Finny, I did it. I finally found you.
“She is safe now.Happy. With a family of her own. A High Goddess.”
Don’t do this to me, Finnian.
“Father wouldn’t be locked away, and you wouldn’t have broken the heart of the one person?—”
“Stop!” Finnian’s hands came up to his head, over his ears.
“You deserve to die for the pain you’ve caused.”
“Shut your fucking mouth!” His cry broke through the static screaming inside his head.
The only sound cutting through the thick blanket of silence was his heartbeat thudding loudly in his ear. His chest rose and fell in a rapid rhythm as he regained his senses.
The cool obsidian of the altar was the first thing he registered.
He stared up at the dancing shadows of the firelight along the mosaic tiles of the ceiling.
His eyes jumped over to the flames in their basins and terror welled up in his gut, threatening to push up his throat.
With time, it learns your weaknesses, what you fear most, and without realizing it, your mind plays tricks on you.
When did it begin?
The acrylic taste of the potion lingered on his tongue. It couldn’t have been more than five minutes since he’d swallowed it.
Shortly after drinking the potion.
You’ve already failed.
“Are you ready to depart now?” Cassian’s voice was close, near where he’d been before Finnian reared up to strike him with his magic. Or rather, when he thought he had.
Their moment prior to the hallucination rushed through Finnian’s mind—the High God pinning him down with their lips connected, forcing the potion into his mouth. His body filled with a mix of pleasure and an unwelcome desire, ignited by Cassian’s touch.
A fresh surge of nausea churned in his stomach. He felt a knife to his pride at the thought of sitting up and facing Cassian’s steady composure and superiority, waiting for him.
He took his time, unconvinced he could conceal how much the hallucination had frightened him. While he had figured out the peonies weren’t real, he detected no suspicions during the journey from the altar to the basement and throughout his encounter with Father. Until he spewed out vicious words. But even then, it was difficult to decide whether Father’s feelings were justified and believable.
Little by little, the curse would continue to excavate his sanity. Without the reliance on his mind, what was he to become by the end of this?
Calm down.
It was a future he didn’t want to waste energy envisioning, for it would only darken his spirit, ultimately handing over more ammunition to the blight in his head.
The less he believed in himself, the stronger it became.
He drew in an inhale and lifted from the altar.
Cassian waited at the bottom of the platform, hands inside his pockets. His golden gaze was dark, like melted brass. He stood quietly, his disposition casual, but his brow was slightly furrowed, tracking every movement of Finnian’s face, as if he were searching for something.
How odd.Finnian expected hostile mockery or a patronizing remark, much like the one sitting on his own tongue. The need to strike and draw blood. All for the joy that came with watching the annoyance and animosity harden Cassian’s gaze into gilded stones.
What will your impulsive nature ruin this time?
Finnian swallowed, unsettled by the thirteen-year-old voice trapped inside of his head.
He loosened the tension collected in his neck, disregarded the weariness in his soul pulling at his limbs, and traveled the small distance to Cassian’s side.
