14. Chapter 14 #2
“So you’ve said.” He holds out his hand.
I grab it. Not because I want to, but because I’ve managed to wedge part of my body beneath this thorny bush in my failed attempt to locate the missing chunk of ear, and I’m not sure that I can manage the trek back up.
Plus, being on my knees before him might implant ideas into his mind, and I certainly don’t want that.
Once I’m standing, Augustine diverts his gaze to the statue, his expression shifting to one of intrigue. “It’s rumored that if one reveals their deepest, darkest, most formidable secret to the Mother of Chaos, she will be set free.”
“What?” I whisper wordlessly.
He dips a hand into his pocket and reveals a fractured ear from its depths, which he casually sifts through with his fingertip.
I gawk at the crumbled pieces of ear. “Wait, where did you find that?”
I swear, I searched for an entire five minutes!
“Although not just any secret will suffice,” he continues as if he didn’t hear me. “It must be a secret buried deep within the depths of one’s soul. A secret long ago lost to time.”
My veins pump with hot blood, and my vision blurs.
Suddenly, I’m met by the heart-stopping probability that this isn’t a statue, but rather, it’s the Mother of Chaos encased in stone, and I’ve just shattered her earlobe.
I stare at the pile of crumbled rock in Augustine’s hand, my eyes widening in horror.
“How do we fix her?” I ask with a thick swallow.
Augustine looks at me like I’ve lost my damned mind. “What?”
“So that I can free her,” I clarify. Meanwhile, I’m already orchestrating a plan that involves revealing all of my secrets to the Mother of Chaos in the hopes that she will lead me to my sister across the universe.
The only trouble is, if I free her now, she’ll likely resent me over the missing earlobe.
And considering how she’s an ancient deity and whatnot, I’d like to remain in her good graces.
“That’s a terrible idea,” Augustine says.
“Then why did you tell me about it?”
He squares his shoulders and exhales deeply. "It was an unfortunate lapse in judgment."
“And what if I did?” I hypothesize. “Free her myself? Would you strike me down?”
A flicker of hurt flashes across his eyes. I open my mouth to clarify, only to slam it shut, my words feeling blunted by the heartache emanating from him.
What? Did I say something wrong?
“I would rather toss myself into the fiery pits of Hell.” His gaze intensifies.
My breathing falters. Well, that was a bit melodramatic.
I pull my thoughts together and try again, this time evading eye contact so that he can’t inadvertently tamper with my emotions. “Fine,” I say. “Let’s pretend that I’m not interested in freeing her. Will you still fix her ear?”
His brows rise.
“You see…” I clear my throat and continue.
“Regent will be very upset with me once he learns that I’ve broken her ear, as he seems to have an affinity for the chunk of rock.
And truth be told, he’s very intimidating.
” Ha. A lie if there ever was one. Regent is about as intimidating as a toad.
“And yes, I realize that you probably don’t care about something as silly as an ear right now,” I continue, wiping a bead of sweat off my forehead.
“And I’m sure that you’re very angry with your mother for casting the curse.
So of course, to you, a broken ear is nothing short of karma.
But if I matter at all, even a smidge, then you will fix her for me. Kapeesh?”
Augustine blinks at me.
“With utmost discretion,” I quickly add.
He tucks the pieces of fractured ear back into his pocket and sighs.
“I’m not upset with my mother for casting the Curse of Love.
My siblings have taken far more from this universe than they’ll ever give in return.
They deserve to be exiled, and I along with them.
” He pauses to study me, his eyes so hauntingly beautiful that I feel almost hypnotized into agreeing with whatever he says.
“You must know that once freed, my mother’s wrath will be untold,” he continues slowly.
“She will be seeking vengeance against whomever trapped her in stone. She will burn down this world in order to find them. She will destroy us all.”
“Yes, that sounds quite tragic.” I nod. “On the flip side, she will reward the person who frees her ten-fold. Isn’t that correct?”
As in… she will help me find my sister across the universe.
Augustine stares at me in stunned silence. "Who told you that?"
“You are quite human-like for a god, Dreamwalker,” I say, trying out the new nickname on my tongue. “Your emotions are so palpable, I can practically taste them. You’re scared of her, aren’t you?”
He opens his mouth, but I hold up a hand to silence him.
“I’m scared too, you know.” I wave him off. “Not of her, but of Regent. You see, I would rather face the deity who created this world head-on than face the wrath of that damned butler back there.” I jerk my thumb toward the door.
Augustine takes a devastating step closer, hooking his hands around my waist. “Is that why your lower lip is quivering?” he asks.
I bite down on my lower lip to steady it.
Truth be told, I can’t bear the thought of being stuck in this godsforsaken realm for another day, so if I’m required to free an ancient deity and bring about Doomsday in my wake, I will do it.
Regardless of how frightening the thought or how horrifying the idea of unleashing the Mother’s wrath might be.
I will do anything to find my sister across the universe, and nothing can stop me. Not even the end of the world.
I never claimed that I was a good person.
“How long will it take for you to fix her?” I ask him quietly.
“A day,” he guesses, voice rough.
“Shadow?” Lily’s voice penetrates the air around us, causing all the owls perched on the buttress ceiling to shake out their tail feathers and wake up from their deep slumber.
“Regent has sent me to collect you. It’s time for bed.
” Her eyes fall on Augustine’s hands, which are still settled around my waist in an intimate position. She swallows.
“Right,” I say, brushing his hands away.
As I stagger back, however, my gaze falls to his trouser pocket, knowing exactly what lies within—the ear dust. Gods, what is wrong with me?
I should be grateful for the opportunity to get away from him, not standing here like a bumbling idiot and staring in the general vicinity of his nether region, which looks quite large, in all honesty.
Lily shuffles her feet in the doorway and clears her throat.
“Shadow, are you coming?”
“Be right there,” I sigh as I trail after her, my vision tunneling.