Chapter 57
Sage
S oft music, accompanied by the buzz of light conversation, greeted me as I walked through the massive, doorless entrance into a grand foyer.
The palace was made from limestone and granite, the vast walls etched in ancient symbols and words—archiving the languages of this realm and possibly, even more.
Various species— both male and female—stood around the foyer, studying the markings on the walls, not one mask or face covering to be found.
Judging by the books in their hands and the robes they wore, they were scholars.
A great span of stairs sat in the middle of the room, leading up to a mezzanine.
At the very top, a towering female stood, wrapped in an aura that emanated grace, patience, and deep understanding—as if she knew the secrets of the universe and its inner workings.
Curly, brown hair floated past her shoulders, marked by a coil of silver that sprouted from her left temple.
She was dressed in a chiton spun from fine ivory silk that draped elegantly down her lithe frame. An open book hovered in front of her.
“Welcome,” she said, her tone soft and mystical, “Sage, Goddess of Life.”
“You know my name?” I asked, my voice hoarse from calling out for the others.
“Indeed. I know a great deal about you,” she said as she began to descend the stairs, the book floating along with her.
She looked . . . familiar, although I didn’t know why that was.
I decided to start with what I did know. “You must be the Goddess of Knowledge.”
“I am, but you can call me Naia.” She offered a kind smile. The book shut, and then it disappeared. “Welcome to my palace.” She gestured grandly.
“Thank you,” I said, glancing around, taking it all in—particularly the fact that men walked around freely within these walls, conversing and smiling, their faces free of cloth.
They seemed . . . happy. It was a far cry from the men I had seen in the outside world.
“The empress’s laws do not apply here,” I stated, more to myself than anything.
“No, they don’t,” she confirmed. “I believe that intelligence is something that must be protected at all costs, and, unlike the empress, I do not discriminate based on someone’s gender.
So, those who are able to figure out my ever-changing riddles and find their way past the sandstorm are granted sanctuary within these walls. ”
“Ever-changing?” I asked.
“Indeed. I feed them out into the world, and they find the ones they were meant for. The light one was specifically for you.”
“So you knew that I was coming?”
“I did.” Her voice was as calm as a glass lake.
I didn’t know if that was good or bad, but I was here now, so I decided not to fester in it.
Curiously, I asked, “I’m guessing that the empress doesn’t know that her laws are not followed here?” It certainly explained the sandstorm. It was a nasty guardian, keeping unwanted trespassers out.
“The fact that it still stands is evidence that she doesn’t know,” she replied. Her smile grew. “You look so much like him.”
“Who?”
Her violet eyes began to glimmer, rich with insight. “Your father.”
“You knew him?”
“I did. In fact, if my sister hadn’t come along and stolen him, I imagine the two of us would have wedded instead.” She didn’t bother to hide the longing in her voice. “Things would have been very different then.” She waved her hand. “Oh well, I suppose there’s no point dwelling on the past.”
“Sorry, I don’t understand.” I was doing my best to keep up with what she had just said, but it didn’t make any sense. “My mother was mortal, but you are immortal, so how is it possible you two were sisters?”
Her brows wove together, pinching the space between them. “Mortals on a Sunday, you don’t know, do you?”
“Know what?”
“It is a bit of a long story. Come, we will sit in the gardens, have some refreshments, and I will tell you the truth of your origins,” she said, starting to turn back toward the stairs.
“Wait!” I shouted unintentionally, my voice echoing, startling a few of the scholars, who turned and looked at us.
She returned to face me. “Yes?”
“Four others were traveling with me. Have any of them shown up?” My voice returned to its regular volume, perhaps even a shade lower, as I was quite conscious of the attention I’d garnered.
She opened her mouth to speak, but instead, her lips closed and her eyes flicked past me, toward the entrance and out.
I followed her gaze, turning around.
Outside, Von and the others emerged from the sandstorm, walking toward the palace, not a single lantern in sight.
They looked like a mirage—the blistering rays of the sun so intense, it almost made it seem like their silhouettes were distorted. For a moment, I wondered if I was just imagining them or if—
Were you worried about me, Little Goddess ? Von teased through our bond, voice full of that signature swaggering charm.
Relief washed over me.
I rushed out of the temple, racing toward them .
Von moved swiftly, the two of us colliding as I threw my arms around him, and he took me in his.
Leather, amber, and sandalwood wrapped around me.
I breathed him in. How someone could walk through a sandstorm for Creator only knew how long and still smell as good as he did was beyond me.
I wondered if that went right along with his little make-your-clothes-disappear magic trick.
Unwrapping my arms from him, I pulled back.
His lips thinned when he saw the state of my face, littered with tiny cuts and abrasions from the angry sandstorm.
He glanced down at my hands, noting they were in a similar state.
Scooping them up, he took my hands in his.
One at a time, he lifted them to his mouth, kissing each one. Instantly, my skin healed.
“Thank you,” I told him, heart brimming with love.
“You do not need to thank me, Little Goddess,” he spoke in his deep timbre. His eyes shifted to my sister as she walked up to us.
We hugged one another. “I’m glad you’re safe,” I said.
“We’re glad you’re safe,” Kaleb stated as he draped his arms around us, joining in. “We were so worried when we couldn’t find you.”
“ So worried!” Artemesia exclaimed. “It was awful out there.”
“How did you all find each other?” I asked as our arms unraveled from one another.
“A beacon of silver light came to each one of us, leading us to one another,” Folkoln answered as he stepped closer to us, bits of smoke breaking off from him .
“We figured it was you,” Von added, his arm wrapping around my lower back.
“Perhaps it was,” I said, thinking back on the light that had emerged from me, scattering the storm. I hadn’t realized I had sent it out to them, but somehow, I must have.
“Nockrythiam,” Naia greeted my mate as she walked toward us, her expression friendly. “How many millennia has it been since we last saw one another?”
Von’s gaze lifted from mine, traveling to the Goddess of Knowledge.
He didn’t respond right away, which told me all I needed to know.
Although she recognized him, he didn’t recognize her.
By the tick in his jaw, I could tell he was analyzing, trying to figure out his hand before he played his cards.
My fingers threaded into his as I spoke through our private connection, We’ve come here to seek knowledge. If we are honest with her about our lacking memories, perhaps she can fill in the gaps of our past.
I hope you are right, Von’s words entered my mind, before he said to Naia, “I apologize, but I do not recognize you.”
Naia looked surprised at that admission. “Although I did not think you were the type, surely, you jest. We spent a great deal of time working together, serving the emperor.”
Again, I felt his hesitancy.
Tell her , I urged him through our bond.
“I do not have memories of my life in this realm, so I’m a bit foggy on who I did and didn’t know,” Von said, following up on our private channel with, There, happy ?
Very much so, I replied back, smiling up at him.
“Well then, we will have much to catch up on,” Naia said, pausing for a moment, her gaze shifting over us. “You all look like you could use some rest and food. Please, if you would, follow me.”