Chapter 41 #2
“The twins are resting before their next jump back to Tiryns, and Theo…” He smirked knowingly, scraping the bottom of his bowl. “Well, let’s just say we won’t be seeing him for a while.”
“Isn’t he with Elishat?” The Parthian scout had returned that morning, and Alena had exchanged only a few words with her before she’d slipped away to find Theo.
“Yep.”
“That’s good. I’m glad they found time to catch up.” Elishat and Theo clearly cared for one another—Alena still remembered how distraught they’d both seemed last summer when Leukos announced Theo would accompany him to Tiryns.
Nik snorted, breaking her thoughts. “I doubt they’re doing much talking.”
Alena blinked, then flushed as the implication hit her. “Oh, I see.”
Nik took a swig from his waterskin, lips twitching at her reaction.
She buried her head in her bowl, aiming for a casual tone. “It’s fine. I might be… inexperienced, but I’m not clueless.”
Nik arched an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“Yes. Katell told me plenty. So did the women in our camp, though their descriptions were… more elusive.” She shrugged. “I grew up around animals, so I have a basic understanding of these things.”
Nik choked on a laugh, setting down his waterskin with exaggerated care.
She shot him a glare. “Stop it.”
“I didn’t say anything.” But the look on his face said plenty.
“You didn’t have to.”
His grin widened, mischief dancing across his features. “Well, if Kat’s teaching methods are anything to go by, I’d say Leukos is in for—”
Alena pointed her spoon at him, her face burning. “Don’t you dare finish that sentence, Nikander!”
Nik raised his hands in mock surrender, but the moment their eyes met, they both burst into laughter, the tension melting away.
All too soon, their mirth faded, and reality crept back in. Alena’s smile faltered, her grip tightening on the spoon as her gaze dropped to the bowl in her lap.
“Do you think Phoebe was right?” she asked quietly. “That Kat will end up our enemy again?”
Nik’s expression sobered. He leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. “We have to trust that your sister will find her way back to us.”
Alena frowned, uncertainty twisting in her chest. “And what if she doesn’t?”
Nik didn’t look away, his usual levity gone. “Then you need to be prepared to make some tough decisions.”
“You think…” Alena’s breath snagged, the familiar ache blooming anew in her chest. “You think we should kill her?”
“That,” he said, the guttering firelight throwing restless shadows across his face, “or watch her kill those we love.”
The words hung in the air like a blade poised to fall. Pushing her bowl aside, Alena hugged her knees to her chest. The fire crackled softly, but its warmth seemed to have retreated, leaving her chilled to the bone.
“She’s my sister,” Alena said at last, staring into the flames. “I’ll always try to save her. Always. Even when she doesn’t want to be saved.”
“I know.” Nik’s gaze didn’t waver. “And whatever you decide, I’ll be with you, Red. So will Leukos. No matter what the Achaeans, the Westerners, or even the Twelve might think.”
A lump formed in Alena’s throat, but she managed a small, grateful smile. No matter how uncertain the path ahead, she could always rely on Nik to stand by her—and to protect Katell, even when she couldn’t.
Nik leaned back on his elbows, watching the fire flicker.
“Let me tell you something,” he said. “Years ago, I travelled from Kyrnos to the western port of Tarraco. We stopped for supplies in a small harbour along the Western Tribes’ coast. A miserable place in winter—wet marshlands, constant drizzle.
I couldn’t wait to leave for sunny Tarraco.
Yet the port was crowded, far more than I’d expected. ”
“Why?” Alena asked, curiosity overcoming her gloom.
“Wild horses roam the marshlands, and just outside the port stands a temple dedicated to—”
“The White Mare?” Alena interrupted.
Nik nodded. “Exactly. Westerners from every tribe came to make offerings and pray for a Gift. Many carried small figurines of the goddess on horseback or tokens carved with her symbols. And some of those symbols…” He pressed his lips together, raking a hand down his face like he wanted to hold the words back.
“They looked similar to the Mark on your sister’s neck. ”
Alena stilled. “You… what are you saying?”
“I don’t think Kat was Marked by Laran,” he said. “I think she was Marked by the White Mare.”
“And you’re only telling me this now? How can you be so sure? She wielded Laran’s Flame, Nik. The Rasennans call her Laran’s Chosen.”
“I know.” Nik ran a hand through his hair, guilt heavy in his eyes. “But her Mark depicts a horse, the White Mare’s symbol. And the colour isn’t black—it’s a deep purple, the colour of dusk.”
Purple. Alena’s mind reeled. Like the Rebel Queen’s lavender Mark.
Nik shook his head. “Anyway, it’s just a theory. One we won’t be able to confirm until we find Kat again.”
He stoked the fire while Alena pondered his words. If Katell was Marked by the White Mare, then why were the Rasennans convinced she was Laran’s Chosen?
Before she could ask, Danaos emerged from between the tents, his face drawn and pale. “Mind if I join you?”
Without waiting for an answer, he sank onto a weathered log and scrubbed a hand over his face.
Nik eyed him with a smirk. “You look like shit, cousin.”
Danaos gave a rough snort. “Try burning through enough magic to ferry men across the Empire three times a day for five straight days,” he growled, his voice scraped raw. “See how pretty you look after that.”
“Not sleeping well?” Nik prodded, serving him a bowl of food.
Danaos let out a weary sigh, staring into the flames. “I’m worried about Charis. She… she appeared to me just now.”
Alena exchanged a glance with Nik. Was this another one of Charis’ Gifts? “Appeared to you? How?”
Danaos huffed a dry laugh, shaking his head.
“Apparently, soulmates can see each other in moments of great distress.” He grabbed the waterskin Nik offered and took a swig.
As if reading the unspoken questions in their expressions, he added, “After we acknowledged the bond between us, we could start sensing each other’s magic.
That was strange enough. But seeing her—like she was standing right in front of me—that was something else entirely. ”
Alena swallowed, her throat dry. That sounded very much like the vision she’d once had of Leukos when she’d fought Gortynius in Dodona. She opened her mouth to ask more, but Danaos turned to Nik instead, cutting her off.
“More and more Achaeans are coming to Tiryns every day,” he said, his frustration bleeding through.
“I told her it’s a good sign—that Achaeans are finally uniting, taking action against Rasenna, and joining our ranks.
But logistically? It’s a nightmare. We’re running out of room and supplies.
” His words came out on a long, ragged exhale.
“Is Theodoros around? I’d like his input on a few ideas—”
“He’s busy,” Nik said. “I’m sure he’ll be free later on.”
Danaos frowned. “My request is urgent.”
Nik leaned back, folding his arms across his chest. “I’m sure it is. But if you disturb him right now, the only chance you’ll get to see Charis will be in your dreams.”
Danaos scowled, his mouth flattening into a hard line.
Alena, still tangled in the memory of her vision of Leukos, barely registered their exchange until Nik cut through her thoughts. “What was it you told Despoina the other day? That you get to relive Charis’ memories of all those years she spent with Leukos?”
Danaos shot him a withering glare. “My sister shouldn’t have told you that.”
Alena’s mind snagged on a single word. “Memories?” she cut in, blood draining from her face. “You see Charis’ memories in your dreams? You witness the scenes but can’t… can’t interact with anyone?”
Danaos blinked in confusion. “Yes, soulmates can see each other’s memories from childhood to the present day. They can also meet in their dreams, but Charis and I—”
Realisation smacked Alena in the face, and a startled, breathless laugh escaped her—half shock, half disbelief. “Hah!”
Nik raised an eyebrow. “Alena?”
But she was already upright, her racing pulse drowning out the crackling fire and sounds of the camp.
I see it now, and clearly, they are not the only couple.
All the pieces were falling into place, so obvious in hindsight that she wanted to curse herself for being so blind until now. “I need to find Leukos.”
Nik frowned. “He’s training. He should be back by—”
“Where is he?” Her tone carried more desperation than she intended.
The two men exchanged a wary glance. “By the waterfall,” Nik said with a frown. “Past the brook—”
“I know the one.”
Without another word, she spun on her heel, boots crunching against the dry earth as she strode down the familiar path, the sudden need to see Leukos propelling her forward.
By the Moon…
There were soulmates. Soulmates!
The answer to all the visions, all the dreams, had been right under her nose the whole time. And of course, Leukos had probably known and hadn’t told her.
Yet again.
She clenched her fists and quickened her pace, each step pounding out her rising frustration. She was going to throttle him. No—she was going to murder him for keeping such a monumental secret from her.
What had he been thinking?
Except, deep down, she already knew. The dreams that had plagued her for months had given her more than glimpses of his past—they’d shown her his heart.
Leukos had struggled his whole life, weighed down by inadequacy: not powerful enough for his father, not strong enough to save his mother, and now, not in control enough to claim his soulmate.
He’d likely decided that her safety mattered more, that he had no right to drag her into the chaos of his unchecked magic, and had sacrificed his happiness for her protection.
The thought softened the anger festering within her. But it didn’t make his silence any less maddening.
Because that same bond he’d dismissed could’ve helped him. It had already helped him. She understood now why she’d been able to touch him that day, back when his Gift had spiralled out of control and she’d sent his magic beyond the gates, freezing everything in its path.
As his soulmate, she could help him regain control of his Gift… but only after she’d given him an earful.