Garden of Embers: Beneath Devouring Eyes #2

Chapter 8, Part B

"...ake up." The voice weaved its way through Domi's dreams, gauzy and far away. "Basilicus."

Then the whole world jerked. Domi snapped awake to hands shaking his shoulders, and the Trellis flared golden to reveal Comitas, bathed in a cascade of the Brightening light streaming through the window.

Domi squinted up at her. Her face, usually so composed, looked constipated. A moment later he recognized the pinched look as fear, even as she said, "Hurry, Basilicus. You must come with me now."

The urgency in her voice burned drowsiness away. He pushed his heavy covers aside and sprang to his feet like the city watch was raiding the wine bar back home again. "Where are we going?" he asked. "What's happening?"

She threw his wardrobe doors open and yanked an icy lavender tunica and paenula from their hangers. "Put these on, Basilicus. I will wait outside your door."

Domi blinked at her in shock, but she was already turning to leave.

What could be so urgent that she wasn't worried about the "indignity of a Princeps dressing himself?" At any other time, he would be thrilled to chuck that nonsense right out the window. But today it made his belly churn and his hands, as he dressed himself for the first time in the two weeks he'd been at the onyx palace, shook with nerves.

Outside, the Trellis glittered, of course. But what else was new? A man could only tackle one problem at a time. He hurried out his door and past the ever-present Electi to Comitas's side.

"Walk with me, Basilicus," she urged, already stepping down the corridor and nodding for him to follow. Her long strides forced him to almost have to jog to catch up, no easy feat in even a light informal tunica and paenula. She just nodded as he stumbled and swayed into her side. "Lean on my arm. You will need it."

He blinked. "Need--"

"Basilicus," a new voice said.

The glow of sapphire and gold out of the corner of his eye clued him in on who was joining them even before he turned and saw the mindholder. "Bellus." The man looked pristine and tranquil, like he had been awake for hours sipping tea in the palace garden or something. But Domi was starting to know him well enough to see past the mask to the man beneath. "What's wrong? What's going on?"

Comitas was the one who answered, that pinched look returning. "You have been summoned for an immediate emergency examination by Princeps Buccina. She is already here."

Domi felt the blood drain from his face. Outside, wispy clouds started gathering. "W-what?"

Bellus's dark eyes were more reassuring than the man's aedificans's. "I am going to try to teach you how to avoid a mindholder's prying," he said, his voice matter-of-fact and confident. Domi was not fooled, or at least his mind wasn't buying it. But he felt his body relaxing in response to the man's tone. "Lean on Erus Comitas. She will guide you as you walk."

"Why do I need her to guide--" He broke off, eying the wavering distortion of promenia pouring in through the marble walls.

It stopped a hair's width away from his skin, of course. He was too high rank now for anyone but the Rex and Princeps Mindholder to mess with him without permission.

And one of those people was here in the palace now.

"Let me in, Basilicus, please," Bellus said.

Domi nodded shakily, relaxing his will--something way harder than it should be, because what was the point of clinging to control if you couldn't actually control anything?--and the promenia surged toward him. Into him.