My head sank into my hands as reality dawned heavily—two of my chosen Children were dead. Kaos and Solace were still alive and in Elyria. Without a united front, humanity would fall. Elyria would be subject to the whims of the gods, who would eventually come for me. I was too weak to defend myself, and my position in the cosmos would be practically given freely to whomever decided to kill me first.
I failed.
“Who are you? Where am I?” A feminine voice full of curiosity yet tinted with terror pulled me from my spiraling thoughts as my head shot up from my hands. My eyes widened as I gazed at the dirt and blood-soaked woman in front of me.
Curly brown hair. Wide hazel eyes lit with intelligence and interest. Light-brown skin tattooed with innumerable runes, one of which was much larger and fresher than the others.
And, above it all, a slight aura ofothernessthat surrounded her like a thin film.
She looked so much like my daughter that it physically hurt.
“Granddaughter,” I breathed, my voice cracking with emotion.
She was here. She was alive.
But I saw her String die. Iwatchedit happen.
“How is this possible?” I muttered to myself as I watched Faylinn’s eyebrows shoot for her hairline before she schooled her expression once more.
“Apparently I’m a quarter-goddess, if my parentage is to be believed,” she commented dryly, her arms crossing loosely as she cocked her head in curiosity.
I chuffed a laugh, relishing in the ecstasy of Meru’s reprieve.
“Immortality is the only way you’d be able to find this place on your own. Mortals get lost in the catacombs beyond this room and wander for eternity before Meru consumes their essence. Unless I invite them here, that is.” It’s the only way my acolytes were able to visit Meru.
“Why am I here?” Faylinn asked.
“What do you remember last?” I countered, still off-balance from her sudden appearance.
She frowned, her eyebrows nearly touching in concentration as she bit her lipin thought. “The Battle of Vespera. Pulling Rohak from the rubble . . .” she trailed off, but I knew there was more to her statement.
When she didn’t continue, I goaded her into telling me what I wanted to know most.
“He died.”
Her eyes flashed with a slew of emotions before she settled on anger.
“Isavedhim,” Faylinn bit caustically, and I smiled.
“The Strings of Fate say otherwise,” I said, quickly pulling the twin Strings from the ether. She blanched, color leeching almost completely from her face as she took inadvertent steps forward. Faylinn’s long, tattooed fingers reached out hesitantly, inexplicably drawn to her twin’s String. Hers, I noticed with a furtive glance, was slowly losing its dark pallor, a slight golden sheen working its way from the inside out.
Immortality.I almost laughed at my oversight.Of course her String would rejuvenate.
“Rohak.” Her voice cracked with emotion, silent tears welling before cascading down her face, but she never moved to clear them, simply left her mortal emotion on display as her gaze stayed trained on Rohak’s String.
“See. Dead,” I said flippantly as I banished the Strings.
Faylinn’s eyes flashed dangerously, and I relished the way her emotions were so easy to decipher.
So easy to manipulate.She was considerably more mortal than her mother, that much was obvious, but there was still much of the Bondsmith in her.
“Bring him back,” she demanded almost petulantly. I simply raised my eyebrows at her. If she were anyone else, I’d rip her immortality from her body and feed it to Meru.
My heartthumpedloudly as a plan began to form—a way for both of us to get what we wanted.
“No,” I said and watched as she reared her head back in shock before she set her mouth in a hard line, her lips almost disappearing with the movement.
“Canyou even bring him back? Is that something in your power?”
