Chapter 64
Chapter
Sixty-Four
“ B e careful .”
I rolled my eyes, though I couldn’t suppress a smile. “Mother, you’ve said that twenty times already this morning.”
“Because I know my daughter. You’ve never met a danger you didn’t want to run into head-first.”
“Then you also know your warnings are as useless as the wind,” Luther grumbled. He suddenly tensed like he was afraid he’d overstepped, but when my mother howled a laugh, he eased against me in our saddle with palpable relief.
“My magic is nearly restored,” I said. “As long as Ophiucae doesn’t follow us into Sophos, we’ll be alright.”
“And if he does, I won’t let him hurt her,” Luther added.
She nodded approvingly. “I’m going to hold you to that, Prince.”
“Please, call me Luther.”
I threw him a look, eyebrows high, but I held back my quips. Their tentative truce was more precious to me than words could say, and even my eternal love for teasing him wouldn’t get me to risk it.
It hadn’t come easily. We’d stayed up most of the night, sitting by the fire and sharing our truths. My mother told me everything she remembered about my birth father, as well as much more about her time both in the army and in the Guardians. In return, I told her everything that had occurred since the day she’d gone missing. We cried together over the story of my father’s death, fumed together at how Vance had used me, betrayed me, then targeted me, and smiled together as I described Taran and Eleanor and the rest of my new Descended family.
To my shock, without any prompting, Luther shared his story with her, too. He told her about his mortal mother and the story of his scar, the visions Lumnos sent him and the better world he believed I was fated to lead. She interrogated him relentlessly about the evils she’d believed him guilty of, and he patiently explained the real story behind each one. Her walls began to fall as she listened in alarm at how much he’d known about the Guardians—and how much he’d done in secret to shield them from Ulther’s detection.
But it was our love story that seemed to put the last nail in her suspicion. Understanding surfaced on her face as we took her through our ups and downs, the teasing and flirting, all the ways we’d saved each other, and all the times we’d nearly said goodbye. Through it all, her eyes marked Luther’s every move—each clasp of my hand or stroke of my hair, each adoring smile and good-natured groan.
It would take time for their distrust to fully fade, and perhaps a close bond might never form, but by the end of the night, the three of us were smiling and making plans. When it was time to sleep, Luther boldly curled up beside me and pulled me into his arms, and she made no objection. For now, that was as great a gift as I could hope to have.
“Maybe Ophiucae won’t hurt me,” I said.
She and Luther exchanged a solemn glance.
“Diem,” she started slowly, “you cannot let yourself forget how dangerous he is.”
I stiffened. “I haven’t forgotten.”
“He would have killed you as a baby, had I not intervened.”
“He wanted my blood. Maybe he was only going to cut me, not kill me.”
“He’s murdering innocent people, Diem,” Luther said gently.
“I know that,” I clipped, my hands clenching on the reins. “I’ll do what has to be done.”
An awkward silence fell between us, filled only by hoofbeats on the hard-packed soil.
“I’ll do it,” Luther said. “You shouldn’t have to kill your own sire. When the time comes, let me be the one to take him down.”
I tensed. “He can absorb magic like me. And if I’m right and he doesn’t want to hurt me, I might be the only one who can get close enough to do it.”
His arms tightened around me. “I’ll find a way.”
My heart roiled with conflict.
I knew Ophiucae had to be stopped.
Permanently. Soon .
But the idea of slaying my birth father—just when I’d finally found him, before we’d even had a chance to truly meet—brought a lump to my throat. I wasn’t entirely confident I’d be able to follow through and strike the killing blow.
And if I was being really, truly honest, even if it was Luther wielding the knife, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop myself from intervening.
Though I’d made other excuses, that was the real reason we were headed into Sophos instead of returning to the Forgotten Lands to finish what I’d started. I needed time to come to terms with this new revelation and all its consequences—but I couldn’t risk more innocent lives in the interim.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” my mother asked. “If the Crowns want you captured, why risk handing yourself over to one of them?”
“I’m not going to live as a fugitive. If the Crowns want to question me, I’ll give them their answers. And if they try to kill me, they’ll meet the same fate as the Fortos King. Besides, the Sophos Crown is in charge of the rituals. I need to convince them to call the Crowns to the island to finish my coronation.” I glanced at her. “And you need to go convince the Guardians to let them.”
She scowled. “Do you know how many years we’ve been trying to capture Coeur?le? And now I’m supposed to tell my people to give it back?”
“They don’t have to leave the island, just the Kindred’s Temple. And just long enough for the rituals. It’s a cease-fire, not a retreat.”
“If the Crowns think Diem can manipulate the rebels through you, they might be willing to leave you both alone,” Luther added. “It’s our only chance at avoiding an all-out war with them.”
She didn’t look convinced. “Isn’t a war with the Crowns your goal?”
“Eventually,” I agreed. “But I need to find allies and build an army. It will be easier to do that without an execution order hanging over my head.”
“Or maybe you need to kill the other five Crowns and take their realms, too.”
My godhood hummed eagerly at her words.
“I’m not a murderer,” I mumbled, though I wasn’t sure who I was trying to convince—her, my godhood, or myself. “And there are six left, not five.”
Her lips pursed.
“Mother,” I warned. “You promised honesty. What are you holding back?”
She blew out a sigh. “The Arboros Queen is with us—with the Guardians, I mean. She has let us operate freely in her realm for years. She helped the rebels get on and off the island the day of the attack.”
“If that’s true, they betrayed her. She was a prisoner like me. They chained her up—”
“A farce to cover up her involvement, I’m sure. She must have been hoping you would tell the other Crowns what you saw to throw off any suspicion.”
I frowned. “Why would she help the Guardians?”
My mother smiled. “You’re not the only half-mortal Crown. She and her mortal father were very close. She promised him on his deathbed she would do everything she could to help his kind.”
Luther nudged my leg. “Looks like we might have just found our first ally.”
Our horses slowed as the dark, hilly forest gave way to the rolling grasslands that marked the border of Sophos, Realm of Thought and Spark.
“Maybe we should escort you to the Guardian camp,” I said to my mother. “I don’t like you traveling alone.”
“I’m not alone.” She tipped her head to a patch of trees in the distance, where a flutter of movement caught my eye. She let out a series of short, high-pitched whistles. Moments later, the same sound echoed back.
I nodded reluctantly. “We’ll come get you as soon as it’s safe to return to Lumnos.”
“In the meantime, I’ll send warnings to all the cells about Ophiucae. I can’t keep our members from joining him, but I can at least warn them he’s got motives of his own.” Her focus shifted to Luther, her eyes thinning slightly. “I’d like a word with you before I go. In private.”
I sat up straighter, my defenses rising. “Anything you have to say to him, you can say to me.”
“It’s not what I have to say that I’m interested in,” she said curtly. “And if you want me to trust him, then you have to trust me, as well.”
With some effort, I managed to hold my tongue. We dismounted, and Luther threw me a lingering stare before following her out of earshot. I unapologetically watched their every movement, my teeth chewing nervously on my cheek while I scrutinized every gesture and expression.
The cautious cordiality she’d been giving him this morning had been replaced by a glare as hard as stone. I nearly lunged forward to interject when she jabbed her finger into his chest, but he kept his cool-headed calm, nodding repeatedly with his hands clasped loosely at his back.
She said something to him, then crossed her arms with an expectant look. Luther glanced over at me, staring so long I frowned in question. A slow smile grew on his face, then he turned away.
My heart pounded. Something about this moment felt so much more important than a casual chat. Luther talked for a long time—a very long time—while my mother sharply scrutinized him, her eyes jumping rapidly over his face.
It was laughably obvious now—the spy she’d been hiding inside all those years. She’d always been impossible to lie to, keenly noting details everyone else would overlook. And, though she could rival me for fearlessness and feist, she also had a nurturing warmth that could crack even the hardest heart.
If only she’d let down her guard long enough to show it to him.
I toyed anxiously with my sleeve. The one-sided conversation stretched on, and her expression didn’t shift. Luther finally stopped talking, and her gaze fell to the ground, her brows deeply creased. For a minute that felt like an hour, they stood like that—unmoving, unspeaking.
Out of nowhere, my mother launched forward. Her arms wrapped around his waist, her face buried in his chest, her petite form swallowed up by his towering, muscular build. He stiffened, his eyes shooting to me in alarm as he awkwardly patted her upper back.
My curiosity surpassed my powers of restraint, and I jogged over to join them. “Is everything alright?”
My mother pulled back, her eyes red and watery, though a smile stretched across her face. “Yes. Yes, I think it will be, after all.”
Luther and I shared a baffled look.
“I’ll give you two a moment,” he said cautiously, and my mother nodded, beaming through her sniffles. Her smile lingered on him, even when he’d walked away.
“What happened?” I asked.
She took a deep breath. “You and I are so alike, my little warrior, but there is one way in which we are as opposite as night and day.” She took my hands. “You look for the best in everyone you meet, and I seek out the worst. I’ve spent so many years worrying that everyone I meet could be a threat.”
“Luther is no threat to you,” I cut in. “He would never, ever hurt someone I care for. He would put his life on the line to protect you or Teller or Maura.”
“Yes. I think you’re right.”
I started. “You do?”
“He loves you. I saw it on his face the second I saw you two together in that prison. I tried telling myself it was an act, but the way he looks at you...” Her smile grew. “That kind of emotion can’t be feigned.”
I sucked in a breath. “And you’re not upset?”
“I cannot deny it is strange for me, given our history. Trusting him completely may take me some time. But all I have ever wanted for you is a man who cherishes you as the rare treasure you are.”
I smiled wryly. “I think I’m more burden on him than treasure.”
“You are the most precious jewel, my darling girl. You may not recognize it, but that man clearly does.” She laid a palm on my cheek. “You have my blessing. If he is your family, then he is mine, too.”
My heart exploded, enflamed with a joy so bold, the morning sun seemed to bow in deference to its glow.
“He needs you,” I admitted. “His mother was taken from him so quickly, and his stepmother was cruel. His father doesn’t seem to care if he lives or dies. He deserves the kind of love you and Father have always given me.”
She frowned thoughtfully. “I always assumed he helped the half-mortal children because he was half-mortal himself. But he was always adamant about ensuring the orphans found a good new family. I asked many times why he cared so much, and he never answered...” Her gaze touched on him. “Now I think I know.”
Her chin dipped sharply, decisively, like a choice firmly and finally made.
She beckoned him over, and we all exchanged embraces and promises to stay safe. My mother mounted her horse, and Luther pressed against my back, his arms draped over my shoulders as we watched her ride away.
“You’ve done something I didn’t think was possible until today,” I said.
“Spend several weeks sleeping beside you without managing to rip your clothes off and have my way with you?” he asked dryly. “I assure you, it wasn’t easy.”
I grinned. “I meant changing my mother’s mind.” I spun in his arms to face him. “Whatever you said, it won her over. She gave us her blessing.”
He tried his best to look unmoved, but a smile pulled hard at the corners of his lips. “Is that so?”
“What did you two talk about?”
“If I’m the only person to ever change her mind, I can’t go sharing my secrets, now can I?”
I ducked out of his grasp and began to walk away. “I’ll keep that in mind when you’re ready to rip my clothes off and have your way with me.”
I squeaked as he grabbed my waist and yanked me back to his side. He folded me into a savage kiss that left me panting and molten in his arms. His mouth moved to my throat, dragging his teeth along my skin. As my hand threaded into the dark locks of his hair with a whimper, I started to think he planned to have his way right here.
“She asked me why I love you.”
“Hmm?” I mumbled, my brain drunk on lust.
“Your mother.” He pulled back to look at me, smirking at my glazed-over eyes. “First, she listed all the things she’d do to my cock if I ever hurt you. You Bellator women know how to threaten a man where it hurts.” He grimaced and adjusted himself, and I beamed proudly. “Then she demanded I tell her why I love you. What I love about you.”
I hooked my arms around his neck. “And what did you say?”
His palms dropped to the curve of my ass and tugged me closer, grinding my hips into his. “I told her how stunning you look naked.”
I laughed and tried to shove him away, but his hands locked together at the small of my back, keeping me caged within his arms.
He captured my laugh with a kiss that was tender and unexpectedly chaste. “Your heart,” he said gruffly. “I told her I love your heart. Your kindness. Your selflessness. The lengths you’ll go to help those in need. There are many things to love about you, Diem Bellator, but that remains my favorite.”
My chest squeezed tight, my body too small a box to contain the world-rattling emotion exploding inside.
“You’re going to ruin my reputation,” I joked. “How am I supposed to scare the Crowns into standing down if you keep telling people I’m kind? ”
He dropped another too-brief kiss on my lips, then pulled back and let me go. “You can start by stepping over that border and unlocking the final Kindred’s magic.”
I stared at the plaques set into the Ring Road to mark the Sophos-Montios border. The Montios plaque seemed slightly different. Shinier. A faintly darker shade of gold.
“You really think stepping onto Sophos soil will make a difference?” I asked.
“Hard to say. You were half dead when we crossed into Umbros, and you were drugged with flameroot for all the others. This is the first time you’re entering a new realm without anything holding you back.”
I stepped forward until my toes grazed the border. I stared ahead at the expanse of grassy plains, the sun turning the blades a golden orange where they stretched above a blanket of fallen snow. It was surreal in its tranquility, knowing the famed city that lay beyond. Barely visible in the distance, its sky-high buildings gleamed against the pastel sky.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
My godhood seemed to understand what was about to happen. It whirled impatiently, hurling itself against my chest as if it might drag me into Sophos itself. Its eagerness was less than comforting—every time I heeded its call, it threw my life into chaos.
“I’ll be here the whole time,” Luther said. “Whatever happens, you won’t be alone.”
My racing heart slowed, and I took a deep breath.
“I’m ready.”