“Hmm, I don’t know many royals, and I, sure as Brindlelay’s beauty, am not referring to this one asking.” Garrick grunted as he lowered his head. “Your father’s House colours are blue, Cornelius’s are golden,” he thought out loud. “Why purple? Velvore’s colour wasred.”
Cord stood silent. He didnotwant to tell the three Primes that the Ancient Velvore had a twisted sense of humour and wasliterallymarking his bond to Tegan on his skin.
“It matters not the colour,” Cord said hurriedly. “What matters is why it’s changing now.” He felt a tingle as if the Ancient were reprimanding him for not knowing the answer.
“Did you see that?” Rorik whispered excitedly to the others. “Itmoved.”
Cord closed his eyes in resignation. He was never going to get any sense out of any of them, he realised as he stood there and they talked amongst themselves.
Really? This is what we’re doing now?
The Mark throbbed, and three older Akrhyn all fell backwards in their haste to get away from it. Grinning, Cord turned as he pulled his shirt back on. “Ha, well named for his trickery,” he laughed as he watched the Primes stand. “You should see your faces.” Cord gave another light laugh. When Garrick looked like he was away to begin a lecture, Cord held his hand up to stop him. “Are we agreed that it’s…different?”
“Well, it’s coloured where it wasn’t before,” Lucas said. “There are also extra layers, it seems?”
“Layers?” Cord asked in surprise.
“Yes, it looks almost like it could be taken off your back and placed down.”
“Well, that’s not a horrifying thought,” Cord muttered as he sat on his bed.
“It moved,” Rorik said into the quiet.
“It was your imagination,” Cord said quickly.
“All of our imaginations, at the same time?” Rorik pressed.
“I have no answer for you, Pure Prime Castor.”
Rorik started to protest, but Garrick knew the determined look in his young charge’s eye and instead ushered the Primes from Cord’s room as he told them it would be better to eat first and discuss the Mark over their meal. With a look over his shoulder at Cord, Garrick raised an eyebrow in question, and Cord nodded that he would follow. With the door closed behind them, he sank back onto the bed.
“What are you doing?” he asked the empty room. “Why are you marking her on my skin and putting her in danger?”
The Mark remained silent.
“Do you know how to enter the Vampyre Court without killing ourselves?”
The Mark tingled and Cord kept his breathing steady; did a tingle mean yes?
“CanIget into the Court without detection?”
The Mark throbbed. Cord took that as no.
“Does Leonid live?”
The Mark tingled faintly. Another yes?
“He’s barely hanging on?” Cord guessed. “I need to get to him before I do anything else, don’t I?”
The Mark rippled again. Sighing, Cord stood. “Okay, do you know where to go?”
The Mark throbbed. No? Well, that was of no use to him.
Cord felt like he was dealing with a child at times, and patience was not his strong suit. “Okay, can you let me know if I’m heading in the right direction?”
The Mark tingled.
“May the Ancients bless me indeed,” Cord scoffed as he picked up his coat and armed himself. He ignored the pulsing on his back, knowing well enough that the Ancient Velvore was laughing at him.