Rite of the Omega Page 2

  In the meantime, he placed the girl into the soft pelts and fine fabrics lining the heavy trunk. Startled when she caught his finger and brought it to her lips, gumming the hard knuckle. Otaso didn’t know how long he sat there, watching this strange infant with utter fascination. Long enough she slipped closer to true sleep, releasing him with a wet smack of her lips and a healthy yawn that showed the pink of her gums.

  “Aida,” he murmured, stroking the roundness of her cheek.

  His half-sister’s second name, the woman-child burnt to ash and scattered to the sea ages ago. Before Otaso found his true calling, before he’d murdered their father, taking that title and power for his own. Their brothers, too. A Beta, yes, but with the same lack of fear. She’d smiled as she met Otaso’s gaze more often than not. Her lack of caution had cost her much before her soul slipped free of its mortal chains, but he had never felt such passion, such love, before or since.

  Thoughts of the long dead girl and the glory of her blood and death beneath his hands suffused him. Her pain and screams loud in his ears once more, he turned to the golden-haired woman. Lips wide in a smile that showed too much teeth as he stalked his prey, driving her across the room.

  Otaso didn’t give it a second thought as he wasted the energy to throw a barrier over little Aida. She’d hear screams one day, but not the paltry ones of this slave.

  Someday, she’d hear her own at his hands.

  Decision made, he caught the pale slave. Tossed her onto the bed and laughed at her shrill cries while his little Aida sucked her thumb, oblivious as she found true sleep.

  Chapter 1

  Aida

  “Aida!”

  Shoulders lurching to her ears, Aida froze as her guardian’s rage shattered the hurried excitement of spring infiltrating her room. Windows wide to the gentle breeze and the cheery song of birds, it was a forbidden act she thought to get away with while he was deep in consultations with his advisors.

  The stomp of boots below drove dingy ochre dust into the air. Drifting past her window and up to the spire that scraped the vivid blue sky before the wind caught it and dragged the drab yellow clouds away. Announcing in dismal fanfare that she hadn’t been as safe as she’d thought.

  His guards always tattled. No matter her pleas or delicate sneaking, they reported her every misdeed with cruel neutrality. They never touched her, crowding her away from the outside world, back towards her tower with their sheer bulk. The one time she’d been brave enough to push through their wall of etched metal and sooty aggression, Otaso murdered the man. Used brute strength instead of the magic forever shimmering just under his skin in a lazy crimson glow to rip the soldier’s head clean off.

  She never touched another of them again.

  Otaso had no such issue with touching her. Now he wrapped a thick arm around her middle, hauling her away from eyes that wouldn’t dare to peek up at her prison. The length of her back pressed against his chest, she tried and failed to hide the flinch when the rasping sound of his displeasure rumbled through her.

  “I only wanted—”

  “None of your lies,” Otaso growled, the acrid wash of his breath scattering over her neck as he curled around her. Surrounding a far smaller body with mounds of muscle and vibrating anger. “What have I told you a thousand times?”

  Aida forced the tension from her limbs, going limp in the violent embrace. It was to be a lesson then, not a simple reprimand. Quelling the tremble of her lower lip, she closed her eyes to the sudden dimness of the tension-soaked room. Tongue seeking to bring moisture to the parched planes of her lips, she whispered, “To act like a common woman is to be treated like one.”

  “Do you wish to be punished today of all days?”

  “No, sir.”

  “Then I better not hear of your transgressions again.”

  Opening her eyes wide, Aida remained where she was as he released her. Strangling the momentary relief from a conflagration to a guttering candle flame in the space of a heartbeat as she tipped her chin down. A subservient apology, a show of reform as she dipped into a deep curtsy to almost kneel at his feet.

  “I came to tell you I will miss our luncheon,” Otaso murmured, fingers sliding along her jaw to bring her face up. “You will join me for dinner this evening.”

  “D-dinner, sir?” Throat working to swallow back the pleas for a stay of this sudden decision, she suppressed the shiver from an icy finger of dread scraping down her spine. His advisors, his men, they supped with him at the grand table in the enormous hall. Never her.

  “Yes, my little fawn. Dinner.” Chuckle grating and swirling with darkness, he cupped her chin in his palm. Brought her wide eyes to meet the russet of his gaze as his thumb traversed a rough course over her cheek. “We’re to celebrate your name day, and it is a very special one. At dusk, the precise moment the sun and moon hold equal sway, you will be of age. A glorious moment. Magical, even.”

  The lurking dread became a wave. Sucking at her heart and soul, twisting them into hopeless knots as Otaso admired her features. Fingering a lock of her hair, the sound he made was one she’d heard many a time from him before, yet louder now. More insistent. Sure of its moment of victory.

  “Tonight you will see your true potential. No longer the fumbling fawn, but the graceful doe, yes?” Drawing Aida to her feet, Otaso’s tone took on a serrated edge. Darkness seeping into the deep wounds he inflicted with words alone. “You will dine by my side, a testament to my power.”

  “As you wish, sir.”

  Otaso grunted, displeased with her response. Before Aida could sort through what he wished of her now, he stalked towards the door. Boots landing with the weighty thuds of impending doom, he gave her his back until he reached the slab of wood carved with hundreds of patterns, the symbols of his magic intertwined with a design of a delicate fawn poised to run. Whether to spring away in fear or to play was in the beholder's eye.

  “You will remember who gave you a life, Aida Vertia. Took you in, made you something more. The person who has given you everything you could ever need or desire.”

  With his words still ringing in the eerie quiet, Otaso left her in the chill shadows. The birdsong she wanted so much to hear without the thick panes of glass separating them now seemed dull and shrill. Any warmth from the weak spring sun melted away, leaving Aida to tremble with arms wrapped tight around her middle.

  Whatever plans her guardian had for her, the things he promised with every uncomfortable touch and awkward moment, he would see it come to fruition this night. The exact moment she was of age, he would take what he long ago professed was his alone.

  “Foolish girl,” Immari hissed as she came bustling into the suite. Full skirts snapping with her agitation, she hurried towards the windows. Closing them with such force the thick panes rattled, the casements creaking in distress. “On today of all days, you misbehave, threatening to bring his wrath down on us all.”

  “It’s only another day,” Aida whispered, sinking to the floor to huddle tighter around the jagged ice lodged within her ribs where a heart once beat.

  “Pah! Another day.” Immari offered no kindness as she grabbed Aida’s arm with pinching fingers. Pulling Aida up to her feet and pushing her hard towards the adjoining seating area.

  Shuffling ahead of the angry maid, the only one allowed to touch and see her aside from Otaso himself, Aida’s dark eyes burned with tears. Not so much for what was to come. She understood this would happen since the moment she understood what the look in her guardian’s eyes meant. That the heat of anger and something far darker, while similar, were not the same.

  Now she mourned for a life that would never be. If he controlled her every move now, it would be worse when he claimed her. She understood that, too. Gone would be the moments of reprieve, however short they might be, where she could sneak out into the lush gardens he kept for his herbs and plants. No more racing through the trees, feeling the sun tangling in her hair, scalding the life back into her frigid skin.

/>   With Immari’s palm heavy on her shoulder, she took the smaller, daintier chair at the table situated before a grand mural of forest scenery. Somber gaze drifting towards the sturdy bulk of the seat opposite kept for Otaso’s far larger weight, Aida’s brows scrunched over the bridge of her nose, the faint lines of confusion joining the pursing of her lips. It was far too early for their daily luncheon. That was how Otaso caught her. He should have had his nose buried in dusty texts and the growling rumbles of his advisors for hours yet, but he’d come sooner to tell her he wouldn’t be joining her. Something that never happened. Immari was the one to ferry messages back and forth whenever Otaso sent word.

  A faint knock on the door answered Aida’s question before she could voice her concerns to Immari. Bustling towards the small antechamber shielding Aida’s suite from the outside world, Immari made certain the thick curtain closed tight behind her before opening the door. She knew better than to sneak close to the curtain to eavesdrop, had earned a switch across her palms more than once for the act. Instead she turned her head, straining to listen for the rise and fall of the voice that spoke over Immari’s hisses.

  Eyes going wide, Aida realized it was a male’s voice. Seeping inside the suite, it swaggered through the air to tease at her ear. A low rumble, intent and edging into furious as Immari continued her chastisement. Hand drifting to her chest, Aida pushed hard on the wild creature thrashing about inside of her chest, willing her heart to calm as it raced in chaotic circles. Banging around the cage of her ribs, it threatened to burst free as the male’s voice became clear for an instant before the door slammed shut.

  Her name. A simple word, and yet on his lips it tripped down her spine on a charged bolt of lightning. The hysterical flutter of her heartbeat dropped, plunging headlong into her stomach where it pulsed and swam. Growing warmer with every breath as the hint of something astringent and spicy met her senses on a trickling draft.

  “Aida,” Immari snapped, slamming her armload of goods upon the table.

  Silvered domes resonated an angry hum as they jostled across the intricate tray. The sharp smack of wood coming together made Aida jump. Jarring her from her reverie as that warmth sputtered and died. A frigid pool laden with icy rocks set to break her apart.

  “Remove your hand at once.” Immari’s umber gaze was as unyielding as the craggy ranges surrounding the castle and twice as foreboding.

  Aida gasped, snatching her hand back and slapping it to the table where it trembled. A frightened bird left vulnerable and alone on the expanse of dark, rich wood. Fingers blushing the same pained crimson that stained her cheeks from where the tight line of her bodice had cut into the flesh. Thick welts marring the soft skin from where she dug them under the stiff silk.

  “I…” Aida swallowed hard, the dry click of her throat loud. Shoving her spine flat to the chair back from where she’d leaned with such intent focus towards the lingering scent of the male. Tears brimming in her gaze, she sought and abandoned Immari’s eyes, their judgment licking over her skin in fiery bursts.

  Lashes fluttering to clear them of their salty burden, Aida folded her hands into demure repose upon her lap. Slow, calming breaths did little to ease the tension rattling through her bones, but she strived for at least the appearance of it while Immari set out the small plates. Delicate porcelain with fanciful decoration, flowers and vines tangled and winding in shades of amber. Yet another gift from her guardian. A deep breath strained the tight bodice of her gown as she focused on the palm sized bird trussed and roasted. The thick currant red glaze gleamed in the weak sunlight, a drizzle of the syrup thick concoction over a selection of root vegetables giving the simple fare an elegant feel.

  “Is it not early for this,” Aida asked in a tone that approached something normal, much to her surprise.

  “You’ll eat now so you might dine with the Imperial Majesty this evening.” Immari paid her not a single ounce of attention, bustling around the table as if her incessant buzzing would make Aida hurry.

  “They take their dinner much later than I do. Why on earth must I eat so—”

  “You will need time to prepare, Aida.” With a flip of her wrists, Immari unlocked the large wooden case that arrived with Aida’s tray. Her dark lashes flew wide, lips drifting to gape before she lifted something from the case with reverent fingers. “His Imperial Majesty sent this for you to wear.”

  A snap of her hands unfolded the gown. Bedecked with lace and shimmering jewels, layers upon layers of iridescent silk in shades of deepest crimson and rich purple billowed and flowed. A river of heart blood and magic bursting into the sunlight as if it would drive every fragment of brightness from the room.

  “There’s a new hairnet and jewelry to match, Aida! Oh, it’s all so very fine,” Immari said in breathless wonder, turning the gown this way and that for it to steal the sun’s warmth and light.

  “Why?”

  “Why what, Aida?”

  “He never gives me things like that. Why now?”

  “Don’t be a fool.” Immari huffed a hard breath through her nose, eyebrows slamming to a hard line as she slid a murky glance at Aida. “Hurry and eat or you’ll go without. There’s much to do before dusk.”

  Exhaling in a hard rush, Aida picked up the heavy silver and picked at the meal. She didn’t taste the crispy skin or the decadent sauce, chewing with mechanical determination while Immari flitted about the room. Sinking deeper into the murky void of her thoughts, her movements slowed until she set the fork and knife down to stare at the mangled remains scattered across the fragile plate. Too close to where her thoughts traversed, it felt ominous, a harbinger of what would happen to her.

  “By the Abyss, Aida! Can you do nothing as I tell you to? Up with you, we might as well begin if you will do nothing but brood.”

  Chair dragged away from the table, Aida had no choice but to rise and follow Immari through the suite to the adjoining bathing room. Once the door shut hard, just shy of slamming, Aida stood before the expansive tub. Suffering in silence as Immari peeled away the simple faded blue gown with cruel hands, Aida stared without seeing at the rippling waters strewn with lily petals. It was an inordinate luxury, her bathing chamber. Flickering candles in the windowless room wafted pungent flowery scents into the steamy air, the water warmed by a bank of coals glowing red hot at all hours by some trick of Otaso’s power.

  Unless he became displeased with her. Then he made her bathe in the icy water trickling through the network of pipes.

  As the light shift came off over her head, Aida kneeled beside the fragranced water for Immari to pin her thick curls atop her head, skimming her fingers through a slick of rose oil pooling on the water’s surface. Nose twitching against a sneeze at the potent scent, she longed for the earthy aromas from outdoors. Sunshine, warm and heady. Fresh tilled earth, rich and dark. The dusty boldness of sage.

  “In with you now.”

  Immari gave her just enough time to step into the extravagant tub before pushing her to sit. Plunged into the scalding water, Aida sucked a hard breath through her nose and let it out in a ragged exhale as Immari scrubbed at her with the rough pumice stone. To make her skin as smooth as a newborn babe’s, fresh and pink. A daily ritual that left her sore and aching, but it pleased her guardian. He liked the thick perfumes sinking into her skin even now. All of it was for Otaso’s pleasure, from the scents Immari perfumed her with, to the way she wore her hair. She’d never known a day where he did not determine her dress before Immari came to wake her, whether or not he was to see her that day.

  Leg yanked from the water, Aida peered at Immari through lowered lashes as her maid scoured her flesh. Tried not to blame the woman who had taken care of her since she’d arrived at this castle, a screaming infant swaddled in blood. Aida heard the stories all the time from her sole companions, of how the once austere mage and Imperial Emperor of all Aeslomor softened to the weeping babe left at his door. Raised within the soot black walls of stone amid saffron yellow fields of du
st and the black shadow of the mountain range, held high above the chaos and dangers of the world, Aida grew from toddling infant to young girl without ever seeing a face other than Immari and Otaso’s. It was when she grew older, her fourteenth summer, that things changed and all for the worse.

  The first time she snuck from her room in the dead of night, she’d stumbled upon Otaso’s study. His place of power, where he worked all of his incantations and spells. Drifting through the space on silent feet, long white gown ghostly in the darkness, it was her own fault they had caught her. Some creature, small and pitiful, had squawked its dismay at her when she stubbed her toes upon its cage. Her scream had echoed through the entire castle, the windows shivering under the shrill sound. If she ever thought she’d known Otaso’s anger before that night, she’d been wrong. Mere disappointments compared to the rage that crackled through the darkness, straight into her soul as his presence sucked the air from the room. Leaving her shivering on the cold stone floor as the creature shrieked and screamed in its cage. He’d whipped Immari that night. Strung her up in the courtyard and forced Aida to watch from her tower.

  Bad enough as it was, she saw his men descending on Immari when he dragged Aida inside. Their armor loosened, belts jangling as they rushed the bloody, weeping woman. She didn’t understand Immari’s screams, only knew that her friend was hurt, and no one would help. Only the beginning still as he forced Aida to kneel, ripping the soft flannel gown to bare her back. The cane hurt, liquid fire scorching delicate skin. It felt as if it had split her open, though Otaso assured her through the entire ordeal he would never leave her marked. Not his little fawn, his precious jewel. It was after the punishment that Aida’s fear soared to new heights, though she didn’t understand what it was at the time.