OBSIDIAN GUARD BOOK 2

CHAPTER 17 FAMILY IN IRONSPIRE

POV Ollivander

The heavy iron door of the cell groaned open, a sound that felt ominous, like a final warning. Two Thanes stood in the corridor, their faces as expressionless as the stone walls they guarded.

"Step forward," one commanded.

Gideon and I moved as one, our shoulders brushing. The Thanes reached for our wrists. There was a sharp, cold clink as the dampening cuffs were finally struck away. I rubbed my wrists, the skin there pale and sensitive, feeling the sudden, dizzying rush of the world's noise returning to my senses.

Without the cuffs, my weave came back to life. It was an elemental weave, one that allowed me to draw any noise closer to me. The Queen had named it the "eavesdropping weave," and it had served me well in my line of work.

Suddenly, I could hear everything: the distant, rhythmic chanting of the initiates, the sizzle of the wall torches, and the faint, ghostly whispers of conversations happening three floors up.

"You are released," the guard said, looking directly at Gideon. "The King of Ironspire awaits his brother at home. You are to return to your people immediately."

Gideon let out a breath that sounded like a growl of relief. He turned to me, his eyes searching mine with a frantic, protective heat. "We're going. Together."

"Gideon, I—" I started softly, touching his arm. I hesitated, nearly saying no out of habit, but then I realized I desperately wanted to go with him. I gave myself over to the hope that maybe the Queen would let me.

"Go to the stables. Find us two horses and a few snacks for the road. I have to wrap up a few things. I'll meet you at the gates."

Gideon frowned, his massive hand covering mine. "I'm not leaving you alone in this place for another second, little flower."

"I just need to settle a few things," I half lied, my voice steady despite the hammer of my heart. "Officialities. I won't be ten minutes. Meet me at the main gate. I'm not letting you go back without me."

I watched him hesitate, then nod. He leaned in, pressing a hard, desperate kiss to my forehead before turning to follow the guard toward the lower levels. I waited until the sound of his heavy boots faded before I turned toward the hidden lift in the shadows of the hallway.

Up I went.

The Queen's private solar was draped in silence. Valeryen stood by the window, her back to me. She was dressed in her royal regalia, the void-cape swallowing the morning light.

"He wants you to go with him?" she said, her voice like silk over a blade. She didn't turn around.

"I came to ask... to ask for your leave, Master," I whispered, dropping to my knees and pressing my forehead to the ground. My heart ached with a strange, bifurcated loyalty. I loved Gideon, I was terrified by how much I loved him, but I was a creature of this tower. I was hers.

She eventually turned. The heavy cosmetics and the veil were back in place, but for a split second, I saw the ghost of Valry in the tilt of her head. She walked toward me, her rings clicking.

"I assumed," she purred. She reached out, her fingers grazing the obsidian stud in my ear. I felt a spark of cold energy leap from the stone into my jaw. "And you shall. But you are not going as a gift, Ollivander. You are going as my spy."

She leaned down, her breath cool against my skin. "The Syndicate is a chaotic, sentimental mess, but they are no less dangerous for it. I want to know everything about them. I want to know the strength of Alistair's Sovereignty and the limits of each member of the Family. You will send me word."

"Vane is a Truth Weaver, Majesty," I reminded her, my voice trembling. "He will see through me."

"He will try," she countered, her thumb stroking the obsidian earring. "This stone will create the mind fortifications you need. However, do not be foolish. Vane is the strongest of his kind. Do not outright lie to him; the stone can only do so much for an Elemental who is playing with a stone outside his bloodline."

She gripped my chin, forcing me to look at her. "Omit. Bend. Tell the truth in ways that hide the heart of the matter. Your mastery of the air allows you to catch words from across a room, and use that. Be my ears in the Spire."

"And if I am caught?"

"Then you were never mine to begin with," she said, pulling back. "Go. Your wolf is waiting, and he is not a patient man."

I reached the main gate just as the great iron bars began to hiss upward. Gideon was there, already mounted on a massive, soot-colored stallion, holding the reins of a second horse. He looked ready to storm the tower if I'd been a second later.

"Ollivander!" he shouted, his face breaking into a grin that made my chest tighten with a painful, beautiful heat. "Mount up. I'm taking you home."

Home. A place I'd never been, to a family I didn't belong to, carrying a secret that felt like a ticking clock in my ear. I climbed onto the horse, feeling the weight of the obsidian stud against my skin.

"Let's go, Gideon," I said, forcing a smile.

We rode out of the gates and toward the river fork, leaving the black tower behind. But as I looked at Gideon's broad back, I knew the Queen was still holding the other end of my leash.

In barely a blink, I was at the main house, meeting everyone in a blur. Everyone was excited to have Gideon back and also to meet me for some reason. Now, I was sitting at a massive oak table that smelled of beeswax and roast meat, surrounded by the Syndicate.

They weren't sitting in order of rank. They were piled on top of each other. Jasmine was stealing potatoes from Alistair's plate; Saffron was leaning her head on Dante's shoulder while he sketched something on a napkin.

It was a chaotic, vibrating hum of affection that made my skin prickle with uncertainty. I felt like an intruder in a dream.

Gideon sensed my hesitation. He simply reached out, his massive hand hooking under my arm, and hauled me onto his lap. I stiffened, waiting for someone to scold us or for a guard to intervene. But Alistair only glanced up, offered me a small, tired smile, and went back to his wine.

"Eat," Gideon grunted, his voice a low rumble against my back. He pressed a spoonful of ice cream to my lips. Instead of warmth, an explosion of pure, piercing cold hit my tongue.

I slammed my hand over my mouth, my eyes watering. My entire head felt like it had been struck by a hammer of ice. The table erupted in a chorus of genuine, boisterous amusement.

"Oh, the first brain freeze!" Saffron chuckled. "Try the chocolate, Ollivander. The cold won't be such a shock the second time."

"Is that one cold, too?" I asked breathlessly.

Saffron laughed, a melodic, kind sound. "It's ice cream, friend. It's frozen cream. Of course it's cold."

Gideon let out a possessive, territorial grumble, snatching the chocolate bowl. "He's mine. I'll feed him." He looked down at me, his gaze softening. "Was it the cold, or do you just hate strawberries?"

"My brain... it froze," I whispered, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks.

Gideon didn't say a word. He just leaned in and kissed me, deeply and firmly, right in front of his siblings. I froze again, darting my eyes to the others. But Mercy was leaning into her partner, and Dante was smiling over his glass.

"Something wrong, little flower?" He asked after sensing my stiffness at our kiss.

"I'm just... not used to open affection, I guess," I said, my voice small.

The table went quiet for a heartbeat. I saw them exchange a look of profound, aching sadness and understanding.

"It takes some getting used to," Dante said gently. "But everyone here is very touchy-feely. Especially Gideon. I don't think he's gone three nights in his life without dragging his blankets into one of our beds."

"He is not implying anything untoward!" Saffron added, swatting Dante's arm. "Gideon just doesn't like to fall asleep alone. We can all see you're special to him."

I felt myself shrinking into Gideon's chest, my face burning. These people talked about feelings as if they were as common as the weather.

"Well," Gideon said boisterously, tightening his grip on my waist. "None of you will be graced by my presence in your rooms ever again. Ollivander is a better bed-body than all of you combined."

The roar of laughter that followed was deafening. But as I leaned my head against Gideon's shoulder, my thoughts drifted back to the cold, black tower. Valeryen had never expressed love like this.

I realized now, with a pang of genuine grief, that she probably didn't even know how.