Chapter 58
Sage
A short while later, we were in the courtyard gardens, not a speck of sand in sight.
The vast grounds were as vibrant and lush as a spring meadow, the air fragrant with floral scents. We sat in the shade under a pergola, the stone structure wrapped in winding, green vines adorned with bright-pink roses. Two servants joined us, standing beside the pillars.
Von and I leaned back in a wicker sofa, his one arm tossed over my shoulders, my hand in his.
Von’s thumb brushed over the glimmering emerald of my ring, and a flurry of emotions bloomed on my tongue—pride, satisfaction, immense happiness.
Although the feelings belonged to him, they mirrored my own.
Artemesia and Folkoln sat across from us while Naia took the chair at the end. In the middle, there was a rectangular table full of jugs of wine and stone platters laden with fruits, cheeses, and thinly cut meats.
In front of the pergola was a pond full of goldfish. The water glistened under the bright gaze of the sun. Kaleb stood by the pond, watching them swim.
“How do they survive the heat?” he asked, looking to Naia.
For a brief moment, I could see the person I’d grown up with, who had yet to be tainted by everything that had taken place after he was conscripted.
Kaleb was a tinkerer, infatuated with how things worked.
Even more so, he liked to try to come up with solutions to make life easier.
He was an inventor at his core, and it was good to see those curious cogs turning within his eyes once more.
“Place your hand in the water and see,” she instructed him.
Kaleb knelt, dipping his hand inside. Pulling it back out, he exclaimed, “It’s cool.”
Naia grinned. “Indeed. Now touch the plant floating directly in front of you. The one with the blue-tipped leaves.”
Kaleb reached for it. “Ah!” he gasped, swiftly jerking his hand back, a small, surprised laugh escaping him. “It feels colder than ice.”
“That plant is called winter’s caress, and yes, it is frightfully cold. That is how we keep the pond cool,” Naia explained.
“Fascinating!” Kaleb replied enthusiastically as he walked back over to us. He sat beside Folkoln. “I can’t believe how cold it is. Folkoln, feel my fingers,” he said, shoving his hand toward him.
Folkoln narrowed his eyes with the lethality of a blade poised to cut—the look was enough to make Kaleb retract his hand.
“Never mind,” Kaleb muttered under his breath, turning his attention to the food on the table. He plucked a grape and popped it into his mouth.
Naia turned to Von. “Earlier, you said you do not have any memories from your life here.”
“That’s correct,” Von confirmed, a muscle feathering in his jaw.
“Is that why you have traveled all this way? To see if I can help you find them?” she inquired gently, tipping her head back.
“Not quite, although if you know anything about our pasts—” Von glanced at me. “We’d both like to hear it.”
Naia’s intelligent eyes shifted to mine. “Ah, so is that the same for you? No memories?”
“Some have started to come back, although the gaps are vast,” I answered honestly.
“Well, perhaps we should start with what you do remember,” she said. “Then, we’ll go from there.”
“Alright.” I set my glass on the table. “I know I was the daughter of Herulf and Luna, that Artemesia is my sister and the—”
“If I may?” Naia interjected.
“Of course,” I answered.
“Although Luna was your mother, your father was not Herulf. ”
Artemesia and I looked at one another, both equally confused.
I leaned forward, trying to process what I was being told.
“That can’t be,” Artemesia denied. “Her mannerisms are just like our father’s. From her posture to the way she talks—so much about her reminds me of him.”
“Naturally, she would act similarly to him; he spent a great deal of time grooming her to become the future chieftain of your clan,” Naia pointed out.
“But Sage is not of Herulf’s blood, and although he was a kind man, his pride for his lineage meant more than anything to him.
He would not have raised Sage to become the future chieftain had he known the truth. ”
“Which is?” Von asked.
There came a pregnant pause before Naia answered, “Sage is the daughter of Alaric, the primordial God of Creation.”
A faint ringing sounded in my ears, as if I had been struck upside the head.
“The Creator?” Folkoln asked at the same time Artemesia said, “The emperor?”
“ That’s why you have silver ichor coursing through your veins, as well as mortal blood,” Von stated. I could tell by his expression that some great puzzle piece had just clicked into place, not that I could say I felt the same.
My head swirled with so many thoughts. Alaric was the Creator, the first of everything.
And I was his . . . daughter ?
But how could that be?
Naia’s voice was an ax, severing me from my chaotic mind.
“I was there on the day Alaric plucked your star”—her eyes shifted between me and Von—“from the heavens. When he cracked it apart, the half that belonged to Sage—her soul—lifted from the anvil all on its own, something that had never happened before.” She looked at me.
“Your soul was radiant—a brilliant, shining crystal, forged from silver light, so beautiful it brought tears to our eyes.” Slowly, she shook her head, as if she were still in disbelief.
“There was only one other soul that glowed with such vibrancy, and that belonged to Alaric. In that moment, he knew you were destined to be his daughter. And although he was filled with great joy, he also knew because of your relation to him, it would put your safety at risk. People would seek to use you, take advantage of you, and those with jealous eyes might seek your power for themselves. Swiftly, he covered you with a cloth and made me swear an oath not to tell anyone what I had witnessed that day, unless it was you who came to me, seeking the truth.” She raised her arm, showing the underside of it.
Inked into her skin was a crystal, bursting with light, cradled in a pair of hands.
Lowering it, she continued, “He crafted a silver locket and placed your soul inside, so he could wear you on his neck, where you would be safe. But he knew he would not always be able to protect you, and so he turned to the other half of the star and went to work. He did not leave his workspace for months as he made you, Nockrythiam. Painstakingly, he forged you, crafting you into the greatest warrior he had ever made. Protective and cunning. Powerful and fast. Lethal and loyal. You were one of the two achievements he was most proud of. Sage was the other.”
I took a breath. I needed it.
Reassuringly, Von rubbed my hand. I leaned further into him.
“So then . . . how did Sage come to be?” Artemesia asked, curiosity raising her brows.
We all looked at Naia, waiting for her to answer.
“Alaric met your mother,” she said with a smile. Her eyes slid to mine. “Who is not my sister, by the way. Empress Avena is my sister.”
I nodded, now understanding what she had meant when she said if her sister hadn’t wedded Alaric, she might have instead.
Naia reached toward the table, plucking her goblet by the stem as she reclined in her chair.
She took a drink from it, then continued, “Alaric and my sister had been married for quite a while at that point, and although he loved her dearly, the facade of the blushing bride had worn off, revealing the power-hungry goddess beneath. Alaric worried what Avena would be like as a mother—fearing she would only use a child to become more powerful. Searching for answers, he disguised himself as a mortal and went to live amongst the woods so he could be alone while he thought things over. One night, he heard a woman singing, her voice so lovely, he felt compelled to follow it. Looking through the leaves of a bush, he spotted a young woman dancing under the night sky, her song praising the moon. The locket lifted from his chest toward her. Following its pull, he decided to introduce himself. Which didn’t go well, considering it was the middle of the night.
I believe Luna screamed, threw her lantern at him, and ran. ”
Von chuckled. Like mother, like daughter , he spoke through our bond, his voice a gentle caress.
I couldn’t help but smile.
“Yeah, that sounds like Mum,” Artemesia acknowledged. “She once threw a cast-iron pan at Father’s head when he didn’t take his shoes off and got mud all over her freshly washed floors. It was a good thing he had quick reflexes.”
The memory emerged from the cobwebs of my mind, and my smile grew wider. Artemesia and I had been sitting on the floor, playing with our wooden toys at the time. The pan had been full of vegetables, and it made an awful dent in the wall. There were peas and carrots everywhere.
“I remember that,” I acknowledged warmly, but then my smile faded as I realized . . . I looked at Naia. “Wait. Does that mean our mother was unfaithful to him—to Herulf?”
She shook her head. “She didn’t even know Herulf existed.
Perhaps that’s why it was so easy for her to give her heart to Alaric over the short span of their time together.
One night, under the gaze of the moon, with Luna’s blessing, you were conceived, Sage.
By the next morning, when Luna returned home, knowing she was pregnant with you, she learned her hand had been given to the future chieftain of an allying clan.
When she conceded to her mother she was carrying you, her mother sped the wedding up and it took place within the week.
Alaric was sick over it all, but he knew it was for the best. He also feared what Avena would do if she were to discover the truth.
And so, he faded from Luna’s life so you could live yours. ”
“How does that work exactly?” Kaleb interjected, prayer hands held in front of his face. He tipped them forward. “Like if Sage’s soul was in a pendant, how does the conceiving happen?”
All of us looked at Kaleb.