Coldbloods (Hotbloods #2)

“Woah. Cool.”

The icy wind snapped at my face as we stepped out into the gardens of the palace, forcing me to draw my coat closer to my chin. My eyes watered, but I tried to look around at the flowers and trees that blossomed in such adversity. Most were twisted, gnarled things that looked half dead, but there was the occasional surprise as we walked between walled gardens, exploring the grounds. A bush filled with spiny red flowers sprang up, its petals unfurling as we passed. Pausing, I bent to take a closer look, only to be yanked backward by Navan’s firm hand.

“Don’t get near those,” he warned. “They shoot out deadly barbs if you get too close.”

“Well, that’s nice.”

I decided to stick to the center of the garden path after that, where I hoped I wouldn't come under any direct attack by flora or fauna.

Navan noticed, and chuckled.

“Welcome to Vysanthe,” Lazar said, shaking his head. With every step we took, he was lifting his Escribo to the air and drawing the shape of whatever he was looking at, whether it was a wall, a window, a fortification, or a fence, flicking the pen discreetly, in case anyone was watching. He traced a few images of the flowers too, undoubtedly to create the impression that he was simply committing the beautiful blooms to eternal memory.

As we turned a corner on the garden path leading up to a large lake, with several bridges spanning the water, a young male coldblood dressed in a dark green uniform came running up to Lazar, clutching something in his hand. By the time he reached us, he was breathless, pressing a hand to his chest as he held out a small square of glass.

“A message… for you… Lazar,” he panted.

Lazar took it, and the messenger lurched away again. He pressed a tiny button on the side of the glass, and the screen blinked to life, though I couldn’t see what the note said. The words were only reflected on the side that Lazar held up to his face. I watched his expression intently, hoping to gauge something from it.

He blinked in surprise, and looked at me. “Riley, did something—” he began, only for Navan to cut him off mid-sentence.

“Aurelius!” Navan hissed suddenly. I looked up to see that he had spotted the queen’s advisor moving out from behind a bit of topiary shaped like a wolf. He was walking away from the palace at breakneck speed.

“He’s heading for the military compound,” Navan said quietly, nodding toward a squat gray building that sat behind the palace grounds, overlooking the lake. I supposed it made sense that the queen would have her army at hand, for whenever she might need them.

“We should go after him,” Lazar said at once, distracted from whatever it was he had just read. “This could be the perfect opportunity to gain precise intel on the queen’s military.”

That definitely made sense. Finding weaknesses in the walls was all well and good, but finding weaknesses in the actual army was a huge step up.

If we could do that, Orion would be sure to let us go.





Chapter Twenty-Seven





We quickly found ourselves trailing Aurelius, and, fortunately for us, he didn’t feel the need to turn around to check whether anyone was following.

We slipped through the compound entrance, sticking to the shadows. Ducking down behind a stack of crates, I peered around the corner in time to see Aurelius come to a halt in front of a group of fearsome-looking coldblood soldiers. He looked them up and down, a disgusted expression crossing his face.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he barked. “Do you think this is some sort of recreation? I don’t expect to come to the training ground and see the queen’s soldiers lounging about, doing nothing! Look at you—you’re the most pathetic excuses for soldiers I’ve ever seen!”

Suddenly, Navan got up and wandered over to where Aurelius and the soldiers stood, leaving Lazar and me gawking at him from behind the crates, wondering what the hell he was playing at. I’d thought we were supposed to be stealthy.

“Aurelius!” he called confidently.

The wizened, half-winged coldblood turned. “Navan… what a pleasant surprise,” he remarked, frustration still written across his wrinkled face.

“I was just wondering if you’d seen Seraphina today,” Navan said. “I wanted to make sure she was okay after last night.”

Aurelius frowned, and a flicker of emotion that I could’ve sworn looked like jealousy crossed his face. “No, I haven’t seen her today,” he replied bitterly, making me wonder what his gripe was, exactly. It was quite clear to me that Aurelius disliked Navan, but… Aurelius was too old to be with Seraphina, and yet… Was that it? Did the old man have a thing for Seraphina? I shuddered, thinking of the beautiful woman, and what she would look like on Aurelius’s arm. I would almost rather have seen her marry Navan than this old coot.

Almost.

“These guys giving you problems?” Navan asked, turning his gaze to the nervous recruits. “Seems like we’ve been having a few issues with new blood in the army, of late. Not even close to the caliber of our regular squadrons, eh?”

Aurelius grimaced. “These new recruits are all incompetent,” he muttered. “They have no basic training, they’ll never match up to the rest of the army, and the queen won’t put any more time or money into the resources these idiots so clearly need. It’s that bloody immortality elixir—if she could just forget about it for one second, and think about something other than stockpiling resources, we might actually be able to replenish our army with viable soldiers,” he ranted, more to himself than anyone else. I listened, rapt at the information he was giving away. However, realizing he may have said too much, Aurelius immediately paused and glanced suspiciously at Navan. “What makes you an expert on it, all of a sudden?” he asked, his tone wary.

“It’s this new job my father has roped me into,” Navan explained, keeping his eyes on the recruits. “I want to make sure I know as much as I can, so I can offer educated advice to the queen. I’d hate her to think I was an idiot.”

Aurelius frowned, studying Navan’s face. “You won’t last long at the palace, Navan,” he muttered after a moment. “You’re not made for it, the way I am… You’re better off as far from Vysanthe as possible.”

“Ah. That’s a shame. Well, I guess I’d better stop chatting with you, and keep searching for Seraphina—I could have sworn she said she’d be here today,” Navan mused. “If you do see her, let her know I was looking for her!”

Aurelius looked like he was about to burst a blood vessel, but only Lazar and I could see the look of sheer hatred that the wizened old coldblood was sending toward Navan’s back. Navan, meanwhile, walked straight past us, evidently not wanting to draw attention to our hiding spot. He didn’t stop until he was out of the compound.