Chapter 35: Calliope

City of Beceni, Northern Delos

Maverick's friend lived in a brothel. Calliope tried very hard not to think about what that might mean, how they might have met, how well they might actually know each other. But that was particularly hard to do when, each time a new patron opened the door, Calliope could hear the loud sounds of pleasure emanating from the building. Her cheeks tinged pink every time and she stared down at the fire she sat in front of with the others instead of looking at the brothel.

Aditya went with him, she reminded herself. And Maverick knows how precious the time they spend here is. He won't be... partaking in this Chaya's services. And why do I care if he does?

She sighed.

"She's a refugee," Delphi said suddenly and Calliope looked up, over the flames, to find the seer watching her.

"What?"Calliope asked.

"Chaya. That's how she and Maverick met. She was fleeing Karil. He helped her."

"And dumped her in this hellhole?" Sebastian asked with a snort. "Some savior."

"She wanted to stay in Beceni," Neva snapped, glaring at Sebastian.

"Why?" Calliope asked, genuinely curious.

"Some women enjoy the trade," Delphi said and they all fell silent, Zephyr clearing his throat uncomfortably as Neva stood, wiping her hands on her trousers and gazing up at the brothel.

"I don't like how long they've been in there," she muttered.

"They're fine, Neva," Zephyr spoke soothingly. "They're with Chaya."

"Chaya and half a hundred unidentified men."

"And a dozen women who would die for each other."

Neva frowned, keeping her eyes on the brothel despite Zephyr's assurance that everything was fine.

"How did you do it?" Delphi asked again, her gaze still set on Calliope.

"Do what?" Calliope asked.

"To the Chaos. It was like you burnt him, the way he reacted. But I only saw smoke."

The others looked her way at Delphi's words and Calliope dropped her gaze to her hands, picking at her fingernails to avoid looking back at them.

"Oh, I don't— I don't know how I did it. I just... did," she answered.

"But how did you know you could?" Neva questioned. "I mean, you leapt right between Maverick and that giant fireball like you were expecting something."

"His fire, it didn't burn me. It touched me but it didn't burn me. I got hit with the same blast that Sebastian did but I came out unscathed. I thought maybe— I don't know. It felt like maybe he couldn't hurt me. At least, with his magic. So I... tested my theory."

"What a way to test a theory," Zephyr commented with a low whistle.

"When we were with the Ysuelt, they told me about your gloves," Neva said then, stepping forward and eying Calliope with something like suspicion. "They said you had them from the moment you arrived in the dwelling. That they'd never seen you take them off. Some of them even thought you couldn't take them off. Then you and him go off to Vroifburg and you come back with us and no gloves."

Calliope frowned at Maverick's most trusted guard. Neva watched her shrewdly. The girl was far more observant than Calliope had given her credit for.

"Is there a question in there somewhere?" Sebastian asked, annoyed.

"What happened to you in Delos?" Neva asked point blank. "Why were you even there in the first place?"

Incredibly powerful.

Lillibet's words were echoing in her head as pieces of the puzzle hidden from her so long began to click into place. She was a silencer, an Andhakaar as Aditya had called it. Did her mother know? Is that why she had ordered those wretched gloves skin-welded to Calliope's hands at such a young age. Calliope looked down to her hands, subconsciously rubbing them together. Was her mother...afraid of her? Of her power?

Calliope was on her feet before she had properly thought about it. Sebastian rose with her the next instant, though he hissed in pain, gripping his burn as he did.

"I have– I need some fresh air," Calliope spat.

Ignoring the fact that they were already outside, Calliope stumbled away from the fire, so lost in thought that she nearly tripped over a vagrant sleeping on the ground only a few feet from their fire. She was coherent enough to mutter an apology but placed a steadying hand on her own forehead as she walked forward.

"Calliope," Sebastian was calling from behind her.

Calliope didn't hear him. She subconsciously reached for her necklace, for the old ring hanging on her neck. She held it tightly, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Was this why Gabriel never talked about her mother? Had she hated her? Had she disowned her out of fear of her power? Was she even dead?

Calliope fell to her knees, gripping the ring in her hand.

"Hey, talk to me," Sebastian was saying, kneeling down as well as he took her shoulders in his hands and forced her to look at him. "What's going on?"

"My gloves," she gasped through her tears.

"What about them?"

"They were– she knew. My mother knew. It's why she had them welded to me. She knew what I was. Sebastian, she was afraid of me."

"Or for you. Aditya said that Andhakaar are rare, that they're valuable. Maybe she was worried that someone was going to take you or try to hurt you. Maybe she was just protecting you."

"My dad knew."

She realized it as she said it. Staring into the dark cliff behind Sebastian, her lips parted in surprise.

"He knew all along," she whispered, stunned by the revelation.

Sebastian frowned. This time, he didn't protest.

"How could he do this to me? How could he not tell me?" Calliope gasped.

"I'm sure he had his reasons–" Sebastian started.

"You always defend him!" she screamed, jumping to her feet and leaping away from her oldest friend.

"Calliope–"

"Did you know?" she asked, hurt and fury mingled into one in her tone.

"Of course not," he answered.

"Why are you always defending my father then? You know better than anyone how much and for how long he's lied to me. How many times have I asked him about my mother? How many times did I question those damned gloves? And what did he say? Always? That it was all for my own good. That it was best not to drudge up the past. That there was only hurt and sorrow and anger to be found there. But that was a lie too! Because I was there. In the past, just waiting to be found. I was there."

"Your power was but Calliope, you are not your power."

"No. Because I never got the chance to be."

She whirled around, storming into the night.

"Calliope, wait," Sebastian called after her, jogging to keep up. "I know you're angry and I know you don't want to hear it but your father was only trying to protect you. Whatever reasons your mother had for doing what she did–"

"I don't need to be protected, Sebastian! How many times do I have to tell you that? How many times do I have to prove myself to my father, to the Ysuelt, to you? I had the same training, the same experience, as you. We were both taught weaponry, hand-to-hand combat, ancient magic in the same place by the same people. So why do you and everyone else think you're so much stronger than me? I'm more than capable of defending myself. I'm more than capable of hunting monsters and fighting villains. I've proven that time after time and here I am. Still proving it! And why? You'll never listen. You'll never see."

"I see! Calliope, I see how strong you are, how powerful. You've always been better with a crossbow than me. You've always been faster, better speaking the ancient tongue. But you're my friend. And I can't let you do this on your own. Whatever little protection I'm providing, I want to keep providing. Just like your father. Just like your mother."

She frowned.

"He's seen me, Sebastian," she said then, her voice lowering to a whisper. "He's seen my face. He's seen what I can do. He will be after me now and he won't stop. Don't you think I want to protect you as much as you want to protect me?"

Tears streamed down her cheek as Sebastian understood what she was saying.

"You want me to leave?" he asked.

"Look at you," she said, gesturing toward his burn. "You've already been hurt. He will come back. You can't be here when he does."

"If you think I'm about to leave you alone with these–"

"I'll tell the Ysuelt you forsake your vow."

Sebastian stopped, blinking at her in shock.

"What?" he asked as though convinced he hadn't heard her correctly.

Tears were flowing freely down her cheeks now but she answered him all the same.

"I'll do it," she said. "I'll tell them you forsake your vow. They'll kick you out. You love being a Ysuelt, Sebastian. Don't give up on that life for me. Don't leave it behind because of some silly notion of heroism."

Sebastian stared at her again, jaw open in shock. He blinked once, twice, then turned away to the trees.

"I can't believe you're threatening me," he replied, incredulous.

"Please, Sebastian," she begged. "I just want to know you're safe. And nowhere is safer than the dwelling. Just go back. Go back and–"

"And what about your safety?"

"I have them. I don't trust them, not yet, but I trust human nature. They need me and they know it. As long as I'm useful to them, I'm safe. And I can look out for myself."

Sebastian frowned.

"Gabriel would kill me," he said.

"Tell him the seer saw it. Tell him the future hinges on our separation."

"Calliope–"

"Please, Sebastian."

There was so much sorrow in his eyes that she could hardly look at him. So much hurt in his expression that she couldn't help but hate herself for having caused it.

"There you two are!" someone exclaimed as they stepped over a few fallen branches to meet them.

They turned to see Aditya headed their way, smiling.

"Maverick's got a plan," she said. If she noticed the distance between them, the tears and the pain, she didn't mention it. Instead, she just filled them in on the next step. "We're going home."