All That Falls

15 A Fool's Bargain

We waited below the arena in an open room that seemed like it used to contain cages of some sort. I shuddered to think what those cages might have contained and didn't have the stomach to ask even though I knew Pollux would probably tell me. I just stayed in the shadows, standing near the wall, situated between the twins. No one had said outright that they were to guard me but I understood their attention for what it was and allowed myself to be guarded, thankful for the protection for the first time.

"Brother," Taurus announced in his booming voice as he entered the room they had instructed us to wait in, having finally torn himself away from his adoring fans. "Tell me, how is exile treating you?"

Pollux and Rook tensed, but Lark only tapped his fingers on the table that he and Cass were seated at and frowned.

"It hasn't been the vacation father promised it would be," he answered in a low tone.

"You seem to have brought back a souvenir anyway," Taurus replied, dropping into the seat across from them and reclining easily, his eyes flicking up to where I stood, nestled between the twins. The corner of his lips quirked upward and Pollux and Rook both took a step in front of me.

"Speaking of father," Lark drawled, ignoring his brother's unasked question regarding the strange mortal in the room, "is he recovering well?"

"Why wouldn't he be?" Taurus snapped, his gaze darting back to his brother fast. Too fast. Lark raised a brow and Taurus' jaw snapped shut. He leaned back in his seat again, this time folding his arms across his chest.

"What happened, Taurus?"

"Maybe you should ask Ursa."

"Why?" Cass intervened then, narrowing her eyes to a glare. "Because she stayed by his side while you ran away to these dreadful pits?"

"I did not run away," Taurus snarled. "And if you're pissed at me because of what I did to our sister, you might remind yourself that it was she who came for me first. Besides, I'm not the only one who ran."

Cass' lips curled, her glare intensified, and I could feel the heat of their combined power thrumming throughout the room.

"Alright," Lark interrupted their stare off with a tone of attempted mediation. "This isn't getting us anywhere. Just tell us what happened, Taurus."

Taurus' eyes flicked to me and the twins where we stood in the shadows.

"It's family business," he growled.

Cass barked a bitter laugh.

"So now we're a family?" She asked, collapsing back into her seat with a huff and a roll of her eyes.

Taurus gritted his teeth and cast a glare in her direction.

"Fine," he snapped. "It's Morningstar business. Court of Blood and Bone royalty business. Children of our father business. Take your pick."

"Whatever it is," Lark began, "you can trust them with it."

Taurus' eyes remained on me for a moment but, eventually, he relented.

"Fine," he grumbled. "The assassination attempt wasn't an assassination attempt at all. Or maybe it was. I'm not even certain anymore. But the main attempt, I think, wasn't to kill father but to curse him."

"Curse him?" Cass asked, sitting forward in interest.

"It's powerful magic, Lark. Ancient. Whoever did this has to be... old."

Taurus was staring into his brother's eyes as if trying to get him to understand something from the simple look that passed between them. It seemed to have worked. Lark cocked his head to the side.