Broken But Unburnt

Chapter 48 - Maverick

Chapter 48: Maverick

Palace of the Equinox Throne; Kingdom of Delos

They had told Maverick that it was unseemly for him to remain at her bedside even when everyone else had left them alone in her room. He had told them, in no uncertain terms, to mind their own business.

For the first day, he simply stared down at her in awe, memory of that sizzling bubble of tangible magic still fresh in his mind. By the second, he had schooled his features into something far more passive, hoping she would wake up soon and knowing she wouldn't want to be gawked at like some wonder of the world when she did. But she was a wonder. The first Andhakaar in centuries. Maverick hadn't truly grasped what that was before but now... now, he felt stupid for worrying so much about her safety. Especially since he had actually failed to protect her in every way that mattered.

Even though he had promised Gabriel he would keep her safe on their journey, she was the one who had saved him in the woods. He hadn't been able to stop his father from testing her or the Chaos from using her as a spectacle in front of the entire Delosian court. He would never forget the look on the man's face when she had slumped to the ground, unconscious. No regret, no concern for having nearly lit the Delosian air aflame with a distinctly aimed fireball. Just disappointment. His frown set in a grim line as he tsked at Calliope's limp form.

He had wasted no time in declaring he thought she was stronger than that. The king had bellowed at him, ordered him arrested for attempting to burn Maverick where he stood but, when the guards stepped forward, the Chaos and all of his men disappeared in a flourish of a red cloak and black smoke leaving the king growling in anger, barking at his men to check the palace and lock everything down.

Maverick, meanwhile, had called for help and he, Neva, and Zephyr had carried Calliope to her room while Aditya ran for the doctor. Exhaustion, that was the official diagnosis, but the doctor had claimed he had seen this before in some of the Sahir. It was more of a magical depletion, like it took them time to recharge after they practiced too long or too hard or attempted a feat that their bodies weren't quite capable of. He warned them that it could kill her next time if she did not learn to control it.

Maverick had sent Neva on a search for someone, anyone, who could teach Calliope how to wield her immense power. So far, the search had been fruitless and the terror gnawing at him was only growing more severe. As hard as he tried to tamp it down, to hide it, not to feel it, it grew and grew until it was nearly consuming him. She could die. It felt impossible that a girl capable of such power could die from it. His heart ached at the thought so he pushed it away and waited patiently for her to wake.

On the morning of the third day, his friends came back. Aditya, Zephyr, Delphi, and Neva slipped into the room without a sound, each of them staring down at Calliope's sleeping form in silent awe. Maverick did not look up but for the briefest moment and, in that moment, he saw Aditya's gaze flick down to where he was holding the girl's hand against the bed.

"Maverick—" she started.

"You were right, Delphi," he interrupted her. "It's her. She's one of them, from the prophecy. It's beginning."

The room fell silent once more as the weight of his words settled over them. He ignored the way they cast concerned glances at one another, the way they seemed to be communicating something with their eyes that it seemed they had already discussed in private. They had their opinions. He was likely reinforcing them but none of that mattered. Not anymore.

"I shouldn't have allowed them to separate. But she's stronger at your side, Maverick. She—" As usual, it took Maverick a moment to decipher what Delphi was talking about, who she was talking about. She had a way of beginning her own conversation in the midst of another, a habit for someone who saw a dozen different things at once, he supposed. But he knew who she meant now and, even though his hand tensed around hers, he gave the command.

"Go get Sebastian, Neva," he ordered, exhausted. "He should be here for this."

"And Gabriel?" Neva asked, already halfway to the door.

"No," Maverick snapped. Neva's head jerked up in surprise. They were all staring at him, confused. He sighed. "I mean, I'll tell him myself."

Neva nodded hesitantly but questioned him no further, throwing open the door and exiting in a way that made it appear as though she was glad to do so. Perhaps she was. He seemed to be making his friends uncomfortable.

"What do we know about the Chaos?" Maverick asked then. It was time, now, to begin planning for this enemy. Well past time, perhaps. But better late than never.

All eyes went to Aditya. She took a breath.

"He's arrogant," she said. "But devoted to his people. He truly believes he's doing the right thing, that the Enchanters deserve someone who will finally fight for them to end their oppression. It's not a hard cause to promote. There are ostracised Enchanters in every community. He preys on their insecurity, their feeling of injustice. He uses emotion to get what he wants and fear to keep it that way. The Allegiant are zealots and he is their god."

"He told you all of that?" Zephyr asked, brows raised.

"Some things a man tells you," Aditya replied with a wave of her hand. "Other things you just know. Besides, men who fashion themselves as gods tend to carry that belief into the bedroom."

She rolled her eyes at the memory. Zephyr utterly shut down, his jaw clenching so tight that Maverick thought his teeth might break.

Maverick kept staring down at Calliope, his brain whirring with all that had unraveled so quickly just in the past few weeks. Was it all to occur so fast? This prophecy that their scholars had been studying for centuries, this bit of ancient foretelling that they now believed was occurring in front of their very eyes, how long would it take to unfold? A month? A year? Ten years? How long would they be plagued by this arrogant, charismatic dictator? This man who called himself a god and walked among them as if he was.

"He killed Seraphina," Maverick told them. They didn't react. They must have heard the Chaos mention it in the throne room, announce to everyone that he had extracted some perverted version of justice from their enemy, captured and executed her before they had. "He has Bijan captive in Idoria. He tortured the Duke."

That last bit took them by surprise.

"The Duke of Vidura?" Aditya asked, shocked.

Maverick simply nodded.

The room descended into silence once more. Various sets of eyes drifted toward Calliope and away. Maverick watched her, monitoring her breathing, watching for signs of alertness. None were forthcoming.

"He was trying to find her," Maverick told them. "I don't know what he said to her in that bubble but, whatever it was, it was important enough for him to torture a Duke for her location and come marching into my father's throne room hurling insults and flame."

"She will tell us," Zephyr assured him, nodding once in Calliope's direction, "when she awakens."

"Will she?" Aditya questioned, quietly.

Maverick glared at her but she did not back down. Though she winced at his disdain.

"If this truly is the fulfillment of the prophecy," Aditya started a moment later, her voice uncharacteristically soft. If Maverick hadn't known any better, he might suppose there was a hint of fear within it. But Aditya was not afraid of anything. "We have to choose between them."

Her eyes flicked down to Calliope. Delphi shifted uncomfortably on the balls of her feet. Zephyr stared at the plush carpet below.

"How do we know she's the right choice?"

There it was. The question they were all pondering but would not utter aloud. Aditya had finally said it.

Maverick frowned, staring down at the Yseult girl he had brought here from the mountains, the one who had saved him from a burning city and then a burning forest, the one who had faced down the Chaos and held her own. Maybe he should have doubted her. Maybe it was healthy to doubt. But he remembered that red cloak, that devilish smirk, that wicked gleam in the Chaos' eye. Even if Calliope was not the epitome of good, she wasn't that. So when he answered Aditya, his voice held a tone of finality. This had never really been a choice at all. At least, not for him.

"She's the right choice."