Chapter 11
Chapter
Eleven
‘Twin soul’. The phrase haunts me. June dismissed it as impossible when I brought the concern to him, but I could tell he was unsettled.
—Lady Anabeth, Consort to Her Majesty Cion Livii, Queen of Aren, D’anna
Nya watched the lava spark and bubble below her, legs curled to her chest against the biting chill of the wind.
The tears on her cheeks had long dried, but still, she remained on the ledge, where she had been for hours after walking out of the war room.
No one had followed her. They all knew she wouldn’t leave again, and there wasn’t anywhere to run to beyond the cave systems of this mountain.
The principals would not accept the terms, whatever they were, she was sure of that. There would be war in Arcadia, one that would surely impact the mortal realm. Her parents would be involved because of her role in all of this; if anyone was hurt or died, their blood was on her hands.
She heard footsteps behind her but did not move or even turn to see who it was. If one of Morgen’s soldiers wanted to murder her, so be it. At least then, it would cause mutiny within his forces, perhaps even enough to stop all of this.
But then, Imeria said, “Did you know the Gods’ Aisle is at the very edge of the realm?”
Nya didn’t reply, eyes still on the molten fire below.
“That’s why the land is so uneven. It moves, and when it does, we get a lot of that bubbling up,” she added, pointing at the lava. “But it isn’t always like this, with the lava and the lack of plant or animal life. In fact, the Gods’ Aisle is sometimes one of the most beautiful places in Arcadia.”
Nya glanced sidelong at her, a brow raised. “I don’t know if I believe that.”
“It’s hard to see it right now, I know,” Imeria said, her eyes sharp as they slid across the barren landscape.
“This is where the principals first woke. However they came to be, this place was their passage into this world, and whenever the realm is unstable, this is the first place it becomes obvious.”
“Unstable?” Nya echoed, eyes narrowing.
Imeria nodded. “I’m sure you heard of the storms. I don’t think the bad ones were as far as D’anna, but that will change soon.”
“I thought the storms were because of him?”
Imeria laughed. “Morgen?” She shook her head. “No. He’s powerful, but not so much that he can idly keep storms like that raging for days. I mean, you saw what happened when he moved Varax through a portal twice in a row. He’s an heir, but he is still half-mortal.”
“If it’s not Morgen, then what’s causing the storms?” Nya pushed.
“He should probably be the one to explain it to you,” Imeria said with a grim smile. “But I meant what I said, Nya. We do not follow him blindly or without reason. I care about Arcadia, and the mortal realm, believe it or not. Bad things are beginning to happen, and it will get much worse.”
Nya chewed on her lip. “Why haven’t the principals done anything? They must know.”
Imeria expression darkened. “Our guess is that Sol still has an iron grip on the council. Kronos may have been king, but Sol was the one who gave him power in the first place—and that choice was not made on a whim. Kronos was all powerful, but in many ways, Sol was his puppeteer. Not to mention, when Kronos was destroyed, the council was already so divided, they practically rallied around Sol just to maintain some semblance of peace.”
“I thought they were only divided because of Kronos?”
“Some of them.” Imeria snorted. “But Bella has always hated Nyx, ever since she married Thanatos. The rumor, which I’m sure Bella herself has been tirelessly facilitating for the last several centuries, is that Nyx stole Thanatos from her.
Vulcan sided with them, especially after he became convinced Sol had his mortal lover killed. ”
Without thinking, Nya said, “She died of illness.”
“Ah,” Imeria said with a nod. “I forgot. Your father’s mother, right?”
Nya blinked away the burning in her eyes. She would not think of her parents right now. It would destroy her to think of what they must be feeling.
“Yes,” she forced out.
“I’d venture to guess Sol orchestrated something there,” Imeria said. “I’d also bet if Sol knew about your father at the time, he would have been killed too.”
“But…why?”
“Who knows for sure. Juno, Janis, Bella, and Sol himself all have had plenty of mortal lovers, and hundreds, if not thousands, of demi-god bastards to account for the affairs. But I do know Vulcan never took on another lover after her, and he never had any other children. Perhaps Sol did not like that a god as powerful as Vulcan had that kind of devotion to a mortal.”
“But Sol never went after my parents after they destroyed Kronos,” Nya said quietly, glancing at Imeria. “Why?”
Imeria sighed heavily. “I think…I know Kronos was becoming harder for Sol to control. Sora and Vane did him a favor, though I’m sure he would never admit it. The principals love letting others clean up their messes for them.”
Nya let the words sink in for a long moment, thinking of Juno’s cryptic words and the way Nyx and Thanatos practically waited for her parents to come up with a solution to the mess they were in.
The principals were the most powerful beings in this world, and yet…
yet Kronos, who was now thought of by most as a tyrant, had not been defeated until Nya’s parents stepped in.
And that was after they had already suffered greatly at the hands of the god-king.
“Perhaps you’re right,” Nya murmured, eyes on the horizon.
Imeria lifted a shoulder. “I am. The more you keep your eyes open here, the more you’ll realize the truth is not simple, nor does it paint a very pretty picture of the council.”
Nya swallowed against the tightness in her throat, though the feeling of panic returned almost immediately as she saw a flicker of movement cresting over one of the faraway peaks.
Then, there came another, just before the horizon shimmered, thickened, and turned the same opaque shade of silver as Morgen’s portal had yesterday.
“Imeria?” Nya whispered, eyes wide.
The demi-god was already to her feet, grabbing her wrist and dragging her back in through the tunnel as she bellowed, “Storm approaching!”
Nya’s breath was uneven, but she forced herself to say, “I don’t think it’s a—”
“Get her below.”
Nya whirled, finding Morgen a few paces away, calmly strapping on dark armor. The material of the metal almost looked burned; forged by dragon fire, she realized.
“What’s happening?” Nya asked, her heart pounding as the hallway suddenly flooded with soldiers. It had taken all of a minute for them to mobilize, half of them already in armor and carrying heavy spears and swords, as well as huge crossbows.
Carus appeared behind Morgen, flashing her a grim smirk. “They rejected our terms, apparently, and now, they’re here for you.”
Her stomach dipped, and she shook her head. “No… You can’t—my parents will be with them.”
“I’m sure,” Morgen said, flexing his left hand.
“Morgen. Please, don’t—”
But he swept past her, ignoring her plea and ordering in a short voice, “Do not let her leave, Imeria.”
He didn’t wait to see what Imeria said. Nya set her jaw, gaze flicking back to the demi-god, who was still trying to pull her away from the tunnel entrance.
“Nya, you need to come with me,” she urged.
Nya swept her gaze around the tunnel, which was growing emptier by the second. A feeling was rising in the back of her throat, a fire so cold, it burned as it fought its way to the surface.
He thought he could tell her what to do? That any of them could?
A low laugh escaped her, her own voice nearly unrecognizable to her own ears as the sound slipped past her tingling, numb lips. They should all be afraid, even him. She had a raging inferno in the empty space inside her, where her heart supposedly lay—perhaps it was time to stop smothering it.
“Nya?” Imeria’s voice was smaller now. Perhaps she was scared. Perhaps she should be.
Slowly, Nya tilted her head to the side. “If I were you, I wouldn’t try to stop me.”
Imeria’s brow creased, and she reached out a hand, though her fingers trembled. “It’s alright. We just need to—”
“No.”
The word exploded through the hallway with physical force, a blast of ichor-stained fire flaring in its wake. Imeria flew back, her body smacking against the stone wall and landing in a limp heap on the floor.
Nya cocked her head, staring at her for a moment. Once she sensed a heartbeat, she turned and followed the sound of the battle already underway outside.