Chapter 39
LETHE MONASTERY, RAVOS
“Riders at the gate!”
Sonah jumped as Talian rushed through the courtyard, hands flailing as he hollered the news, presumably to Abbot Malis who stood nearby.
“Can you tell who they are from their colors?”
Talian glanced at Sonah and Rydon before answering the abbot. “Spartans.”
Sonah swung around to Rydon. “Spartans?”
“Aye, lady.” Talian folded his hands beneath his robes. “But—”
“Fuck,” Rydon said as he scrubbed at his face. When he turned to Sonah, his face was an unpleasant red and his eyes flashed. “It’s Daris.”
“Daris? Daris Antonius? How? What—”
“I’ve already let him in, lord,” Talian interrupted, his harried gaze shifting between all of them. “He’ll be here any moment.”
“Listen,” Rydon said as he tugged on Sonah’s hand sharply. “He must be alone, but he’s still here for you. Play along and at the earliest opportunity, get yourself to the back exit. You remember where, aye?”
“Aye.”
Rydon gave her a brief nod before he ran out of the courtyard with Melanos. Bethana moved closer to Sonah and took hold of her hand.
Sonah pasted on her best smile (she didn’t have one) as the door opened and Daris walked through. Spotting her immediately, he flashed a quick smile before his face turned grim. As he neared, his usual stoic mask was firmly in place.
“Daris!”
Daris inclined his head as he stopped a few feet away. He muttered his greetings and gave a deep, formal bow to the abbot.
“It is a pleasure, Abbot.”
Abbot Malis smiled warmly at Daris. “You are always welcome, son, as long as you mean no harm to anyone under my protection.”
Daris had the good grace to duck his head as he smiled. “I assure you, I am not here with ill intentions. Just a warning, for the lady.”
“What warning?”
Daris’s eye widened as he looked at Bethana. His brow furrowed as he glanced at Sonah.
Sonah colored. Gesturing to the nymph, she said in a voice reminiscent of a screeching cat, “Daris, this is Bethana.”
“Lady,” Daris murmured after a long pause.
“I’ve heard much about you, Commander,” Bethana said in her soft, musical voice.
“All good, I hope.”
Bethana grinned at Sonah, whose blush took over her whole body. “Of course. If it was otherwise, I wouldn’t have believed it. I had the measure of you when we first met.”
Daris hesitated, his good eye flicking to Abbot Malis before he turned to look at Sonah. Suppressing a shiver at the black leather patch over his destroyed right eye, Sonah dropped her gaze to his grimy boots.
“May I speak with you? Alone.”
The plea in his voice, soft and raspy though it was, made Sonah glance at Bethana, who tightened her grip. Glancing at her, the nymph winked and dropped her hand. She followed the abbot out of the courtyard.
Sonah turned back to the commander. There were a thousand other things she wished to do in that moment, but nowhere on her list was speaking with Daris Antonius after the disastrous way they’d left things the last time she’d seen him.
When they were alone, Sonah fiddled with the hem of her corset, looping her fingers around the strings until she wound them so tight around her forefinger it cut off all sensation.
“Are you still not speaking with me?”
Sonah’s gaze snapped up and for a moment words eluded her. What could she say? ‘I’m sorry for being so drunk I eavesdropped on a conversation I had no business spreading and ruined your relationship with my sister’ seemed appropriate but also very lacking.
“Daris,” she started, swallowing past the huge lump of regret in her throat. “I am so sorry.” She took a step closer, holding out her hands, palms up. “Really. I can’t say it enough. As soon as Ren comes, I’ll tell her what an idiot—”
“She’s not here?”
The note of suspicion in his voice made her pause. Sonah scrunched her face. “I… no? I thought she’d be coming with you. I told Croak to let her know I’m here. He said he’d tell her himself and when you all were done with the fighting stuff, he’d bring her back. Are they not with you?”
Daris stifled whatever comment he was about to make and turned his head away. Sonah waited. Turning back, Daris brought a hand to his mouth as he considered.
“No. They are not. We had a—Ren had a… disagreement with Hermes. But I don’t see how even that would keep her away. I know how much she’s missed you.”
“Really?” Sonah brightened. “So… you two… talked? Is everything all right between you again?”
Daris scowled and turned his head away. “We did speak, aye. But, no. There’s been a… complication.”
“Complication?” Sonah frowned. Crossing her arms, she waited for Daris to say more. When it became apparent he wouldn’t, Sonah reached out, laying a hand on his chest. “What do you mean, Daris? What’s happened?”
“You must be Commander Daris Antonius.”
Sonah groaned, clamping her mouth tight as she closed her eyes and counted to five.
When she opened them, Leander stood beside her, his muscled arms crossed at his chest. He wore a sleeveless tunic, much as he’d done while they traveled, claiming his blood ran hot because of the whole shifter thing.
“Leander—”
“Aye, I am. And you are…?” Daris asked, his scratchy voice pleasant as he smiled over at Leander. Sonah rolled her eyes when she caught the wink he sent her.
“Daris, this is Leander.” She frowned and turned to Leander whose chest looked about three sizes bigger than it had earlier. “I forgot to ask if you have a last name? Sorry, that’s weird.”
“I am Leander of Gadanar.”
“A little far from Osta, aren’t you?”
Sonah’s head swung back and forth between the two men as they spoke.
Leander shrugged. “It’s been many years since I’ve been.”
“What brings you to these parts?”
Raising his chin a notch, Leander narrowed his green eyes. “Found my way into the company of this beautiful lady. What brings you to these parts?”
Sonah wanted to melt into the ground. What was he doing? Whatever would possess him to speak like this to the Commander of the Liodari? The Liodari!
Thankfully, when Sonah lifted her hotter-than-the-sun red face to Daris, she caught the faint smile on his face.
“I’ve also found my way to this beautiful lady.” Again with the wink to Sonah, which Leander must’ve caught because he moved closer to her.
“He’s my sister’s eudeamon,” Sonah grumbled, taking a step away.
“Really?”
Sonah nodded.
“Croak told you?”
Looking back at Daris, Sonah nodded. “No, Pytho did. Long story. But Croak said he and the others went looking for a tracker in Ovenno on Hermes’s orders and then they found Cassandra in Ermanel, and she’s the one that told them, although I haven’t met—”
“Sonah!”
Sonah barely registered the large body that all but tackled her. Solid arms banded around her and lifted her off the ground. Sonah squeaked as Jason swung her around before setting her back on the ground. Her cheeks flamed when he leaned down and kissed her cheek with a loud smack.
Now would be a fantastic time for her to manifest a divine power like invisibility. Between Daris’s amused expression, Jason’s grinning, beautiful face she’d definitely missed these past months, and Leander’s thunderous mien, Sonah felt certain that somewhere in the realm the Fates were laughing.
Stepping back so Jason had more room, Daris grinned at Sonah’s red face. The man standing over her shoulder like an enraged gargoyle looked at his lieutenant with murder in his eyes. Fane came up just then and her face lit up momentarily when she spotted him.
After she’d embraced him and the Spartan soldiers who’d ridden with him, Sonah turned back to Jason and blushed.
“Where’ve you been?” Jason asked, his eyes sparkling as he searched Sonah’s face. “We’ve been all over the continent looking for you! Why’d you leave in the first place?”
Daris could tell by the stunned look on Sonah’s face she had no idea what question to answer or who to speak to.
The man beside her, Leander, puffed out his chest as if that alone would deter Jason.
But Jason had eyes only for Sonah. Daris worried his lieutenant was still enamored of the little goddess.
“We don’t have time for that.” Daris moved closer to Sonah. With a wary glance at her protector, Leander, Daris frowned. “Hermes is on his way. You need to leave. Now. Tell Bethana—”
“What a coincidence!” Sonah inhaled and smiled genuinely for the first time since he’d arrived. The act she was putting on earlier disappeared and she seemed herself once more. She leaned closer and whisper shouted, “Rydon said the same thing!”
“Rydon’s here? Is he alone?”
“Aye. Well, no. He came with Melanos. But he said we needed to hurry because Hermes was on his way here to take me with him. I’m not sure where, he didn’t say. But where is Ren?”
“All right,” Daris said with a quick look around. The monks had vacated the courtyard, the sun having sunk beyond the roofline, casting their surroundings in long shadows. “Go with him. Don’t tell me where. Just go, and I’ll tell Hermes you were already gone when we arrived.”
“Wait, I’ll go with you,” Jason said as he flashed her a grin.
“No,” Daris said with a shake of his head as Leander too made to protest. “If you leave, how do I explain where you are when Hermes asks? He’ll be slower moving with his army but, make no mistake, Hermes will be here soon and you need to be gone.”
“Melanos!”
Daris cringed at Sonah’s shout. He glanced up in time to see the curled-lip look Leander shot Jason who looked back uncertainly. He was relieved they wouldn’t be traveling together.
The god must’ve been around the corner because he came bounding into the courtyard with the nymph running behind him. Bethana looked alarmed, but calmed when she saw Sonah was unharmed.
“We need to leave! Daris came to warn us, too.”
“Come with us,” Melanos said, his expression solemn as he clapped Daris on the shoulder.
“I cannot,” he said with a sad smile. Turning to Sonah, he impulsively reached out and hugged her. He turned his head to her ear and whispered, “Tell Ren I’m sorry. And I’ll do as she asked.”
“What?”
Daris didn’t respond as he pulled away and kissed the top of Sonah’s head. He closed his eye for a moment before moving back.
“I—”
“Riders! Riders, lord!”
Daniel burst into the courtyard, screaming and flailing his arms as he made his way to them.
“Fuck!”
Everyone turned around as Rydon came running at them, his hand around Sonah’s arm before Daris could even open his mouth.
“You traitor,” Rydon seethed, eyes spitting fire at Daris. “You brought him right to us.”
“I came to warn her,” Daris said. “If you take off now, we can stall him.”
“There’s no time,” Leander snarled, yanking Sonah away from Rydon. “Who the fuck are you?”
Rydon glanced at Leander, nonplussed to see him amongst their group.
“Leave your things,” Melanos said as he made his way toward the rear exit of the courtyard. Daris frowned.
“Hermes comes!”
“Where are you going?”
“Fuck! We’re out of time. Sonah, stay at my side,” Rydon said loudly.
“What the fuck is going on?” Jason asked with a sidelong glance at the huffing Leander standing next to him. The young man looked as if he were about to go on a killing spree.
“We were fine until you lot showed up.”
Jason scowled at Leander. “Who are you?”
“He’s the Riverman who kidnapped Sonah,” Fane said with a grin.