Chapter 38. Fragile Peace
Yuki, let's go. I didn't wait for an answer, just held out my hand. She looked up at me with her huge eyes, still clouded with morning sleep, then silently put her small hand in mine. Her fingers were cold.
We went out into the corridor. The air in the manor seemed thick, saturated with unspoken words and heavy looks. After yesterday's meeting in the library with Quinn, I could feel every crack in the walls, every shadow harboring someone's curiosity or hostility. They knew now. Not everything, but enough to keep questions in the air like poisoned gas.
Yuki walked beside me, clinging to my leg. She wasn't looking around, her gaze was fixed on the floor. But I could feel how tense she was, how she was catching the slightest vibrations of this place.
"It's loud," she suddenly whispered, not looking at me. "What's loud?" I asked just as quietly. "Silence," she replied, and the words made my skin crawl.
She was right. The silence in the castle was deafening. She was full of unspoken questions, fears, and suspicions. And her fragile psyche, attuned to the wave of other people's emotions, perceived it as a continuous hum.
We went out to the training ground. It was a frosty morning, and the wind was blowing ragged clouds across the sky. I deliberately brought her here, into the open. I had to think. And thinking in those stone walls, under the oppressive gaze of other people's secrets, became unbearable.
I let go of her hand, and she immediately squatted down, running her fingers through the frost covering the ground. She stared at the ice crystals, as if searching them for answers to questions she couldn't ask.
And yesterday was going through my head. Library. Quinn. Her shocked face when she saw the patterns on the ancient drawing. The patterns are identical to those on my blade.
"...I met Queen in the library, and she asked me about my sword..."
She wasn't just asking. She found out. She connected the ancient history of her family with me. And the most frightening question wasn't what she was thinking now. The point is that I've been thinking about it myself.
Where do these patterns come from? Why are they here, in this world, in its history? Was it a coincidence? Or... or was there something that connected me to this place on a much deeper level than I could have imagined?
I looked at Yuki. She was now forming a shapeless lump out of frost, her face serious and focused. She was my anchor in this crazy world. Her safety, her future— that should have been my top priority. Instead, I plunged into other people's secrets, risking attracting attention to myself, which could turn into disaster for both of us.
It was necessary to act. Resolutely.
—Yuki,— I called to her. She raised her head. "We're leaving today.
She stared at me, not understanding. "Are we leaving?" Where to? Home? —No,— I shook my head. "Not home. We'll find another place. Quiet. Take it easy. Where there is no... loud silence.
Her eyes widened. There was both fear of the unknown and a vague hope in them. "But... the redhead?" Lessons? She asked, and there was something like regret in her voice. Had she become attached to Quinn?
"Lessons are over," I said firmly. "We've gone too far. It's time to leave while we still can.
I held out my hand to lift her up. But at that moment, a clear, cold voice came from behind:
"The lessons are just beginning, Azrael. And I didn't say that you can stop them.
I slowly turned around, shielding Yuki with myself.
Solomon stood on the threshold of the hall. He was alone. His hands were hidden in the wide sleeves of his cloak, and his face was an impassive mask. But there was a cold, implacable fire in his scarlet eyes.
"My daughter shared with me... a curious find," he said, taking a step forward. His gaze swept over me, then over Yuki, who was frozen at my feet. — It seems that our conversation in the library was much more productive than I expected. And now I have even more questions for you. And there are much more compelling reasons... to insist on your continued presence here.
He stopped a few steps away from us. The air around him trembled with concentrated power.
"So you're not going anywhere," he concluded gently, but without allowing objections. — On the contrary. From today on, your education with your daughter will enter a new phase. More... intense. And more controlled.
His gaze fell on Yuki. — And for starters… I think it's time for the girl to move to a more age-appropriate apartment. Under the supervision of our doctors. So that you can... fully focus on your lessons.
An icy emptiness spread inside me. They didn't just let us go. They were taking us hostage. Each other.
I looked at Solomon, and for the first time in a long time, my mask of impassibility cracked. In my eyes, he should have seen not emptiness, but pure, bottomless rage.
"Touch her," I said softly, and my voice sounded like steel on stone, "and your archives will be the least of your problems." I swear by it.
Solomon just smiled a thin, lifeless smile. "Threats?" How immature. You are here by my will, Azrael. And you will stay here as long as I wish. And now... please, follow me. We have a lot of work to do.
He turned around and walked away, not doubting that I would follow him.
I stood there, clenching my fists, feeling Yuki pressing into my leg. The escape was cancelled. The trap snapped shut.
And now the only way out was not to escape from it, but to dismantle it from the inside. Brick by brick.
Starting with the weakest one.