“Naia, High Goddess of Eternity.” Each word felt like flesh grinding against a hacksaw as he spoke, but it was worth it as a baffled look morphed over Ruelle’s beautiful face. “Come to me.”
32
THE GODDESS OF ETERNITY
Bright starlight pouredout at the edge of the grove, and Naia stepped through it.
Gracefully, she lifted her arm to free Wren from her silver strands, rippling in the gust of her divine power. The golden hairpin emerged to life and slashed the threads banded around Finnian’s throat.
The pressure released and he gasped in a breath.
Naia pushed off her legs and collided into Ruelle. They skid across the ash-dusted grove. The syringe toppled across the ground.
Finnian saw them then, the twinkling of the threads in the sunlight, raining down as Wren sliced through them, weightless. A cage, disbanded.
In less than a breath’s second, Cassian appeared at Finnian’s side, rushing to unravel the thread from around his neck.
The knot in Finnian’s chest eased at the sight of him unharmed, though his hair was a disheveled mess, and blood stained the corner of his mouth.
He grabbed onto his forearm and slowly hauled himself up to track Naia and Ruelle.
Cassian hissed a demand at him that he did not catch.
He regarded him with a look of confusion before wincing from the stabbing pang in his abdomen—a reaction to the stretching of muscles as he sat up all the way.
Cassian’s eyes snapped up to his right ear, then the ground around them, searching, while simultaneously continuing to unweave the string from around his neck.
Ruelle’s backside was smashed up against the only hawthorn trunk still upright.
Azara and Iliana stood behind Naia like two torchbearers.
Naia’s palm was firmly planted on Ruelle’s sternum, her other hand drawn up and a thumb pressed to Ruelle’s forehead.
Snowy starlight crested around Naia like waves. “Ruelle, High Goddess of Fate.” Her voice was thunderous, almighty. “The Council is gathered to see to it that you are punished for your digressions. In the order of our name, you have manipulated your power of Fate for selfish and impure intent.”
Our name.
“No!” Acacius fabricated in the center of the grove, his robe only ribbons and his bone visibly jutting out of his forearm and ribcage. His pale skin slowly stitched across newly formed muscle and tissue.
Iliana whisked around, her gilded eyes shining like heated crystals, and she raised her palm to silence him.
Acacius collapsed to his knees, slamming his eyes shut in some sort of pain. “Sister, no!”
The brilliant rays of white rippled in large rings around Naia as she continued. “Ruelle, from this moment forward, you will no longer bear the gift of immortality.”
A thin, metallic ring screamed out as the incandescence beamed hotter, brighter, like a burning star.
Finnian squinted against its power, tears welling in his eyes.
Stunning.
It seemed that not only could she grant immortal life, but she could also take it away.
Pride swelled in his chest. She was elegant and so much like Father that it hurt.
His stomach dipped at the reminder of Father.
Finnian tightened his fingers around Cassian’s forearm, a lifeline to keep him afloat.
