Aya closed her eyes and let her feel it. Let herseeit in the agony that weighed down her shoulders and hollowed out her chest.
Everything breaks in the end.
“Those innocents turned their back on me the moment they got the chance.”
The mother in Sitya. The mob in Dunmeaden.
Aya hated how betrayal still managed to carve out something of her. She was surprised there was anything left for it to take its knife to.
“And your precious lover? Surely you opening the veil will affect him? The godshavesaid they would not spare the realm a second time. And even if they do…surely he would never forgive you for siding with us?”
Aya slid her hands from the table, her fingers interlacing as she placed them in her lap. She’d grown used to the smooth skin of her palm.
“He’ll likely be dead by then.”
The words tumbled from her mouth, bitter and broken andtrue, because there was no reality in which Hyacinth would give Will a fair trial.
Aya tried not to think of what would happen if there was, of how her own actions could sign his death sentence instead.
Evie’s power receded like the tide. Her blue eyes were steady as they scanned Aya’s face.
“I sense the truth in you, and my Sensainos affinity is more refined than most,” she finally remarked. “But we’ll need to test your loyalty.” She smoothed a hand down the folds of her robes. “The spies from the Midlands were very forthcoming. You know how effective our methods can be,” she smirked. “They confirmed the Midlands plans to retake Sitya. They will be disappointed if they expect us to simply stay in Kakos and allow this to unfold.”
Aya gnawed on the inside of her cheek. It would be safer, would it not, to stay tucked away where no one could find them? After all, how many people knew where the king’s stronghold was? Surely the Kakos forces in Sitya could handle the attack.
It would be safer, yes. Unless the time had come for Kakos to truly act.
“What is that you want me to do?” Aya finally asked.
“I want you to prove that you are loyal to our cause. Fight with us against Sitya.”
“Done.”
“That easy, is it?” Evie chuckled. “I am not asking you to simply wield a sword.”
Of course she wasn’t. Aya lifted her chin, her irritation rippling like water over stones. “No request from you is ever simple.”
Evie tilted her head, as if to cede the point.
“The realm thinks a Dark Saint has returned. It was…a necessary cover to ensure my own safety through anonymity,” she explained. She leaned forward, her arms bracing on the table as she fixed Aya with an eager look. “I want you to prove them right; to use the power I gave you to finish Sitya for good.”
Aya was surprised to find it wasn’t horror that washed over her at Evie’s revelation. Instead, it was the cool focus that came with clarity.
Another mission, another assignment.
Aya turned it over in her mind, prodding it for weaknesses. There was, of course, the obvious one.
“My power is inferior compared to yours, is it not?”
Evie flashed her a knowing grin. “Inferior compared to a demigod’s, perhaps,” she allowed. “But not compared to the Visya. The blood of the gods runs through my veins. In some ways, that means you have gods-given power twice over.”
“Nearly limitless,” Aya murmured.
It had seemed like so much before she’d met Evie. Before it had been torn from her in chunks, ripping her soul to shreds.
“In the measurements of mortals, yes,” Evie replied. She paused, her lips thinning as she took in the faraway look on Aya’s face. “Should I take this as hesitation? Reluctance?”
“Self-preservation,” Aya corrected. She blinked, her shoulders rolling back as she tried to shake off the weight pulling them down. “I cannot erase the gods from this realm if I die in a petty battle, can I?”
