"Grandmother," Prince Leo said sweetly, rushing to her side and taking her hand. "Volk, fetch a chair."
One of the royal guards hurried away to fulfill the prince's request even as the elderly woman waved her grandson off.
"What do you mean, it isn't a true bond, Your Highness?" the captain asked, thoughtful.
"The thing between them," she said, gesturing between Dante and I, "is a forgery. A fake. A mockery of the true bond. It was created by the Geist who fashion themselves after the gods but itisn't of the Goddess Rhene. Only She can bless a pairing with the soul bond. That's not what this is."
"How…how do you know?" Prince Leo asked, uncertain, as he glanced between Dante and I once again.
"I know the Goddess," she replied with a kind smile, reaching out to pat her grandson on the arm, her tone that of one teaching a child. "And I know a soul bond when I see one. This is not it. Rare though they may be, I've seen two in my time. It's a joining of mind, body, and soul, of power as well. If they had the true bond,hewould be able to wield the darkness too. Tell me, boy, do you feel the corruption within?"
Dante blinked at her, too stunned to speak.
"I thought not," she muttered. "Lemnus might be able to replicate the bond through the mind, but He cannot forge a soul bond. Only Rhene can, only She chooses."
"I'm sorry," Kane asked from beside me, confusion evident in his tone. "Rhene? Lemnus?"
I was just as confused as he was but, I noticed, the general was not. He seemed to hardly be listening to the old woman anymore, lost in thought instead.
"Goddess of Prophecy and God of Light," the old woman answered. "He's their god, the Geist's. It's Him who grants them their ability, the power of the light, and Rhene who grants me mine."
She gestured toward her violet eyes with a smile as though that was somehow an explanation.
"Great," Zya scoffed under her breath. "More gods."
"Not more gods," the old woman replied, impossibly hearing her whispered words from across the room. "The only gods. The Geist are imposters, remember."
"If their power comes from a god," I said then, stepping forward before I could think about what I was doing. All I knew was this woman seemed to have answers and I was in desperateneed of some of those myself. "And yours from a Goddess, do mine come from…one of them as well?"
She smiled back at me but I noticed the light in her violet eyes dimmed somewhat. She dipped her head in slow acknowledgement and my breath caught.
"Who—" I began.
"Does any of this have a point, mother?" the king huffed impatiently.
"For you, perhaps," she spat, tone scolding. "It isn't the boy making Adrian stronger. It's her own emotion. Her power grows beside him because of the rage she feels toward him. It will grow beside others for her love, friendship, or desire as well. Strong, powerful emotions are what drive the power."
"Not the bond?" Prince Leo verified.
The old woman's eyes slipped to me once more and I could have fallen into the depths of sadness I swore were lying within them.
"I have Seen…" she began and then hesitated, as if unsure whether or not she should say.
"What, grandmother?" Prince Leo pushed, eager.
"The girl's fate has been tainted by Lemnus' touch. The God of Light has interfered where he should not. Her future now holds a corruption of its own. I cannot See…the strings of destiny weave within and around her, pulling others close. They are tied to her, though I cannot See how. His blasphemy blocks it. The bond she was given in the Trials, that which bonded her to the Betrayer, has been stamped over another."
"A soul bond?" Zya gasped, horrified.
I couldn't breathe.
"Hard to tell," the old woman replied but the sadness in her eyes nearly confirmed it. She, at least, suspected it was the case. "We harbor many bonds in our souls. Family, friends, enemies. Have you never wondered why you are drawn to certain peopleor why you lash out at others? The Goddess weaves her webs of fate and we fall into them, pulled along on her strings regardless of our efforts. But, when another Gods interferes, we can become cut off from the Goddess, left without destiny."
Without destiny…
"What does any of this have to do with the strength of her power?" the king barked once again.
“We are stronger when we are made whole," the old woman clarified. "If she can find a way to remove the stamp over her soul, cleanse herself of the God of Light's touch, perhaps she can find what lies beneath. Certainly, it will be stronger, and it will make her stronger as well. If itisa soul bond, it could provide yet another weapon for you as Adrian may share her power with another."
