Chapter 15
Aella
Istood at the edge of a clearing, with deep snow covering the ground.
It was bitterly cold—more than I’d ever felt living in Therress.
Nothing appeared familiar, either. Mountains surrounded me that could have been several places, but the pine blood trees I recognized from colorful depictions in books could only come from one location.
A gasp of horror escaped me as I realized I was in northern Karganoth.
A place I’d never been and had no desire to visit.
Before I could think further on that terrifying conclusion, faint murmurs reached my ears. I jerked my gaze toward the sound. Through a break in the forest, I spotted a large group of people walking toward the clearing.
Most of the figures wore dark cloaks, but the seven young men at the lead were completely naked, their hair shorn to reveal bald heads.
They were too far away to make out their expressions, but I was surprised by how confidently they walked through the snow while unclothed in freezing weather. How could they handle it?
I scooted over to the nearest tree for cover, terror in my heart, as I noted the pointed black ears of those I could see clearly. How had I gotten here? And why was it winter when it had just been early autumn?
“They can’t see you,” a deep, ageless voice said behind me.
I jumped so high I nearly cleared the foot of snow surrounding my feet. Bracing myself, I turned around to find a cold, breathtaking man—or rather, deity—wearing a deep red cloak with a hint of black clothing underneath. His eyes were pale blue, shimmering with untold knowledge and power.
The hood of his cloak was down. It allowed me to see that he had short, spiky white hair, contrasting with his sun-kissed skin.
He was an inch or so taller than Darrow, but his build was slightly narrower.
The aura surrounding him was far more potent than I’d ever seen or felt before.
Static from it filled the air, dancing across my skin as if it sought a way inside.
“Who…who are you?” I asked, fear coiling in my stomach.
He let out an amused laugh. “I have no name, but the dark elves call me the God of Wrath, and Darrow occasionally calls me Wrath in his head when he’s thinking of me. It is so very nice to meet you in person, Aella. I’ve been waiting days for this opportunity.”
I stiffened, realizing my being here was his doing. “What do you want from me?”
Inwardly, I cursed myself for my demanding tone. He wasn’t my god, so I didn’t worship him, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t hurt me. I needed to take care with my words. Angering deities never went well.
The powerful figure stepped closer, scrutinizing my face and body. I glanced down and realized my thin nightgown, which only reached my knees, hid very little, especially with the cold pebbling my nipples. He’d caught me at the worst possible time.
“I brought you here so that you could see your mate’s most difficult trial. It is the one that brought him the greatest pain and forged the man he became in the future.”
“Why would you care if I saw it?” I asked.
Without touching me, he moved me to the edge of the tree line, so I had to watch the dark elves as they took their positions in the clearing. The seven men were so young, now that I could see them better, barely adults. At best guess, I’d have said their ages ranged between eighteen and twenty.
“Darrow loves to keep his secrets, but he couldn’t tell you about this day even if he wished, so I thought I’d bring you into his mind to witness the event as he relives it.”
The naked men stood in profile to me. My gaze ran over them, keeping my focus on their heads and shoulders.
I was surprised none of them shivered in this cold.
Had they gotten used to it? I recognized Darrow as being the last in line.
His shoulders were broad, but he didn’t have thick muscles yet, and was much leaner.
It was his lack of hair that made him the most difficult to recognize.
On the other hand, it made it easier to see one of his ears, which was only black at the top, unlike the others that were fully dark.
I noted that the elf next to him appeared familiar as well.
Studying the large man with pale skin more closely, I narrowed him down to Bogdan.
Even at this age, his piercing dark gray eyes held a hint of pain and misery.
Why? What had he endured in his youth to shape him that way?
“What is significant about this memory?” I asked, moving my gaze back to the younger version of my husband.
The deity’s words came to me like a whisper on the wind. “It is a day of renewal, pain, and sacrifice that select dark elves must undergo when they come of age. Only the most powerful, who have persisted and overcome years of harsh training and testing, are invited to this momentous occasion.”
I frowned as they lined the candidates in a row and gave each a dagger. “For what purpose?”
“To prove themselves to me, so that I may decide who is worthy of being a conduit of my power.” He chuckled behind me in a humorless way that made me shiver—and not from the cold.
“Darrow could never have used so much of my magic without the events of today. Those who aren’t branded as mine can only receive a token amount of what I have—when I allow it.
But even the marked who pass the initiation can only siphon half as much as your mate does. He is special.”
My gaze jerked to the god as a thought occurred to me. “What about his sister? Did Faina have to go through this as well?”
“Yes, though the women underwent their initiation the night before. Her potential is nearly as great as Darrow’s.”
“Why are you telling me this?” I asked, returning my gaze to the field. One thing I’d learned from the other nameless god who visited me is that they rarely gave away information without a reason.
The sensation of a hand running down my back made me jerk. “Because understanding what unfolds here will help you know Darrow better. Also, you need to understand why I torture him after he takes my power.”
“Why?” I asked through gritted teeth. That was something I definitely wanted to know after watching the effects for days. What could justify it?
The heat from the god’s aura was so palatable that his nearness actually brought warmth as he moved so close I could feel his breath on my neck.
The scent of sage and spice enveloped my senses.
I hated that I was trapped in this place, wearing nothing more than a nightgown with someone too powerful to fight.
“In the past, I allowed a few of my followers to siphon more of my magic at once than they could handle, and they paid a heavy price. It swallowed them until they forgot who they were and thought only of conquest and power. They inherited my worst traits and none of my good,” he explained.
I snorted. “You have good traits?”
“We all do, though some exhibit them more than others.” The god lifted a lock of my hair and twisted it between his fingers.
“After one of my followers loses themselves, I have no choice except to take control of them. I use them for a while because they can be useful, but afterward, I mercifully kill them.”
“You’re a true paragon of virtue,” I said bitterly.
“For a woman who has always stepped lightly around powerful figures, you’re certainly showing bravery now in the face of someone who could erase your existence with a thought.” He dropped my hair. “It is a good thing I like you.”
I shivered. “Are you saying that torturing your followers makes them hesitate before using your magic?”
“Partly, yes.” He took my chin and forced me to look at him.
“Darrow is a special case, though. He has a darkness within him that could boost his strength without me, but it is toxic and could erase the good in him. I have taught him to seek my assistance if it gets out of control so that I can suppress it, but as a result, he is capable of handling far more of my power without being overcome than any of my followers before him. Though I hesitate to say this, as his mate, you could stop his innate darkness whenever it arises if you completed the bond.”
Suddenly, so many strangers were concerned with our mating status. It was none of their business, but I couldn’t say that. It was terrifying enough staring into Wrath’s ageless blue eyes. “What do you get out of lending your power to your followers? Why aren’t more gods doing it?”
“Oh, we all interfere in our own way, but I found that lending my strength to the deserving results in purer, truer worship. Their high esteem makes me powerful in ways that other gods cannot hope to replicate.” He rubbed his thumb across my chin gently.
“The only reason they don’t do it is that they dislike sharing themselves, but I adore it. ”
How could someone so cold and calculating also be alluring?
I hated myself for thinking that, but I couldn’t ignore it, either.
The way he called to me felt like I was recognizing the piece of him connected to Darrow.
He was using that to his advantage, and the amusement in his gaze told me that he knew exactly what I was thinking. Did he?
My shoulders sagged in relief when he let go of my chin and turned me to face the field.
Unfortunately, that view was worse. My gut clenched at seeing the naked young elves again.
I wanted to ask why they had to be nude in the snow, but no sound came from my mouth.
Instead, the God of Wrath forced me to stay still and watch while he stood close behind me.
The heat of his body kept me warm, but I wished I had proper clothing instead. How could a dream feel this real?
“Make your sacrifices!” an older dark elf wearing a black cloak announced.