Chapter 56
Araes returned to Altair’s palace just before sunset.
Brilliant, flaming hues of orange and red struck through the skies overhead.
He’d found himself trekking the beach with no destination in mind, only his thoughts wandering right along with his feet.
Following the coastline, Araes paused when he reached a swell in the sand.
It wasn’t simply a sand dune—it was too close to the shore, and too perfectly rounded. Curiosity pulled him toward the entrance like a tether, but the veiled ward shimmering around the salt-crusted doorway kept him distant.
He didn’t dare approach further, unsure what might happen if he pulled its golden handles. Something inside beckoned him like a siren’s call—both familiar and foreign all at once.
But something stronger called him home.
There was so much in this world he hadn’t yet discovered. So much still foggy in the unknown. He wondered if one day he’d experience the vastness of the continent, but without Tethys by his side, those colorful wonders stayed black and white.
So, he turned on his heels and returned the way he came, following the lone set of steps molded in the sand.
Quiet and somber, Altair remained by Tethys’s side.
Araes checked in with the god before going back to his own bedchamber.
Although desperate to return to his goddess’s bedside, the walk along the coastline cleared his head.
He shut out the rest of the world for too long.
News from Venia required his attention and he couldn’t ignore their demands any longer.
He was a wraith through the halls, silent and haunted by what the future might hold.
A stack of messages rested unopened on the massive oak desk opposite the four poster bed. Although he was void of all motivation to sift through the correspondence, he willed his feet to move and slid into the desk’s matching chair.
Lord Ophis’s second report, begging for a response from their queen, was on the top of the stack. Next a daily report from Altair’s general. The god requested a copy of military briefs to be sent to Araes as well, and although an outsider among the foreign soldiers, his general obliged.
The report of the rebel outbreak in Venia didn’t come as a surprise.
Their forces infiltrated the city months, maybe years before.
Araes’s thoughts flicked back to the forbidden ledger he’d flipped through so many months ago.
Almost a year had passed since their visit to the Venian archives.
He massaged his temples. If he hadn’t been so fucking focused on learning the truth of Enyo’s death, maybe he wouldn’t have simply brushed off the blaring sign that Theos wasn’t who he claimed to be.
What happened to the actual Captain Theos remained a mystery, but the man leading their battalion over the last few years was an imposter.
His vague lineage and lack of battle tales should’ve been glaringly obvious.
But Araes, along with the entire Venian military, missed them.
Gods, how could he have been so stupid? He could’ve prevented so much destruction.
So much death. If he had just come to terms with the past and allowed his brother’s memory to rest. If he had come clean about reading the ledger and alerted Tethys of the truth.
He gritted his teeth and shuffled through the remaining messages. It was too late to look back at the what ifs. His home burned. His goddess floated somewhere in the stars. He was completely and utterly alone in this world. Again.
“Lieutenant Araes.” The servant’s knock on the door was a small reprieve from the massacre of thoughts laying waste to his head. “The goddess is awake.”
Araes’s heart stopped. His body moved before his mind even registered the servant’s words. He flew back down the hallway, sending the candlelit sconces flickering as he crossed their paths.
Altair still sat beside Tethys, his eyes glistening with relief. The goddess was pale in the late dawn’s light, her curls disheveled and out of place.
“Tethys,” he breathed, racing to her bedside. Her eyes, although sunken and exhausted, flashed with their usual golden hues. “Thank the gods.”
He wrapped her hand in his, soaking in the warmth of her delicate touch. His pulse pounded in his throat, but he swallowed its deafening rhythm. She was awake. She was alive.
“Lieutenant,” she said, her lips parting into a wide grin. Silence bounced between them as they drank each other in. Nothing beyond those golden eyes. Not this room. Not the realms. Not even the immortal god witnessing their silent conversation play out.
“How long was I gone?” she asked, her voice cracked and dry.
Araes opened his mouth to reply, but stopped short.
He realized then that he had no idea how many days crept by waiting for those gorgeous golden eyes to open.
He’d watched the sun as it rose and set each day, but it’d meant nothing.
He would’ve waited until his bones crumbled to dust for her if he had to.
“Just over a month, sister,” Altair said, glancing between the lieutenant and the goddess. Maybe they’d given their relationship away in their shared prolonged silence, but Araes didn’t care. That was tomorrow’s problem. With Tethys back by his side, they would face it together.
“A month!? It feels like I’ve only been asleep for a few hours,” Tethys cried, wrapping her arms around herself. “What of Venia? The manor staff?”
Altair passed a glance to Araes. The news would break her more than she already was, but maybe the lieutenant could lessen the blow.
“After we left, the rebels overtook the city. The network of insurgents was far more extensive than we initially thought. Only a handful of battalions are left holding Antares from capture. I’m sorry, Goddess,” Araes said, recalling the news.
“No...” She stiffened against his words.
“That can’t be true. You mean to tell me the city is in ruin?
My city? My people? Has Ophis said anything about Jaide or your family, Araes?
Did they make it out?” she asked, forcing herself to sit against the headboard.
“Please, Eos above, tell me they’re okay. ”
“My family is far enough from the city’s epicenter that they remain unharmed.
Ophis advised them to shelter in place. They await news from his shades directly,” Araes replied.
Altair cut him a warning glance, but he ignored it all the same.
Tethys deserved the truth, even if it would rip her heart to shreds.
“Ophis’s shades searched Jaide’s townhome. All of her effects had been packed and moved. There was no trace of her anywhere, suggesting she knew of the attack before it happened.”
Tethys curled the silken comforter into her fists.
“She was a rebel? This whole time?”
“That hasn’t been confirmed, my queen, but.
..” Araes trailed off. Rage radiated off of her thinned lips, like heat from a blazing hearth.
He couldn’t imagine the betrayal of one closer than blood.
Jaide fooled them all, and in the end, disappeared like dust without even the smallest look back.
Araes vowed if he ever got hold of that lady-in-waiting, she wouldn’t live long enough to offer an explanation.
“And what of Euda and the council?” Tethys asked, her voice quivering under the weight of her sorrow.
“They’re safe for now in the city archives. Antares is still fairly secure, but they’re gridlocked. The few units still stationed along the outposts haven’t been able to return home to resupply them.”
“We must act. The Venians need me. Eos above, the whole godsdamned continent needs me,” Tethys cried, throwing the blankets from her pale legs. Araes threw her a cautious look.
“Sister, that isn’t wise. I think it’s time we alerted our father of this mess. Don’t you? Let him take action,” Altair offered. Just as the lieutenant suspected, Altair had caught on to the context of his sister’s hasty suggestions.
Tethys’s furious eyes sunk into him like daggers. Araes had been victim to that terrifying look once or twice before, and right now, although he agreed with Altair, he’d allow the immortal king to take the blades.
“Absolutely not, Altair. Father would only cause more of a divide between the mortals, and not to mention, he would ask questions about my whereabouts during the invasion. He’d ask why I’m here, not with my husband in Canissa.
How do you think that would go? Judging by the look on your face, I’m assuming Araes told you of the fifth primordial.
Or maybe you’ve known this whole time.” Tethys bit into her brother with pin sharp fury, matching his unspoken acknowledgement face to face.
“Tethys, listen to me. It’s time the primordials stepped in.
It’s not safe for you to go anywhere, especially not home.
Your lieutenant can only protect you against so much,” Altair said, his voice low and calm.
The immortal truly had a way with keeping his composure.
When time felt as minuscule a measurement as an inch, Araes supposed not much could break those shields.
Tethys bit her lip, the muscle in her jaw straining against the sheer force of rage behind those bared teeth.
“Never in my life has our father come to my aid, Altair. What makes you think this time would be any different?” Tethys asked, sliding her legs off the bed.
“Because, baby sister, this is no longer just a Venian matter. Just as you said, the whole damned continent is at risk,” Altair replied, placing a gentle hand across her knee.
“You’re too weak still to travel, and what could you do for your people without your magic?
What they need is a queen who stays alive.
Wait for the mortals to spill their own blood, let Obscuros handle the rest, then return to the east and pick up the pieces. ”
“I refuse to wait for others to clean out the damned cobwebs, Altair. Don’t you realize that? All I’ve ever done is wait. I’m tired of it. You will not tell our father.”
Araes’s chest tightened. Altair truly suggested she simply let the realms rip each other apart? For armies to yield to each other’s bloodshed? He knew his queen wouldn’t simply sit idly by and watch her people kill one another.
Not to mention, the promise she’d made to Leda weighed on her more than she let on. She might never acknowledge its significance, but she didn’t have to. He knew Tethys wouldn’t stop until those children were back in the safety of their parents’ arms—dead or alive.
“Venian children, terrified and alone, sit somewhere in the Rift. I cannot tell Father, because he’d rather they waste away than risk reopening the gate.
I know you, brother. You care for your people just as much as I.
If given the choice, would you, too, turn your back on them? ” Tethys stood her ground.
“Exactly what are you proposing? We open the gate? Eos above sister, have you lost your mind? We can’t go against a primordial. You are magic-less, and I’m not strong enough to hold the gate myself.”
“It’s the only way. Besides, when the gate is open we can strengthen its wards and seal it for good.”
“How can you be so sure? What aren’t you telling us, Tethys?” Altair asked, spinning the golden ring on his index finger.
“Please just trust me on this,” Tethys whispered. The summer king chewed his lip, suspicion etched in the creases of his brow.
“Please…” she said again.
“In a week’s time, if you don’t have a plan to sort out this nightmare, I’m summoning Obscuros,” the god said, his voice stern in its resolution.
“Now, the healers will arrive soon to examine you. I have a few matters to attend to with my council, but I’ll be home for dinner service.
Try not to do anything irrational before I return. ”
Tethys refused to meet Altair’s knowing eyes as he planted an affectionate kiss on her cheek and disappeared into sunlight.
Finally, the two were alone. Araes slid the bedchamber door lock in place and sat at Tethys’s bedside.
Her rage, like a shadow, haunted her every move as she picked at a delicate fingernail.
“I’ve missed you,” he whispered, risking a thumb across her cheek. Her icy exterior melted enough to grant him permission to continue. “It was agony thinking you might not ever wake up, Tethys. I—”
Her mouth on his shoved the words back down his throat.
The goddess anticipated what he’d been about to say.
It should have been me left in that cave.
It should be me laying in that bed, broken, and half paralyzed.
But his mind went blank as she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into the heat he so desperately needed.
Her breath against his lips ignited his blood, and a heart he worried had stopped beating entirely pounded to life.
“I’ll never leave you again,” she whispered, twirling his hair between her fingers. “I promise.”
Araes leaned into her touch, letting her hands explore the hard lines of his body as they traced the countless battle scars he’d collected over the years.
The world settled back into place around them.
Trees deepened their roots. Rivers flowed once more.
Even songbirds finally resumed their melodies.
With her breath, she’d given him life again, and he knew with his entire fucking body that he’d never let her go.