Chapter 22
CORVO, ERMANEL
Rydon stared at the blonde witch. He stood in front of the couch she’d settled on when they’d all filed back inside. She’d groaned loudly when she’d sat, her arms stretched over the back of the plush velvet couch, regarding them all with a grin.
Terena sat on the couch, her body shifted to face the witch.
Ren’s clothes were rumpled and—were the buttons on her breeches missing?
Beside her, the witch smiled as she settled a hand on Ren’s knee.
Croak had elected to stand at Rydon’s side, mimicking his stance as was his way, eyeing Rydon out of the corner of his eyes before adjusting his arms in a similar fashion.
Gabriol pushed his way between them, shoving Croak aside as he leaned into Rydon. “Did you know?”
Rydon flicked an annoyed glance at his friend. “And not tell you? No.”
Gabriol grunted, folding his arms.
“How are you Apollo’s lover?” Terena asked, her face pinched as her eyes roamed over the blonde’s face. “Apollo and the rest of the Olympians have been gone for over a thousand years.”
The woman gave a dismissive tilt of her head, the fingers of her left hand lifting slightly off the seat back. “And yet…”
“How? And how did you know where to find Daris?”
“Daris?” Croak called out, his eyes wide as he shot Rydon a look. Rydon scowled and ran a hand down his beard.
Pressing her lips together, the woman, Cassandra, didn’t bother to look at Croak before answering Terena. “I didn’t know where to find him. You did.”
Terena slapped the seat cushion. “How?”
Cassandra shrugged. With a coy smile, she answered, “I saw you port for the first time. I knew it would be with me. I knew we’d have this conversation here now.
” She shrugged again and leaned forward, clasping her hands around her knees as she tipped her head toward Terena.
“Perhaps your heart knew and took you there.”
Terena stood so fast, she startled the witch. Even Croak stepped back, catching on Gabriol’s foot and earning himself a slap to his shoulder that had him stumbling away.
Rydon sat on the edge of the table in front of the couch. “What do you mean, witch? Speak plain.”
“You keep calling me that,” Cassandra said slowly with a tsk. “But I do not have their powers. I am a seer. As I was in Troy. A priestess to Apollo.”
“And where the fuck is Troy?” Croak asked with an exasperated sigh. He’d taken the seat Terena had vacated, flopping down beside Cassandra with his legs stretched out.
“You have other things to worry about,” she drawled, looking past Rydon.
He looked over his shoulder and saw Terena, her shoulders hunched and arms across her middle as if she was ill. Rydon went to her side, his hand on her shoulder.
“What is it?”
“He knows you were there,” Cassandra called out, drawing his attention back to her.
“Who are you talking about, woman?” Rydon asked, his voice harsher than he’d intended. She was a walking paradox, and he was sick of her riddles.
“Hermes.”
Terena’s head shot up. Rydon glanced between her and the blonde, worried at Terena’s sudden pallor.
“How?” she whispered.
“He felt your presence.”
Terena strode past Rydon, her face contorted. “How did I know where to find Daris? Is it because he’s my eudaemon?”
Cassandra blinked. Her eyes widened slightly, shifting between Terena and Rydon. Something passed over her clear green gaze that Rydon couldn’t name. He felt uneasy, all of this god shit coming at them too fast to decipher.
“Is it because he’s a eudaemon?” Terena repeated, snapping her fingers in front of Cassandra.
The woman turned to her, the look gone from her face. “If you like.”
Terena cursed and turned away.
“How do they sense each other? I am Sonah’s guardian, and I’ve not been able to sense her,” Rydon snarled.
“Maybe it’s because I’m getting closer to my nameday,” Terena mused.
Cassandra laughed in surprise. She looked at Terena with a wide-eyed smile, incredulous.
“Darling, you know why. Think.”
Rydon smashed his fist into the table, scattering used glasses and plates onto the floor. The crash startled the blonde and her eyes whipped to Rydon.
“Stop playing. Speak plain!”
“What do you know?” Terena asked, as if she dreaded the answer. Rydon looked back at her, feeling a sick sense of dread himself as he waited for the seer to respond.
Cassandra’s smile widened.
“Cassandra, please,” Terena said softly.
Rydon felt something flip unpleasantly in his gut at the look on Cassandra’s face when she turned to him. “Gods are clever, and Hermes most of all.”
“What did he do?” Rydon asked, even though a part of him already suspected.
Cassandra confirmed it with a look before she turned to Terena. “Daris isn’t just your eudaemon.”
“He’s her lover,” Croak snorted, crossing his arms. At the looks Terena and Gabriol shot him, he shrugged. “What? Not anymore, though. Lying bastard.”
“What else is he?” Terena asked, the words rough. Rydon took in the way her face had lost color and her right eye twitched. His gut twisted painfully as he waited for Cassandra to speak.
“Come now, goddess,” Cassandra crooned as she leaned forward, her arms on her knees. “You already know. Deep down inside? You knew in each of the last circles.”
Terena brought a hand up to her mouth, her hand shaking as she looked at the witch in horror.
“We are bound. He’s my soulmate.”
“Soulmate?” Croak snorted, looking between Terena and Cassandra. “How the fuck did you come up with that? Are you still drugged?”
“Soulmates are not real,” Gabriol scoffed, his large arms crossed at his chest. “They are the stuff of fairytales, stories for young girls and old maids.”
“They are real,” Cassandra replied, a hard edge to her voice as she glanced at Gabriol.
“The Fates bound you together,” Cassandra confirmed.
Terena barely heard the woman through the keening noise inside her head.
She felt ill and elated, ready to jump out of her skin while wanting to run as far from this conversation as possible.
There was no rational thought beyond the need to be near Daris, to see him, to touch him, and yet her mind balked at the idea of them being bound.
Daris had no choice but to love her. Because the Fates had decided for him.
It wasn’t real.
That thought made her go ice cold, her body shivering so much she was relieved to feel Rydon’s warmth as he moved closer to her side, his face screwed up with concern.
“Why?” Terena asked after a quiet steeped in tension. “Why would they do that?”
Cassandra sighed and tilted her head back, closing her eyes. Terena’s nerves were screaming at her and she wanted to launch herself at the woman.
“I do not know,” the seer replied at last, the words doing nothing to ease the chaos of Terena’s thoughts right then.
“Perhaps it is tied to your destiny. Or his destiny is as great as your own. But that is the answer to your question. You ported to him because your soul knows where his soul is. Always. At any given time. You will always find him. And he will always find you.”
“That’s some fairytale shit right there. I can’t wait to tell Sonah!” Croak muttered.
“It’s rare,” Cassandra said absently. “And it almost always never ends well.”
“What’s that mean?”
Cassandra’s lips turned down before dropping her gaze.
“So she can just port to wherever Daris is?” Croak looked at Terena with a raised eyebrow. “That’s not a very helpful power, sis. I hope you at least stabbed him when you saw him.”
“You are simple, boy,” Cassandra laughed. “They keep you around for your looks or your sword?”
“What do you mean?”
“Your looks, then.”
“I—”
“Do other gods portal? Port? Is that what it’s called?” Rydon asked.
Terena flashed him a grateful look. So many questions to ask, questions Hermes should’ve answered and didn’t. If this stranger could help her with more than just finding the amulet, Terena needed to trust her with how ignorant she was about being a god.
The woman didn’t seem to have any alliance to Hermes, that was clear, and if she was Apollo’s lover, he must’ve been the one to banish her here. And yet, if he was able to banish her to Elysium, why couldn’t the other Olympians come back without Terena’s help?
“Aye. All the gods port,” Cassandra replied. “At least, the Olympians. Did you come here looking for lessons in how to be a god, or are you finally going to ask me the question you actually came to have answered?”
“You’re a piece of work,” Gabriol grumbled.
“Let’s not forget,” Cassandra said with a shrug, “you sought me out.” Looking at Terena she said, “I know you’re looking for the Amulet of Ka?ra. I will tell you where to find it. But first, you must take me with you to Metilai.”
Croak burst into laughter and Gabriol swore. Terena tensed but did not look away from the woman.
“We’re collecting tourists now?” Rydon asked Terena, his lips pressed tight enough to whiten the corners.
“We should charge extra for that, Ren,” Croak chimed in with a grin.
The doors burst open and all of their heads swiveled around. Vassori strode in, a grinning Orry behind her with Migela sauntering in last.
“Right on time,” Cassandra murmured. When Terena glanced at her, the woman winked.
“What’s happened?” Gabriol asked, closing the distance between them. Vassori handed him a crumpled missive. Orry trudged to Croak’s side, his eyes shining.
“A message from my brother,” Vassori said, her expression turning guarded when she spotted Cassandra lounging on the couch.
Rydon waved a dismissive hand. “You may speak freely. I have a feeling the witch—my apologies, Cassandra—will be traveling with us.”
Vassori frowned at him, then shook her head. “He’s on his way here, to us, in Ermanel. He’s just crossed the border from Elis. He wants us to wait for him.”
“Wait for him? Why?”
“Says he has a surprise for you.”
“It must be Sonah!” Terena threw herself at Vassori, wrapping her arms around the woman’s neck. Vassori laughed, hugging Terena back.
As they all gathered closer, Terena spared a glance at Cassandra. The woman had risen from the couch, her hands pressing down on her skirts as she rounded the table to reach their happy circle. The bells at her waist sang as she moved.
“I suppose you’ll say you saw this as well?”
Cassandra’s cunning smile was verification enough for Terena.
“So what happens next?”
“Obviously, we’re waiting for Xoran,” Croak shouted, pumping both arms in the air as he walked toward the doors with a whoop.
As they all filed in after him, Cassandra looped her arm through Terena’s and sighed.
“Do you know what the surprise is? Is it Sonah?”
Cassandra’s smile turned wicked. “I know what the surprise is,” she demurred. “And I cannot wait for you to see it.”