Page 8 of Claimed By the Depths

“By the grace of the gods…” Syoran ran a hand down his face. “The king has already…”

“Damned us all,” I finished for him as I nipped at the inside of my cheek in search of the tang of my lineage, in search of comfort. “We are stepping into a battlefield, Syoran, and I’m afraid it is not one we will win without Caspian.”

He gestured toward the palace, his fears blooming. “But her brand keeps him here.”

“Yes.”

“You’re certain?”

As much as I didn’t wish to, I admitted, “I saw her control him, Syoran. He has no say when she leverages that bind. She could order him to butcher all of us, and he would without so much as batting an eye until it was over.”

Nostrils flaring, he mumbled a slew of curses. “So what now? If we have failed to gather him and you’re convinced that, without him, only desolation awaits us, what are we supposed to do? Lay down our weapons and surrender to whatever the fuck they are plotting?”

Opening my mouth to reply, my mother’s voice stole my attention. “Artifacts. All five gods left an extension of themselves in this world. Once you have them, you awaken your dormant abilities. Magic flows through your veins, Child, but the curse plaguing this land prevents you from leveraging it.”

“Where…” I breathed, and Syoran’s face twisted with confusion.

“What the fuck are you talking about? You’re doing that weird shit again.”

“Scattered across the continent of Wraelira. Each Child is capable of sensing the gift their parent left behind. Trust your instincts, follow your gut, and retrace the steps you have made until this point.”

“What of the rest of the Children? Where can I find them?”

Her soft laughter brushed my subconscious, quickly fading alongside her presence. “All you must do is look around you.”

Syoran grabbed my shoulder. “Rohen!”

“Trust your instincts, follow your gut, and retrace the steps you have made until this point,” I whispered. “All you must do is look around you…”

“Again, weird shit.” Syoran sank to my height, his eyes searching mine. “What the hell are you talking about?”

My palms slapped against both of his cheeks as I cupped his face. “Oh, my gods!”

Face slightly squished, he grumbled, “Must I repeat myself? What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“Look around you… Syoran. Syoran. We have far more pieces of the puzzle than we’ve even realized.”

His brows rose. “Pieces of what fucking puzzle? Did you smoke Dreamroot while you were in there, or what?”

“For fuck’s sake, no!” Shaking his head once, I ripped him closer. “Ellira. She’s offered clues. Five artifacts that belong to the gods have been scattered throughout the continent. This treasure hunt never would’ve ended with Ellira’s Eyes. You need all of them. The lore surrounding her trove doesn’t apply to just anyone; it applies to their Children. It's a reclamation of power through lineage, an ownership of the throne for the gods to return.”

Eyes widening, a dawning realization cast itself through his gaze. “Holy… Holy shit.”

“Her power is not a mere handoff. It’s an offering hidden in the entanglement of human greed. It’s a promise to me, just as the other four artifacts are promises to the other godsborne.” Thoughts swam through my mind, tearing free from whatever had blocked them.

“So her Eyes are the first artifact?”

“Trust your instincts, follow your gut, and retrace the steps you have made until this point,” I repeated, gnawing at the inside of my cheek. “Retrace my steps to find the second Eye?”

“Oh, sweet child,” Ellira hummed. “The Eyes contain power, yes, but not to the depths of which the artifacts do. We knew our power starved the Others, and the Eyes served as placeholders to feed their famine. When cleaved, it was the last attempt by my counterpart and me to preserve what was lost: a lineage of the gods capable of overthrowing the darkness polluting Wraelira. They are known as Divari.”

It was my turn to mutter, “Holy shit.”

“What?” Syoran grabbed my wrists, pulling my hands from his face as he stood to his full height. “What did she say?”

“It’s not the Eyes. It’s something else, something they buried to protect their Children. To protect the Divari.”

Confusion returned as he posed, “Divari?”