Istole one final glance at Cassie. The way her eyes lit up and the smile that painted her face as she took in the massive room made it difficult to leave. She was truly at home among books, and I knew, if it were possible, she’d spend hours here, learning all she could. I wanted to show her everything, every book that might interest her. I wanted to teach her about the creatures of the Godsrealm, the ones she’d believed were myths and legends just last year. Perhaps one day, I could take her to see the wyverns of Hesperian’s Reach, or the coasts of Thesos at the edge of the Cloist sea where the sand was black as pitch, and the waters were the richest turquoise.
The astral sprites bowed as they passed, starlight dancing over their tiny bodies, and I dipped my head in acknowledgement before slipping through the archway. The echo of my boots danced off the stone hall as I headed for Selene’s private chambers. More of the tiny sprites crossed my path, cleaning or tending to the plants and dimós trees. I wasn’t sure how many of her astral servants existed at this point, but I was relieved she had the company.
Imprisonment had a way of leaving a person lonely.
“Your aura is warm, warrior.”
I lifted my eyes to find Selene admiring the dimós trees down the hall, her silken white hair unbound and cascading to the marble floor. Her voice was soft, gentle, as if it were but a whisper, yet it carried far and clear. The pale light of the dimós trees reflected off her radiant skin as her gaze drifted toward me, her constellation freckles shimmering as they shifted and danced across her face.
I crossed my arm over my chest, dropping to my knee as I bowed my head. “Goddess.”
“You may rise.” Her opalescent eyes traced my movements, unreadable. “I assume we have much to discuss after The Council meeting.”
I rose. “Yes, Goddess.”
“Come, walk with me,” she said as she glided across the marble floors, long and delicate hands folded neatly together in front of her.
How I wished she were as she once was, the goddess who felt like home, but the sweet goddess was long gone, leaving behind something cold and distant. I hated it, and never stopped wondering just what could’ve happened to turn her so icy.
“I do believe I heard the footsteps of an angry Kyrios earlier,” she said, and there was almost a hint of amusement in her tone.
My pace slowed as I reached her side. I always marveled at just how small she stood next to me. She was of similar height to Cassie, the top of her head barely reaching my shoulder. Still, despite her size, the power she possessed would be enough to end me. “Tobias was dismissed. He’s no longer Kyrios of House Nous.”
She tilted her head, opalescent eyes shifting to me as a delicate white brow arched, but her pace did not falter. “Dismissed?”
I swallowed. Was she displeased? “He refused to work with us in securing more warriors for the coming battles, tested my rule, and disrespected his queen.”
She didn’t respond, and my heart hammered in the silence, the weight of her reaction pulling me down. No new Kyrios had been named since The Fall of Kingdoms, and it had been centuries since one was removed from their seat. It was odd to be back to walking on eggshells, avoiding her wrath. There’d been times after Lucia’s passing where I’d pushed the limits of Selene’s patience, hoping she would lash out and end me, but all that changed when I found Cassie. For the first time in over a century, I no longer craved the peaceful rest of death. No, for the first time in a long time, I wanted to live.
She finally spoke. “I never liked the fool anyway.”
Relief washed over me, and we turned down another hall, where the walls opened into massive archways, the endless night sky glistening with countless stars beyond. The second moon of the Godsrealm shined in the near distance, casting its pale blue light on us. This was the view I wanted to share with Cassie, but I wanted to mentally prepare her for the knowledge of just where Selene’s temple resided—that we weren’t on the soil of our ancestors, but of a moon.
“Who shall take his place?” she asked.
“His daughter, Calista.”
Her opal eyes lifted to me briefly, a sense of speculation filling them, but then slipped elsewhere. “His daughter? I did not know he had a daughter.”
I nodded, a little leery of the tone in her voice. How could she have not known something like that? Had she become so disconnected? “She’s versed in our laws, has a sharp mind, and I know she’ll better serve our race than Tobias did.” There wasn’t a doubt in my mind Cassie had made the right call. Pride swelled in my chest at the thought of her sitting proudly at the head of The Council’s table. Calistawouldserve House Nous well.
“Perhaps we should’ve made the change earlier, then.” She paused, her pace unchanged as she added, “How fares, Moira?”
“Despite her mortal form, she’s working hard to learn all she can. She’s the one who suggested Calista take Tobias’ place.” I watched her from the corner of my eye, trying to discern what she might be thinking. “She has truly come a long way.”
For a second, I wondered if I imagined a smug grin tug at the corner of her lips, for it lasted only a second. “And her training?”
I cleared my throat, praying she would be understanding, given Cassie’s mortal form, at how far she’d come in the recent months. “She’s currently working on mastering flight with Zephyr. They’re to learn more forms once she’s mastered that. She’s made great progress in learning to harness Nous and wielded it beautifully to communicate with us during her first patrol. She’s made great leaps and bounds in sparring, managed to take out five darklings during her first hunt, and we are hoping to resume training on wielding her flame magic soon.”
“What is keeping you from resuming it?”
I fell a step behind but quickly returned to her side. “She’s... struggled after what happened with Marcus.”
“Salwa is healing her, correct?”
The coldness of her words hit me hard, as if it were so easy to heal something so traumatic. It wasn’t a cut that could be mended with a bandage. My chest twisted at the memory of the horror that had marred Cassie’s face after she’d burned Marcus to ashes. What happened couldn’t be erased. It would take time. I nodded, though, knowing she wouldn’t understand.
“It is a good thing she put an end to that miserable creature.”
