"Many in the Guild call Noktelum the Everlasting," Freida says carefully. "The distinction wasn't clear."
"We knew." Mother's voice is harsh. "I knew. I recognized the look in his eyes. I've seen that devotion before."
"And you let him stay? Agreed to work with him?"
"I thought it was better to keep him close. Watch him."
"Like King Elías did with Cato? Even knowing he was dangerous?"
Her smile is bitter. "I suppose I am my father's daughter, after all."
"Gods." I press my hands to my face and drop them as I shake my head. “Why not use the memory elixir against the Council from the start?”
“Because the treaty was signed,” Freida says.
Mother eyes me curiously. “You think it’s wrong to use it against others but not Constantine?”
“He’s a monster!”
Her brows raise. “That’s what every usurper says about the people they dethrone.”
A harsh laugh spills from my lips. “Well, maybe I’m my father’s daughter, after all.”
She rears back as if I’ve slapped her.
“Ada,” Anala breathes.
I ignore her and narrow my eyes on Sara. "Does Jordi know?"
"He found the prophecy in the vault. He asked if you were the healer it speaks of." She meets my eyes. "I told him no. And that is the truth. Cato's sorceress wrote that prophecy about Pia. They knew she would eventually emerge from hiding to break the curse."
"There's a ..." She trails off. Her expression twists, and she looks away.
My stomach clenches. I've never seen her falter like this. I glance at Freida, hoping for steadiness, but her eyes are glistening. No help there.
"There's a legend about Pia." Freida's voice is soft. "She obtained Sulara's scepter. She planned to drive it into the roots of the Bratus that extend to Tenebris. To break the curse herself." A pause. "She was heavily pregnant when she set out. And so very brave."
Her smile is sad. "But legends are only written when ..."
"Someone's story ends." The words come out hoarse. Malachi said that to me once. "So she died."
"Yes. But not there. She was taken to Noktemore."
My heart stutters. The Flame. Its voice in my head. I was so rattled about Jordi that I barely absorbed what it told me.
"Pia was a follower of Mortiana," Anala explains. "When she was attacked on her way to the Bratus, Mortiana brought her to Noktemore. Put her in stasis. Tried to save her."
She shakes her head. "But saving someone requires a bargain. Everything requires a bargain. And there was no one to make one on Pia's behalf."
I have to bite down on the inside of my cheek to keep from sobbing. That poor woman. Even in her final moments, she was alone. She must have felt alone her entire life. I can't imaginethatkind of isolation.
"The gods went to their siblings," Anala continues. "All of them rallied together. That alone should tell you how much your mother meant to them. The gods barely tolerate each other. They never unite."
"But the Creators denied their request." Freida's voice is heavy. "They said saving all three would cost too much."
"Three people were too many to save?" My sigil flares.
"We believe it's because of how powerful the three of you would have been together." Freida's voice drops. "And how powerful Cato would have become if he ever got his hands on all of you."
