Chapter 45
Faith
He watches them. Spreading the leaves like a curtain, he peeks through the foliage and spies on the eight immortals reveling in the water.
All that fighting and rebelling. All those captures and escapes. All those flying arrows and fatal battles.
He would have done it differently. Wouldn’t he?
With a shake of his head, Faith cannot decide whether to grin or purse his lips at the display. All four sets of fated mates have gone mad. They spray water everywhere, some bare-assed, others with their clothing drenched.
They clasp and kiss their soulmates. Then at one point, they float on their backs and stare collectively at the sky.
Is this what fate looks like? Is it what free will looks like?
Hmm. Faith cocks his head. Although he fancies his clover arrows, the thought of blessing an emotion rather than forcing it on a target is sort of thrilling. Also, it sounds godlier. He likes that.
Maybe he should thank this crew. Maybe he likes them a little.
Okay, maybe a lot. Maybe he’s looking forward to seeing them often, whenever their paths cross in The Dark Fates. And maybe it’s nice to spy on them like this, wild and happy.
When the eight figures depart together, Faith creeps out from behind the shrubbery and steps to the water’s edge. His longbow and quiver clatter against his back. Perching on the bank, he deposits his archery on the grass and dips his legs into the lake, which reflects the summit’s stargazer.
But where the hell did the constellations go? They were up there a moment ago, before the crew left.
With a crinkled brow, he cranes his head from the lake and inspects the hemisphere. Suddenly, it’s the strangest sky he’s ever seen, not quite eventide any longer, nor quite daybreak yet. Then again, he’s never been out at this twilit hour, on the cusp of darkness and lightness.
He’s not allowed. In fact, his Guide would flay him for sneaking out. Well, fuck that. Everyone is breaking rules these days.
Settling more comfortably, he resumes inspecting his watery reflection. The burnished skin. The wide, lilac eyes. The hooded cloak covering his slender shoulders. Nothing he hasn’t seen before, yet the firmament is so vast, he resembles a tiny star blinking in the sky.
There’s a star that blinks in the sky…
Right. Isn’t that how he began? His Guide once told Faith the story of his birth. Funny that he remembers only now.
Faith swerves his head from side to side, surveying his appearance anew.
His eyes glint, the lids inked in a midnight sheen.
The ornamentation reminds him of that gray-haired goddess, with silver stars trickling beneath her irises.
They’re natural on her, but even if they weren’t, he wagers she would don those star flecks for herself and no one else.
She’s authentic and doesn’t try to impress others, and he fancies that about her.
That long-haired god is fairly likable too. The male who bestowed Faith with a chore.
Rifling through his quiver, Faith retrieves the small, leather-bound tome. He’ll have to return it to the crew later, when he joins them to rebuild The Archives. But for this next hour, he flips through the pages and rereads the text, transfixed by the contents.
It’s a legend.
It’s the one those rebellious immortals scribed with The Court when they congregated at the stargazer.
At that point, Faith wasn’t supposed to be there, since everyone but the rulers and the infamous eight had gone home.
But Faith had stationed himself outside during the proceedings, determined to sulk on the parapet.
He hadn’t known what they were doing inside the dome. Not until shortly after, when that god presented Faith with the book. Endorsed by The Court and blessed by The Stars, the pages include a prologue of mythic tales.
One is about a star that refuses to shine: a mischievous goddess who falls in love with a mortal.
One tale is about a star that blazes too harshly in the sky: a rebel god who falls in love with an outcast.
One tale is about a star that drifts in the sky: a wildflower goddess who falls in love with a devil.
One tale is about a star that flashes proudly in the sky, as well as a star that glints quietly: a vain god and moody goddess who fall in love with each other.
The book continues with the legend itself, envisioning deities who live alongside humanity, existing in a universe of destiny and choice. Then the final passage declares the most puzzling thing, a string of new words forged by the court and crew.
If a deity falls in love, it shall be a union of fate and free will.
Closing the notebook, Faith cocks his head. “What the eternal fuck does that feel like?”
Then he smirks, because now he’ll have the chance to find out. And when he glances toward the celestials, the sky glows with beams of light.
Finally. The Stars are out.
***
Thank you for joining the celestial crew on their starcrossed journey!