“All right.”
“No, I’m asking. Lethe is another hour south?” Leander asked, his voice rough. Sonah glanced over at him. His expression was stony, his eyes looking past her.
Frowning, she shrugged. “If south is that way, then aye, we go south.”
“You don’t know which way south is?” Leander sneered.
“Careful,” Melanos muttered, his eyes flashing.
“No, I don’t know which way south is, Leander,” Sonah sighed. She refused to be baited by the Riverman just because he was in a foul mood. “But I know where Obsidian Bay is because I know this area. And because I know this areaandI know where Obsidian Bay is—to my right—I know the monastery is also,” she paused, raising a brow at him, goading him. “Where? Ah, yes. To myright.”
Pulling the reins so her horse would move in the direction she meant for them to follow, she hid her blooming smile when she heard Bethana’s tinkling laughter at her back.
“Forgive me for being concerned for your wellbeing,” Leander snapped, crowding her with his horse so she was forced to look over at him. His expression was thunderous but there was also fear there which made her snap her mouth shut against the shrill retort she almost unleashed.
“You need not worry so much,” she said instead, proud of how calm she sounded. “Need I remind you I’ve now survived two kidnappings and two attempted murders? Also, I’m a god, so…”
“But you are not immortal!” Leander spat. “I couldn’t get to you fast enough to prevent those men from almost killing you! You should be dead?—”
“Aye!” Sonah shouted, pulling her mare to stop. She glared at Leander, who gave as good as he got. Jabbing a finger at him, Sonah said, “I should be! But I’m not! Maybe the Fates intervened on my behalf, I don’t know, but whatever happened to stay those murderous fiends, I am not dead!”
“The goddess is right,” Bethana said as Melanos drew close. “The Fates did intervene.”
“What?” Leander and Sonah said at the same time.
“I know she’s vulnerable without her eudaemon,” the nymph said, her beautiful smile mesmerizing. “So I made her an oil imbued with protection spells to make her invulnerable. This way, whenever she bathes with it, no one can harm her.”
Melanos’s deep chuckle broke Sonah from her stupor.
“What?”
“When?”
Bethana reached out, her cool fingertips glancing off Sonah’s cheek. “You saved me, goddess. A nymph every other god ignored when Poseidon cast his curse on me. Not one of them came to our aide. Except you. And your sister. Melanos was right. We owe you a debt. In this small way, I serve.”
The sting of tears made Sonah blink rapidly and duck her head.Don’t cry, don’t cry. You’re strong. Don’t cry.
Her emotions under control again, Sonah lifted her head and smiled at Bethana.
Big mistake.
Sonah sobbed at the look on the woman’s face, the compassion wrenching the tears from her eyes.
“You’re not just a nymph to me.” Wiping the snot traveling quickly to her lips she said with a shudder, “You’re the best friend a girl could ever ask for.”
LETHE MONASTERY, RAVOS
“Riders at the gate, Abbot Malis!”
Croak sprang up from the couch in the abbot’s office. They’d arrived the day before and Orry had immediately sought out the abbot so he could scribble his nonsense and read his boring books.
Startled upon hearing the monk’s shout, Orry cried out and tossed the book he’d been reading into the air. He scrambled after it as Croak rushed toward the door. Croak knocked into him, and Orry fell onto his ass.
“We don’t have time for you to play!” Croak yelled at his friend, grabbing his sword belt from where it hung on a peg beside the door.
Abbot Malis wrung his hands as he ran after Croak, his mincing steps hindered by his robes.
Migela came flying around the corner and collided with Croak.
