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The knock on the door cut me off before I’d managed more than a single sound. The Votarist turned their attention to the interruption, opening the door to reveal a man in the cream tunic and pants of the scribes employed by all the temples. His hair was a mousy brown and his skin was a warm teak similar to Amaria. His rounded ears bore no piercings. He had not made permanent vows to the pantheon, then, his work here as of yet not lifelong.

“Jameson is here,” he said.

The Votarist nodded and settled their hood on their head, hiding their face in the dark shadows it created.

“You are welcome anywhere within the grounds, Your Highness,” they said. “Take as long as you need in the safety of the basilica. Freia welcomes all who are in need of respite and rejuvination.”

Request another Votarist now, or allow Amethyst a chance to read Sloane’s message? Tendrils of the earth slowly lapped at my ankles, the first time they’d done so since leaving the Zimerus Forest. I swallowed, but my voice was still a bit hoarse.

“Thank you, Honored.”

Then I held my hand out to Amethyst, helping her stand. The Votarist followed the scribe through the door back toward the foyer. Rather than follow them, I crossed the sanctum to a different door, entirely unadorned. It opened into a similarly plain hallway, though the rib vault was still present twenty feet above our heads.

“This is… just for one goddess?”

I shook my head. “No. The Collective Basilica here in Starguard houses several smaller abbeys dedicated to all thirteen of the main pantheon. This portion is home to those who serve Freia—the Votarists—and her sanctum.”

She didn’t say anything else as I guided her through the next two doorways and through the heart of the basilica not often seen by the public. Her unease only grew the farther we traveled, her knuckles whitening on the wooden box she still held, until she was nearly vibrating with it when I urged her through the final door and into the largest of the interior courtyards of the temple complex.

She hesitated for a moment, soaking in the large square, its gardens only just beginning to awaken from the winter months. In the center of the square, raised by three stairs on all sides, stood a fountain made of white and black stone, the water drained for the season. The gods and goddesses carved into the stone sat along the edge of the water basin in various stages of relaxation, books in hand or flowers being bundled. I led Amethyst to the stairs nearest us. She perched on the highest one, her gaze on the box.

When she didn’t move for several minutes, I cleared my throat.

“Open it,” I encouraged.

She slowly eased the lid open, revealing a small gray stone worn smooth nestled among black velvet cushioning. Her eyebrows furrowed as she took it in. “What⁠—”

“It’s a messaging stone,” I explained. “Imbued with a single message from the one who sent it. Lift it and twist your wrist to activate it.”

I demonstrated the movement.

“A voice note,” she muttered. “Why am I surprised by that? They have two moons, wings, and fox shifters. Why wouldn’t they have a magical iPhone?”

An… iPhone? I swallowed down my curiosity, not wanting to distract her.

Her hold was precarious on the stone as she lifted it from the box and then twisted her wrist the way I’d shown. A voice that must belong to her sister filled the garden in the next moment.

27

AMETHYST

The egg-shaped stone glowed a brilliant, neon blue as Sloane’s voice emanated from it.

“Oh, Mimi, I have so much to tell you, but Jacob says that these have a time limit.”

There was a faint rustling, like she’d been moving something when she’d recorded the message.

“The people here are shifters. Shifters, Mimi. Jacob is, too. He’s a bear. A bear.” There was a scoff, the exact sound she made when she was getting distracted and trying to refocus. “Crap. Time limit. Focus, Sloane. I told Jacob when we got here. Oh, it’s called Whiterock, by the way, the city Jacob lives in. It’s… I don’t know how to describe the buildings. It’s like if Nice, France was built at the base of the Alps, if that makes sense. Well, except the cathedrals. They look like they’re right out of Rome. It’s so pretty, Mimi. You’d love it.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at her easy distraction. That blend did sound pretty, I had to admit.

“I told Jacob when we got here where we actually came from. He said he’d never heard of someone actually being able to Realm Walk. That’s what he called it, like it had capital letters and everything. Not since the gods left, at least, which was a long time ago I’ve gathered. We got married yesterday. I missed you so much through it. I never thought you wouldn’t see my wedding. But I have to say that holy crap it was intense. Vulnerable but in a good way. Mostly. And really beautiful, too. So was the celebration with his clan afterwards. Well, our clan now, I guess.”

She cleared her throat, and some of the excitement faded from her voice.

“I know we talked about trying to get back to Phoenix, to reunite and figure out a plan for that. But… the people here are so hospitable, Mimi, more than anyone we left in Phoenix. Everyone’s welcomed me with open arms. I’m already one of them, even after only a little over a week. And I… I’m happy here.”

There was a long pause.