I was stuck.
Chapter 41
Theo
After Veridus left, I returned to the celebration.
The others, predictably, were curious about why the God of Lies had paid me a visit. I explained his role in Maelis’ plan and the letters he’d left behind.
I omitted the part about his dreams. They wouldn’t understand, not the dreams, and certainly not the fact that I was still willing to chase them.
That night, I stayed up far too late, combing through anything I could find on trances, on the dead reaching through dreams.
Unsurprisingly, the sources were scattered and speculative.
Eventually, exhaustion caught up with me.
I must’ve fallen asleep at my desk.
Caelan found me the next morning.
I woke to the soft shuffle of boots on stone and the sound of my office door creaking open.
Maelis’ letters were still strewn across the desk.
He saw them. The look on his face saideverything.
He assumed I’d fallen asleep reading her words again.
I let him believe that.
I told him I’d be heading to the temple today, to work.
He nodded, likely relieved that I was choosing discipline over another spiral into the bottom of a bottle.
An hour later, I was back in the library. Veridus arrived not long after, a young priestess trailing behind him and a suitcase in hand.
It smelled like midsummer.
Herbs, crushed leaves, something sharp and clean.
Whatever came next, it wasn’t going to be ordinary.
“Auretheos, this is Syllaca. She is my trusted priestess and has assisted me in many journeys to the realm of lies,” Veridus announced.
The priestess bowed slightly, and I nodded at her, trying to relax my face into a smile.
“It’s an honor to meet you, God of Wisdom,” she said smoothly. “It might take some time for Veridus to descend into a trance this deep. We will have to hope he can insert himself into your wordsmith’s dream state.”
I left Veridus and Syllaca to prepare everything while I sent all the sentinels at the temple back to their homes.
I told them I didn’t require their services anymore tonight and needed quiet to finish some work. The sentinels were too happy about their shift ending early to question my motives and soon enough the whole temple fell completely silent.
I stood in the hallway for a moment longer, forcing myself to breathe.
Slow.
Measured.
