“For now.” Andromeda motioned to a chair. Frowning, I took it. I didn’t particularly appreciate being spoken about as if I wasn’t even inside the room, but to be honest, I’d expected much worse. Other than Orion, the gods seemed to tolerate my presence. It was a good start.
I took a seat, sandwiched between Callisto and Sirius. Andromeda moved to the other end of the table. She sat and folded her hands before her, then tapped a longer fingernail against her empty plate.
“Well,” she said. “Why are we not eating?”
A look of disgust crossed Orion’s face as he plucked a single carrot from a platter. Honey dripped down his fingers. “I did not miss this food.”
Sirius leaned forward and scooped some meat and potatoes onto his plate. “It isn’t so bad.”
“You only feel that way because you’re still healing from the sister’s attack, and your body needs the sustenance.” Perseus shifted toward me, his armor creaking. “Speaking of, is the little wolf in Dubnos?”
“You stay away from my sister,” I snapped before I even knew what I was doing. Even now, I could not control my instinct to protect her.
“Relax,” Andromeda said with a dark look at Perseus. “We don’t want your sister. Just you.”
“Because of the prophecy,” I said.
“Yes, only you can destroy us.”
I didn’t ask the question burning on my tongue. If I could destroy her, why had she let me live? It would have been so easy for her to kill me. There must be something more she wanted from me, more that she wasn’t saying. If I completed these trials, she would get it. And I had to make them wonder if I was considering joining their side.
“I’m curious,” I said carefully. “From a scholarly standpoint only. Many fae have powers. Like Oberon, for example, when he was alive. What would happen if I’d tried to use his powers?”
Andromeda’s laugh was low and harsh. “You want to know if you can channel another fae’s power against us, since our vow cut you off from Kalen Denare. Unfortunately for you, you cannot. But even if you could, would your vow not prevent you from harming us?”
“Of course it would,” I said quickly, “which is why this is nothing more than atheoreticalconversation. I’m just wondering why I can’t use another fae’s power. Knowing that might actually helpyoumore than anything, just in case there was someone else out there who could do what I can do.”
Orion narrowed his eyes. “Fae power is useless against us. It’s only potent when channeled through you.”
“Me and other descendants. But not my sister,” I said quickly. “She’s never had that power. But there must be others out there who have an inkling of it in their blood.”
The last thing I wanted was for the gods to capture someone else, believing them to be like me. This was a move in my game and nothing more. I needed to get them to trust me, to relax and lower their barriers.
“Someone else from your village?” Perseus asked. His tone suggested a frown, though he wore a helm, and I couldn’t see his face.
I thought of all the innocents of Teine, who were sheltering in Endir now. Most of Kalen’s warriors had left that city behind to fight in the battle at Dubnos. It was the last place I wanted to send the gods.
“No, I doubt that,” I said, measuring my words. “I’ve always been able to feel the darkness—the, ah,power—of Andromeda’s essence.” I turned toward the God of Death with a tight smile. “When you were inside Oberon’s gemstone necklace, I could feel you. And I’ve always felt that within myself, too, even though I didn’t understand what it was at the time. No one else from my village feels like that. If there are others, they’ll be scattered throughout the world.”
“They’ll be in Talaven,” Andromeda said, nodding. “Or in one of the other human kingdoms, hidden away and never spoken about. That would be just the kind of thing Ovalis would have done in his scheming against me.”
King Ovalis Hinde. Father had listed him at the top of our family tree. His line had connected to Andromeda. He was how this entire thing had begun.
I had so many more questions, so many thoughts colliding in my mind. If I could lead Andromeda further down this path, perhaps I could get some more answers. With faux nonchalance, I took the platter of potatoes Callisto offered me and spooned a few onto my plate.
The doors swung wide. A tall, muscular fae prowled into the Great Hall. His pale blue horns glimmered beneath the candlelight as did his silver hair streaked with red.
I stiffened when his gaze swung my way.Caedmon.
“Ah, look who has finally arrived,” Andromeda said with a delighted laugh. “Tessa, it’s time for your second trial.”
Six
Ruari
Toryn stood on the battlements, his hands clenched around the wall. Nellie, in her wolf form, perched beside him. The wind rustled her thick gray fur. As I approached, a low growl rumbled from her throat, and her lip curled to reveal canines sharp enough to cut through glass. I didn’t much blame her.
“No sign of him yet?” I leaned against the wall beside Toryn, my forearms braced on the stone.
