Page 48 of Ties of Deception

I rested my hand on his knee in reassurance. “Of course, I’ll meet them. Especially if they’ve been stuck here for three years primarily to help you find me.”

He smiled, though his whole body appeared tense, and I wondered again what exactly he was worried about. I held up a finger to pause him as he started to step away. “But before you do, I’m confused. You said four were Aida and one was mortal. I thought everyone in the Unseen Lands was called an Aida and that they were mortals? You said there is only one Aidis and one king and you are the only ones descended from Ismara and Ienar. So surely you and your father are the only gods of death, if we ignore the old kings who have retired to shepherd souls within the Vale.”

He pushed his hand back through his hair. “Ah yes. Nobody in Atos understands the correct use of our terminology. You’re quite right—only my father, and my however many grandfathers, and I have powers of death. The mortals have none. But the Aida are separate from those two categories and somewhere in between. You see, even when we control our powers, it’s harmful for mortals to spend a long time around an Aidis or even to spend frequent short times over several years. So there are very few mortals in court, and those who work in the palace have to adhere to strict shift patterns. However, the Aida have a resilience to this. They are similar to the Amazones, I suppose. They were Blessed by Ienar to help the first Aidis rule and so are immune to the powers of death, though they have no powers themselves. They pass their gift down to their children and, while not immortal, live longer lives than mortals. Though mortals make up most of the population of the Unseen Lands, the palace mostly contains Aida. And it is typically the Aida who work as politicians and interact with other countries, hence why most foreigners call all of us Aida.”

I grunted. “It sounds like life would have been much simpler for you and Snow if she’d been an Aida.”

He winced, and I wished I could take back the words. “Yes,” he breathed. “It would have been. The relationship would have been safe for you, though Aida can’t bear children to a god of death. The power of life is needed. But,” he paused to give me a sad smile, “You don’t truly choose who you fall in love with.”

He walked to the balcony, cutting off the conversation, and whistled low and warbling before turning back to me “Tamel, Ben, and Ava are out there. Elsen is keeping watch. Skanal is monitoring the rooms of the other Graces.”

I nodded and barely had a chance to stand before two men pulled themselves over the balcony with a grace similar to Ethen’s. Though I recognized them as Aida I’d seen standing near Ethen in the palace, I’d never paid them much attention.

Both shared the same hairstyle as Ethen, their floppy black fringes needing to be periodically pushed to one side. They both also wore similar black leather outfits with broadswords on their backs. One of them grinned and bowed to me, much to my surprise. “It is good to see you again, Snow—I mean Purity. I gather you don’t remember much, but I’m Tamel. We spent quite a lot of time together over the decades, so the Aidis thought I might help you regain your memories.” He looked overly excited by this prospect.

The second man bowed beside him with a more nonchalant expression. “I’m Ben, short for Bengin. You always called me the annoying one, so I think the Aidis brought me along to annoy you some more in case it triggered anything.”

I looked from him to Ethen and back again. “Sounds…great.”

Behind them came a sharp curse. The men grimaced in unison and looked behind them as if bracing for a verbal onslaught. A middle-aged woman in a black tunic and grey woolen leggings rolled over the balustrade with a grunt before landing on the floor. She shrieked as she stood up, “The least one of you useless Aida could have done is help me!” She rubbed her elbow and stretched her arms. Her sharp eyes narrowed on me from beneath an uneven fringe. Her shoulder-length straight hair was half up in a style that was too precisely messy to be anything other than deliberate.

Her eyes flicked between Ethen and me, so skeptical that a flush warmed my cheeks. Her voice was harsh and disbelieving with little inflection. “That’s her. You’re sure? How on earth can you tell? She looks nothing like Snow.”

Ethen sighed, and the sound was long-suffering. His hand nestled in the small of my back as if to reassure me. “Yes, Ava. This is Purity, who was once Snow. We’ve been through this.”

I held up my hand in an awkward wave, then dropped it again, immediately embarrassed by the gesture.

Ava didn’t say anything but tilted her chin up slightly and continued to analyze me. I swallowed and turned my attention back to the Aida.

Tamel gave me a half grin, half grimace, and mouthed “Ignore her.” Then he took another step forward. “It is honestly really good to see you again. It’s been a long three years.”

I pushed a lock of hair behind one of my ears, not sure how to reply to that when I had no memory of this man, but I remembered my manners and gestured to the seats, gathering cups and wine glasses, grateful for something to do.

The two new men sat on the couches while Ava sulked behind them in one corner, seemingly wanting to distance herself. I sat on the opposite side, and Ethen settled next to me, helping me pour the drinks.

Tamel snorted as Ethen handed him a golden cup. “Well, this is the first time the Aidis has ever poured me a drink. I think we should hang out around you more often, Purity.”

Ethen gave him a dry look as he handed another cup to Ben. “If you’re not careful, I might also spill it on you…by accident, of course. These goblets are heavy.”

I filled Ethen’s glass then looked at Ava who still leaned against the wall, arms folded. “Would you like some? I have wine or juice?”

She forced a smile at me. “No. Thank you.” Then she continued glaring at Ethen as if she hated every part of what was going on.

Ethen sighed before standing. He carried an empty glass to the shelf of drinks and rummaged around before filling it with an amber liquid. He then took it over to Ava and placed it on a table beside her. “It’s honey wine.” Then he returned without waiting to see her reaction.

Ava kept up her scowl but glanced at the cup. She managed a few moments more—until Ethen’s attention was fully back on me—before she snuck a sip.

I lifted my own glass to hide my smile.

Ethen leaned back on our couch, resting one arm along the back. “Talen and Ben have been working with me for almost sixty years now. We know each other well.”

I looked back at the men, neither looking older than their mid-thirties. I guessed I’d underestimated what Ethen had meant when he said Aida lived longer than mortals.

I took another sip, thinking about what question might help trigger my memories. “How did you both first meet Snow?”

Ben grimaced. “Oh, it was awful.”

I blinked in surprise. “What was?”

---