Chapter Twenty-Two
Stassi
T he prince was, to put it nicely, a pain in my ass.
Not only was he late, but he was also in an undeniably awful mood. That, and I was pretty sure he was secretly planning to kill me in my sleep. It wasn’t possible, but he still put me on edge. Big fucker couldn’t be trusted.
“You’re late,” I said from my spot at his desk. He had pushed me out of his bed last night ten times before he finally gave in and slept somewhere else. Despite that, he looked…good. Which was even more annoying.
Even worse, it made me miss my creature, who had been stunning in a completely different way. He was kind and sinful where Bellamy was rugged and grumpy. Even the prince’s dimples couldn’t make him look sweet or soft. But my creature, he’d been that. A rarity, in my opinion, to find someone who was both sexy and delicate.
Instead I was stuck here with this world’s crankiest male.
“Must you speak to me this early?” he asked, reading through a stack of papers as he walked towards me. Without another word, he lifted his foot and kicked the chair out from under me. I crumpled to the ground, groaning at the ache that hitting the cheap and tacky floor caused.
Fine. He wanted to be hostile? I’d show him the definition of the word.
“It’s past noon, you idiot,” I growled, grabbing his ankle and ripping his foot upwards. Glee consumed me as his back and shoulder blades slammed into the wood.
“Any time before I have started drinking is too early to hear your voice,” he groaned.
“Well if you want my help in saving your little soul bond, then I suggest you be nicer.”
“Asher does not need your help, and neither do I. Nicola has it covered. And how do you know we have a soul bond?”
“Don’t you?” I mocked.
“I am not sure that exists amongst my kind.”
“Whatever you say. Anyways, did you get the journal?” Back to what was important. His love life was the least of my concerns.
“Noe did, she should be up soon. She is excited to meet you.”
“Excellent, I love fans.”
“Do not call her that, or you might find someone who wants to kill you more than me. And, unlike me, Noe always finishes what she starts.” Bellamy stood, dusting off his dark blue trousers and straightening his black top. Gold rings graced each of his fingers but one, the same finger that the demons of Shamay used to symbolize marriage.
“Tell me, Bellamy, what will you do if Asher decides to be with Padon?” He stumbled at my words, nearly falling. One of his hands reached out and caught the small wardrobe against the wall, his grip so tight a part of the wood splintered.
Slowly, I returned to my spot in his desk chair, waiting for an answer I was not sure would come. Magic came with a price, and that was a certain lack of morality. It was worse for my kind. We were stronger, our magic more potent. There was a cruelty to how deeply it wove itself into our souls. Though his magic was not as strong, I could see that it still burrowed into his heart and festered like a sore. That was probably why he treated it like an infection he wished to cut out of himself.
“Asher is free to make her own choices,” he said after a moment. The words came from between clenched teeth. How tragic, to love like that. It was gross and terrifying and, quite honestly, pathetic.
“Liar.”
“Fine. She can, but I know her. She will choose me. Even if the world was nothing but dust, she would still be at my side. Asher would die for me, kill for me, and live for me. Can you say that about anyone?”
Every sentence seemed to cleave its way into my heart, each digging deeper than the last.
They hurt. Oh, did they hurt.
“Once, I did.” I thought of shining blonde hair and bright green eyes, my heart clenching. “Her name was Solana. I was obsessed with her. Every time she welcomed me into her bed, my infatuation grew. We fucked for years, neither of us ever discussing what it meant. She did kill for me, and I think she would have died for me too. But when the time came for her to choose between me and something new—an adventure—she didn’t pick me. So, apologies if I find your confidence to be a little preemptive.”
I thought of my creature again, how wonderfully curious he was. Just like Sol. Except he was not born to become a high demon and live forever. He did not possess the ability to world-walk or even enough magic to portal from his cage, regardless of whatever type of being he was. Which meant, unlike Sol, he would have no reason to wish for any more than me.
A burst of darkness encircled us, and then a female appeared. Her hair pooled down her back like golden brown silk. Her skin was a deep olive, making her hazel eyes light up. Only her body made me realize she was a threat. Yes, she was curvy and appealing, but she was also very clearly a honed weapon.
“Hello, not goddess Anastasia. It is absolutely horrifying to meet you. My name is Noe.” With that, she shoved her hand forward and beamed down at me. There was nothing to lose in taking her hand, so I did. Still, I was on edge as I watched her jump onto Bellamy’s bed.
Bellamy cleared his throat, eyeing me like he had a million questions and was not brave enough to ask any of them.
“Ask. You know you want to.”
“You mentioned before that your world was in danger. Is it because Solana left?”
“Oh, wonderful, I love ancient lore and tortured futures. Give me one second.” Noe disappeared from his bed, the darkness a cloud in the air above the thick red quilt. Moments later, she reappeared, the smoke-like shadows dissipating to reveal her lying down and holding what looked like a spoon and a bowl of chocolate. “Okay, now go on.”
Scoffing, I quickly wrapped my magic around the bowl and willed it into my hands in a puff of pink magic. Moaning after licking some off my finger, I answered.
“Solana and her step-father, the holder of Time and Void, loved to travel. They had decided to go world walking, which takes an immense amount of magic and focus. But they never returned. Not only did we lose the Time and Void seed, but we also lost the sole heir to the Sun and Moon seed.”
“Pause. What is a seed?”
“That’s what we call the magic that is passed down from one high demon to the next. It’s what gives our magic color. Like the core of an apple.”
“Then why not call it a core?”
“Fine, like the seed of an apple being replanted into a demon of one’s line that is strong enough to ascend.”
“Shut up and let her tell us the story, Noe.”
“She took my chocolate,” she whined, letting her head fall off the edge and draping her arm over her eyes with a groan of false pain.
“You will live,” the prince retorted, kicking her foot off of his.
“Anyways, when Asta refused to come home and marry Padon, Stella let her remain here on Alemthian. Padon was enraged, and after he killed Asta’s lover, he banished Stella. Which means we are now missing two seeds of magic.”
“How weird that the story became so skewed over time,” Noe commented as she pouted. I wondered if that was because few demons had access to the journals, or if it was because the journals simply held no relevant information. Silently, I prayed to Eternity that it was the former.
“What is so special about the seeds?”
“Our world needs them. It is the only one that we have found that can sustain so much magic, but it requires us to feed that same magic back into it.”
“Like an offering?” Bellamy asked, his eyes wide in wonder.
“Sort of. Our great ancestors crafted the gems, one for each of the ten high demons. The gems hold the magic we siphon into them, and then they feed the world itself. But, with two seeds being gone, we don’t have enough to feed the gems. Not only is our world slowly dying, crops and animals and even low demons perishing because of it, but the magic itself is volatile. It rebels against us, sometimes not working at all.”
“So you seek Stella’s seed to restore balance, but how will you find the Time and Void seed if it has been missing for so long?”
“Well, nosy prince, Stella searched for a very long time with no luck, but she was in mourning then. Plus, if I can convince Padon to stop being an idiot, then I am positive he can help. He is just quite set in his ways at the moment.”
“His ways being Ash,” Noe interjected, peeking at me from beneath her arm.
“Currently, yes. Before it was bitterness that stopped him. Stella and Achari, the holder of Time and Void, were not just our rulers. They were the oldest of us. And their daughters, Solana and Asta, were close in age to Padon and I. We had all been friends—family. Plus, Padon and I had been forced to ascend far earlier than normal, so it was nice having both mentors and parental figures in the Empress and Emperor. But when Padon didn’t get his way with Asta, he rebelled against the being who practically helped raise him. He didn’t want to look for Achari or Solana. All he wanted was the throne.”
I fiddled with my fingers, suddenly so unsure of what I was meant to be doing. My entire existence had been inconsequential until now. Nothing was ever expected of me. This task was the exact opposite. Everything came down to me finding Stella.
“But if I can find her and get them to talk, maybe I can change his mind and stop this ridiculous war before it starts. We have enough problems without making you lousy creatures another one of them.”
“You are pretty rude for someone who came to us for help. Speaking of which, we had three journals locked away in the royal library’s vault,” Noe said, pointing to a spot on the bed beside her where black shadows writhed. I stood, hastily making my way to the small pile of worn leather books that now sat to her left.
“I’m going to pretend like you didn’t just say that for the sake of convenience,” I muttered, snatching all three journals up. Sitting next to her, I slouched into the flat pillows and readied for answers.
The two of them watched as I opened the book to the final entry and read, my eyes watering as I heard Asta’s low and enchanting voice narrating the words in my head.
I dreamt of Zohar and Zayan again. Or perhaps it was a nightmare.
They died in my arms, just as they had all those years ago. I think I deserve such a fate. Choosing a mortal does that, tortures and maims the heart. When I first kissed Zohar, I thought the universe itself had shifted somehow. As if suddenly, everything was him—us—our hearts. Now I think I realize that it was just my own selfishness swaying me. Yes, the nightmares are my payment.
In my sleeping moments I see Death and Creation. I see my husband’s blood on the hands of my old lover and wish for nothing more than to tear his soul straight from his body. If only he had one.
Mother says I can’t do that. She swears that it would be a waste of precious time. She sounds like Father. Always on about the importance of time and its finite treasures.
Tomorrow I meet with the one called Oracle. She says she can give me better answers. I’m sure it’s going to be nonsense. Everything always is.
I think I’m ready to say goodbye. I wonder if Mother will help.
A tear dangled on my lower lashes as I finished. She had been so broken.
The Asta I knew had been vibrant and happy. The Asta that had died upon this soil had been shattered and bruised. I slammed the book closed and grabbed another.
“Who was this Oracle?” I asked, trying not to let any emotion seep into my voice. I was not going to allow myself to look weak in front of them or anyone else.
“Which one?” Bellamy asked, picking up the journal I had tossed. My fingers halted on the page I opened to, looking up at the prince.
“There was more than one? What were they?” Noe looked at me as I spoke, her keen eyes squinted in thought. From my peripheral, I could see her fingers tapping on her stomach where her hands rested. She was observing me. Not the airheaded fool she portrayed herself as, then.
“Every few millennia, a fae is born that can see both the past and the future. It is an extremely rare ability, and a taxing one at that,” Bellamy said, his mind clearly straying elsewhere. “Seeing so much without always choosing to…I cannot imagine how awful that would be. I was given a glimpse of such a thing once, and I would not wish that weight on even your psycho ass.”
“So if Asta met with an Oracle, then she could have changed the future she was told?” I asked, incredulous. That was extraordinary. Different than what even Venturae could do. Asta would have been given the chance to manipulate the future itself.
“Well, sort of. The future is always changing. Any Tomorrow or Oracle will tell you that. Every decision you make can alter it. But, if she was given instructions and followed them, then she could have encouraged the future that was foreseen. Did she say what she was told?”
“No, the entry stops there and so does the journal. That one must have been her last. She does mention her mother briefly, which confirms my suspicion that Stella was here with her.” I let my voice trail off, reading an entry towards the beginning of the journal in my hand.
This one was from when her son, Zayan, was still alive. She wrote about the way he spoke, how the demons seemed to listen to his every command. How extraordinary he was. I smiled despite myself, thinking of how special her youngling would have been. Then, while I was already far more emotional than I normally was, I caught sight of my name.
“What has you so uncharacteristically happy?” Bellamy asked. He acted as if he knew me. It infuriated me, but even that could not tear the smile off my face.
“Asta wrote about me. She called me a connoisseur of debauchery and reveler in chaos,” I whispered, laughing at her choice of words. Then, even quieter, I added, “She said she missed her best friend.”