I lift my eyes to meet his over the fire. His expression is fierce yet sincere. But isn’t that contrary to who he is? What he stands for? Shouldn’t he be terrified of me? If I knew how to kill a Sinless, I could kill him too. Yet he’s never acted afraid of me. He’s never flaunted the so-called virtues of his kind. And his peers—at least Henderson—resent him. Suspect him. He offers his Summoners freedom instead of Absolution. And the way he feels about himself…
Why would I wish what I am on anyone else?
“What are you?” I ask, my voice coming out quiet.
He runs his hand through his snow-slicked hair, sending droplets falling on his broad shoulders. A dark, humorless grin warps his lips. “Maybe it’s time I told you everything. Maybe it’s time I gave you the one weapon that could be my undoing.”
Terror flits through me. Whatever truth he’s hiding, it has convinced some of his previous Summoners to turn on him. Am I ready for the truth? Will my opinion of him change once he confesses his secrets?
Who will I see sitting on the other side of these flickering flames?
An ally? My master? A Shadowbane who doesn’t seem as awful as I first thought him to be?
Or an enemy?
I take a bracing breath. “Tell me.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Dominic
Several times now I’ve shared the truth with my Summoners, but never has it sparked so much fear beforehand. Maybe it’s because of Inana’s proximity. The woman who forces me to feel in ways I’m not supposed to. Maybe it’s because I can’t bear the thought of how this could end.
There are two results I’m familiar with.
Looks of awe and admiration.
Or bloodshed.
I unsheathe one of my knives and flip it idly in my hand, just to steady my nerves. “Do you know the creation story?”
She frowns. “The holy texts say we were given life by the nine gods, but not much else.”
“The full story has been lost to time,” I say. “Or, more accurately, the church’s interference. All the old stories are locked away, along with the knowledge of astrotheurgy. Regardless, I’ll tell it.”
She stiffens. “Is it safe to tell stories, even in daylight? You don’t have your sword if Shades come around.”
I shake my head. “This story is a true one. Besides, Shades aren’t interested in what I have to say.”
She doesn’t look convinced, and I don’t blame her. I’ve said Shades don’t Incarnate off Shadowbanes, yet she’s seen Shades wearing myface. Of course she’d be hesitant to believe me. But I have a perfectly reasonable explanation for the Shades who look like me. One she’ll soon understand.
“Long ago,” I say, “Bastien and Vanna were the only gods in the sky, the sun and moon forever in a dance of balance. Light and dark. Beginning and end. Eventually they sought to procreate. They had seven children and gave them dominion over their own planetary bodies. Herald, Serafina, Malen, Lilith, Sylas, Dian, and Kole. Each of these gods developed their own personality, but forged as they were from their parents’ essences, there was always a balance, thanks to the influence of Bastien and Vanna. Light and dark. Beginning and end. Life and death.
“Soon the seven young gods were struck with the yearning to procreate, so they too chose to give birth to new forms, combining their divine energies to create humankind. Thus, we were born on this world, reflections of our creators. Our very souls are made of their divinity, our gods’ unique essences woven together like a tapestry, spanning the whole of human potential. Not just humanperfection,but the full spectrum. The balance of light and dark. The dance of the sun, moon, and all seven minor gods stitched into our very essence.”
She stares, in awe of my story. “That’s far more detail than we were given during weekly liturgy. I knew we were created by the gods, but to think our souls are composed entirely of divine energy. It makes sense now, some of the things we were taught yet never given a full explanation for.” She pauses, brow furrowed as if she’s piecing something together in her mind. “The seven young gods gave us the seven holy virtues, didn’t they?”
“Not just the virtues,” I say, flipping my blade again. “Remember, each of our parent gods is the child of Bastien and Vanna. They have both solar and lunar energy, a light side and dark side, which they passed on to us.
“Herald, God of Prosperity, gave us generosity and greed.
“Serafina, Goddess of Love, gave us compassion and lust.
“Malen, God of Wisdom, gave us humility and pride.
“Lilith, Goddess of Justice, gave us patience and wrath.
“Sylas, God of Harvest, gave us temperance and gluttony.
