Shattered Souls (Guardians of the Maiden Book 3)

When the hour came to begin the rites, Dyna followed the beacon of the bond to a room where the Captain of the Valkyrie stood guard. As the new Lord of Hermon, it was her duty to protect Cassiel now.

“Good morrow, Captain.”

“My lady.” Yelrakel opened the door for her and bowed as she entered.

It was a simple stone room with an interior balcony framed with arched columns and a balustrade. Beyond it was the view of frosted trees and Rael’s statue. The sound of rushing water from the cascades reached her, as did the warmth of the roaring fireplace in the corner.

“Ah, you have arrived. Perfect,” Lord Jophiel greeted her with a kind nod. “Now we can begin.”

Cassiel was seated at a round, stone table. He looked a little pale, his forehead damp with sweat. But his eyes lit up when she entered.

“Are you all right?” she asked. “You look ill.”

“Yes, I’m fine. I passed through my purification ritual.” His hand drifted to his ribs and an echo of pain went through the bond. “It’s a step I would gladly do again,” he said when sensing her alarm. Taking her hand, he pressed his mouth to her palm.

Flesh of my flesh. Bone of my bone, his reverent voice coiled through her mind.

Dyna didn’t quite understand what he meant, but the glow in her chest was thrumming.

Lord Jophiel cleared his throat, reminding them of his presence. “In this room, you shall perform the rite of the mind and the rite of the heart.”

Cassiel tensed at that, making his uncle chuckle.

“It’s a painless rite, at least, physically.” He motioned to the table in front of them. It held a basket with white ribbons and page of parchment written with some script. “These are the handfast ribbons. You will braid your sash with three strands as you ask each other the list of questions on this page. I admit, they are difficult things to ask, but the purpose is to be fully open with one another, so you may enter your marriage without any reservations.” He pointed to the brass bell hanging above their heads. “The bell will ring if one of you withholds honesty.”

It was embossed with lettering she didn’t understand. It reminded her of Tarn’s truth rune in his tent. That one was made to catch hidden lies. This one was made to catch hidden truths.

“The room is warded to withhold sound, so no other will hear. Your companions and the Valkyrie will stand guard outside. Take your time, and come out when you are ready.” Lord Jophiel excused himself thereafter.

Dyna bit her lip as they both looked around the room. Nerves danced along the bond and she wasn’t sure if it was all hers or both of theirs.

Cassiel took the page. “Shall we sit? It will be much more comfortable.”

He motioned to the blue velvet divan facing the open balcony. Taking the basket, she went to sit. There was a folded blanket already waiting, which he draped over her lap and settled beside her. From the basket she took out the silky ribbons. They were pure white, shimmering beneath the sunlight.

Cassiel rested his elbows on his knees as he read over the page. One edge of his mouth curved. “Well, this seems more like an interrogation than a rite.”

A jumble of nerves danced in her stomach. Dyna fidgeted with the ribbons as she tied three strands together on one end. “Is it that terrible?”

“The worst. We may not be able to look at one another after this.”

Oh gods. Would it be too late to skip this part? She couldn’t see how it should be necessary.

At Cassiel’s wide grin, Dyna swatted his arm. “You’re teasing me.”

“I could feel you ready to leap out of your skin.” He turned his body to face hers, and leaned against the backrest. His knee rested against hers, warm and comforting. His relaxed position and half smile put her at ease. “Shall we take turns holding the sash while the other braids?”

Dyna handed him the tied end of it and glanced at the page. It only contained three questions. “These aren’t difficult.” She gathered the three ribbons and began weaving them together. “The first one is to share a struggle of the present. Well, I’m struggling with controlling my magic.”

The bell chimed with a gentle tinkling sound.

Dyna frowned. “It’s true.”

It chimed again.

“I think we are meant to discuss more personal thoughts we would not dare share with another,” Cassiel said. “The internal dark corners we may sometimes be ashamed of.”

Only a fourth of engagements made it through the rites, and now Dyna saw why. Answering the list of questions would require her to peel away all manner of armor. She would be raw and exposed, left at mercy of hope that one to see heart could accept it as it was. But she found no reason why she should be afraid of that with him.

“I…pretend not to hear what they say about me,” Dyna said to the ribbons. They slid against her fingers as she continued weaving them together, the hissed voices repeating in her mind. “It would be a lie to say the words don’t hurt, but what I fear the most is the thought that one day you may believe them, and leave me behind because of it.”

Dyna felt Cassiel’s gaze on her, but she couldn’t bring herself to look at him. She was secure in their affections, but Sarrai’s comment had stirred the worry that he may think she was better off not in his life.

He lifted her chin, so his stormy eyes could meet hers. “Dyna, when you were taken from me, I was half out of my mind. Leave you? That will never happen.”

There was a certainty, a finality in his words that was both commanding and assuring.

“Tell me what you heard and from who, so I may remove their ability to speak—or breathe, depending on what was said.”

Dyna rolled her eyes playfully. “We can’t solve everything with murder, Cassiel.”

“I wholly disagree.” He handed her the tied end of the sash and gathered the ribbons. It was nearly a foot long now. She watched his fingers braid the loose ends deftly. “I want names.”

She didn’t think he was joking and it worried her.

“I don’t know who they are, and even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.” What she’d heard were mostly things whispered in the hall in the commons area.

Filthy human.

Murderous witch.

Geas cursed.

The speaker always vanished around a corner before she even got a look at them. During the banquet, someone said she should be made a courtesan rather than a wife. She realized too late that memory had slipped past her shield, and Cassiel stilled. She caught the sharp edge in his gaze before he looked out at Hermon Ridge.

“My mother…” His voice came out low. Strained. “She used to love coming here. Before she left, we would visit every summer when my father was too busy being tending the Realms. It was later I realized, Hermon became a sanctuary, for no one here knew she was the High King’s courtesan. She had asked my uncle to introduce her as my servant.” A bitter laugh escaped him and is face creased. “Because then, she could avoid the court’s prejudice by appearing below them.”

That made Dyna so sad her eyes watered. How much his mother must have suffered.

“Hilos broke her spirit. I could not protect her from it, then. But I will be damned if I let that happen again.” Cassiel turned to her. “I struggle with the fear that I will not be enough to protect you. That if I look away for one moment, you will be taken from me again. Either by their hatred or some other tragedy I cannot prevent.” He cradled her hand with the geas and his brow tightened as he ran his fingers over the oak tree. “Every time I see this, I’m reminded of Leoake’s warning. I cannot shake the feeling that I may be taking you to your death. After experiencing the likeness of a broken bond, I know I could never survive losing you.”

“Nor could I,” she murmured. “But you’re not taking me to my death, Cassiel. I am choosing to go to Mount Ida.”

But hearing that reminded her of what Malakel said. Any day could be the end, and what they had would vanish. It wasn’t enough to simply fight for what she wanted, but to also live for it.

“Hmm…” Crossing her arms, Dyna tapped her chin as she pretended to think very deeply.

“What?”

“I’m trying to imagine what Lord Norrlen would say in this moment. He always has the perfect wisdom to share when I’m in my doubts.”

Cassiel’s mouth hitched. “Shall I ask him to step in?”

“No. I think I got it. Fear is like the sea. If we let ourselves sink in it we will drown. No one knows how long they have or the hardships to come. All we can do is spend our days treasuring each moment.”

A smile spread across his face. “Not bad.”

“Thank you. Next question.”

“What secret do you hold from the past?” he read.

“Would you like to go first?” she asked.

Cassiel shrugged. “None come to mind. I don’t have any secrets that you don’t know of already.”

The bell chimed, proving that to be false, and Dyna smirked.

“What? No. I…” Cassiel frowned at the bell in confusion for a second, then he shifted in the divan and tugged at his collar.

Dyna grinned and inched closer. “You have one. Tell me.”

“It’s more of a…humiliating secret.” He cleared his throat, and rubbed the back of his neck. “Please don’t hold it against me.”

“This is us being open and honest with each other. Nothing you say will upset me.”

“Well…you remember the inn we stayed at in Corron, the morning after?”

“Yes.” She flushed. How could she forget?

His knee bounced repeatedly. “With your body pressed against mine, I woke … aroused. It was startling and unexpected. So I….”

Bolted.

Dyna stared at him a moment, then she covered her mouth before she burst into a fit of giggles. Cassiel’s face turned even redder. “Oh, dear. Now I completely understand everything.”

“It’s a natural part of the body.”

“It is.” Fighting to hold back her grin, Dyna patted his restless knee. “You’re right

“Mmhmm.”

“Was it startling because I was human?”

His dark lashes lifted as his silver eyes met hers with a sudden intensity her pulse skipped a beat. “Because it had been the first time I desired anyone.”

Dyna swallowed, feeling heat rise to her face. He had never been aroused by another before her?

Cassiel handed her the ribbons. They had a good length going. “Your turn.”

She looked away, too shy to look at him. “Well, in regards to Corron, I suppose my one secret was also of that night.”

This caught his attention, and he straightened. “Oh?”

“You were rightly drunk and…hot.” Dyna bit her lip. “You took off your clothes.”

“What?”

“Your tunic, I mean. I could see…everything.” Her fingers lost track of the braid as she recalled his beautifully sculpted body. “I liked seeing it,” she admitted. “And then, when you were asleep, I touched your…wings.”

Cassiel sucked in a dramatic gasp. “Dynalya Astron, I am appalled.”

She covered her face. “I’m sorry.”

He laughed and pulled down her hands. “Silly girl. I suppose it was my doing for indecently stripping in front of you and leaving myself to be violated.”

She groaned, covering her face again.

“Dyna.” At the rumble in his tone, Dyna peeked at him between her fingers. “You may look all you wish.”

Her heart did a little flip at the sly look in his eyes.

“There, we easily finished that question, didn’t we?” he said.

A chiming responded.

She hummed. “Do you have anything else to confess?”

“No…?”

The bell protested again.

“Ah…” His neck bobbed. “Well…”

The hesitation was so thick, Dyna peered into the bond and caught a quick memory of her breasts in his mind. “Cassiel!”

“You were injured, so I had to remove your dress to treat your wound. I swear before Elyōn that is all.”

He genuinely looked apologetic. Dyna only shook her head and laughed. “Deviant.” She glanced at the page again for the next question as he took the sash again. “What do you hope for the future?”

“The future?” Cassiel’s brow furrowed thoughtfully.

He fell quiet for a long moment, leaving her to worry. “Do you see a future with me?”

Cassiel sighed and brushed the hair from her eyes. “Lev sheli, I have seen it since the moment beneath the willow. I don’t know what kind of life we will have once we return from Mount Ida, but I see you in it.”

Her heart warmed, and she grew shy at how easily he said such things. Before he was never so open, but now it was as if he wanted to share everything he thought. It was a new side of honesty she hadn’t expected from him.

“I suppose, I also may not have allowed myself to think of tomorrow, for I’m worried about today.” He sighed and looked out at Hermon again. “I am meant to oversee this Realm but I don’t have the support I need to do that. The Lords hold me in no regard, as I did not plan to one day be among them. I don’t know how to find the right influences or how to be a Lord. This may be beyond me.”

She wasn’t the only one left floundering with their new responsibilities. They may have been approaching things the wrong way.

“Looking for support among the Lords may not be the right step,” Dyna said. “At least, not yet. Hermon is in transition with a new leader and things may feel uncertain for them. Our first objective should be finding support among the citizens of your Realm.”

Cassiel gave her a thoughtful smile as he considered that. “I think you are right. I should make a foothold here first before anything else. And you? What do you hope for the future?”

He had too many worries about the present, but she had started thinking ahead. And after this morning, it was a pressing concern at the forefront of her mind. It doubled once hearing what he feared.

Suddenly feeling the urge to move around, she got to her feet and paced on the balcony. “Gods, I don’t know what the future holds for us either, Cassiel. I left North Star hoping I would survive long enough to complete my mission. My hope for the future was to destroy the Shadow, save my sister, my village, and myself. But…but now…”

“But now?”

“Now my future isn’t only mine anymore.” She threw up her hands as she pivoted on her heel, words spilling out faster than she could stop them. “I’m unexpectedly responsible for a Realm full of Celestials. Half of which would rather see me dead or gone. I’m expected to consummate and bear heirs.” Her face heated. “We hardly adjusted to being bonded. I-I’m not prepared for the thought of children. Yet Malakel had the audacity to say he wouldn’t permit us to have them. As if he would have any right to decide—”

Cassiel grabbed her shoulders and made her stop. “He said what?”

She scowled at the wall behind him. “That your line would end with you.”

The threat part she omitted because Cassiel wouldn’t take it well. She could already feel his anger burning in the bond.

“It doesn’t matter what he thinks.” She lowered her gaze, something shaking in her chest. “But do you…want them?”

“No.” Cassiel admitted, and her heart unexpectedly sank. That feeling finally answered how she truly felt about the subject. “After the life I lived, despised for being a half-breed, I did not want to father a child only to suffer my same fate. I had no plan to bond. No plan to live outside of idle nothingness. But then you came, and I wished for more.”

His hands took her face, once again making her meet his eyes. Their color was the gray before dawn, sometimes turning white when the light hit them. It reminded her of new days, of waiting for something good to happen.

“Like you, I have yet to prepare for more than what we have right now. Do I want children? Not at the moment. We are still learning who we are together and apart. The future brings endless possibilities. And if one day we want to take that step, it will be something we decide. No one will have a say in it.”

It was all it took to settle her. The possibility of one day made her ridiculously happy and shy.

“Good.” She hid her face against his shoulder. “Then…I’ll be sure to take the…contraceptive.”Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

Cassiel’s fingers slowly traced the line of her spine. “So,” he purred in her ear. “You have been thinking about that, lev sheli?”

“No,” she said defensively. Her cheeks flamed when the bell chimed, and he chuckled.

“When did you speak to Malakel?”

“Before I came here…”

The teasing faded. “What else did he say?”

“Nothing at all true.” She squeezed her eyes shut when another chime rang. “Some of it was lies, bell.”

Cassiel led her back to sit on the divan. He crouched in front of her and waited patiently for her to speak.

Dyna gathered the handfast ribbons, weaving them through the final span. “He said…that in the face of things, our union didn’t matter because my lifespan was short, and I would pass away in due time.” The back of her eyes stung. “And you would be left behind to perish from the broken bond. To think you would die because of me, I can’t bear it, Cassiel. I can’t.”

Sighing, he rested his forehead against hers. She felt his next words like a soft breath of air against her cheek. “Walking this world for an endless age alone will never outweigh one lifetime with you. And if a mortal life is all we have, then I will spend an eternity searching for you in the next one.”

It was devastating, the things he did to her heart. If he was attempting to make her cry again, he succeeded. A small laugh bubbled out of her when Cassiel licked away a tear from her cheek.

Dyna lifted their handfast sash to show it was perfectly white. “Our hearts are aligned.”

“I never had any doubt.” The back of his fingers brushed her jaw before letting his hand drop on her shoulder. A sharp throb of pain there made her hiss. His eyes widened when her shield slipped enough for him to feel it. “What happened?”

“Nothing.”

The bell chimed.

His eyes sharpened, and his soft voice became so lethally quiet. “Dyna.”

“It’s nothing—”

Cassiel tugged down her sleeve, exposing her shoulder, and the large red welt that marked her pale skin. A stillness fell over him. Something dark and dangerous coursed through his features.

“Who hurt you?” The question was a growl, raspy and thick.

She didn’t dare answer, but she saw the moment it came to him. His irises spiraled into vibrant blue, burning with a vast and menacing wrath that rose the hairs on the back of her neck. Seraph fire sprouted at his hands, then in a wreath around his feet. The stone beneath his boots blackened and began to crack. Her heart pounded at the pure rage shaking the bond and it sent a shiver skittering down her spine.

“Malakel.” His voice. It was something feral. So foreign, it was unlike anything she had heard from him before.

Dyna shrieked at the combustion of blue flames erupting out of him. It roared through the balcony like a tidal wave. The heat ripped through the air, scorching everything it touched. Cassiel didn’t notice. Standing, he marched for the balustrade.

“Cassiel, wait!” Dyna ran to him.

He leaped into the skies the same moment she threw out her hand. Her fingers went right through the wisps of flames trailing behind his feet. It should have melted her flesh, but it only felt like a gentle brush of warmth. In her shock, she reacted too late to stop him.

Cassiel’s wings carried him away.

And he was headed directly for his brother.