Darkly Devoted (Book 1, 2, 3)

DB Chapter 2 - A+V 4Ever

Chapter 2

ALLISON DEVON NEVER got along with her mother. She never had a father, and her mother was always too busy jumping from one boyfriend to another to pay much attention to her daughter. That was why, when Allison was chosen to go to Manna City and to serve Maglania Sarastri, she never looked back.

Over time, she learned to love Maglania as a daughter loves an adopted mother. Maglania's ten bodyguards, the "Princes", or so they were nicknamed, became her brothers.

There was one that stood out in particular.

Blake, or rather William Oslen, became her constant companion in this foreign city. It was an easy friendship because of Blake's unwavering devotion to her childhood friend Vivienne Weisse. For a while, there was an uneasy peace in this dysfunctional family of theirs, as they worked to protect Aethon Gorge from demons. Now, as Allison approached Maglania's sickbed, she felt as though that peace would never come again.

"I heard from Daste that Oslen is coming back," Allison said as she approached the bed. There were layers upon layers of red chiffon forming a canopy above the bed. She couldn't see Maglania clearly, but she had a feeling it was better that way. The woman had been sick for a decade, and Allison had never truly laid eyes on her face.

"He'll learn to behave this time," Maglania's raspy, weak voice didn't reassure Allison in the least.

"What are you going to do to him and to Vivienne now?" Allison blurted, despite her best judgment.

"Ignore the girl," Maglania said. Allison heard what sounded like a rock hitting a hard surface. She had a feeling it was the cameo necklace Vivienne had used to bond herself to Blake. Finally, Maglania had her hands on both of the chains that bound Blake's will to her. "She's not important, not anymore. We have more important matters to focus on."

Allison heard Maglania cough, then spit out the phlegm. She wished she could comfort the old woman somehow. Even now, despite Maglania's best efforts to murder her childhood friend just two months ago, Allison's loyalty was unwavering. Was she so desperate for a mother figure? Or was this simply her best chance at survival?

When Allison first became a Handmaiden to Maglania years ago, a red string was embedded in the skin around her neck. It was called the Manjure by the Sarastri. Her life was connected to frail old women's, and Maglania's death could very well mean hers as well.

"You are wondering if I will kill him when he returns," Maglania chuckled. It sounded like two pieces of sandpaper rubbing together. "I should have years ago. I should have been on that pier."

Maglania sucked in a deep, uneven breath and sighed. "I would have. Every time I try, I see his mother, Odelia, looking back at me, through him."

"Then what's our plan going forward?" Allison asked. "Beat him? Starve him? Rip off his demon wings? He acts like he is allergic to his demon form anyway. He probably wouldn't even care."

"There's no time for any of that," Maglania paused. "I'm dying, girl. There's no keeping it from you anymore."

Allison looked down at the handful of red silk from her dress she was clutching inside her clenched fist. Was she about to cry? Were the tears real, or were they just a well-practised weapon of an actress?

"You can keep your tears. I have some time yet. But the Great Families can smell my weakness. There's a Winther that sets out for Aethon. They're coming to probe my strength and to end my life."

"The Winthers are able to hold Aethon?" Allison asked, raising an eyebrow. She knew the Winthers were members of the Great Families, able to control different types of water. She just never imagined they were interested in Aethon. Wrangling demons was a dirty line of work, which was why the Sarastris recruited orphans to do it. Blake wasn't recruited by Maglania. He forced his way in among the ranks using his fake persona as William Oslen. Now. Maglania had to deal with the complexities of having a boy such as him as one of the guardians.

"The Winthers are an underhanded group of charlatans, but they aren't helpless," Maglania paused and cackled softly. "Odelia was wise to escape from that family early. But the man who leads them now is named Lysander Winther; he is distantly related to the Manna City lot of aristocrats. Lysander's powers also surpass his Manna City relations. If he senses my weakness, he will exterminate all those who serve me, including you, the rest of the Handmaidens and all my Princes, and take Aethon for himself."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Work with Oslen, with Blake. Have him kill Lysander inside Aethon. Do it cleanly, neatly, without drawing suspicion."

"Why do you think he will do it?" Allison demanded in disbelief. "You hold his chains, but this isn't a command to kill. It requires premeditation, and for that he needs to be willing." Allison sighed and realised that she was speaking too frankly. Maglania was weak, but she wasn't dead yet. Allison lowered her voice and spoke in a more respectful tone. "Lysander Winther is his cousin, albeit probably a distant cousin, but still. I don't think I would actively plot to kill my cousin if someone I disliked asked me to."

"He will," Maglania insisted. "Because you will convince him to do it."

"I know you believe he and I were working together to help Vivienne Weisse escape," Allison began, choosing her words carefully so as not to incur Maglania's wrath.  "But our passing friendship isn't so strong that I can ask him to do anything he doesn't want to do. You know better than I that he's stubborn and selfish. He never does anything that doesn't benefit himself."

"He holds no loyalty to the Winthers. After the Winthers killed his mother when he was sixteen, his uncle tried to take Tahel Lake inside River Way. They eventually gave up. He stopped the Winthers before. He can do it again."

"He did it to protect his home," Allison snapped, and then tried to remember to keep her tone courteous. "The Winthers killed his mother; you killed his father. He won't fight them to keep Aethon in our hands."

"I may have performed the act, but I wasn't the one who wanted his father dead," Maglania corrected. Even now, as she lay dying, Maglania Sarastri mustered up the strength to remind her of that. Allison knew she shouldn't have brought it up again. There were secrets among the Sarastri that Blake would never know. Allison couldn't help but feel grateful that Maglania had shared those secrets with her.

"But he doesn't know that. And you won't tell him the truth to protect Odelia. So as far as he knows, you did it. Why not avoid the whole issue and ask Daste or Elytrin instead? Those two are much stronger and more likely to win in a fight."

"No, this task requires more than the ability to fight. He understands the Winthers; he was once one of them. He can befriend them, win their trust."

"I can ask him, but he will refuse."

"You will convince him to do it by any means necessary."

Allison chewed on her bottom lip. What sort of crafty feminine wiles did Maglania think she was capable of? Blake wouldn't even cross the street for her unless Vivienne, too, was on the other side.

"What if the Winthers kill him instead?" Allison asked. "Or is that the plan? You want him dead, but you can't bear to do it yourself."

"If he dies, Lysander returns with the full force of the Winthers. If he is discovered, the Great Families will wage war against me for concealing his identity. If we failed in this, we all die," Maglania replied tersely. "Including you."