“Who is its other half?”
Cassian smirked. “Naia.”
Mavros’s eyes grew in realization. “A demigod child within the Himura clan.”
“I presume you are aware of the Himura clan and what demigods in its bloodline can do to us?”
“That means the goddess will leave Kaimana.” Mavros rubbed a hand over his face, exasperation tugging at the corners of his eyes.
“When Mira drags her back, that is when I will be summoned to curse her to Kaimana.”
Mavros reached over the table again and grabbed his drink. “What do you gain from cursing her?” He took a giant swig and then hissed between his teeth.
“To give her a reason to summon me on her eight-hundredth year and ask me to remove it.” Cassian snatched the half-empty glass out of his hand.
“Which you cannot do.” He coughed, his eyes watering. “The only way you can null a curse is to replace it with another.”
“Exactly.”
“The child,” Mavros twisted his head at Cassian, suddenly aware. “You want it.”
Cassian nodded subtly. “For its blood.”
“To use against Ruelle,” Mavros finished.
The mention of her name soured the pleasant aftertaste in Cassian’s mouth.
He watched a bead of condensation trace a path down the side of his glass, feeling pressure mount in his chest. A sudden solemness befell his mood. “It is time I deal with Ruelle and the war she decided to wage between us. I refuse to allow her torment to continue any longer.”
“What of the young god?” Mavros asked. “I do not think he will take it well when he figures out you intend to curse his sister.”
Cassian’s gaze flashed up at the mention of Finnian, meeting the concerned look of his attendant.
A dull ache reverberated through his middle. Distance was the last thing he desired, but he would respect Finnian’s wishes. To do so, it was best if they remained enemies.
“I do not plan on seeing him again.” Jaws flexing, Cassian stared beyond the balcony’s ledge at the dark botanicals of his garden. “Therefore, it really doesn’t matter. Let him loathe me.”
14
ABSOLUTE
Finnian
The Present
Everett.
Finnian repeated the name in his mind as an attempt to stir awake buried memories.
He followed the passage outside of the village, through the market, past the homes. The river cutting through the middle of the valley came out into a grove of wisteria. The ends of their blossomed branches swayed with the breeze, kissing the edges of the stream.
After the reunion with Eleanor and Isla, he needed solitude to sort out the emotions gnawing in his chest.
He felt adrift all over again. To see them after missing them for so long, it had slit open the scar of their deaths and the wound throbbed now. Some part of him found peace, while the other refused to acknowledge the feeling. The fact remained that they were still dead, and it was tiring to convince his brain that nothing had really changed, leaving him to sit in the agony of their absence all over again.
Out of habit, Finnian’s eyes scoured the bank and the ground cover over the small patches of grass for anything to forage. There was nothing but velvet violet poppies and blue irises. The oils extracted from both flowers were beneficial, but they weren’t ingredients for the potion Finnian’s fingers were itching to make.
He was no stranger to creating elixirs to awaken long-forgotten memories, having perfected the craft over the course of his days to sell in his black market. Though, he was doubtful any of his current potions would be strong enough to devour the Kiss of Delirium. He would need to craft a new one from scratch to counter its symptoms. But it wasn’t as if he could concoct a tonic without a cauldron or ingredients or, worst of all, time.
