” Ronan added, giving Effie an affectionate look. “Because of you, all of us were spared a devastating loss.”
Tears pricked her eyes and she looked to the floor, overwhelmed by the force of their joint emotion.
The door beside them swung open. “You planning on knocking anytime soon, or are you just going to stand out here gossiping like a bunch of fishwives?”
Lucian sighed. “Nord, you remember Effie.”
Effie glanced up, the brusque greeting startling her out of her emotional reaction. He filled the doorway, one hand on the door, the other on the doorframe, both hands decked out in rings. He was easily as large as Lucian, but light where he was dark. His thick blond hair fell in waves down his back and a full beard covered the bottom half of his face. His eyes were a blue so pale they were almost white, except for the azure flecks that ringed his pupils.