Page 37 of The Shadow of Polaris

His dark brown hair now gleamed with streaks of golden blonde. His eyes, once a warm, compassionate chestnut, now glowed a cold, piercing amber. The only feature I recognized were his lips, the lips that had whispered such sweetness. The lips that had comforted me time and time again.

On the left side of his face, black ink wrapped around his high, angular cheekbone, the mark of a battled warrior. He was glorious, with deadly beauty. Every inch of him oozed predatory prowess. A fitted black leather breastplate replaced the fur-lined cloak, highlighting every curve of his muscle.

“I trusted you.” My voice was low, barely a whisper, as this betrayal shattered me into a thousand pieces. He spoke, but Tethys raised her hand to his lips, cutting off the words before they rolled from his tongue.

“Elpis, darling, I think it’s time I take my leave. The filth in this godsforsaken house is making me sick.” The goddess plucked a piece of lint from her flowing gossamer gown. “Aryx, take care of this for me, will you?”

He nodded silently as his mother, smiling with a deep satisfaction, exited the chamber. The vines loosened their grip around me and snaked back into the floor, leaving broken tile and shredded carpet in their absence.

Without hesitation, I threw myself at the man I once trusted, fully intending to slaughter him where he stood. He grasped my clenched fists and held them at my sides, staring with those piercing, deadly eyes. Tears dripped from my chin as the heartbreak flowed freely from my ducts. With shallow breaths, I tried shaking free, but he overpowered me with the strength of his grip.

“Listen to me,” he whispered.

I kicked at his legs, hoping to steal his balance and bring him to the floor.

“Listen to me!” he whispered again, wrapping an arm around my waist.

I slammed my head into his shoulder and bit into the sensitive flesh of his neck. Scowling, he dropped his hold for only a split second. It was just enough time for me to rip the dagger sheathed at his side from its holster and press it against his throat.

“You betrayed me.” I pushed the blade further into his skin, drawing a slow drip of blood.

“Please, just listen.” His voice was hoarse, with cold iron pressed at his throat. “Let me explain.”

“You don’t deserve my ear,” I hissed, the tip of my blade now pointed at his carotid artery. The muscle in his jaw clenched as he swallowed.

“Elpis, please. Keep the knife at my neck, kill me if you want, but just listen first.”

“You have five seconds to say what you want, then I slit your throat.”

“I had no choice. She has my father. She threatened to kill him if I didn’t follow her orders. You have to understand that. I’d do anything, even something as despicable as this.” His eyes glittered frantically, begging me to understand.

My instincts told me this was just another manipulation, but my heart told me to believe him. There was a flash of familiarity across his eyes, and a sliver of the Rune I had grown to care for surfaced. Maybe it was a mistake, but I lowered the dagger, leaving a droplet of blood rolling down his long neck. His demeanor relaxed slightly. Rubbing his neck, the wound stitched itself together, leaving only a bead of blood trailing down towards his collarbone.

“You have a choice now. Either I kill you where you stand, or you let us go.” I took a step back. The hilt of my weapon still burned the inside of my palm.

Arcturas stirred in the corner, her snout wrinkling in pain as she came to.

“She’ll just keep searching for you. She’ll send more arachnae like the ones in the woods. There’s another part of the prophecy. You don’t just bring war to the realms. You also bring her demise. She won’t let you live. No matter where you hide or how much you fight, she’ll find you and she’ll kill you.”

“So you knew what that inscription written in the archives was? This so-called prophecy about darkness’s Heir and the light of truth? That’s about me? How do I know you aren’t lying through your teeth? Clearly, it comes so naturally to you.” I sat in front of Arcturas, stroking her pelt as she whined softly.

“Yes, like my mother said. Polaris knew her heir would be the harbinger of destruction. That’s why she distanced herself from not only you, but also all of Ursae. The other gods still hold council with their mortal leaders. Polaris doesn’t. Didn’t you ever find that strange? Listen, I know you won’t trust me ever again. I’m sorry I had to trick you, but I didn’t have any other choice. You’d never agree to come here, to help me free my father.” He knelt beside me, eyeing the blade in my hand. “Help me kill her. We take her out together and prevent the war she plans to wage against the mortals.”

“I don’t want any part of this. Please, just let us go,” I said, cradling Arcturas’s head in my lap.

“Elpis, please. You’re the daughter of Polaris. She’s the most powerful goddess of the realms. I can’t do this without you. I need to save my father.” He reached his hand toward mine.

Before his skin could make contact, my dagger was raised and back at his throat.

“Touch me and you die,” I threatened through clenched teeth.

Arcturas, lifting her head weakly, snarled at Aryx as he backed away slightly.

“Fine. Slit my throat now and spend the rest of your life hiding from my mother. Or help me kill her and live freely. I promise you’ll get the freedom you deserve when it’s all over. Besides, how will you find peace in a continent at war?” His voice was frigid, entirely unrecognizable. He sucked in a breath and leaned against his heels. “Isn’t that ultimately what you want? Your freedom? A quiet life? It’s your choice.”

It was true. All I’d ever wanted was to choose my fate. I stared at the beautiful half-god who now sat on his knees. I wondered if he’d kneeled before anyone else like this. The impending war he spoke of frightened me. It was true. My immortal bloodline explained the power that’d surfaced in me, but I didn’t want to believe I was a harbinger of destruction.

Visions of a scorched, polluted battlefield, then the piles and piles of northern city folk flashed before my eyes. The nightmares, the shadows, the ancient inscription. It was all connected, leading me on an inescapable journey here. To this moment. This choice.

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