Chapter 41
New Alliances
THALIA
Ivan sat against the rock, apple in hand as he lazily munched on the fruit.
Puffs of air clung in front of me as I slipped beside him, my mind reeling from the conversation with Moria.
“You’re not supposed to be here,” he said as his gaze lingered on mine.
“We need to talk.”
His brow rose. “What about?”
I bit my lip as I blew out a breath. “Did Fin stop by?”
“Yes. He told me what Moria revealed to you both.” He tossed the apple core into the grass. “Are you worried about it?”
“No. I mean, that’s not it.” How was I supposed to ask him?
Sounds like his father.
The phrase replayed in my mind over and over. She wouldn’t have mentioned it unless it meant something. The more I thought about it, the more the pieces weren’t adding together.
His Uncle was Chiron, a high political figure of Laias . Then there had been the remarks Fin had made about training with Ivan frequently there too. If his mother was a common Fae, why would he be training? The pieces were dissolving, my head spinning as more and more holes to his story ignited.
“Thalia?”
My head swiveled, pieces clicking together. “Let’s make a deal.”
He cocked his head to the side, a dazzling smirk crossing his face. “Another deal?”
“If I land an attack on you, you answer any question I give you.”
His eyes lit. “And if I win?”
“You may ask the same, unless you want something different,” I challenged.
He licked his lips. “No, questions are fine.” He stood as he gripped a sword in his hand. “We could get in trouble for this.”
I grabbed the twin blade to his, the feel heavy in my hands. “You? Scared of a little trouble?” A wicked grin lit my lips as I raised the blade, my eyelashes fluttering. “I mean, if you’re scared I’ll?—”
“No, no I’m not scared.” His eyes flicked to me as a grin lit his face. “I hope you know I won’t go easy on you.”
“Fine,” I said as I flicked my hair over my shoulder. I only needed to mark him once.
Without waiting, his sword crashed down upon mine in a fury of power, my grip nearly releasing at the impact.
A grunt left my lips as I grounded myself, taking the brunt of his impacts.
The swords slid against each other, my grip loosening as he brought the tip closer to my hand.
With a quick jerk, the blade nicked me, blood staining my palm from the puny cut. Precision didn’t even begin to define the swings he had made to mark me.
“My question.” He grinned.
I rolled my eyes. “Go on.”
“What’s your favorite attribute about me?”
“Really?”
“You said any question, now answer it,” he said as he lazily swung his sword back and forth.
“Your eyes,” I muttered, a bit of heat binding to my cheeks.
“Nothing else?”
“A second question,” I countered, my legs moving into their stance as I willed my face to cool.
“You’re practically asking for another cut,” he said as his blade whipped around, meeting mine with a loud echo.
“You won’t be lucky again,” I snapped, my blade hissing against his as I swung it low.
He stepped out of the way, the momentum swinging me forward as the hilt of his blade cracked upon my back.
My legs stumbled as I smacked into the ground, the blade skittering a few stones from me. A wheeze blew from my lips as I stumbled to my feet, my face turning red.
“Second question,” he said, delight dancing on his tone. “Do you believe in everlasting bonds?”
My legs stopped moving. That was a term I hadn’t heard in a very… very long time. “Siorai? Are you honestly asking me if I believe in Siorai?”
He didn’t move. “Answer the question.”
A puff of air escaped from me. “I don’t know. Probably not as the gods haven’t blessed anyone with that term in centuries.”
The last known Siorai had died when the Fae gods left. Their names weren’t even remembered anymore. Not even written into history.
“Why are you asking?”
“Beat me and ask.”
Heat curdled my blood at the laziness in his steps as I swung at him. He wasn’t even trying and I still couldn’t hit him. All that training and I still couldn’t do shit.
An exasperated yell rang from my throat as I met his blade, twisting my body close to his to escape another power attack.
A hand grabbed my waist, a yelp leaving my lips as Ivan tugged me close, my back pressing against his chest.
Cold metal pressed against my neck.
The cocky bastard had hidden a dagger.
“You’re cheating,” I hissed as the tip of the blade hovered above my neck.
“And you’re failing,” he whispered into my ear, his voice sending shivers down my spine as heat pooled where it shouldn’t.
The blade cut the side of my neck where the scar rested, a trickle of blood dripping down my collarbone.
“If I asked you to kiss me right now, would you?” His thumb brushed over the slight throbbing in my neck.
My knees nearly buckled at the sound, at the proximity of him. “No,” I breathed, my mind focusing on anything other than his hand resting across my throat.
“Pity,” he muttered as he spun me out, the dagger returning to a pocket at his side.
“I’m running out of questions,” he mused, his eyes assessing me.
I knew it was going to be difficult, but I’d expected to make at least one hit against him. I needed to keep my mind straight if I was going to find answers.
Tugging the blade close, I watched his movements as he circled me. If he lunged, there was no way I’d avoid it.
He was too fast and skilled.
I dove first, my blade reaching for his exposed arm, but he turned, the blade striking air instead. I didn’t give him a chance as I whipped it around, my blade reaching for his torso.
To my surprise, he didn’t move as the blade sliced a cut into his side, blood seeping from the fresh wound.
“Damn,” he said, a crooked smile on his face.
“Bastard. You let me hit you!”
“I made a mistake.” His blade rested across his shoulder. “Are you going to ask me your question?”
My lips pursed together as I crossed my arms over my chest. “Are you going to be quiet so I can think?”
Ivan grinned. “No, but thanks for the easy question.”
My jaw slacked. “You manipulative ass!”
“I can’t help it if you’re getting distracted,” he mused, his muscles rippling as he swung the sword down.
Mine met his.
“You could always use your casting,” he said, his head lowering to mine. “I think I’d enjoy it, too.”
“Piss off,” I said as my sword slammed into his. My heart beat frantically at his words, at the message hidden beneath.
My head was roaming with thoughts of him... of us tangled together in the tree, his lips on mine?—
“Ouch!” I shouted as I took a step back, examining the cut along my arm.
“What were you thinking about?” His eyes were shimmering as a wicked smile stitched onto his face.
“Nothing,” I said as I kept my face neutral.
There was no way I’d tell him I was thinking about him underneath the tree or that I wouldn’t mind if it happened again.
Clearing my throat, I blew out a breath as I readjusted the sword in my hand. My palms were growing slick with sweat and my legs were threatening to bend.
At this rate, the game would never end and I’d never get my question answered.
Ivan whistled low, his pace slow as he walked around me. “Last shot, half-breed .”
“Fine,” I said, a tiny smile lighting my face. Despite the uneasiness I felt, this was fun.
When was the last time we’d sparred like this?
Ivan struck first, his blade cracking down with a force I’d never experienced from him before. It pushed my sword into the ground, the tip embedded into the soft dirt. “Come on,” I muttered to myself.
Ivan raised his sword, bringing it down in a low arc.
It would strike my arm if I didn’t move.
I fell to the ground, the blade nearly slicing my hair as I avoided its path.
Using my legs, I pounced back up, my arm grabbing the hilt of the sword as I yanked, the blade snapping from the ground.
I swung wide, hoping to strike any part of him.
He dodged effortlessly as he pulled the dagger from his side.
He swung his left hand toward my shoulder and I barely had time to deflect it with metal before he attacked from the right, my sword cracking against his.
My arms screamed to give up, but I needed to know the answer as I countered each strike, my feet threatening to buckle under the pressure. My thoughts were pounding in my head. I had to outsmart him, beat him at his own game, but with every strike, my plan was dwindling to ash.
He arched back, the blade angled at my arm. It would strike my flesh, earning him the final question. He swung high, the blade perfectly angled?—
I lunged forward into the path of his blade, my body bending at the knees to angle the metal at my neck. I was betting on his ability, the quickness of his reflexes as the sword traveled straight to my exposed neck. Another stone closer, and he’d slice it clean off.
The blade halted.
It was only for a second, but it was the moment I needed as I shoved my sword upward, cutting the tip of his finger. The sword clanged against the ground as I let it go, my arms and legs screaming.
We stared at each other as our breaths mingled in the winter air.
“That was dirty,” Ivan said, his breathing a bit rugged. “But it was a good play.”
A smile rested on my face. “Thanks,” I said between rasps of air.
Ivan sheathed his sword across his back as his arms crossed over his chest. “Out with it, then. You won. What’s this question you have for me?”
I’d won, but at what cost? Now it was time to ask and part of me didn’t want to know. Part of me wanted to say I was crazy for digging into Moria’s words or Fin’s strange behavior in Laias, but I couldn’t ignore it.
Before I changed my mind, my lips opened as I said, “Who is your father?”
Ivan stumbled.
Actually fucking stumbled as he attempted to nullify his shock with his stupid impassive appearance. “Isaiash,” he said. “That’s the only father I care about.”
“Bullshit,” I said. “You know that’s not what I want.”
Ivan’s hand ran through his hair. “Are you sure?”
“What do you mean if I’m sure?” I asked him, my voice raising slightly. “Tell me who he is so I can get this nagging feeling off my chest.”
“Nagging feeling?”
A hand rose to my neck. “Moria said something that got me thinking… about you,” I added. “I can’t shake this feeling you’re hiding something from me.”
The faelight faded as a cluster of clouds covered it, blanketing the Hideaway in a layer of gray.
“I didn’t think much of it until she mentioned your father. Why would Moria even care about your father? And then there’s Fin. Always Fin who constantly told me not to trust you, but I didn’t mind it until he told me about your training.” I continued. “He said the both of you trained frequently in Laias. Why would a couple of kids be training in a city?”
“Thalia.”
I held up a hand. “Then there’s Chiron, your Uncle. Why is your Uncle a critical figurehead in Laias? If your mother was a commoner, how did her brother wind up in a position as such as his?” My feet began to pace as I let the thoughts spew from my head. “It’s not plausible and I think… I think this whole time I’ve been clouded by feelings of rage, anger, and… and trust I didn’t see it. I didn’t see who you are.”
My eyes swiveled to his. “Who is your father?”
Ivan stared at me, his eyes searching mine before he spoke, his voice low. “I wanted to tell you. I wanted to tell you so many times, but I found myself holding back because I knew—I knew if I told you you’d never look at me the same. I’d lose you and some desperate part of myself couldn’t handle it.”
I took a step forward, my voice trembling slightly. “Who is your father?”
“Before I tell you, I really didn’t mean?—”
“Who, " my voice cracked as I continued saying, “is your father, Ivan? ”
Ivan glanced at me, his eyes dull.
“Hywell Armas,” he whispered. “My father is Hywell Armas, King of Cethales and I’m his son, Kaydn Armas.”