The Dragons of Nova (Loom Saga #2)(33)

He licked his lips.

Clawed fingers curled around the door lever and Cvareh considered how much force he’d have to apply to earn entry. But even if he did, what then? What could he possibly do? He knew nothing of the ways of adding new parts to a Chimera. And somehow, even one-or no-handed, he suspected Arianna would have enough rage to still be a force to be reckoned with.

“Will you wait there all night?”

Cvareh’s eyes regained focus, peering through the dimly lit hall at the man who leaned against a far wall. Cain stared back at him, inquisitive. The question hadn’t been rhetorical.

“Perhaps.” Cvareh didn’t really know what he would do. Not when it came to Arianna. Just when he thought he’d figured it out, the woman elicited a different response from him.

“Why?”

Cain wouldn’t understand. All Cain saw was the Chimera from Loom, a wretched amalgamation of Dragon and Fenthri that was now stealing magic from one of their House. Cain had not been there on Loom for all the days spent journeying with the brash and beautiful woman.

“Because we need her.”

“More that you need her.” Cain crossed the hall with measured steps; his walk betrayed both his boldness and willingness to turn at dismissal. It was a delicate dance that only a Dragon could manage. But Cain had earned boldness around Cvareh. The two had grown up together nearly as brothers, and in the dark halls of the Xin Manor with no eyes upon them, Cvareh fashioned them closer to equals.

“Both are true,” he confessed.

“Why? What do we need with her?” Cain focused on the House first.

“She can make a Philosopher’s Box.” Confusion crossed his friend’s face, forcing Cvareh to elaborate. “A mechanism that will make perfect Chimera. It will give Loom the ability to stand against the Dono.”

“Do we want that?” Cain asked uncertainly.

“It will shift the tides for House Xin.”

“And then we will be faced with Fenthri who are emboldened against us.”

“We will let the Fenthri govern themselves. Petra has never wanted to be the Dono of Loom. In our great history, House Xin has never governed the world below. Our ends are entirely Nova. We don’t need to dirty ourselves with the rock—” Cvareh’s appeal to Cain’s distaste for Loom was cut short as Arianna let out a sharp gasp. He leaned against the door, listening carefully, holding his own breath while he waited to hear the continued sounds of her labors.

“Petra should be Dono of the world below and above.” Cain’s loyalty was unwavering.

“She will be the Dono of nothing if we do not gain an advantage over House Rok.” Cvareh had sat through too many discussions with his sister to entertain alternatives. They had turned over numbers, hypotheses, plots and plans every which way. Barring the Dono making some grave error—which Yveun was not known for—gaining strength from Loom was their only way to tip the scales and force House Tam’s hand.

“I trust you both.” Of that, Cvareh had no doubt. “But this does not sit easy with me.” Cain motioned toward the door. “You gave her your brother’s hands. Of all who would make that sacrifice for the House, she will have the magic of the direct blood of the Oji.”

“And it was the Oji’s choice.” Cvareh neglected to mention that she had already had the direct blood of the Oji from imbibing off him.

Cain sighed.

“I would think this would delight you, as it will mean you no longer need to waste your time illusioning her.”

“Am I pleased to be free of that burden? Yes.” Cain didn’t even bother denying it. “But that means she will walk freely among us. You have given her the ability to pass among our brothers and sisters, to mingle so long as the illusion can be maintained. I don’t trust her in my home.”

“Then trust in me, and the trust I place in her.”

Cain’s eyes, nearly a reflection of Cvareh’s own, studied him. He kept his height and didn’t waver. If he did, weakness would poison the waters of his authority. It was something Cvareh could not afford to have happen. Even though Cain was like a brother, the distance Cvareh held as Ryu needed to be maintained. Petra had worked too hard in crafting it; he could not let his sister down.

“The ends best be great, Cvareh.” The other man pushed off the wall he’d leaned against. “Because you are charting a dangerous course.” Cain rested a hand on Cvareh’s shoulder, a familial motion that showed his sincerity. “Keep both eyes open about this woman. She will gut you alive if it serves her.”

“No one knows this more than I.” He had seen Arianna’s ruthlessness first-hand on multiple occasions. “I’m the only one among us who truly sees her. I am the only one on Nova who knows anything about this woman.”

Cvareh looked to Cain with a silent challenge. Would the man think that the time he had spent with Arianna had given him more insight into the woman than he himself possessed? Cain narrowed his eyes slightly, but stepped away with a small bow of his head—deferring to Cvareh’s assessment.

Cain disappeared into the darkness, his figure fading in the diminishing light of the oil lanterns that lined the hall. As much as Cvareh wanted to defend Arianna further, he knew he couldn’t. Cain’s assessment was pointed, as an experienced tactician’s should be. But Cvareh still wondered how he’d gathered so much from the seemingly short and tumultuous relationship he’d had with Arianna.