Chapter 16
Seraphina
With a stretch, I woke. It took me a moment to realize where I was. The warmth of the bed beneath me, the softness of the blankets, the echo of Thavros’s deep voice murmuring comfort… all of it might have been a dream.
Except that I wasn’t stone.
I sat up slowly, brushing trembling fingers along the lines of my arm, my face, the sheets. Still warm. Still soft. Still me. The magic hadn’t taken me again.
And then it hit me.
The memories. Not all at once—more like a fractured mirror catching the light from different angles. A name: Seraphina. My name. A truth: Godling blood runs in my veins. And something worse—some shadowed certainty that I had been sent here for a reason. A weapon, made to wait.
I pulled the blanket tighter around myself, as if it could shield me from what was surfacing.
“Thavros?” I reached toward the other side of the bed, expecting the familiar weight of his sleeping form.
Empty.
I stilled. Then I heard it—muffled voices just outside the room. Deep. Familiar.
I slid from the bed, snuck quietly to the heavy door, and leaned close.
“—just saying, the timing is suspicious,” Khuldruk said, his voice low but not quite low enough. “The crystal returns to life, and suddenly your mysterious statue is flesh again?”
“She’s not my—” Thavros’s voice dropped into a growl, but even that was careful, contained. “She’s not dangerous, brother. I would know.”
“She could be a threat to the entire clan.”
“I’ll take responsibility. Whatever comes of this, she remains under my protection.”
There was a long pause, and then Khuldruk muttered something I couldn’t make out.
My breath caught. They were arguing about me. Thavros was protecting me—again. He believed in me.
But what if he was wrong?
Images flickered again. The same ones that had come last night in dreams. Fire. Chains. The pulse of magic pressed into skin like a brand. Not memories—more like stains on my soul I couldn’t scrub clean.
I backed away from the door, wrapping my arms around myself just as it creaked open.
"You're awake," Thavros said as I sat down on the bed.
I nodded. "I woke up and wondered where you'd gone."
"I was only just outside the door. I meant what I said last night. I am by your side as long as you need me to be."
The sincere look on his face warmed my heart, though I wasn't sure I deserved such kindness.
I wasn't even sure I deserved his protection.
While I couldn't remember much, I had this feeling I couldn’t shake, that I was put here for a purpose.
And that purpose is not suitable for the wonderful orc clan that lives in this mountain.
"Come," he said. "Are you hungry? They have brought us breakfast."
He guided me over to a table in the corner of his chambers by the fire.
It was a small table with two chairs. Even as half the table was covered in books and a journal and a quill, they had been pushed aside to make space for a tray with two covered plates, a small loaf of bread, and two steaming mugs of tea.
He pulled out the chair for me as I sat down.
I looked up at him, and it was hard to believe I had once brazenly asked this orc to 'make me feel real'.
All I wanted to do right now was shrink away.
But as he lowered himself into the chair across from me and smiled warmly at me, I started to remember.
The way the tips of his tusks peeked out of that smile made me smile back. It was a good feeling.
He raised the lid, revealing a plate filled with hard-boiled eggs and a bowl of warm cereal. He broke the loaf of bread and handed me half with a slight dip of his head.
I slowly took a bite of bread. I could not remember the last time I ate anything. While it was an odd feeling, it wasn't completely foreign —more like coming home after a long journey. Sure, it was a little dusty and the air was a little stale, but it was good to be home.
As she looked at Thavros, I couldn't help but want to explore the other parts of being fully alive again. My cheeks heated at the thought of what we did in the study the other night.
I took a spoonful of the porridge. It was warm and rich, tasting of cinnamon and dried fruits, with nuts and grains.
"Is it to your liking? I can have the cook prepare something else?" Thavros said, his brows knitted in concern.
"No," I said with a warm smile. "It's delicious. I just haven't eaten anything since... well, since I don't know when."
His big hand came up, covering mine that was on the table as he looked at me with an adoring warmth.
As much as I still had to figure out, I knew one thing for sure.
Having this orc by my side filled me with a deep sense of peace.
I trusted him. Even if I had no reason for feeling it as strongly as I did, I just knew I could trust him.
"When we finish here, would you like to go to the study?
I thought we might be able to refine our search with the new information," he said as a small, warm smile appeared on his face.
His thumb traced a small circle on my hand, and I realized then that I would do anything he said, even if I was terrified of uncovering the truth.
"That sounds lovely," I said with a smile.
Thavros cocked his head to the side, evaluating me. It was as if he could sense my apprehension. I had no words to explain them, so I just took another bite of porridge. After a moment, he got back to eating.
Once we finished, he guided me through a maze of corridors until we came to two great stone doors. Thavros nodded to the two guards outside the doors, and they slid them open as we walked in.
The war room looked different in the light of day. I'd only ever seen it lit by candles and moonlight. But today, the golden sun streamed in through a few windows along the top balcony and the great skylight above us.
"It looks different," I said.
He cocked his head, still evaluating, like I was a puzzle he was trying to solve.
"I just haven't seen it in the daylight before."
"I see. Let's go upstairs," he said as he guided me to the staircase with a hand on the small of my back.
We had just settled into work when I heard the doors slide open. I tensed, unsure whether to retreat, until the footsteps fell softly on the stairs and a woman stepped into view, her with warm smile and hair braided like a crown.
This was also a human woman, not an orc. Though it wasn’t peculiar for species of the realm to find partners or mate with species different from them, it had been so long since I had seen a human. Let alone one who looked so … well, human.
“You must be Seraphina,” she said, voice light and kind. “I’m Callie. I figured after everything, you might need a break from grim-faced orcs and dusty tomes," she said, shooting a grin at Thavros.
Before I could answer, she was crossing the room and taking my hands in hers like we were already friends. “Come with me. While that gossamer gown is beautiful, it’s not very practical for the winter months in the mountain. Plus, you deserve something that’s actually yours.”
I glanced toward Thavros, the brow once again furrowed.
“Is it okay?” I asked.
“Of course. Are you cold? Why didn’t I think of that?”
“I’m fine, but it might be nice. Should I go with her?”
He nodded, silent and steady as always, but something in his eyes said he didn’t want me gone long.
Callie led me down a winding corridor, humming as we went. The room she took me to was filled with sunlight and fabric. There were bright splashes of color folded neatly on a bench, hanging from hooks, and draped across cushions like a festival waiting to happen.
“We’re close in size,” she said, already rifling through a pile. “And I have too many. Blame my mate. Orcs get weirdly excited about gift-giving once they’re bonded.”
I laughed, really laughed, for the first time since waking in this place. It startled me.
She handed me a gown in a deep emerald green, then another in soft gold. “Try these on,” she said. “I think they will look so pretty on you.”
By the time I stepped out in the green, she was already grinning. “I was right. You look beautiful! That color screams ‘magical mystery woman.’”
“How did you meet Khuldruk?” I finally asked her. While this effervescent woman was wonderful, there was something about her I couldn’t place. She was unlike any human I’d ever met out this way. But considering I’d been in stone for who knows how long, what did I know?
“Oh,” she said, turning to me with a look I couldn’t quite read. “He came to a fair where I was singing.”
I nodded, sensing she wasn’t quite finished.
“I’m not actually from this realm. He came to the human realm to find me.”
“Really?” I asked. From what I knew, realm traveling was rare, well, except for the Fae.
“Yes, I wish I could tell you more, but I’m still kind of learning as I go, ya know.
I mean, three months ago I was singing at a Ren Faire in North Carolina, and now I’m here, mated to the chief of an orc clan.
My life sure took a turn…” A smile lit up her face at a thought she didn’t share.
“But I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she continued.
“That must have been quite a surprise to you.”
“You have no idea,” she said, reaching out and resting her hand on my arm.
That one small move of solidarity meant so much. It felt good. I decided to trust her, too. Even with the apprehension that still filled me, I needed to lean into the wonderful moments this mountain seemed to be offering.
As we walked back toward the study with a new gown on me and another folded over my arm, Callie chatting happily about orc food customs and the Yule Feast last night, a tightness settled deep in my chest.
She liked me.
She trusted me.
So did Thavros.
And I was terrified I would ruin them both.
I wish I could shake this feeling, but memories flickered again: firelight, metal bars, whispered commands I couldn’t quite hear but knew had been meant for me.
I didn’t remember what I was supposed to do—but I could feel the shadow of it, curled somewhere deep and waiting.
Yet as we climbed the stairs to Thavros's study, I pushed those thoughts aside. I was nervous, not because of the dreams and dark thoughts, but because I wondered what he would think of my new dress. He'd only ever seen me in the flowing gown of my statue. I wanted him to like what he saw.
But as we came into view and his mouth dropped and his gaze heated, I knew he did.
"You look...." It was as if his words vanished.
"My work here is done,” Callie said. “Maybe I'll see you in the great hall for dinner?" she asked.
But as Thavros stood and walked to me, unaware that Callie was still here, I heard her give a small chuckle.
"Or maybe not," she said, noticing the shift in energy between them. "Have fun! Don't do anything I wouldn't do, “she called as she descended the stairs.