“If she finds it, he will be free,” Phosphora whispered. Her words turned Tethys’s blood to ice.
“Who, Mother?” Tethys asked, closing the distancebetween the two immortals. Phosphora didn’t seem to hear her though, as she again turned on her heels and traversed the cavern. Her silvery skirts pooled around her frame as she knelt, skimming her hand across the shadows.
“Please, Mother. Who?” Tethys repeated, her breathing frantic now.
Phosphora glanced up at the goddess, her vibrant eyes locking with Tethys. She opened her mouth to speak. It wasn’t words that poured from her lips, but shadow. Like sludge, the darkness flooded her mother’s mouth, cascading to the floor and serpentining toward her.
Then, Tethys ran. Her calves ached and her heart slammed against her chest, but she kept her pace. She didn’t dare look back at the shadows nipping her heels. She wasn’t fast enough though. The darkness sank its claws into her ankles, ripping her from the ground and pulling her back.
Tethys closed her eyes and waited for the demons that lurked in the dark to rip her apart.
Chapter 36
“My deepest apologies, my queen. I’ve been tied up these last few weeks in urgent business with my shades,” Lord Ophis said, bowing deeply as he entered the manor’s library. Tethys sat opposite the fireplace central to the room, its dry heat casting out remnants of the spring night’s chill.
“Not to worry, Ophis. I assume you’ve been receiving my correspondence,” she said, glancing up from the page she’d been reading.
“Yes, your lady-in-waiting has been a frequent attendee of my midnight parties. Each of your messages has left me in more anticipation for the next than its predecessor,” he said, taking a seat in the adjacent wingback. The hemline of Ophis’s black robe brushed against the patterned rug as he sat. “I hope the news I bear makes up for my lack of response.”
“What news do you bring, my lord?” Tethys asked, the hairs on her arms bristling.
“I’m saddened to report there’s been another disappearance. A city guard’s son. Aged four. He and his older sister were on their way to seminar at the temple. His sister came home after their lessons and panicked. She told her mother the boy’s hand had slipped out of hers and when she turned around to reach for him, he was gone,” Ophis said. The flickering amber light of the fireplace cast shadows on the somber expression now wrinkled in the creases of his furrowed brow.
“Were there other witnesses?” Tethys asked.
“They cut through the uptown marketplace and had just passed Marienne’s tea house. There were at least thirty patrons seated outside. The city guards interviewed all but one, and none had even noticed the children.” Ophis’s report sent a wave of frost through her veins.
Tethys cursed under her breath. She’d promised Leda she’d do everything and anything she could to bring her daughter home. But it wasn’t good enough, because another child was now missing. The wave of nausea now creeping up her throat was a gut-wrenching reminder of all of those mothers that’d begged for her aid. All the fathers with damp, sleepless eyes. All the children lost and alone floating somewhere out there in the aether.
“And what of the patron they didn’t interview?” Tethys asked, shutting down the piece of her mind that kept wandering back to the faces of those unknown kids, terrified and begging for their parents.
“My shades tracked him down. The report is rather interesting.” Ophis arched a thin, graying brow. “The man, a highborn merchant, refused to speak with anyone, but you. He claims only the divine will believe his account. I think the poor soul is afraid he’ll be deemed as mad and sent to the southern labor camp.”
“He requested an audience with me?” Tethys asked, suddenly very wary of Ophis’s words. The lord had always proved loyal to the hand that fed him. As of now, that was the Venian crown, but if Tethys had learned anything overher time spent at court, his motives could sour with the toss of a coin.
“He insisted, in fact. That’s why I decided it was of the utmost importance if I delivered the message myself. I propose you allow me to fulfill his request on your behalf. I cannot shake the suspicion that there are darker motives in play,” Ophis said. The old man rose to his feet and with hands laced behind his back paced to the packed-full shelves of ancient ledgers. His finger trailed along a row of spines until settling on a text.
“If he requests an audience with me, then it will be alone. We’re at risk of another disappearance if we delay. What is his name? I’ll have Arissa send a messenger,” Tethys said, joining Ophis by the shelf. He opened the ledger to a center section and scanned the text as she spoke.
“I can’t allow that, my queen. This man could be a rebel. Let us not forget the events of the past,” Araes interjected from his typical perch beside the doorway.
“I did not give you leave to offer an opinion, Lieutenant,” she snapped. The corner of his lip curled and Araes shifted in his black leather boots. Tethys knew he was reeling at her remarks, and yet, she didn’t care. He could burn in the flames of his anger.
“I hate to say it, but I agree with the soldier. This man could be dangerous. I’ve looked into his history. It’s littered with derogatory remarks and felonies. Just recently, he stood trial for suspected piracy along the southern coast,” Ophis said, quiet enough for only Tethys to hear.
“Have we all forgotten that I am, in fact, an immortal?” Tethys snapped. These two men and their superiority complexes were infuriating. “I will determine whether my safety is at risk or not.”
Araes shot her a pointed look, but with a single, raised index finger, Tethys squashed the protest before it could pour from his lips.
“Ophis, give me his name, please,” Tethys said, forcingthe words to harden on her tongue.
He sighed and tucked the ledger back in its place on the shelf. “It’s Randall Maximus.”
“Thank you. I’ll have Arissa send an urgent calling card. Before the city guards change watch in the morning, we’ll meet at the temple,” Tethys said. She watched the old lord with a scrutinizing gaze. “Let’s hope this Randall Maximus has some answers.”
† † †
Later, after Ophis took his leave and slithered back into the shadows of the night, Tethys sat before the vanity in her bedchamber, combing the now damp curls falling down her neck. She barely recognized the woman staring back at her. The eyes were golden and gleaming, just like hers. But the permanent sadness that glazed over them was foreign. They once glittered with youthful wonder, ready to face the world head on. Now, they were muted. Tired. Lost.
