“You’re a terrible liar.”
“So are you.”
Her arms tensed around him ever so slightly. “I’m not lying about anything.”
“You lie every time someone asks you if you’re okay.” He peered back at her, his silver eyes shining. “I know you aren’t.”
Sol gaped at him, her breath hitching. She truly was feeling better, at least better than a few weeks ago. Was she perfect, though? Of course not. She tore her gaze from his. “I will be. Eventually.”
Once again, silence fell.
As Lilah came to a stop and the ground beneath them turned into a brown, dehydrated crunch, Sol sighed.
Swiftly, Cas dismounted Lilah, his boots sending the brown leaves adrift around them. He held out his hand to Sol. “We’re here.”
She took his help and landed beside him, the Ward still rippling and sizzling. Gently, Cas dropped her hand as it dissipated, floating into specks of starlight that scattered into the wind just as he released her.
Nina signaled them over from within the cover of trees. “Are you both ready?”
Without so much as a glance, Cas led her into the Fire God’s temple.
Sol hadn’t visited a temple before, and she wondered if they were all as somber. Emberdon’s temple was all shades of gray and black, open to the elements with only the crackling of torches and the groan of the wind as its soundtrack. The trees and foliage around it seemed burned and dull, though Sol supposed it was fitting for the Fire God.
The temple itself was made of obsidian, brittle and crystalline, with thin, crimson ripples of color along the crackling walls. The stone almost pulsed like a beating heart as Sol stepped into the grounds. A statue of the God towered at the end, flanked by pews and benches. In front of the deity was a rectangular stone table with a carved chalice at its center.
She approached the chalice and leaned to look inside it. It was empty, but the darkness inside it seemed endless.
“This temple gives me the creeps,” Nina whispered as she strode beside her. “Flora’s at least has plants. Live ones.” Sol grimaced. “Let’s never talk about that temple.” Beside her, Cas chuckled.
“Emberdon prefers dead things, Nins,” Sawyer shared as she sat on a bench. She let out a long exhale and ran her hands along her face. “He especially loves animal sacrifices."
With a disgusted groan, Nina leaned closer to Sol.
The clouds seemed to darken further as Cas and Alix took a stance next to Emberdon. Reluctantly, Sawyer stood and walked their way. “It’s quite simple, Sol.”
She turned and stretched a hand to Sol, who took it despite the rising nerves enveloping her body. Though she was cautiously excited, she was also nervous to release this final part of herself.
Once she Settled, it would be as if her entire life began anew.
“I will utter the ceremonial scriptures and prompt you to say your name when needed. Then, we will join our blood into the chalice, and wait.”
Sol focused on her breathing. “Wait?”
“To see which god blesses you,” Nina offered, taking her spot on the other side of the stone table. She also seemed slightly nervous.
“Warren is usually quick,” Cas said. “It shouldn’t take long.”
“Or maybe you’ll Settle as your paternal line, like Sawyer.” Alix cast a taunting glance toward her.
Sawyer rolled her eyes. “Don’t even say that or we’re back to square one. We need a Yarrow Warden.”
The whole thing was making Sol nervous, though she knew she couldn’t control any of it. She didn’t know what the other side of her blood held, her mother never spoke of her father.
As if sensing her anxiety, Nina gave her a small smile. “It’ll be okay, Sol.”
Sawyer took her spot in front of the table and chalice, facing Emberdon, as Sol stood on her opposite side to face her. Cas and Nina were beside her, and they both took a subtle step closer to her side as she felt herself begin to tremble.
“You ready?” Sawyer met her gaze.
