“Do you think that all crows are as naturally intelligent as the ones who assisted you when you suffered in peril?”
“You were the crows?” She chuckled.
Greia nodded. “Me and the ones who came before.” Her eyes narrowed suddenly, scrutinizing her. “All of those signs and youstillwere as reluctant to listen as ever.”
Nymiria looked up at the goddess, a sort of playful grin toying at her lips. “To be fair, I have a hard time believing anything anyone says. Don’t take it personally.”
They began walking down the corridor, passing by those plaques, Nymiria supposed, were carved with names. Eventually, as they started nearing the end, the glyphs used became more recognizable, until they eventually were all in the modern text. “If you want to go back, Nymiria, you must devote yourself to your calling. Otherwise, the Mother will not allow it. You must make your offering.” Greia led her to an opening in the tomb, into a room with an altar at the very center. Upon that altar sat a God Stone that was far more pristine than any Nymiria had seen before.
Silver braziers lined the walls, lit with that strange-colored flame, their lights catching the intricate carvings along the stone. It was iridescent, unlike the ones carved from boulders in the corporeal realm.
“Make your promise.” Greia said, urging Nymiria closer to the altar.
“Don’t I need to bleed?”
The goddess shook her head. “Not here, my love. Here, in this place, you will offer a piece of your soul.”
It seemed simple enough. But even so, Nymiria had no idea how to begin thistransference. She did the only thing she knew to do when it came to the gods by placing her hands upon that stone at the center of the altar. She closed her eyes, allowing her fingers to smooth over each dip and curve of the runes. She recognized most of them. And while there were some that were foreign to just her touch, she knew in her heart what they truly meant.
Nymiria wanted to do something good. She wanted to carve her own path in the world, to create her own legacy. And when the time came that she was to be laid to rest in this very tomb, she wanted to be able to look back on her life and see someone that had persevered and overcame the darkness she was born into—the darkness that’d set out to destroy her the moment she drew her first breath. This was not just an ending. It opened the door to a new beginning, a new life that she would not be too afraid to live.
She imagined the life force seeping from her, pouring into the stone, spilling out and weaving through the universe like the roots of a willow tree seeking moist soil, gripping at each living thing in existence.
“I give myself to you,” she began. “I give myself to you. I vow to be the keeper of living things, to serve my position justly, without bias. I promise to love, to bring balance, and to protect the realm of power that is mine. I, Nymiria Morgan Celentas, give myself to the Fate that was chosen for me.”
A cold hand fell upon her shoulder, Nymiria’s body jolting just slightly. “As it was, it always will be.”
“As it was, it always will be.”
That hand that was once gentle upon her was now shoving her, sending her stumbling forward into the bright silver light that’d formed on the other side of her closed eyes. She released a shriek of horror and fear, grappling for purchase of anything to catch herself.
But she was falling.
It felt endless.
Everything was too bright and too loud. Prayers. Hundreds of thousands of prayers, perhapsmillions.She heard each plea, each message of gratitude and thanks, she heard them crying and begging not to die. Large booms surrounded her, monstrous sounds that she could only compare to the likes of cannonfire.
The light was fading to darkness, a thick and endless sea of black that was all-consuming. It swallowed her thoughts and feelings, ate away at the fear until there was nothing left. She saw him there, in the distance, leaning over a bed consumed in rambling ropes of green. He was whispering to her, his eyes frantic and searching over her face with a mix of terror and joy. His scarred hands trembled as he ripped the vines from her skin, untangling her from the safety they’d provided her. She followed the sound of him calling her name, followed the warmth of the early spring sun and the scent of cherry blossoms.
Home.
And when the feeling of air filling her lungs came rushing to meet her in that dark, suffocating place that was neither the realm of the dead, nor the living, but somewhere in between, Nymiria smiled.
She was home.
Chapter 43
“Nymiria,” he rasped. “Nymiria, look at me. Are you alright?”
His hands were alternating between touching her face and tearing away at the vines that were slowly unraveling. She could now see the tips of her toes. And though all she could do at that very moment was drag in deep, soothing breaths, she reveled in the feeling of his hands upon her skin. She could have drowned herself in that warmth—in thefeelingof everything.
She had no idea how long she’d been in the Otherworld, but she’d never felt more thankful for the air in her lungs than she did in that very moment. Even the dull ache of her atrophied muscles was a relief, a welcome reminder of life and all that accompanied it. When the blurred spots in her vision finally cleared, Nymiria let her gaze move over those beautifully scarred hands until they trailed up and over the person of which they belonged.
She swallowed. “Hello, demon.”
There was a pause in the frantic worrying of his hands, once gliding over her skin to check for injuries. Still in an evident state of shock, Aziel finally released the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, his lips twitching before they finally pulled back into a smile. “Hello, Moonflower.” He whispered.
She could feel the blood pulsing harder through her veins, feeding the aching muscles the lifeforce they needed to heal. Within moments, she was able to bend her knees—able to help clear away the vines that still clung to her, cautious in letting her go. Aziel fell back, watching as she slowly staggered to her feet. Though her legs shook when bearing her weight and her steps were hesitant, it didn’t take but a moment for her to regain her strength.
