I shake my head. “No… but yes.”
The look she gives me tells me she understands.
“It’s a lot,” she says in a sigh as we round the hall together. “But don’t let it consume you. We’ll figure it out.” She offers me a smile.
Since my return, my nights are restless.
It’s hard to fall asleep.
And harder still to remain asleep.
When I do find respite, I dream.
Strange things. A forest of white.
Andcold.
Bright morning light streams through the skylight glass and windows littering the grand foyer as we begin down the stairs. It’s strange… I’ve spent the last few months here in Castle Erus and, while I’ve come to learn it, it doesn’t feel anything like the temple did.
There are no black and silver robes bustling about, going on with their daily tasks. There’s no inner sanctum speckled with a silent few in prayer. Nor is there the overwhelming sandalwood and musk scent of perpetually burning incense.
In that time, Celesta’s devotees went on about their lives regardless of my presence. And in a few weeks,thatbecame comfortable. For the most part, I could move unnoticed through the halls, thelibrary, or garden.
Here, there’s an abundance of black-clad castle staff who steal glances in my direction but never speak. There’s rarely laughter in the halls. Much of the time it’s silent. If I happen to catch quiet conversations or hushed laughter, it’s swept away as soon as I’m noticed.
They hide their lives.
Or hide fromme.
If the latter, I suppose I haven’t helped matters. The life I’ve built is one of seclusion.
Ihide, too.
From the Sovereign Kings, from the general public—I rarely approach staff and I never strike up conversation. If I’m not in the company of Ryc, Eve, Lilith, or Cyran, I keep to myself. I’ve no doubts they know who I am—or at least they know the nature of my involvement with Ryc. But whether they keep quiet out of respect for him, or fear of me… I’ll not ask. I’m fairly confident open secrets are nothing new to them.
I know I’m not easily approachable. It’s easier that way. Why bother letting others get close when it’s all going to change once they learn who they’re placing upon the High Throne?
Reaching the ground floor, Eve and I swing around the stairs, my pace a leisurely one. While I’m hungry, I’m in no rush to sit in the same room with Lilith and Eve who tend to rub one another raw—not in a good way.
More sunlight streams through the eastern windows lining the hall, casting bright stripes along the floor and opposing wall. The flashes of warmth on my skin, on my face, followed by the cool of the shadows is a strange cyclic sensation.
“Have you thought about what you’re going to do?” Eve asks, and I can tell she’s been trying to hold off asking since finding me.
“I’ve thought on it,” I admit with a slow nod. “Vaelyn has made it so that Imustside with Rowen.”
Her dark brows pinch with confusion.
“I can’t let him take some of the most powerful souls of this realm in a broad sweep,” I say. “He’ll have to figure something else out to impress the Layer Lords.”
Eve’s confusion vanishes from her face, melting into a flat glare. “I thought this was for souls. Are you telling me he’s trying to incite a war toimpressdemons?”
“Archdemons,” I correct with a feeble, close-lipped smile. “But yes.Theywantedmeto replace Netharis. Not Vaelyn.”
“So they’re spiteful,” Eve says, her annoyance clear.
“Possibly,” I shrug.
Truthfully, more than likely.
