“We have to get out of here. Once we get past the wards, I’ll drop you both off in Aquilae before returning the kids,” Altair replied, cradling their sister in his arms. Tethys nodded a reply and gathered the children at her sides.
“It seems that rickety old door wasn’t our end after all, brother,” Tethys mused, arching a brow as they ascended the stairwell. Altair scoffed, but something like relief flashed across his eyes.
Slowly they climbed the staircase, stopping every so often to gather the children and ensure none had fallen behind. Only when Tethys felt the dry castle air pucker her skin did she allow herself a moment to rest. Her body ached and her throat burned, but as she took a seat opposite the dungeon door, her muscles jellied.
She placed a gentle hand on her belly, feeling her little light flutter in response. They’d done it. The realm was safe, and the children would sleep snuggled in their beds beneath the comfort of their parent’s protective arms and warm hearth light.
She could rest.
Chapter 68
“You’ve done well, Lieutenant,” Haidee said, wiping the remnants of blood from her weapon. The yard was finally quiet, save for the footfalls of his brothers collecting their fallen. He flexed his fingers, soothing the cramp in his hand from their grip around his sword’s hilt.
“I wasn’t the only soldier fighting out there.”
“Always the stoic warrior, aren’t you?” she laughed, sheathing her now pristine blade. “Regardless, if it weren’t for you, Lieutenant, all of us might now be crawling around and clicking our teeth. Your performance today hasn’t gone unnoticed. General Otto will be pleased with my post-battle report.”
“Thank you, Captain,” he said.
Niko trotted across the yard, a smug grin curled over his blood-speckled face.
“Get some rest, you’ve earned it.” Haidee squeezed his shoulder and made for a trio of shock-ridden no-ranks.
“I need a drink after today, brother,” Niko said, collapsing onto the hay bale beside Araes.
“You and me both, Nik,” Araes grunted. They’d lost more souls than he’d like to acknowledge in their final push against the death wielders, but that was tomorrow’s discussion. The 10th and 12th battalions were surprised to find the yard littered with corpses, both enemy and ally, steaming and limp. They’d been cornered by another unit of rebels on their route through the western grove. None reported the golden daggers in their tales of battle, though.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here,” Niko said, wiping the grime from his trousers.
Once back in the safety of their outpost, Araes retired to his rack for the night. He’d declined Niko’s invitation to drink themselves into oblivion, suggesting a night of dreamless sleep was the better option.
Now, standing under the shower head, he closed his eyes and let the water run down his ears and fall to the faded tile floor. The barracks were silent, save for a snoring soldier in the front rack. The battle left Araes’s body far more beaten than he realized. Blood trickled from open cuts and stained the drain copper, but he welcomed the sting of pain. Each wound brought him back to the surface. In the final hours, he’d sunken so deep into himself he feared he’d never find his way back.
How many more days like this could he take? The thin, white ridges of scars littering his body were like a manuscript, recounting his fall from humanity. He sighed, letting the tendrils of steam cradle his exhausted body. They’d taken the rebel’s post, but there was still so much to be done. His head pounded with visions of his mother’s home. His sister’s face, slender and narrow from weeks of surviving on scraps. How could he celebrate when the war was far from over?
“You did well today, brother,” a voice said, echoingthrough the washroom. He opened his eyes to face Enyo.
“It would’ve been easier with you by my side,” he said, feeling his throat tighten. This battle stripped away every last shred of armor he’d built, leaving room for raw and ragged thoughts to scrape against his heart.
“I’m always with you,” Enyo said. His brother arched a brow. “I suppose that’s pretty fucking creepy, since you’re naked currently.”
Araes snorted and twisted the waterspout. He knew Enyo wasn’t truly here and now, but he welcomed the quiet comfort the vision brought. The pain of never hearing Enyo’s voice or laughing at one of his stupid jokes was too overwhelming. This made it easier.
“There’s so much still to be done, and I’m tired, Enyo. So fucking tired,” Araes said, feeling his voice crack against the admission.
“So rest. Tomorrow is a world away and there’s plenty to fight for,” Enyo said, leaning against the doorframe.
Before Araes could reply, his brother’s vision dissipated into steam, leaving him alone once more. Steps echoed outside and Araes hurriedly wrapped a towel around himself. The scratch of its rough material bit into the fresh wounds as he made for his rack. He didn’t bother dressing before falling into bed. Tomorrow felt just around the corner, and he dreaded its sunrise.
The 10th would relieve them in the morning. Araes and his brothers would trek back to Venia. Crossing into the city would be unbearable without his goddess, but if it was one step closer to bringing her home, he’d suffer through it. Araes rolled on his side and let sleep take hold, begging his mind to bring visions of his goddess to him. Instead, only dreamless darkness greeted him.
† † †
Tethys sat beside her sister and watched the shallow rise and fall of Polaris’s breaths as she slept. Altair hadn’t yet returned from Venia, transmitting the children safely back to their families in the northern farming region. The rebels focused their efforts on the city’s epicenter. For now, at least, the reunited families would be safe from an attack.
Although she wished she could reunite those families, she was needed here. The night goddess hadn’t yet recovered from Vorthal’s touch, her consciousness ebbing and flowing like the tides across the coastline. Shadows still wriggled up her arm, but hadn’t extended further. Maybe her sister’s magic battled to keep Vorthal’s toxin from spreading.
She supposed her sister’s reaction to the Rift was far more visceral than hers because Tethys was a creature of the Rift herself. Perhaps the Minotaur had recognized their shared heritage. With everything else that’d happened, Tethys hadn’t yet acknowledged her command over the beast, but she was nonetheless grateful to be alive.
