Fate and Destiny (The Fated Series, #2)

Chapter 49 - Katarina - Untwist the Words

It's chaos around here.
After Darius's declaration about needing to get back to Fernweh, it didn't take much convincing on our part to make them take us with them. The women - the Ginerva or whatever - said that they could take everyone in the cabin, but the pirates would either have to return to their ship or leave on foot.
Svenja didn't like either, so she decided to do both. She and a small group would continue with us, while Hough took the rest of the crew back to the ship. I was glad when I heard that Arlene, Thyra, Toya, and Cliff were in that small group. Vasilisa and Etta missed the sway of the ship too much, so they're going with Hough. Thea and Charley disappeared not too long ago, and no one's bothered to go looking for them.
Now all of us who are going to Fernweh with the Bhaltayr are crowding the living room, and it's madness trying to figure out who's going with which woman of the Ginerva. Their leader, the one who I've come to keep an eye on, Rohana, is taking Darius and the rest of his family. That was never the problem. They keep saying "taking," and yet I have no idea what they mean. I've just been glued to Lance's side, holding tight to his hand while we stand in the corner and watch everyone try to break out into groups. Honestly, we just need someone to take the lead and say these people are going with this person. Even Siscilla is too busy bickering to do so.
I look up at Lance, wondering why he's so quiet when he could very well settle the arguments. I find him focused on something, or rather someone. He's staring at the Ginerva, all talking in their own little circle. The blonde one that left with Sibella - Morana, Gods that's still unsettling - is back, though the other one didn't return with her. I can't tell who, exactly, he's staring at, but it seems I won't need to worry.
Noticing his gaze, they all start walking toward us.
"Few things escape our knowledge," Rohana says, stopping a respectable distance away. "A stare, Mea Principe, is not one of them."
I scrunch my brows at the weird name. I assume they speak Thralian like Aillard, but the language still sounds weird to me, and I have no idea what they called him, but she says it in a way that I know isn't meant to be teasing. Must be something else.
"Apologies." His flat tone says otherwise.
She nods, nonetheless, then looks at me. Her face screams soft and kind, but her eyes are alarming. All of theirs are. I feel naked and highly underdressed beneath their gaze, and I avoid the temptation to draw up to my full height as she runs her eyes over me. "It's an honor to finally meet you face to face, Katarina Benoldi."
"You know my name?"
Her eyes seem to dilate in silver a little. I step closer to Lance, unsure of what, exactly, she can do. Unlike the others, she didn't openly display any signs of power. It makes me more uneasy than knowing that the other can control light and darkness and penetrate my mind without me knowing.
"We know many things," the one I believe to be named Nilsa, answe. She didn't show any powers either, but she has this aura about her that just screams powerful. "And you should know that not every tree in this forest has a thorn bush surrounding it. Nor is the cabin wall unscalable."
I stare at her wide-eyed. First, they pop in here like ghosts. Then, they reveal who Sibella really is, which led me to conclude that it was they who put those symbols about the clearing. Now they know everything about me. It shouldn't surprise me, but it does, along with making me even more self-conscious and my mind whirl even more. Can they hear everything I'm saying in my head?
"It's not as creepy as it sounds," the blonde reassures.
"What Nilsa and Serephina mean to say, is that we've been watching over everyone here on our King's behalf."
"Even though their King wasn't aware of it until yesterday," Lance sneers with a glare at Rohana. I'm guessing they don't get along very well.
"Forgive me, Mea Principe, but I do believe that it is our King in which you speak of. You are Thralian, after all."
"Considering my sister's mark is still on my wrist, I'd say that little fact can't necessarily be forgotten." I look down to where I know Fauna's order mark is stained on the skin beneath his sleeves. If it's still there, then that means that they don't have her yet. That's probably why these women are here. They're going to help get her back using their...dark...light...magical...power...things.
"Rohana," Darius calls. He, his mother, Thea, and the twins join us. All eight women bow their heads deeply and press two fingers to their brow, making me fight the sudden urge to do so as well. I've served most of my life, constantly curtsying, bowing, using titles, and keeping my head down. I didn't have a problem not doing any of that after Darius told me to stop, but now, I'm finding it harder than ever.
Claritia is staring at them like they're all ghosts, likely replaying their earlier threat in her head. Rohana must know it too, because she inclines her head to her, though not as deeply.
"Apologies, Domina. We did not mean to frighten you earlier with our words and doings, though you should know that Makatza did not mean for her words to be a threat, but a warning. Morana is known for unspeakable acts on anyone and anything. Had you gotten close enough to her, she would've likely attempted to kill you in order to get to Darius. Your life was in danger, we were only trying to keep it safe."
"Apologies, Domina. Meus Rex," Makatza expresses with another bow of her head. Her hair is the most vibrant shade of orange I've ever seen, and though I never would've thought the color to be suitable for anyone, she makes it look like an effortless beauty.
Claritia nods her head once, saying nothing more to them.
"I believe it is time that we return home, Rohana," Darius declares, eyeing his mother closely. My heart begins to race at the thought of finally getting out of this place, and it races faster as I realize that they have yet to say just how we're getting there.
"We await your orders, Meus Rex."
I hope that they don't talk like this all the time. It's all too formal for our wild bunch, and the manners will soon go to my head.
"Wait!" We all turn around and find Roseia running over, no book in her hands. She runs right up to Darius and locks her arms around him before he can bend down to pick her up.
"I want to go with you," she says, looking up at him, her arms still firmly holding his legs to her.
He smiles down at her, tucking the stray strand of hair behind her ear. "We're all going to Fernweh, Roseia-"
"But I want to go with you! Please?" Her lip purses out, her eyes blinking fast so that her eyelashes flutter. If anyone asks, I didn't teach her that.
Darius looks up at Rohana. "How many can you take?"
"Up to twenty-five myself or more." My brow shoots upward as I look at her body again. She doesn't look strong enough to carry two of the Bhaltayr, let alone twenty-five.
"Alright then-" He doesn't get to finish before Roseia is smiling widely. He picks her up, her locking both arms and legs around him as she clings to him tightly.
Our conversation from two days ago runs through my head. She missed Darius more than she cared to admit, even if she did confess that she thought of him as a father. His arms don't seem to be anywhere near letting her go anytime soon, and I have to pinch myself in the leg to keep myself from crying when I spot her own tears falling onto his shoulder behind his back.
Lance tightens his grip on my hand, a gesture telling me that he's here - that he's not going to leave me miles away again. Even if he tried I'd follow after him and pinch Darius's nose until he forced Lance to accept that I was coming.
Darius nods to Rohana and she steps away from the others to put a hand on his shoulder. She takes Thea's hand in her other one and then waits for Darius to take his mother's hand. With one last nod to us, they all disappear, a thick veil of black mist left where they were just standing. I jump back into Lance's side, fear beginning to course its way through me. The rest of the room has gone silent too, making it even worse.
"Time to go," Nilsa announces to no one in particular, but the implication is enough. They all line up in front of the hearth, and the Dozen who seem to already know what's coming split up and take their hands.
Lance keeps hold of mine as we walk over to the golden-haired one. I think Rohana said her name was Serephina. She smiles brightly at me, making me relax a little bit more, but not by too much. He takes her hand, and to my relief, we don't blink out of existence just yet. Instead, we all wait until the others slowly make their way to the Ginerva of their choice. Thomas and Levi join us with Serephina, and she doesn't give us a warning. I slam my eyes closed the moment that my stomach drops down to my feet.
I feel the room close in, feel as the world around us suddenly squeezes me and covers my whole body like a tight blanket. I feel like someone put me inside of a bag and then sucked all of the air out, causing the bag to literally become a second skin. My chest tightens to the point of making my breathing sharp and staggered. I clutch tighter to Lance's hand, and just as quickly as it started, it ends.
I lurch forward, my feet suddenly finding the ground moving like the waves of the ocean. The world seems to be spinning too and I feel myself begin to fall, but before I hit the ground strong arms catch me around the chest.
"Don't worry. We all had the same initial reactions." Lance. Oh, thank the Gods.
My vision clears up, and I find myself squinting against the last rays of sunlight. We're in the town, standing in the middle of the street that leads directly to the front gates of the outer wall. I've never been on this side of the wall, and I suddenly have the urge to run back behind them.
No one but us stands in the streets. It's as if the whole city went to sleep.
"Come on," Lance says to Thomas and me. "Everyone will be inside." I look around for Serephina, but she's already gone again.
He leads us towards a building, a sign above the door saying Gretel's. I know the name from Dariu's stories about how he and the Bhaltayr would sneak out to come here.
I've only tasted alcohol once in my life, and that had me throwing up in a bucket and waking up with a huge headache and dark eyes. I've stayed clear of it since, only drinking juices and water with meals. I didn't even drink the glass Darius handed me on the first night of the Elysian Festival. Thomas and I just ended up handing it to Benny and Ozzie who took the rest of the drink down in one gulp.
The jumping from one place to another wasn't the only surprise waiting for us. As soon as we walk through the tavern's door I almost find myself tripping and falling to the ground again. There are...water wolves. Like actual wolves made out of water just casually walking about the room or napping under a table. Some are smaller than Thomas described, and others I have to look up to in order to meet their gaze - which I pointedly ignore.
"Told you," Thomas whispers in my ear. I go to punch him in the arm, but then he's running ahead of us to make sure Levi doesn't end up in one of their mouths.
Lance takes us through a door that leads to a hallway which leads to another door that already has familiar voices coming out of it. We walk in, and I find everyone but the pirates already inside and waiting. I open my mouth to ask Rohana who's standing by the door what on earth I just went through, but there's a crash and several curses that interrupt me. I turn to find Svenja and the others all laying on the ground.
"We, are never doing that again," Svenja shouts, trying to stand up. She looks like she drank too much and now can't see straight which is funny because I've seen her drunk, and even then she doesn't stumble.
I didn't look like that, right?
"Who are all of you? And what did we just do?" Cliff points to the green-haired woman who, if I recall correctly, was the one that had darkness coming out of her hands. She watches with an immobile expression as he takes one step only to trip on Vasilisa who decided to just accept her fate and stay lying on the ground. She curses at him, rubbing the shin he had stepped on.
"You misted," the dark woman responds in a deep voice. It suits her. "You teleported from the Dearg Forest and into Fernweh."
Teleported!
I look at Lance, but he just shrugs and says, "It's a long story."
"Well, you better start telling it then," Aillard says, crossing his arms.
Lance looks to Rohana, who looks at Darius, who nods back at her and then helps his mother into a chair. Rohana whispers something into Nilsa's ear, and then every one of the women but Rohana disappears again.
Mists? Teleports? I still don't know.
Svenja opens her mouth, likely to ask where the others went and why no one's beginning to explain, but then a woman with silky red hair, golden eyes, and fair skin appears in the middle of the room, the girl from earlier - Tanith - standing beside her.
"I believe you all are waiting for an explanation," the red-haired woman says. I don't know what it is, but there's something...intangible about her. It's like the very air around her screams Goddess, and yet at the same time, I can't help but feel like something's clouding it. "I'm sorry to tell you that we don't have the time for such things, so we'll make this quick.
For a second, I half expect all of us to be teleported - misted...somewhere else. Instead, the red-haired woman holds out her hand to Tanith, a yellow glow forming in the center of her palm. Tanith hovers her own palm over the woman's hand, and then I gawk as the yellow light flows from the woman's hand, and into Tanith's.
One second I'm watching the magical exchange happen, and the next a million thoughts and images overload my head.