fellow immortals everywhere he went.
But that rumor couldnât be further from the truth.
âI should be leaving now.â Alexius tensed up as Timotheus clasped his shoulder, concern clouding his eternally youthful face.
âAlexius, you can trust me with any secret. Just as you always have. I hope you know that. If there is anything you need to tell me, donât hesitate.â
Alexius smiled and nodded, wishing it were that simple.
â¢Â â¢Â â¢
He needed to know what had happened to Phaedra. The question ate away at him anew as he journeyed to the top of the crystal palace to meet Melenia. The beautiful Watcher greeted him with a smile, opening her golden doors wide to allow him entry into her chambers, which were full of light and the beautiful flowers that were picked daily by her obedient minions.
âYouâre early,â she said, kissing him on both cheeks before she closed the doors. Her long, flowing, flaxen hair smelled like warm saffron and reflected the light from the floor-to-ceiling window that looked out on the rest of the city where the immortals made their home.
He hadnât taken more than a step inside the room before he brought up the troubling subject. âI need to know about Phaedra.â
âShe has disappeared.â
âI know that much. Is she still alive?â
Melenia blinked once. âMy goodness, Alexius. What is the meaning of this? You donât think I had something to do with her disappearance, do you?â
He summoned all the courage he could. âYes. As a matter of fact, I do. I know you thought she was a problem, that she knew too much and was dangerously close to learning more.â
âAnd for this offense you think I . . . what? Murdered her?â She smiled sweetly. âI assure you, I havenât touched a single hair on her head.â
âBut you know what happened to her.â
âCome and sit. We have much to discuss today. Unfortunately, it will have to wait until I finish with my other visitor.â
âOther visitor?â
There was a knock at the door. âYes. Danaus desperately wanted to speak with me today.â
Danaus, the final member of the Three, was a vastly unpleasant immortal whom Alexius habitually avoided. âDonât let him in.â
âDonât be silly. Actually, I need him today.â
With a clenched jaw, Alexius watched as Melenia practically floated across the silver floor inlaid with sparkling jewels. Her diamond-beaded gown was made from fabric that seemed spun from platinum, and her long, wavy hair shone in different shades of gold. She was the most beautiful Watcher of all.
How Alexius had come to hate her.
She opened the door to Danaus. âOh,â his voice boomed. âI see youâre not alone.â
âNo.â She held the door open wider and gestured him inside. âBut come in. Please, I insist.â
Danaus might have been every bit as beautiful as any of their kind, but his eternally sour expression made him ugly to Alexius. Danaus regarded him now with clear disdain. âAlexius isnât one of us,â he said.
âOf course he is. Donât be rude, Danaus. It doesnât become you. Please say what you came here to say. Itâs clear that it troubles you deeply.â
âVery well.â He hissed out a breath of impatience. âIâve received word from a scout that one of our exiles has been using his magic to help the mortal king build a road. I believe Xanthus was one of your most devoted minions, wasnât he?â
Alexius nearly flinched at the name of Phaedraâs brother, gone from the Sanctuary for twenty years. Heâd once been Meleniaâs lover, and her most favored and gifted protégé. Sheâd coached him in ways unlike she had anyone else in the Sanctuary, which had caused everyone, Alexius included, to suspect and envy him.
Now he knew better than to envy anyone
Gregory Maguire, Chris L. Demarest