Page 22 of The Shadow of Polaris

All the sconces were blown out hours ago. Only the silver moonlight beaming through glass skylights overhead illuminated the strip of cedar beams and pillars that lined the walls of the vestibule. Obsidian sculptures of Polaris rose from matching stone floors, projecting speckles of light across the cavernous walls. Like a replica of twinkling stars across our northern sky. Each statuette posed with outstretched arms, as if beckoning me to plunge deeper into the temple’s subterranean secrets.

At the back of the corridor was a dais, shrouded in gauzy drapes. On the dais, a glorious throne. I sucked in a breath, half expecting the Queen of Spring to await me there with her blonde ringlet curls and perfect little foot bouncing over her crossed leg. Only starlight and dust rested upon the throne. My footsteps echoed through the high, multi-story ceilings as I snuck behind the dais and slipped down dusty stone steps leading to the temple’s archives.

The archives were vast, stretching for miles into the earth beneath the mountain. Symmetrical, unlit chandeliers, cast from iron, hung down the stretch of the corridor. Round oak desks with matching stools dispersed between row after row of leather-bound books and dusty ledgers.

Only the sound of my cautious footsteps filled the space, refracting off ornate black tiles, speckled with amethysts mapping the northern constellations. The crux stood opposite the northern star. Ursa Major and Cassiopeia beckoned to one another from their adjoining tiles.

What I was searching for, I wasn’t sure exactly. I traced my hand across leather spine after spine along the shelves. Arcturas, having picked up a scent, sniffed frantically at a trail, winding her through sections and weaving between desks.

I paused at the stack of shelves labeled Immortal History. Scanning the titles on each shelf, I finally found something of promise. Pulling a thick, black leather-bound book, I started towards the closest desk. Arcturas was still furiously sniffing as I began flipping through the pages.

Tethys, goddess of Spring, Patron of Dawn, was once a benevolent and loving ruler over her people. Venia and its mortal citizens flourished beneath her reign. However, that all changed when she fell into a fit of fury, fueled by retribution.

Rumors circulated that a relationship between her mortal consort and a handmaiden had been uncovered. Heartbroken and enraged, Tethys slaughtered her husband and the entire mortal court beneath her. Although the account of this affair is not documented, historians have heavily investigated the aftermath of this massacre from across the realms.

The members of the court, in an incredibly gruesome sight, were strung from the outer city walls, warning all immortals and mortals alike not to cross the vengeful goddess. Thus started the Great War- an effort lead by Altair, God of Summer, Patron of Day and supported by Procyon, God of Autumn, Patron of Dusk.

Polaris, Goddess of Winter, Patron of Night, however, withheld her army’s involvement in the bloodshed. Thousands of mortal lives were lost in the seventy-five years of battle. It wasn’t until Aquilae nearly crumbled beneath Tethys’s force did Polaris send her armies to support.

During the legendary Battle at Aquilae, Altair himself was seconds from forfeiting to his female enemy when the battle horns of the Northern army rang from outside the city walls. With these new reinforcements, Altair and Procyon pushed Tethys and her armies East- back to her territory.

Venia nearly burned to the ground on that historic day. Accounts from mortal citizens tell of violence and death across the flourishing Eastern Realm. A common legend spread throughout the modern city of Venia. It states that anywhere a plumeria blossomed, mortal blood was shed under their patron goddess’s knife.

Once the realms were secured from war, the immortal council decreed that to prevent any more bloodshed of scorned lovers or vengeful gods, a realm isolated from the four mortal cities was to be constructed and the four patron gods would rule, invisible and separate from their mortal peoples.

They appointed four elders as conduits between the cities and their immortal namesakes. Hearts were left broken, and children were left with single parents as the immortals evacuated from their cities. Now, over a thousand years later, the bond between the two races has become seemingly nonexistent.

Venia, still isolated from the other realms, has rebuilt and grown into a prospering city. Without the active presence of their namesake goddess, mortal leadership has taken command of the city.

I smacked the thick book shut. Grumbling, I returned it to its shelf and continued to scan the aisles. The history of Tethys and the Great War was common knowledge. Everyone knew the stories. This was pointless. The archives were public record. There wouldn’t be anything here I hadn’t already learned in my history lessons.

I continued to hunt for an answer down the rows, however. I couldn’t give up that easily. With each page after page I scanned, my frustration boiled. At my tipping point, I threw a leather text to the ground and stomped like a child, tears springing from my eyes.

I was an idiot. Nothing was here to help me. There was no explanation for what happened. The historical records of the royal lineage had told me nothing. We’d come from a pure northern line. Ancient, dating back to the first mortal settlers in the fjord. They’d been just like every other northern family. Nothing miraculous or mystical. We had descended from mere farmers. The only thing that’d set us apart from the city folk was sheer luck. They had selected the first northern king with a bone toss. A child’s game.

I slid to my knees, letting the full force of my hysterics erupt out of me. Ripping pages from the books I’d pulled from their shelves, I wailed and sobbed until I expelled all the moisture from my body. When my cries faded into gulps of breath, I thought of my parents.

What would they say if they could see what I’d become- a shell of their daughter, consumed by her fear, calloused by years of cruelty and betrayal? I pictured myself as a child, running through the castle gardens, chasing butterflies, and collecting worms from the dirt.

Where was that girl?

It had been so long since I felt her presence within me. I longed for her light, for her carefree disposition, for her kindled warmth. Had she simply retreated too deep or had they murdered her the day I stepped foot into the tower? I wasn’t sure anymore.

Wiping the snot now trailing down my upper lip, I inhaled deeply, chasing the sadness and anger away until only the usual numbness remained. Gathering the torn pages into my cloak pockets, I turned out of the aisle and stepped toward the exit. Something caused me to stop in my tracks, however. My heart dropped into my chest and my knees buckled beneath my weight.

At the end of the alcove, just beside the exit, stood a black-haired woman with dark indigo eyes.

Chapter 14

“What causes such pain within you that brings out those heartbreaking cries?” Polaris’s voice was velvet in my ears, radiating goosebumps up my arms. I gaped at her, unable to form words, let alone conscious thought. Up close, the deep purple of her eyes swirled in rhythmic waves, seeming to glow with a buzzing power. Swallowing hard, I interlaced my trembling fingers, falling to my knees to bow before her.

“Although I appreciate your gesture of respect, there’s no need for it, my dear.” Suddenly, she was before me, tipping my chin up to meet her gaze with delicate, cool fingers.

The softness of her touch on my face brought a flush across my cheeks. She stood so close, if I leaned slightly forward, my nose would touch hers. Her sharp but sweet aroma wrapped around me. She smelled of apple and bergamot. She brought me to my feet, my knees still gelatinous and shaking. Smiling, the goddess tucked a loose strand of hair back behind my ear and brushed the dirt from my cloak.

“Child, why have you come here tonight?” The hem of her deep navy dress swished as she took a step back and encouraged me to speak, letting her hands fall gently to her sides. The material shimmered as if every star in the sky above had been collected and sewn into its folds. I noticed she wore no crown, just a carved amethyst clip collecting strands of hair neatly at the nape.

“I was looking for answers, Goddess,” I said, my voice nearly a whisper. She raised a brow in my direction, and I could’ve sworn a slight smile curled at the corner of her plum colored lips.

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