“Is that where you grew up?”
“Mhm,” he hummed, slipping off Athena’s back.
A stream of travelers funneled down a road to our north, arriving at gates flanked by enormous statues of a winged woman holding a scale aloft. Staying mounted, I glanced down at Whisper. “What’s our story?”
“Man, wife, dog,” Seth said curtly, taking the reins. “You’re pregnant.”
“Is that so I can stay on the horse?”
“No, I’m hoping the sympathy will make them look past us.” Falling in line with the crowd, his eyes darted around.
As did mine. I did not see any wanted posters or guards on high alert. News must not have reached them yet.
But it would, soon.
The soldiers at the gates wore different colors from those in the Duat. Feathers crowned their helms, and their capes resembled wings. Beautiful purple togas covered their steel armor.
“I like them,” I said, nodding in their direction.
A hint of pride entered Seth’s eye. “I miss wearing it.”
“You wore purple?” I wondered quietly, sealing my lips as we approached the guards.
Seth stepped forward, speaking with the soldier to our left, pointing to me and his dog. The soldier nodded, waving us through without paying me much mind. Relieved, I relaxed in the saddle as we passed under the gates.
The streets reminded me of home. Thin channels of water rushed along the white roads, though they were too shallow to use for transportation. Brilliant blue water sparkled beneath the sun, reflecting our faces as we rode into the city.
Closing my eyes, I tried to test my new magic. Opening my mind to the people around me, I sought their emotions. Chattering thoughts rushed into my head, an overwhelming cacophony. Flinching, I tried to focus, but failed.
The foreign emotions overtook my other senses, but I couldn’t pinpoint anything in the writhing mass. Blackness clouded myvision; I could smell only blood and corpses. Slowly, something grew beneath the din, like a song. A dirge.
Dread. Despair.Terror.
A sea of threads, white like spider silk, connected every person around me. One by one, they snapped.
Seth grabbed my wrist and yanked. The sudden motion snapped me out of my spell, and I quickly shut my mind.
“What’s wrong?” He asked. “You looked like you were about to scream.”
“I think I was,” I said, catching my breath.
Before I could say anything more, Whisper darted out from behind Athena, sticking his nose in a flowering bush before running down a bend in the road.
“Whisper?” Seth called, chasing after him. Taking back Athena’s reins, I ordered her to follow.
We flew down a narrow alley hugging the channel, its claustrophobic paths stuffed with people and tiny storefronts. Whisper’s tail started wagging furiously as he darted toward a woman hunched over in a seat outside her shop, concealed by both a tan cloak and the tattered tarp covering her little porch.
Dismounting, I approached the woman as she ruffled Whisper’s ears and stood, throwing her hood off. Fiery locks spilled out, and a familiar face smudged with sand smiled at me, crinkling her faint wrinkles.
Seraphim lunged, pulling me into a hug. “There you are,” she said softly, running a hand down my hair. A sensation I’d never quite felt before bloomed in my chest.
I felt . . . safe.
Taking my shoulders, Seraphim pushed me back and stared at Seth. “This way,” she said, retreating into the shop.
Only a cloth bolted to the frame kept out the elements. Pushing aside the flap, I stepped into what appeared to be a tavern’s storeroom. Stacks of crates and supplies lined the western wall, and a small cooking pot and spice rack decorated the east.
Eleos sat on one of the boxes. His eyes locked on me, and he flew to my side, grabbing me in a hug.
