A rough, disbelieving laugh, then… “But it hasn’t been enough, has it? The storms are getting worse, and it’s only a matter of time before more starts to happen. Look,youdon’t have a blood bond with her. It won’t be pleasant, but?—”
She slipped back into sleep, but it must have only been a few seconds, because the next thing she heard was: “Finish that sentence, Carus.I fucking dare you.”
“You know I’m right.”
“Goodnight. Keep an eye on her parents.”
“And the dragons?”
“Varax has it handled.”
All was quiet after that, save for the steady beat of his heart. Her last thought was that she thought she recognized it in the echo of her own pulse.
Chapter
Sixteen
I did not see my mother often as a child. But the day I met Nyx and Thanatos’ daughter, she came to the clearing where we played and sat down. Sora hardly looked up. She was used to seeing principals, used to feeling the overwhelming breadth of their power. After all, she was just as powerful, even as a youngling. My mother watched her quietly for a time, until she said to me: “Fate has chosen this one, Anabeth.” For a long time, I thought her words a blessing and didn’t realize until too late they were a warning. The hand of Fate is not a kind one.
—Lady Anabeth, Royal Scribe’s Apprentice, D’anna
Her room was dark,and the only sound she could hear was the frantic heaving of her own breath. It was just like the scary place, the one filled with whispers. They called her name, and sometimes, she wanted to follow them, but she was too scared of the dark to go. There weren’t even stars, just deep stretches of black. Still, she swore that sometimes, it stared back at her with blinking, deadened eyes…
She screamed, and the next thing she knew, Papa was rushing into her room, and she couldn’t remember why she was scared anymore.
He sat on her bed, his eyes glowing a little in the dark. “A bad dream?”
“I think,” she whispered, rubbing her eyes. She couldn’t remember anymore. “Where is Mama?”
“Just resting, love.”
He looked worried and sad, and she threw her arms around him. “Is she sad about my baby brother?”
Papa shivered, and she tried to hug him tighter. It was a little cold in her room tonight.
“Yes, she’s sad,” he said, hugging her back.
She sat back. She was shivering now too, but she wasn’t sure why, because she had all her blankets. Maybe it was because she was thinking of the way both Mama and Papa had cried when her brother had been born without breathing. They had explained to her that sometimes, babies didn’t get much time in the world. She didn’t think that was fair. He had been so little.
“Are you sad?” she asked, biting her lip.
Papa made a funny breathing noise and tucked one of her braids behind her shoulder. “I am, Nya, love. But you know that’s okay, right? And you’re allowed to be sad too, or mad or confused. Sometimes, bad things happen, and there is no perfect way to feel.”
“Do you think my brother went to the dark place?”
Papa furrowed his brow, and she bit her lip harder, wondering if she had said a bad thing or if she was in trouble.
“What do you mean, the dark place?”
She shrugged. “It looks like nothing, but there are sometimes eyes. Maybe they’re his?”
Papa cleared his throat then hugged her tight again. “Maybe,” he said, but she didn’t think he meant it. He didn’t sound happy like she thought he might.
He sounded scared.
Nya opened her eyes to find Morgen staring at her. She blinked a few times, trying to clear her head of the dream. It was odd that she remembered it at all.
Morgen was still looking at her, brow furrowed, when he said, “You had a brother?”
