The Catalyst

Chapter 42

Moira's chambers were similar to Jaden's, only she had kept the paintings and statues of the gods. They sat together at a table near the fireplace, having just finished dinner. For Jaden, this was an opportunity to unwind after a long day. First there had been a council meeting, during which Zemisha D'Azuriani was officially appointed as the new scribe. Some were perplexed by this, others plain outraged, whilst the twins fervently defended Jaden's decision. Clearly, for the boys, those meetings had just got a lot more entertaining.

Following this, Jaden had spent the afternoon in the grand hall, listening to a series of complaints and petitions. Thankfully his uncle Fredrick had been kind enough to assist, providing information on laws and rules whenever Jaden's knowledge was lacking. At some point he had found the throne too uncomfortable – and also ridiculous – and asked the guards to bring a chair. City folks, farmers, and landowners stared, bewildered, as Jaden sat in the simple wooden chair and called forth the next petitioner.

"You haven't touched your wine," Jaden noted. Moira's pale fingers teased the edge of the cup, which was still filled almost to the brim. She stared into the fire with a troubled frown.

"I saw a healer this afternoon. A young woman named Ambry . . . I was thinking, I should talk to Fredrick to see if we could spare the funds to help her out, she really needs some new supplies."

"You're stalling," Jaden said softly. "Why did you see a healer? Are you all right?" He reached out to take her hand, and felt it tremble slightly.

She took a deep breath. "Mistress Ambry said that . . . I shouldn't drink wine in my condition."

"What condition is that?" Jaden's chest tightened. He couldn't lose her too.

"I . . ." She exhaled. "I'm with child."

"Oh." Relief and confusion chased one another across his mind. "So then, who's—"

"It's Kemon."

He dropped her hand reflexively, and instantly regretted it when he saw the hurt in her eyes. The trouble was, even though Kemon appeared to have changed a lot lately, some things were impossible to forget, and difficult to forgive. Kemon had been a bully once, beating up Jaden and encouraging his friends to do the same. More recently, Kemon had been the one to see Matt's dark magic mark and sell him out.

"I didn't know you and Kemon were . . ."

"We're not," Moira said.

Jaden flinched at the possible implication. She pushed her thick red hair behind her shoulders and crossed her arms under breasts that were, Jaden now noticed, quite plump.

"Before he left for the barracks, Kemon asked me what I would tell you. After all, I'm already starting to show. And I said that I would tell you the truth."

Anger started to build up in Jaden's chest. "Did he force himself on you?"

She took a deep breath, as if to give herself courage. "Yes. He says Tessa made him do it, to make Matt talk."

Jaden rose and turned to stare into the fire, holding the back of the chair for support. As was often the case when he got emotional, the crescent moon in his chest tingled with the promise of its mysterious power. The one I wish to hurt is far away, conveniently for him, and you can't help me with that, can you? He almost laughed at the foolishness of his thoughts. Communicating with a sliver of stone.

"I don't care about his excuses," Jaden said at length. "I still want to throw him in the dungeons. Did Matt know?"

Moira nodded.