Chapter 30
She stood outside the house for ten whole minutes before giving up on the notion of going inside. She was somewhere between drunk and hungover and had no desire to explain the sheer stupidity that had been her behavior. Instead, she clambered up the side of the house just like old times and flung herself onto the roof. She lay there on her back, staring up at the foggy night sky, wishing she could see a single star.
Just a single light of guidance would be good enough.
But not here, not in Kava. It was the darkness that would guide you here. She let the soft gray and black smudged sky loosen the knots in her body, her mind. The alcohol dulled the edges that the sky could not find as everything grew distant and her worries faded out. Body heavy, her eyes closed, and the darkness seeped from the sky into her consciousness, pulling her down, down, down.
It happened just like it did every night.
In her liquor-laced sleep, Elysia fell through time and space until her toes, now bare, touched down on cold, damp soil. Awake within this other world, she gingerly pressed her toes and fingers into the earth and looked around. She hadn’t expected to come here tonight. Then again, she’d been so drunk that she hadn’t really worried about it at all.
She stood and dusted the dirt from what appeared to be a nightgown. Cream silk flowed over her body, the antithesis to the blackened river off to her right. It rushed past, dark and foreboding, much like the rest of the landscape she found herself in.
A single note of music rippled out. The song was starting, just like it did every night. The realm around her began its lament, and Elysia listened, enraptured as always. But this time as she felt the world shift, readying to send her home, she dropped back to her knees, and grabbed hold of the barren tree beside her.
She gritted her teeth and growled at the dirt, the river, and the sky. “I am not leaving until I get some answers.” Her finger nails raked into the bonewood, cracking with the effort of hanging on while the realms tried to spit her back out to her home.
She wasn’t sure how long she’d hung on when a voice as dark and musical as the song playing around them kissed her ears.
“You’re here. ”
His voice reached down into every crevice of her being, filling her with its soothing sound. A poem written just for her, she inhaled the sound. Her neck twinged as she contorted, twisting to find the owner of the voice. She stilled. There amongst the grove of bonewood trees just beyond the river was a man staring at her like this was Kava and she was the sun. In a blink, the man was crouching before her, not touching or speaking, just staring.
She wasn’t sure he even realized he had begun to speak aloud, his voice a dusky murmur. “It shouldn’t be possible.” His fingers slid through her hair, letting it slip and pool through his fingers.
Head foggy and body burning, she knew she couldn’t last much longer. Her tongue flopped uselessly, struggling to form the words. “You’re him? The god—the deal broker...”
His hand fell. “You’re—you’re here for a deal?” His eyes closed, brow furrowing. Flat resignation extinguished the sun from his eyes. “Of course.”
She gave a weak shrug and nodded, no longer capable of speech. She could feel the fabric of her being tearing, ripping as it sought its way home. Something warm dripped down her face, and she watched him shudder.
With a surprisingly gentle hand, his thumb wiped away the blood, red and stark against his skin. He stared down at that drop of blood before silently sucking his finger clean. He stood tall, his face creased with emotion she couldn’t understand.
“Well then, I’ll be here, Elysia Parker. Ready and waiting to spin the deal of your dreams.” He gave a slight bow at the waist. And then in one violent motion, he ripped her hands free of the trunk.
With a cry, her body jerked. The last thing she saw was the god of the dead staring at where her body had just been. Hands clasped behind his back, lean and tall as the bone tree beside him. There was a pained expression upon his face. Devastated—the god of the dead looked devastated, and much to her dismay, he wore it beautifully. The strong lines of his face sharpened, the familiar resignation setting into dignified worn grooves. All of it telling her he was no stranger to the darker emotions that plagued humans and gods alike. He wore his pain aloud and for some reason, she found him all the handsomer for it. The thought troubled her, a silent warning sounding beneath her curiosity.
But then she disappeared, the image of him burnt into her memory like a brand.
Elysia flinched awake.
A tiny black padded paw repeatedly smacked her in the face. Large brown-black eyes stared intensely into hers as the paw came down on her cheek rhythmically. One, two. One, two. She lurched up, and the raccoon scrambled back from her, nails clicking on the tile, chittering and hissing at her as it waved its arm. Darting forward again, Lina grabbed a handful of sweater and tugged, grunting as if she could possibly move Elysia away from the roof’s edge.
“Okay, okay, I’m moving.” Elysia groaned and began to climb back down, pausing halfway to see if the raccoon was following. Sure enough, her rotund behind appeared over the ledge, dark feet dangling before getting a grip.
“You know, Topp is probably looking for you.”
The raccoon grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked.
Pain shot through Elysia’s scalp, causing her to yelp. She glared at the creature. “Gods, you’re a fucking demon.”
Lina gave a terrifying grin full of little teeth and relaxed her grip.
“If I find out you’re spying for the prince, then your next life will be as a hand muff. Got it?”
Elysia dragged herself up the front walk and stood staring at the black door of Gage’s house trying to prepare herself. Her mouth tasted awful. Her head was thick and pounding. And she had a feeling this was going to go terribly. But before she could even reach for the knob, the door flung open.
Gage stood there, frazzled with chaos in his eyes. “Your funeral, kid.”
Her brow creased in confusion.
But then the hurricane that was Beatriz pounded up behind him. She shoved him aside as if it were normal for her to throw around professional assassins twice her size. Gage grunted as he toppled into the coat rack, but Beatriz’s eyes were drilling into her sister. Her normally sleek silver hair was fuzzy, and her silk button-down wrinkled. Beatriz Parker looked like a mess.
Elysia smiled and the fury her sister hadn’t been hiding in the slightest erupted.
“You are still every bit the pain in my ass that you have been since the day you were born!”
Elysia tried to respond, but Beatriz reached out and slapped a hand over her mouth. “Do not .” She stepped over the threshold, getting close to Elysia then quickly stepping back as her nose scrunched. “Don’t you dare try to lie to me about what you did last night. And gods above and below, you smell like a fucking distillery.”
Red crept up Elysia’s neck. Her words were garbled behind her sister’s hand. “Which part?”
Her fingers pinched into Elysia’s skin. “What do you mean, which part? Are you telling me there’s a part beyond where you showed up at that disgusting hole-in-the-wall trying to provoke a brawl? Are you trying to get executed?”
A disgruntled noise sounded off from somewhere farther in the house. Beatriz rolled her eyes, calling back with only a smidge less bite in her voice. “It is disgusting. Use a mop or something.” She shook her head. “Fucking peasants.”
Elysia licked her sister’s hand like a dog and grinned when Beatriz ripped her hand away, as expected. She craned her neck around her sister. “Jessa’s in there?”
Beatriz looked down at her suspiciously. “Yes, because she’s a better human than you.”
She went to push past her sister, but Beatriz shot her arm out, blocking the doorway. Her voice came out low and then a little nervous. “You’re not telling me something. And for the love of all the undead gods. Please tell me you didn’t have anything to do with the random knife attack on the godsforsaken prince last night.”
A grin bubbled up and crept across Elysia’s face. She spoke delicately. “First of all, it wasn’t an attack. That’s very dramatic. It was a well-placed knife that shattered a glass he was holding.” She paused. “And second, you know, Triz, I think you’re finally starting to understand how I felt about you all these years!”
And with that she stuck out a leg, causing Beatriz to stumble, and ducked under her arm into the house, strolling into the kitchen as if she didn’t smell like a drunk, dead cat with a raccoon trailing two steps behind her.
Gage’s voice followed her. “Did you really shatter the glass he was holding?”
“He was touching another woman, and I didn’t like it. My knife must have slipped.”
A choked laugh escaped him. “Is it bad that I’m proud?”
She smiled, biting back her own laugh.
Elysia grabbed the kettle, gathering what she needed to brew a little something to stave off the worst of her aches. She didn’t bother looking at Jessa. Her insides twisted uncomfortably. She’d been such an ass last night. An unbearable, childish ass.
Fingers deep in an herb jar, she spoke, “Surprised to see you here. I was awful last night.”
The admission cost her, shame making her wish she could forgo the conversation altogether.
Jessa just leaned back against the kitchen table and crossed her arms. “Yeah. You were. But I know bullshit when I see it.” She paused, sounding uncomfortable. “Look, I’m not the most well-adjusted person myself, so I’m willing to overlook an outburst or two. But more importantly, I don’t care what these assholes say. Fuck your sister and that overmuscled mother hen. You're not getting on that ship.”
Beatriz walked into the room, eyes flashing. “I told you we shouldn’t have let this street rat in here.”
“Shouldn’t have let either of you in here,” Gage muttered.
Jessa rolled her eyes and spoke tauntingly. “Elysia, your little dog won’t stop barking.”
Elysia rubbed her temples, looking at her sister’s bony hand make a fist as if she’d actually do anything with it. “Degenerates, both of you.”
“I realize we have more important matters to discuss, but can someone please tell me why there is a raccoon in my home?” Gage stared in consternation at Lina.
Plopped on her haunches, her grubby little paw was rhythmically snatching forest berries out of a bowl on the counter. Cheeks full and face stained red with juice, she looked rabid.
Everyone stopped squabbling, falling silent as they watched the raccoon. Elysia opened and closed her mouth. Shifting on her feet, she answered weakly. “This is Lina.”
More silence.
She waved a hand. “You know how the prince is—always rehabbing animals. Lina was in his room the night everything went to shit.” The raccoon spit out a berry, leaving a glop on the counter.
Elysia grimaced. “Why she’s here now... I don’t know.”
Gage answered slowly. “None of that makes any sense.”
Elysia interrupted before he could continue. “Anyway, I have news.”
She ignored the glare she could feel scalding the side of her face, shushing Beatriz before she could start spitting nails again. “Just let me tell you!”
Using a towel to hold on to the kettle, she poured hot water over the herbs in a green clay mug.
“I had the dream.” She frowned. “Or traveled. Whatever we're calling it—last night. But this time I managed to stay a little longer. And I met him.” She grinned viciously.
Jessa balked. Her raspy voice dropped to a stunned whisper. “You met a god?”
Elysia shrugged, setting the kettle aside. “He didn’t seem especially god-like, but he’s the one we’re looking for, alright.”
“And?”
She paused, her mind’s eye flashing back to how shocked he seemed to be to see her. Almost as if he thought she was an illusion or dream. Not to mention the bitter ire he couldn’t seem to swallow when he realized she wanted a deal. Her mouth pursed. What else would she be there for? A tea party? Gods and kings were the same as far as she was concerned, and it was only too typical that he would act all high and mighty about her wishing to procure a deal even though he was the one who had stolen Kava’s magic.
“He didn’t like it when I asked if he was the deal broker. Ripped me out of there right fast.”
Gage sent a parental sort of look her way. “Remember how I taught you not to chase marks you weren’t sure you could take?”
Elysia huffed. “I’m not trying to kill him. I just want to get our magic back.”
He drummed his fingers and shook his head. “No, you’re just trying to swindle him. You have no plan. Next to zero knowledge on this god . You’ll be throwing yourself into another realm to your death.”
“We could still stuff her onto the boat like we talked about.”
“Could you just try to be a supportive sister for once?”
Jessa ignored them much like she ignored the drunk idiots at her bar, musing to herself. “You’re a Crown kid.”
“I mean, I suppose that’s better than when you call me a Crown bitch.”
Jessa looked at her in exasperation. “No, what I mean is—you’re trained in this stuff. The diplomacy, the politics. People say that you work with your father on trades. Why couldn’t you go meet with him as that, Elysia?”
Elysia and Beatriz both gaped while Gage frowned as if he was hoping no one would bring this up.
The sisters considered one another excitedly and spoke like lightning.
Elysia grabbed her sister’s wrists, eyes going wide. “This could work.”
“You could go as an emissary.”
“We have enough of that brew for me to go as many times as I need.”
“I could help you craft the deal.”
“You would do that?”
Beatriz wrapped her fingers around Elysia’s wrists as well. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”
Intrigue played into Elysia’s voice. “Really? Are you a Parker after all?”
Beatriz answered quietly. “Maybe I always have been.”
Elysia appraised her and nodded before turning back to Jessa and Gage, who both looked winded by their conversation.
“It’s settled. I’ll take the tincture and attempt to strike a deal.” Her words were matter-of-fact. “ Everyone , gods included, has a price.”