He grabbed the case, and unraveled the parchment, his eyes leaping across the page as he read. And then he laughed, his eyes filling with joy. It was the complete opposite of the reaction he’d had to the last scroll delivered to us.
“What?” I asked. “What is it?”
“It’s Meera and Aiden! They found somewhere to stay. Nothing special, just an inn that’s cheap, no questions asked. But still! They’re safe. They left the address for us. And there’s more.” He grinned. “There aren’t many details—we’ll need to speak to them in person. But according to this, Kenna sent good news about what’s happening in Glemaria. And—” He walked back to me and crouched down on the blanket. “And a second nahashim returned to them, one of the ones sent to find Lyr.”
My eyes widened, my heart thrumming. “What did it find?”
Dario grinned. “She’s alive.”
I burst into tears and threw my arms around him. He pulled me close, holding me until my sobs slowed.
“What do you want to do?” he asked. “I’m at your service. Do you want to head for the border? Or do you want me to take you back to Meera and Aiden?”
“Take me back to Meera and Aiden,” I said. And Lyr. “I’m not leaving. Not yet.”
Chapter
Twenty-Six
TRISTAN
The protests were growing worse. The people were starting to riot. There were mobs forming in the city, screaming about New Korteria. About Ka Kormac’s occupation. About the way their soturi was starting to overshadow our own. There were complaints pouring in from soturi whose homes had been invaded by Ka Kormac. And complaints of worse crimes happening during those invasions. Reports that left me ill, and sick to my stomach.
The biggest protests though were centered around the vorakh task force. The Emperor had sent word that he wanted more arrested. More than perhaps we even had. The other night when those three accused of vorakh had been dragged into Cresthaven, all three had been innocent. Publicly humiliated by being stripped naked, and tortured. And all because of an accusation. And despite their innocence, despite the proof by nahashim, the Bastardmaker had sent them to the newly constructed Bamarian prisons. They were only half built by the mages, not yet fit for anyone to live in for a single night, much less the weeks I knew they’d be there, but it didn’t matter.Kormac’s wolves had to meet their quota. Avery needed more slaves.
I didn’t know what to do. I felt like I was losing my mind. But luckily, there was no ball tonight. Nor a parade—those were being restricted now thanks to protests. Arianna was finally getting a taste of her own medicine. But barely. So when the Council meetings finally ended for the day, and the soturi out hunting vorakh made their final report to me, I was beyond grateful to retreat to Naria’s room and lie down.
I crawled onto her bed, and fell asleep hours before nightfall.
Sometime later, I woke up with a start. My eyes opened, but closed nearly at once as cold seeped through my body and I was sucked into a vision. No. No. No.
The door opened. Fuck. I tried to still my body, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t stop shaking. Couldn’t stop the vision from taking over.
“Tristan?” Naria asked. “Tristan!”
No! No! I couldn’t answer. I was being swept away, my surroundings gone, and within seconds, Naria’s voice faded from consciousness.
There was a flash of yellow light.
Yellow. Too much yellow.
I looked around. I was in the ruins of an ancient temple and there were people shouting. No. Not people. Gods. Two of them. And a Goddess with flaming red hair.
I was little, my body barely a boy’s, and I was naked. And cold. So cold. I reached for a blanket on the ground and covered my body, holding it tight around my shoulders. But still I shivered, afraid. Everything felt new and strange and harsh.
A God lay on the ground, unconscious, a yellow crystal hung from his neck. He wore the armor of a warrior. He was familiar to me, though I also knew I’d never seen him before.
He’d been powerful. Deadly. Someone strong enough to destroy the world.
And I was scared. Because I felt the death he’d wrought inside me. It felt like my soul had been torn in half. Like my body was splitting. Tearing apart. Everything hurt.
I wanted to crawl to the God. I wanted him to protect me. I wanted to crawl back inside of him. But he wasn’t waking up. His eyes wouldn’t open.
I looked behind me. Another God, this one awake, his eyes an almost blinding shade of green. Curls spun of gold on his head. TheGoddess was beside him.
I shook my head in confusion and pain and cried out, my voice small like a child’s. “I … I can feel it. My death. My birth. All at once.” I had died. But I’d also just been born. What was happening to me? “It’s so much,” I said, tears falling down my cheeks.
“We had no choice,” the God whispered.
