Page 55

“The balance began to shift when certain gods demanded greater authority. They wished to control the mortal world entirely.”

“And the others refused?”

“Some did.”

“You?”

“Eventually.”

Her expression grows serious.

“My father was among those who sought absolute dominion. He believed sleep was the gateway to controlling every mortal mind.”

“That’s horrifying.”

“Yes.”

I stare at my hands.

“For years, I served him. I entered the dreams of kings, carried his messages, and helped conceal the actions of those who supported him.”

Calla goes still.

“You helped him?”

I nod.

“I believed we were preserving order.”

“But you weren’t.”

“No.”

The admission tastes bitter.

“We were imprisoning anyone who threatened his power.”

She waits.

I force myself to continue.

“Gods who refused to submit were stripped of their temples, their worshippers, their names. Their existence was erased from mortal memory.”

“And the statues?”

“The final punishment.”

Her fingers tighten around mine.

I stare at the floor.

“One night, a mortal woman entered a temple where my father and his allies were meeting. She was a priestess, a servant of the old gods. She overheard their plans.”

“What happened to her?”

“Hypnos discovered her.”

I close my eyes.