Fall of Ruin and Wrath (Awakening, #1)

Naomi didn’t hesitate then, lifting her hand, but I did, because it was so rare for my hand to touch others’ flesh without their intentions, and sometimes even their futures, becoming known to me. The only way I could touch another lowborn was to dull my senses, usually through alcohol or some other substance, and, well, that dulled everything else too and didn’t last very long, so there really was no point.

I wrapped my hand around hers, wanting to take just a brief second to simply enjoy the feeling. Most didn’t realize there was a world of difference between being touched and touching. But this wasn’t about me. I couldn’t take that second, because the longer I held Naomi’s hand, the more likely it was that I would end up seeing things about her she might not want to know or want me to learn. No amount of humming or keeping my mind active would stop that.

Quieting my mind, I opened my senses and then closed my eyes. A second passed, and another; then a series of tingles erupted between my shoulder blades and spread up, over the back of my skull. In the darkness of my mind, I began to see the hazy form of Naomi’s face, but I shut that down.

“Ask the question again,” I instructed, because it would help me focus on only what she wanted to know and not everything else that was taking shape and forming words.

“Will Laurelin recover from her fever?” Naomi said in a voice barely above a whisper.

There was silence in my mind, and then I heard what sounded like my own voice whisper, She will recover.

A shudder of relief went through me, but my skin quickly chilled. The voice continued to whisper. Releasing Naomi’s hand, I opened my eyes.

Naomi had gone still, her hand suspended in air. “What did you see?”

“She’ll recover from the fever,” I shared.

Her throat worked on a delicate swallow. “Really?”

“Yes.” I smiled, but it felt brittle.

“Oh, thank the gods,” she whispered, pressing her fingers to her mouth. “Thank you.”

Now my smile was a grimace as I looked away. I cleared my throat, picking up the bowl. I barely felt the cool ceramic.

“Has Claude been having trouble sleeping again?” Naomi asked after a handful of moments, her voice lighter than it had been when she walked into the chamber.

Thankful for the change of subject, I nodded. “He wants to be rested for the upcoming Feasts.”

Naomi’s brows rose. “The Feasts don’t start for several more weeks— at least a month or so.”

I glanced at her. “He wants to be well rested.”

Naomi snorted. “He must be quite excited.” Leaning back, she toyed with a sapphire hanging from a thin silver necklace she almost always wore. “And what about you? You excited?”

I lifted a shoulder as my stomach tumbled a bit. “Haven’t really thought about it.”

“But this will be your first Feasts, right?”

“Yep.” It was the first year I was eligible to attend, as one must be twenty-two years of age or married, which made little sense to me, but it was the Hyhborn and King Euros who made the rules, not me.

“You are in for . . . quite the show,” she said slowly.

I snickered, having heard the stories.

She tipped toward me once more, her voice lowering. “But will you be partaking in the . . . in the festivities?”

“Festivities.” I laughed. “What a tame description.”

She grinned. “What else would I call it?”

“An orgy?”

Tipping her head back, she laughed, and it was such a lovely, infectious sound. Naomi had the best laugh, causing a grin to tug at my own lips. “That’s not what happens,” she said.

“Really?” I stated dryly.

Naomi feigned a look of innocence, which was rather impressive considering there was little about her that could be called innocent. “The Feasts serve as a way for the Hyhborn to reaffirm their commitment to serving lowborn by sharing their wealth of food and drink.” She recited the doctrine as well as any prioress would as she folded her hands demurely in her lap. “Sometimes a lot of drink flows, and with the Hyhborn around, certain activities may occur. That is all.”

“Ah, yes, reaffirming their commitment to lowborn,” I said a bit sarcastically. She was speaking of the uppermost sphere of Hyhborn— the ones known as Deminyens.

When Deminyens emerged from the ground, it was said they came into existence fully formed and were ageless, capable of manipulating the elements and even the minds of others. Some of them were the lords and the ladies of the Hyhborn echelon, but those weren’t the most powerful of the Deminyens. The princes and princesses who ruled over the six territories within Caelum, along with the King, were the most frightening in their power. They could take different shapes, whip rivers into a frenzy with a flick of their wrists, and even seize the souls of the lowborn, creating the terrifying creatures known as the Rae.

Not much was known about any of them except for King Euros. Hell, other than Prince Rainer of Primvera, we didn’t even know their names. The only other one we ever heard about, and that was usually through the rumor mill, was the Prince of Vytrus, who ruled the Highlands, and that was because he was dreaded by most. After all, he was known as the hand that delivered the King’s wrath.

I almost laughed out loud right then. Hyhborn were the Protectors of the Realm, but I wasn’t exactly sure how they served us. Even though the Hyhborn were mostly like absentee landlords who came around only when the rent was due, the Hyhborn controlled everything about the lowborn’s lives— from who could obtain an education to who could own land or companies. And I was of the mind that the Feasts were more of a way to provide the Hyhborn with what they wanted. Our indulgence in all manner of things, from gorging on food to indulging in the delights of each other during the Feasts, also fed the Hyhborn. Strengthened them. Empowered them. Our pleasure was their sustenance. Their life force. It was more for them than it was us.

Because there were so many more ways they could prove that they cared for us lowborn, starting with providing food throughout the year to those in need. So many either starved or broke their backs in the mines or risked their lives on hunts to keep their families fed while the aristo— Hyhborn and the wealthiest of lowborn— became richer, the poor even more impoverished. It was the way things always had been and always would be, no matter how many lowborn rebellions rose up. Instead, they provided food only once a year, when much of the food went to waste while everyone was engaging in those certain activities.

But I didn’t say any of that out loud.

I might be reckless, but I wasn’t a fool.

“You know, they’re not all that bad,” Naomi said after a moment. “The Hyhborn, I mean. I’ve known of a few lords and ladies who have stepped in and aided those in need, and those in Primvera are kind and even caring. I think more are like that than not.”

At once, I thought of my Hyhborn— the unnamed lord who had touched my chin and asked how my arms had become so bruised. I didn’t know why I referred to him as mine. He obviously wasn’t. Hyhborn might fuck their way through the entirety of the lowborn race and then some, and a few might even claim a lowborn as theirs, at least for a time, but they were never a lowborn’s. It was just that I didn’t know his name, and it was an odd habit that had begun since that night.

Honestly, I doubted the Hyhborn lord had ever realized that he’d saved Grady’s life that night. The Mister would’ve punished him for talking back in front of Hyhborn, and far too many didn’t survive his punishments.

My stomach took a quick, sharp tumble like it always did when I thought of my Hyhborn, because I knew I would see him again.

That had yet to occur, and anytime I thought of it, I was filled with a mixture of dread and anticipation I couldn’t even begin to try to understand.

But maybe Naomi was right about many of them being what they claimed to be— Protectors of the Realm. Archwood flourished partly because of the ones in Primvera, the Hyhborn Court that sat just beyond the woods outside of the manor, and my Hyhborn had punished the Mister. Though he had done so rather brutally, so I wasn’t sure that was a good example of a kind and caring Hyhborn.