Page 110 of Catastrophe

My head ached, but the tea did seem to help with the nausea.

“Sometimes. Less so these days.”

She looked down, but I caught the flash of guilt on her face. “What do you mean?” I asked.

She took a sip of her tea and pursed her lips. “That was your vision, Clawdia. Everything you saw was through your mind, not mine. You pulled me into your dreamscape since I am usually showing you visions, and it makes it easier for your mind to comprehend the truth.”

“The truth?”

“My curse is transferring to you.”

I dropped the plate, and it crashed onto the floor, smashing into tiny pieces which scattered far and wide. I gaped at Nisha in horror, my hand with the teacup still frozen near my mouth and the heat rising from the liquid made her blurry. She said nothing as she began cleaning up the mess I made, nodding her head as though she expected a reaction like that.

No, no, no, no. My stomach rolled, and I placed the cup on the table.

“The things I’ve been seeing, the children, Fafnir, Michael … it’s happening because I’m taking your power?” I asked shakily.

She sighed as she rejoined me on the sofa. “Like my mates, I’m dying. But this curse lives on and it will pass to you.”

Curse. The word seemed to reverberate around my mind.

“Explain the curse. What do you mean?”

“The Fates were like gods among the titans. They were females with the gift to see the past, present, and future threads and they didn’t die until another was born. My mates were the guardians of the realms. They were to protect the realms from the damages that titans throwing too much of their weight around could cause and throw off the balance. As you know, the linked dimensions are perfectly aligned to share power between them. But they were too late to intervene in a titan civil war in the human realm. They’d just met me and I suppose I distracted them from their duty.

The shadow realm portal was a casualty in a battle that should never have happened. It rocked the entire realm and beyond. And as it turns out, the Fates power was gifted from the power balance in the realms. As they died, they passed their power, their curse to me, and ensured the protection of my mates so I could handle the mantle passed. In protecting them, they ensured my mates did not lose their soul and their power when the shadow magic snapped, cut off from its realm. It cleaved the souls of all titans both in the human realm and in Tartarus in half. It was … the most brutal thing I’d ever witnessed.”

“You are the Fates.” I breathed.

“I am the Fates,” she nodded sadly.

“And you are dying?” I gasped.

What was I going to tell Baelen? His mother was dying. Maybe he already knew since his fathers had already told him they were dying, but I didn’t want that for him. I didn’t want him to suffer the death of his parents. Especially if it meant I’d received a curse.

I grasped her hands and squeezed them. “We can’t save you? There’s no way to stop it?”

“Nothing I can see.” She shook her head. “Even if there were, my visions are slowing so I cannot see it. Besides, it’s time I went back to my mates, and explained myself properly. I want to spend the rest of our years together. I need to see my brother, too. He’s been worried.”

If it wasn’t such a sad reason to go home, I would be happy for her. She had a wistful smile on her face as she gazed through the window. I couldn’t imagine being without my men for so many years, alone with only visions to keep me company. I shuddered to think about it.

Her gaze returned to me, and she squeezed my hands. “And I hope you will all visit in person before we pass too.”

“Of course we will.” I promised. “We are hoping to set up a home in Tartarus for Dralie to guard the apples. And if we have children in time, you will be close by to meet them.”

She chuckled, and it sounded slightly watery. “That sounds wonderful.”

My smile faded, and I whispered. “I’m sorry.”

“I’ve lived a long time, Clawdia. I’m not afraid of dying. I am afraid of passing such a terrible burden to you, however.”

“Did you do it on purpose?” I asked.

“No. I cannot control where this power lives on, but I knew it would be you.”

“Why me?”

“You are the first female with the titan soul bonded to its other half. You are a suitable host with lots of power and a complicated destiny.”

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