A small hum that turned to a soft sigh escaped her mouth even as her body staggered, unused to the toll of magic. But the magic slid through her, potent and heavy like hot fire in her veins, burning away any illusion or dogma that magic was something to fear or squash.
She had not realized just how dead and broken magic really was within Kava. Because here? It was ease. It felt like freedom—likeher. She wanted to roll in the feeling, bask inside it until she never forgot what it was to beheragain. She wanted to laugh like the undone child she had never been and bottle this moment for when she inevitably did as all humans do, and forgot this feeling.
It was unfathomable how the people of Kava had survived for so long without magic. The fact that her people had lumbered on only spoke of their resilience, and it made her wish that every last person in her land could feel what she was feeling.
A branch crackled somewhere in the woods, and Elysia’s eyes startled open.
Maya watched expectantly, tapping a long thin stick in each of the four directions. “Ready to make your choice? Whatever your decision, after today, you cannot say you didn’t know.”
Elysia took a breath, the nerves flitting back from where they had hid. She heard what Maya wasn’t saying. That after today, she could blame no one but herself for what was to come. She had looked with her magic wide open and chosen her path. And more than that, she could feel the weight of every past decision settling around her shoulders. It was neither heavy nor cumbersome. It was simply the truth. There were always going to be unmovable variables. Her parents, her home. But there were endless tiny decisions that no one could claim but her. This moment was about admitting her role in the mess that was her life. Picking up the reins and loving herself enough to acknowledge the power in her yes and in her no, in what she did or did not do.
Turning around silently, she peered into the darkness of the path behind her. She spoke quietly, almost reverently, in the wake of meeting her magic. “The path behind me is diseased, but enticing in its familiarity. I saw a tangle of roses. Soft, beautiful, thorny roses with petals of blood and velvet. It felt familiar. Like falling into your bed at the end of a long night. But the thorns and stems were snarled so tight—I am not sure it may even be entered.” Her brow creased as she stared into the nothingness, her arms wrapped around her middle.
Maya held still, her face serious and eyes distant in contemplation. Elysia continued describing the paths that lay open to her.
Her voice took on an almost eerie quality now. “The three that remain are different yet the same. They run through the woods on different trails, but all remain the same. One withbrambles, rivers, and vines. Another with creatures, teeth, and claws. The third with gambles, vice, and lies.”
Maya nodded, still deep in thought as she considered these new paths. She pointed her stick behind them. “You can go home. It would be as if you never came here.”
Swinging her stick, she tapped it down to the right, to the left, and then finally straight ahead. “Three paths that are so very different yet bring you to the same place. What you lose and gain along the way will not be the same. Who youbecomewill not be the same. What will your choice be, Elysia Parker?”
Her eyes darted between the paths. She was not the slow and patient sort. Nor was she a warrior at heart—not the kind that lived to battle tooth and nail to feel victory spray upon their skin. There was no point in lying about who she was in a wood so dark with no one here to see.
She spoke her judgment steadily. “What’s another gamble?”
The world responded to her words and the will beneath them.
The crossroads vanished. All paths but one disappeared, trees suddenly surrounding them.
“And will you take the path alone? I am more than happy to escort you to whom you seek.” Maya’s voice came from behind her, the much taller woman looking down over Elysia’s shoulder.
A bright green thread whispered to Elysia, and it sounded like suspicion. She watched the thread evaporate. It might have sounded like suspicion, but itfeltlike meddling. It made her think of the interference between siblings—how she would happily muck up Beatriz’s plans if only to watch her squirm. Sidestepping the question, she asked one of her own.
“Why doesn’t the undead god of this land know I’m here?”
Maya leaned back against a tree now with her arms folded, the small amused lift of her lips the only acknowledgment of Elysia’s insinuations. “Oh, he does. He’s just a little occupied.”
Elysia persisted, narrowing her gaze. “Last time I managed to hold my form here, he appeared rather immediately. Although, I did seem to upset him.” She frowned.
He’s a god. Why would he care about a measly human in his realm?
Maya scratched her nose before her hands went back to the pockets of her dress. “Yes, I imagine he might have been a bit sensitive about that. If he has any common sense, he’ll have gotten over it. But we don’t get humans here often. Well,liveones anyway. Lots of dead ones.” She grinned to herself, but then continued, her gray eyes growing serious. “While I have certain hopes for you, this decision was sacred. You grew up in a world where your choices were stripped from birth. I thought it was important to allow you the gift of clarity and choice before your journey begins without a god swaying your decision.”
Her expression warmed, a sharp sort of mischief entering her eyes as she pushed off the tree. “And I wanted to meet you for myself.”
Elysia bit her lip, thinking through Maya’s words. The idea of a perfect stranger holding space for her to meditate on her path—all so she could feel a sliver of trust and confidence in herself in the time to come was strange and unsettling. Instead of feeling grateful, she felt wary. When in doubt, she reached for the diplomacy that was second nature.
“Then I thank you for your hospitality and kindness. And I would appreciate your guidance in finding your god.”
A low whining growl came from near her feet, and Elysia smiled. She reached down to give the pup some pets. “Yes, you can come too.”
Maya stretched, her arms reaching up and back. “Time for us to go, then. It’s getting late, and I imagine his deadliness will be feeling a bit frustrated by now.” Her shoulders shook with asilent laugh, but she didn’t explain, just set off at a steady pace down Elysia’s chosen path.
The dogs galloped off with loud barks, darting around Maya’s heels as they plunged ahead. Something about the sight gave Elysia pause. The tall bone-white trees, Maya’s self-assured form, and the little dogs. It had all been such a strange day already, from her conversation with the prince to drinking tinctures and magical tests in a dark wood.
And now she was to meet a god. If her path was to be filled with gambles and risks, she imagined this was only the first of such strange days.
Chapter 33
