39. ACHERON
The Ephemeral Eclipse was fast approaching.
Every three years, for three days, the Godlands would stop to celebrate life and love. The legends had it that the sun and the moon were lovers, cursed to chase each other in the sky for all eternity. The Fates had felt sorry for them, so with their powers, they granted the sun and moon three days to stand still. Three days to bask in something other than the chase, forever destined to live their lives apart in the sky.
On the first night, the eclipse would appear. On the second night, while the sun and moon stilled, the stars would come down to rest in the Godlands. And on the third night, the stars would rise again, shooting back to their rightful positions in the night sky.
Ash had never paid much attention to the Ephemeral Eclipse until this year.
He fidgeted as he held the bouquet of purple flowers he had picked up from the market earlier in the morning. The sun was approaching its peak in the sky now, and the heat of the Godlands had started to settle in.
He practised the lines over and over again as he walked down to Sofreya’s villa. And when the lines jumbled and mashed up in his angel brain, he turned and walked back to his place. Ash had burned a trail on the ground.
“Starlight, would you please do me—” Ash huffed.
Do me?She’s going to slap me if I say it like that.
He slowly moved toward the door of her villa. “Starlight, please be my date—” Ash growled. Date? What date? They were just friends. At least that’s what Sofreya wanted, and he would honour that. He couldn’t risk— He shook his head, trying to stay on track.
Ash climbed the three steps and halted before her front door. He mumbled under his breath one more time, to get the words right. “Starlight, the Ephemeral Ball is in two days and the only person I want to celebrate with is you. Will you go to the ball with me?” he whispered.
That was good. A little lengthy, but good.
Ash psyched himself up, letting out a sharp breath and shaking out the nervousness in his wings. He righted himself before lifting his hand to knock against the door. But before he could knock, Sofreya pulled the door open and leaned on the doorframe looking as smug as a bug in a rug.
Fuck.
“Did you hear all—” Ash started.
“Oh, I heard allll of that. Everything starting . . .” Sofreya paused, lifting her wrist as if to look at a watch. She didn’t even have a watch on. She continued, “about thirty minutes ago.”
Ash in all his twenty-seven years of life had never felt his power and life essence drain from him in one fell swoop. Until now. Sophie was grinning like she’d just gotten away with murder and if it weren’t for his utter embarrassment, he would be right there with her grinning. Instead, he shoved the bouquet of purple flowers in her hands and stormed off. Briskly. At pace. Anything to retrieve his soul as it whisked away on a wind of humiliation. He opened his wings, ready to thrust into the air.
“Wait!” Sophie shouted.
Ash snapped his wings back. Her voice pulled at him. He turned on his heel to find her still in her doorway with a bright smile on her face.
He instantly melted. Only she could do this to him.
“It’s a date,” she said, lifting the bouquet up in the air.
Ash smiled to himself and concluded that those very words would torment him for the rest of his life.
It was a custom in the Godlands. A custom made long ago that the person who asked, would find something for their date to wear to the Ephemeral Ball. So here Ash was, standing in front of a tucked-away dress shop in Soul City. Its display windows were draped in black velvet and a white sign painted with red cursive hung above the door. Night Blossom’s Eveningwear.
Ash felt unequivocally out of his depth. Give him a sword, a spear or a rare weapon and he’d master it seconds. This? He didn’t know where to start. That’s why he enlisted the help and support of his older brother, for all intents and purposes, Deymos.
Ash looked up at the white sign, a touch nervous but he’d heard from the other Tienthan that this was the place to go for all evening wear.
Deymos clasped a hand on Ash’s shoulder in reassurance. “You’ve got this, baby bro,” Deymos said, his voice deep and stern as if he were about to go to battle.
Ash gave him a tense smile.
“Oh my god dressshopping!!” Eros sung right in Ash’s ears.
Ash winced. He also clearly remembered asking only Deymos for help. Turns out Eros had as much of a penchant for eavesdropping as he did delivering love letters. Who was Ash to turn away the god of love? Now, Ash and Deymos were paying the ultimate price.
Eros linked his arms with a sullen-faced Ash and dragged him to the store door. Deymos followed closely behind, his shadows billowing around him. As they opened the door, the doorbell rang with a crystal clearness. The chime conjured a female being whose skin glimmered gold, as with her hair. “Welcome to Night Blossom’s. I am Night and I’ll be of service to you today,” she smiled, bowing her head reverently. She was a golden statue – stoic and still.
Ash stepped forward upon the black carpet. It felt like they were in a black velvet portal. “I am after a dress for my date to the Ephemeral Ball.”
Night assessed Ash with bored face. “You’ve left it a bit late, haven’t you, angel?”
Eros chimed in. “Oh, please excuse him. It’s his first time at the ball!” He clasped his hands in excitement and bounced on the spot.
Ash growled in warning as dark clouds began to plume around him. He had granted Eros permission to join them on the condition that he kept calm and collected. Whatever this was, it was not calm and collected.
Eros made a noise under his breath that sounded like he was sorry, but the tone was full of attitude.
Night lifted her hand for Ash to take. He obliged, manifesting his favourite moments with Sofreya. He could see Night’s eyes flicker with warmth and happiness as she watched Ash’s memories unfold.
“What a beauty,” Night breathed.
Ash couldn’t agree more.
“Do you have any dresses left?” Ash asked.
“I have a few in mind. Just a moment.” Night whisked away behind the black curtains of the store.
The three angels of the Tienthan turned around, busying themselves, taking a look at the suits and dresses that were on display. Some were gaudy and bedazzled. While others were elegant and reserved. Ash noticed how Deymos’s shadows were out in full force today. Which meant his shadows were restless, speaking to him and urging him to do things. Ash never really understood how Deymos’s shadows worked, but he was glad he did not have to deal with such a power. Right now, it looked like he was sifting through his shadows, trying to find something.
“Lost something, have you?” Ash asked.
Deymos shook his head to clear it and smirked. “Something like that.”
It seemed like Night was taking her time finding dress options for Sofreya.
“So, you’ve asked Soph to be your date for the Ephemeral Ball, does that mean you’ve told her?” Eros asked too excitedly. Ash could almost hear the stupid grin on Eros’s face.
Ash turned to find Eros with his arms draped around a tall, sturdy mannequin in a dark purple suit. His heel was popped as if he were receiving his first foot-popping kiss. Lightning struck inside the black velvet room. “No,” Ash growled lowly.
Eros rushed to Ash in despair, his hands upon his face. “Oh come on, Ash. Don’t leave the poor girl hanging!”
“He’s right, baby bro. You’ve got to tell her,” Deymos added, bristling his grey wings behind him.
“Hey! Whose side are you on, Deymy?” Ash pointed at Deymos.
“With this”—Deymos circled his arm over Ash’s general vicinity then pointed at Eros who stood with his arms crossed— “I’m with Eros. You can’t leave the girl hanging with something as important as this.”
“I’m not leaving her hanging. If anything, she’s leaving me hanging. She has her memories blocked and unless she accidentally strolls into the Stagnum De Memoria, my hands are completely tied.” They weren’t technically tied. No. But Ash didn’t want to risk it. He’d only just found her and if telling her would push her away . . . well, it was a pain he didn’t want to live with. As selfish as that made him.
“You know you could just tell her, right?” Eros wagged his eyebrows.
“Absolutely not. She wants a clean slate. I’ll be honouring that . . . as torturous as it may be.” Ash almost whispered the last part.
He would go to the ends of time for her. Ever since he held her almost lifeless body in his arms in that fate-forsaken temple in Faery, he knew couldn’t let her go. He wouldn’t. Never again. He’d been doing well in keeping things platonic but when they ran down the hill in the Meadow of Mainn, nostalgia ignited a spark in him. A spark that transported him back to their days in Faery and by the Fates did he want her to remember it all. He wanted it so badly that his chest ached for days. Every shared moment that she’d forgotten, he wanted to tell her. Wrap them in a warmth and kindness that she deserved to feel again. He wanted to be selfish, but he couldn’t tell her. He wouldn’t. They were her memories and if she wanted to start over again, what was he going to do? Tell her otherwise? Force it upon her? And risk losing her? No way in all the realms would he risk that. So that night in the Meadow of Yearning, he did the next, most selfish thing. He called in the favour she owed him, just so he could hold her under the stars. A moment of selfishness that he would tuck away for safe keeping. He shouldn’t have done it. It stirred up an addiction so viral, visceral and deeply rooted that he didn’t know where he started and where his need for Sofreya ended. He needed her as much as a wayfinding warrior needed the stars to guide him home.
Eros looked at Ash, thrumming his fingers against his arm with a sort of side smile. The look only meant one thing.
“By the Fates, Eros, don’t you dare meddle with this,” Ash sighed.
Eros raised his eyebrows and shot his hands up defensively, as if to say that he wasn’t going to agree to anything.
“Promise me, Eros, that you won’t interfere,” Ash pleaded.
“Okay, fine.” Eros relented, kicking the carpet with his head hung low, as if he were a kicked puppy.
Night reappeared from behind the curtain with perfect timing.
“I have three options for you,” Night sang out.
Ash shook out his feathers and stepped forward, surveying the three dresses that Night had sprung into the air with her mana. The dresses danced in between them all, showing off the movement in their skirts.
“Oooh, I like the red one,” Eros cooed.
The red dress looked like a living flame. Strapless with a full skirt. It was a lovely dress, but it didn’t scream Sofreya. The second dress was a blueish purple dress with a halter neck that wished and washed around. It looked like water, spilling over endlessly. Again, it was beautiful, but not something Sofreya would wear. Ash didn’t think so at least. It was the third dress that caught Ash’s eye and held his attention. It wasn’t the most glamorous of the three. It didn’t have mana imbued into its skirts, but it was perfect for Sofreya. Tiny silver beads and crystals lined the entire dress and the skirt flowed endlessly like a galaxy of stars.
“I’ll take this one,” Ash picked the flowing dress out of the air. The other two dresses flew behind the black curtains again.
“A wise choice.” Night smiled before rushing away behind a glass counter, preparing the dress.
Deymos moved to Ash to scruff his hair. He smiled as he ducked out of the storefront, the bell chiming as he did.
“We’ll meet you outside,” Eros smiled.
Ash moved to the counter where Night had wrapped up the dress and placed it in a black box. “You can charge it to my last name.”
Night nodded with a thanks.
“Thank you so much.” He dipped his head, took the box and headed out the door.
Deymos grinned, raking a hand through his short silver hair, while Eros looked like he could barely keep it together. His lips and eyes brimmed with excitement. The god was basically vibrating.
Ash rolled his eyes. “Alright, go on. Let it out,” he groaned.
“BY THE FATES I JUST LOVE LOVE SO MUCH!” Eros cried through the streets of Soul City.
Ash laughed and for once, he enjoyed the teasing, because a part of him loved love too.
Ash lay in his bed, restless.
His mind wandered to Sofreya far too often. He watched the dark ceiling, trying to count sheep. As the sheep bounced happily over the fence, they’d form constellations in the night sky, then they sparkled, forming a bright constellation in the shape of Sofreya. Eros was right. Ash should tell her. Everything. And it would be up to her, whether they continued their friendship or not. She had the right to know.
Ash turned to his bedside table and fished out a bracelet he’d been gifted long ago. As he flipped over each bead, it calmed him. Cal whined as he curled up next to Ash, laying his furry chin on Ash’s stomach. He looked at Ash with concerned eyes.
Ash sighed heavily. “I’ll tell her after the ball,” he said to Cal, scratching his friend’s furry ears as he did.
Cal let out a long tendril of smoke from his nostrils – an approval.