“I can’t believe I caught you ogling, Mouse,” he said.
Her face flushed. “I wasnotogling.”
“Hmm,” Emmeric mused. “Then whatever word you want to use to describe staring at my body wantonly.”
Iyana almost choked. “You wish.” Emmeric only chuckled deep in his throat, and didn’t miss the way Iyana stared at him, swallowing hard.
“Careful, Mouse, don’t drool on yourself.” His smile widened.
She huffed and spun around. “Let’s just go.”
He bowed, stretching out a hand dramatically. “I follow your lead, oh mighty Aztia.” Iyana rolled her eyes at him again, but there was a small smile on her face. Pride shone through him. Emmeric loved making her happy.
It wasn’t long before a small light shimmered before them. They both glanced at each other, not saying a word. Emmeric drew his sword to have it at the ready and handed Iyana a dagger. She frowned down at it, then at him.Just in case,he mouthed. Iyana nodded, but looked extremely uncomfortable, her grip on the hilt so tight her knuckles were turning white. Emmeric vowed to remedy that once they left here. She had turned down Talon’s offer to teach her before, but Emmeric wouldn’t give her a choice this time. It would be safer for her if she learned how to use a dagger effectively. Nine hells, it could save her life one day if she caught someone off guard. Not to mention, he’d be less anxious letting her out of his sight.
They approached the end of the tunnel warily, watching the light enlarge one step at a time. The other side could contain any number of terrible things or nothing at all, and Emmeric didn’t know what to prepare for. Life used to be so much simpler when the only enemies he had to worry about were human men. Sure, usually highly trained men with sharp weapons, but he’d take that any day over stars, or magical beings, or wailers. He shuddered. Who knew what awaited them in the tomb of two people who had been gifted magic directly from the gods?
The current Aztia and Kanaliza cautiously stepped out of the tunnel to enter the burial site of their predecessors, side by side.
“Wow,” Iyana whispered. Emmeric was inclined to agree.
Murals decorated the walls of the enormous cavern they had entered. The area was rounded, the only entry or exit the one Emmeric and Iyana were standing in. Shrouded in darkness, the ceiling was not visible, giving the cavern an endless feeling. A ring of torches lining the room allowed Emmeric to see the paintings in full detail. The flames flickered and popped like actual fire, but these had to be magical. There was no oil feeding the flames and the wooden handles in the wall remained unburnt. Dust was nowhere to be found, and the dry air smelled faintlyof warm vanilla with contrasting cool spearmint. Warmth suffused the room—a welcome change to the icy tunnels.
Two sarcophagi rested together in the center of the room. Iyana regarded the entire tomb in wide-eyed wonder. At first glance there appeared to be no danger, so he didn’t argue when Iyana wandered off to explore. He honestly wanted to do the same.
Beginning at the mural to the left of the entrance, he marveled at the expertly painted rendering of the gods. Zaya and Khonos, mother and father of all gods, stood over the pantheon, looking down upon their children. Their own father, Khollo, God of Beginnings, was portrayed as a swirling black cloud looming above them. Phaedros was easy to spot, with his long dark robes and scowling expression. His consort Dyuna was by his side, a petite woman with a kind face. She technically was not a goddess, but Emmeric had never learned her story of how she came to be, or how she fell in love with the God of Hell. Their twin children, Otho and Thelena, knelt at their feet, weapons in hand. Altea, Goddess of the Afterlife, stood on the opposite end, long dark hair flowing over her shoulders, her arms extended in welcome, flowers blooming at her feet—marigolds, chrysanthemums, and goldenrods. A small, sad smile graced her beautiful face. The other gods were scattered throughout. He recognized Imera from the statues at the library. She stood in a puddle of blood, a bundle of herbs grasped in her hands. Elena was absent from this rendition. Brightness surrounded Arjun and Ciri, God and Goddess of Light and Day, cradling a shining sun in their arms—their son, Iros. Whereas darkness shrouded Athos and Anja, God and Goddess of Darkness and Night, cooing at a full moon in a bassinet—their daughter, Yrza. Gana sat upon a patch of grass, surrounded by nature—animals, trees, and flowers—a leopard laying at her feet. Aaris, God of Marriage, was beaming, celebrating with a glass of red wine. At least, Emmeric hoped it was wine.
From there, the mural showed the creation of humans, the gods gifting them small portions of their magic, and the explosion in the human population. They emigrated from the land of the gods when there became too many of them and traversed the earth, settling in all the continents—including Arinem. Stars in their constellations interacted with the gods and humans peacefully. Then the gods went to sleep, the mural depicting them lying underneath the Forgotten Mountains.
A significant portion of the mural then showed the stars acting as gods, enslaving the humans. There was cruelty, blood, death. A pile of human limbs leaking gore. Humans carrying heavy loads upon their backs. All while the stars sat above them, laughing, drinking, and fucking. Zaya awoke from her slumber, touching the forehead of a human woman. There were many battles of the stars pitted against magical humans—the Aztia and Kanaliza leading the charge in all of them, usually hand in hand.
So many deaths. All because one species believed themselves to be greater than another. Emmeric wished he could say humans were better, but given the right conditions, his race would do exactly what the stars had done. Look at Uther and how many lives he’d ruined in his quest for power.
The end of the mural depicted the banishment of the stars to the sky.Howthey had actually managed that important bit of magic was excluded, much to Emmeric’s chagrin, but it was only an artistic rendition—stars swept up within a whirlwind, attempting to cling to the earth, and then flung into the sky to settle next to the moon.
The post-conflict Aztia and Kanaliza were portrayed in multiple areas of the mural—during peacetime, getting married, having children, and living to a ripe old age before dying in each other’s arms. It was all very romantic, and a bolt of envy jolted Emmeric. Although, he supposed they had overcome their own trials and deserved a long, peaceful life. Maybe his own happy ending would be waiting for him on the other end of things.
Engraved below the final image of them embracing in death were their names, at last: Les and Theo.
Emmeric was about to call out to Iyana to show her what he’d found when something caught his eye. In one of the battle scenes, a star in what appeared to be military garb was beheading a human. He seemed familiar…
“Hey, Mouse, does this look like—” Emmeric paused as he turned, finding Iyana standing next to the Aztia’s sarcophagus. Les’s sarcophagus. Silent tears dropped from her face onto the stone carving of her predecessor.
Emmeric approached her and placed a hand on her low back. “Hey,” he said quietly, “you okay?”
Iyana nodded. “It’s her.” She gestured towards Les, then looked up at Emmeric, her eyes shining with amazement and disbelief. “The little fire woman who I always thought was an embodiment of my magic. Something I could visualize to connect to it more easily. But it’sher.”
“Les,” Emmeric whispered.
“Short for Alessia,” Iyana said, smiling, stroking a finger over the stone woman’s cheek. “She’s been watching out for me. Helping me. This whole time.”
Emmeric felt himself mirroring Iyana’s smile, rubbing small circles on her back. Then he noticed the necklace, the chain made of stone, but inlaid with a small jewel in the shape of a hexagon. A slight silver glow emanated from it, pulsing. He couldfeelthe wealth of magic contained within this small piece of jewelry—it lapped at the edges of his senses, like a warm bath when you’ve come in from the cold. Calling to him. But when he extended his consciousness towards it, the magic was just out of reach.
“Is that?” he whispered.
“I think so,” Iyana replied, her voice also hushed. She reached a finger towards the amulet.
“Iyana,don’t…”
