Quentin’s chest warmed. “Goodnight, Delaynie.”
It was only when the flap closed that he realized how eternallyfuckedhe was.
Chapter 39
“It is there, Mariah. Keep reaching.”
Mariah sat cross-legged in the soft grass, sweat beading her brow. She gritted her teeth, fingers sinking into the soil.
It wasn’tworking.
She dived into herself, into the place tucked beneath her ribs where her magic dwelled. The place where that beast of claws and fangs and scales had crawled out, pulling all the gods awake with it.
It was strange. Shefeltit there. Knew there was power lurking, that it hadn’t left her completely. But when she reached for it, it was like dipping her hands into empty air. It slipped through her fingers without leaving a single trace, nothing solid or stable to grab on to. Gone were those beautiful threads, shattered into broken particles amongst the tears in her heart.
“This is useless,” she growled through her clenched jaw. They’d been at this all morning, breaking only for a quick lunch. The sun on the mountains was bright despite the chill breeze, warming her skin beneath her cream sweater
Callamus knelt in front of her, sighing. “You are trying too hard. I can feel your struggle. Relax into yourself—the breeze off the cliffs, the sun on your face. Fall into it, and you will fall into your magic, too.”
Mariah shifted, grumbling to herself, but did as he asked.
This time though, she did so with her eyes open and let them wander.
They were on a cliffside field, tucked high in the mountains above the winding paths and connected towers of Eyarfell. The mountain lake, the source of water for all those winding creeks and rivers that cut through Leuxrith, gleamed far below, a gemstone amongst the green-covered peaks. Signe sat a few paces away, watching Mariah with a tilt to her head. Matheo and Andrian lounged at the edge of the field, the former sprawled on his back in the grass.
An unbidden smile tugged at Mariah’s lips, and she didn’t fight it. They’d been shown to their apartments yesterday after the complicated meeting with the Leuxrithian Council and their Oracle. Led through winding tunnels carved within the mountains themselves, they were given two rooms that sat on a cliffside. The rooms were open and sprawling, with a wall of windows that slid open to let in the clear mountain air or closed to protect against the bitter elements that often swept in.
Matheo had disappeared into his room with a yawn, leaving Mariah and Andrian alone for the first time since the road. He’d stayed quiet, padding past her to sit by the windows and watch Cielle circle lazily above while she’d taken a well-needed bath and readied for bed.
Though Andrian had eventually done the same, though he’d shared the bed with her, he hadn’t said a word. Had hardly touched her, except for the soft kiss he’d pressed to her forehead before turning away and closing his eyes.
What the Oracle had said bothered him far more than he would ever be willing to admit. With his time in Khento still lingering over them both, his refusal to talk about whatever Kol had done to him?—
“You are not relaxed.”
Mariah groaned, closing her eyes. “I’m well aware, Cal.” She cracked an eye, meeting the god’s swirling galaxy stare.
If he was bothered by the nickname, he didn’t show it. Instead, something like amusement lit his ageless face.
She despised Kol. Was mostly annoyed and aggravated with Qhohena and Zadione. But Callamus and Rulene had both been normal. Friendly. Each day Mariah spent with them, she found herself inching closer to calling them friends.
Which wasinsane, but that was her life now, she supposed.
The amusement fell from Callamus’s face, his brow slowly furrowing. “I will not lie, Mariah,” he said quietly. “I do not know what ails you. I feel your power there, and my beast can sense one of his own. I can comprehend no reason for this block.”
Mariah flopped back into the grass, staring up at the sky. Of course, this couldn’t be an easy fix. If an ageless god couldn’t puzzle it out, then what possibly could?
Was this to be her life forever now? A queen with goddess power that she couldn’t use? And what would that mean for taking down Kol? She couldn’t defeat a god with swords and daggers alone.
Mariah made a frustrated noise and pushed to her feet. Matheo and Andrian perked up, standing as well.
“Then why are we still trying?—”
“Wait. I have a question.” The wind whipped Signe’s black hair around her face. She narrowed her eyes, and something sweet brushed against Mariah’s skin.
Mariah sighed. “Just ask your question, Signe. Stop trying to hex me.”
Signe scoffed. “Please. I only hex my enemies, never my friends.” She tilted her head, brows furrowing. “When was the last time you felt your magic?”
