Chapter 12 Seth #2
I wished I could give her what she wanted—set her free from all this and grant her a life she deserved, a life she’d never been allowed. Thinking of the hovel she’d called home, the Guild members who’d extorted her, knowing full well she had nothing and no one . . .
The thought made me furious. But it quickly dimmed into sorrow.
Did I even know what she wanted? Had I ever bothered to ask?
Aethra sniffed. “I want a house by a lake.” She laughed through her tears. “Know of any cheap plots of land nearby?”
I moved to answer, then froze. How had she known my thoughts?
“Princess . . .” I said carefully. “What made you say that?”
Sniffing, Aethra chuckled. “I don’t know. I just . . . felt like you were going to ask.”
Lowering my brow, I turned away, focusing on something she could never guess.
I called her princess, because that’s what she’d become should we be wed.
Gasping, Aethra ripped from my grip, lost her balance, and nearly tumbled into the fire. Nursing her wound, she peered at me with a guarded expression—the look a woman gave when she’d just learned the depths of a man’s feelings.
“Maiden’s grace, princess,” I said. “You’re a psyche.”
“But . . .” She shook her head. “When did I. . .?”
Magic came from traumatic events. Moments that marked you as extraordinary. Icelus had tortured her so thoroughly that she had been blessed by Psythos.
When I found him, I was going to tear him apart.
My exile to the Merchant Isles had come with a solemn vow—I would never again allow those who deserved death to escape with their life.
Least of all those who hurt the people I loved.
“Clothes.” Aethra stood, wandering to Athena. Digging her hands into the saddlebags, she pulled out the bundle I’d stolen for her. Noticing the new outfit came with pants, she looked up at me. “You stole me pants, again?”
“A priestess’ pants, this time.”
A smile bloomed on her lips, and she almost laughed. She shimmied out of her gown, and I turned my back to give her privacy.
“A psyche . . .” she breathed when she finished, returning to my side.
Duathi fashion suited her. The A-line top revealed her delicate collarbone, and the silk skirt, which hugged her curves perfectly, accentuated her figure. My first instinct was to wish I could rip them back off, but then I stared stupidly, thoughts drifting elsewhere.
One of her bottom teeth was crooked, her curls never fell the way she wanted, and I’d overheard her whining about the weird birthmark on her shoulder to Eleos one night at camp. She wasn’t perfect.
The nobles here tried to make themselves perfection—divinity. I’d fallen for Cassandra because she wasn’t—she was simply herself.
No doubt clouded my mind in that moment. Aethra was the most beautiful woman in the world.
“Seth?” She asked.
“Hm?”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I, um.” Snapping myself out of it, I cleared my throat. “We need rest. Both of us. But we don’t have a tent.”
“No,” she lamented. “We were supposed to get a new one in Naunet.”
“You’re going to freeze if you sleep with only a cloak,” I insisted.
Aethra spun, searching for a source of warmth. I bit my lip, remembering what I’d said back in the inn.
I couldn’t think of a worse time to tell her, ‘I love you.’ Maiden’s grace, I’d probably ruined any chance I had of winning her forgiveness.
Had Eleos been right? Was I not charming after all?
No, that couldn’t be right. My hair and winning smile were my best assets. Love addled the brain and disarmed even the wisest men.
Love. A terrible thing I’d promised myself never to feel again.
“Seth?” Aethra raised an eyebrow. “Are you okay?”
“Fine,” I said, wondering what my face had looked like. “You should stay with me—the way you did in the inn.”
Aethra’s eyes flicked off to the side, and she reluctantly nodded. “Alright.”
Exhaustion hit me all at once. Laying out my cloak, I waited for her to make herself comfortable before lying beside her—this time draping my injured arm around her waist.
I dwelt upon the stick tucked safely in my pocket. Back in Cynthus, I’d started whittling one just like it, intending to shape it into a traditional Duathi present given to women. But I’d lost it upon our capture.
Maybe it was foolish to start another. But it had already been foolish to spend my nights whittling it, knowing full well I meant to betray her.
Cold air whipped across the fire, sending embers across the night. Aethra shrank against me, shivering.
“We’re headed for the city of Ma’at, right?” She asked. “What’s it like?”
“Haven of justice, seat of she who judges,” I said, reciting its ancient passages. “Where souls wander upon death, to be judged by Ma’at herself.”
“The city is named for her? Who is she?”
“The queen.” I nestled my head into her curls. “Haimyx fell in love with her when she was the princess of an enemy country. He kidnapped her, starting a war. A war we won.”
“Why am I not surprised?”
I chuckled. “Haimyx was enamored by her. Ma’at had him wrapped around her finger. He allowed her to return to her old capital and govern it as she liked. Many people took shelter within its walls, for Ma’at shielded them from the kingdom’s crueler laws.”
“Like what?”
“The Duat, for one. Ma’at didn’t care if you were noble or born in a barn. She judged all equally.”
Aethra hummed. “She sounds like a real goddess.” Pausing, she shifted, looking up at me. “Was she?”
“No,” I said, running my fingers across her stomach. “Ma’at was my mother.”
“Your mother?” Aethra sat up. “I thought she was an Elpis Maiden?”
“She was.” I braced on my elbow. “But her magic manifested late in life. Long after I was born.”
“Tell me about them,” she said. “I want to know about her. About Haimyx.”
“Are you sure you won’t fall asleep if I tell a story?”
“I’m sure,” Aethra promised, whistling and patting her lap. Whisper crawled onto her and looked up at me with round, brown eyes.
“Alright. I’m not much of a bard, but I’ll do my best.” I closed my eyes, deciding what to tell her. “I remember the last time we were all together like it was yesterday . . .”