“Why?” Aethra demanded.
Cerys gazed at her sadly. “The divines whisper to me the threads of the future. I am doing everything I can to avert disaster. Helping you escape would paint me a traitor. From here, I can better protect you.”
“You know what I am,” Aethra said. “Then you must know why we’re here. Politics doesn’t matter right now. The Empty isspreading! We don’t have time to—”
“I cannot.” Cerys’ eyes darkened. “They must continue to think of me as an ally.”
Frustrated, Aethra’s head whipped toward me. I didn’t need to be a psyche to read her thoughts. ‘If you had told me the truth, maybe I’d have any idea what she was talking about.’
Or some such.
Talking about my past stung like a fresh wound. I’d wanted to pretend I truly hailed from the Merchant Isles and had no connection to this place. My lies had never been meant to deceive anyone but myself.
Percy was right. Iwasemotionally constipated.
“If you’re an ally,” Seraphim said in a low tone, “I need something answered. In private.”
“We have little time. Make it quick.” Touching Seraphim’s arm, Cerys walked her to the other side of the cavern.
Percy shimmied closer to me. “Do they know each other?”
“I guess so,” I said. “Seraphim did spend two decades here.”
Aethra marched in front of me and stood on her tiptoes, trying to meet my gaze. “Do you trust her?”
“I think so.” I glanced at my cousin, but my gaze kept drifting back to the princess balancing on her toes. “Cerys was always different from the others.”
Returning to her usual, diminutive height, Aethra set her jaw. “I’m going to talk sense into her.”
Eleos raised an eyebrow. “Do you think that’ll work?”
“Remember what you said? That if I could sweet-talk Duathi royalty, you would forgo worship of the gods?” Aethra tossed her curls over her shoulder. “You three should prepare tokneel.”
Whirling around, she marched toward Cerys.
“Well,” Eleos said quietly.
Biting the inside of my lip, I stared at the wall. Gods, I’d really love for her to tell me to kneel somewhere that wasn’there.
Sudden dread tightened my throat. I’d planned our course thoroughly: Phaedrus would stick to the shores, and we’d cleave through the cities. Taking the more direct route, we’d arrive at the Acheron first.
And I knew what they didn’t: Elpis maidens were powerless toclose the Empty. But the Acherondidhide the means to destroy the abyss, and we could do it ourselves, before Aethra put herself in needless danger.
I hadn’t considered the possibility of seeing her again.
Gods, what if she never forgave me, and I was forced to be in her presence day after day, unable to evenspeakto her the way we once had?
I could think of only one worse torture—watching her die.
Percy tilted his head and met my eyes. “Seas. Look at your face! You’re an idiot.”
“What about my face?” I asked.
“I know a love-sick puppy when I see one,” Percy clicked his tongue.
Snorting, Eleos watched as Aethra’s enthusiastic speech dimmed. Her hands fell to her side, and her shoulders slumped with every subtle shake of Cerys’ head.
Seraphim took Aethra’s arm, pulling her back as Cerys waltzed to the door. The Oracle’s gaze swept over us. “You’ll need to work together if you’re to survive. But if anyone can.” She looked at me. “It would beyou,Set.”
