Page 81 of What Sleeps Within the Cove

“I have come to show you the settlement and all that we have done to prepare for your arrival,” he said, sweeping out his arm in an arching invitation for me to continue toward the village that waited across the stone bridge. Caldris placed a hand at the small of my back in quiet encouragement, his comfort in this place sinking into me through our bond.

I couldn’t explain why he felt so confident that this place and these people wouldn’t bring us any harm, but I allowed myself to trust his instincts and follow after the man who turned on his heel and guided the way.

“Will the creatures that come out at night not harm us here?” I asked, looking back at the flimsy fences that seemed as if they would do nothing to barricade the hungry creatures.

“We are protected by wards created by Khaos himself. No harm will come to you during your time with us,” he said, and I couldn’t help the sigh of relief I felt with those words. If they were true, it was a reassurance of another night in a place of safety. Aside from the hours we’d spent in the home of the Gorgons, I’d felt riddled and haunted by dangers at every turn since arriving in Tartarus.

I just wanted to crawl into a bed beside the fire and sleep for a year until I felt recovered from this ordeal. In some ways, a night in a settlement felt like a blessing. In others, I knew it would be cruel punishment to wake in the morning and have to return to the reality of what my life was for the moment.

To have to wake and face another river.

“We have created an entirely sustainable community for ourselves within these protected walls,” the man said, acting as a tour guide. He motioned to buildings as we passed, sweeping his arm out to a store where wild game hung outside for purchase. “The only ones who ever need to leave are those who hunt for meat. Our gardens are to your left, tucked behind the produce stand you see there.If you keep going toward the edge of the woods, you’ll find an ample amount of food that grows year-round to sustain us. Tartarus soil is some of the most fertile soil in the world thanks to the presence of the Primordials in the Cradle nearby.”

“What did you say your name was?” I asked, wishing I knew how to address him with the questions I couldn’t stop from forming in my mind.

“My name is insignificant, Tempest. I am merely here to guide you,” the man said, his cheeks flushing with color as he lowered his chin.

“I’d like to know what to call you,” I said, my brow furrowing at the odd response. Was it the Fae belief that there was power in a name that kept him from providing it to me? Or was there something stranger at work.

“My name is Leax,” he said quietly. “I am a descendant of the humans who were brought here when the Primordials chose Tartarus as their place of eternal rest. My ancestors were tasked with ensuring that this settlement was prepared to house a population of their choosing. We are the keepers of the Tithe, and have kept them safe until your arrival.”

“Untilmyarrival?” I asked, my brow furrowing. Caldris’s confusion was an echo of mine, pulsating down the bond as he slid his arm free from the small of my back to entwine his fingers with mine and squeeze supportively.

“So that you might collect them,” Leax said, continuing on his journey forward through the settlement. People milled about, a mix of humans and Fae working in ways that were so reminiscent of Mistfell that I was nearly catapulted back in time to when this simplicity had been my life.

I’d hated it at the time, and now I longed for the peace that came with it more than anything.

I reached out with my free hand, touching Leax’s forearm to force him to pause and look at me. He stared down at where I touched him as if it was a crime, horror written into the lines of his face. “Please, I don’t understand. Why would I come to collect them? What am I to do with them?” I asked, releasing him finally.

His attention swung to me, his eyes wide with fear. “I am sorry if I’ve upset you, Tempest. It was not my intention.”

“I’m not upset with you; I swear it. I merely wish to understand what this place has to do with me,” I said, trying to keep my voice soft and reassuring. I did not want to think of what whispers mighthave reached him to make him react so fearfully to me. Did they truly think me to be such a monster?

“They are yours,” he said, guiding me forward. We walked through the streets of the settlement, the dirt beneath my boots well-packed from all those who had traversed it before me. The buildings that lined the street had been crafted from wood, the single-floor structures far more familiar to me than anything I’d witnessed since coming to Alfheimr and, in turn, Tartarus.

“Who is mine?” I asked as we turned a corner, navigating through the streets. The houses crested out into a circle around a field that was filled with people.

“They are,” Leax answered, nodding his head toward the gathered crowd.

The field where so many sparred and trained and laughed was at the center of the village, and it was the gleam of dark hair that somehow shone with gold in the fading light that made my steps continue forward in spite of his odd words.

I didn’t stop when someone stepped up to greet us, needing to see that hair for myself up close. I had to see the man that I knew would be attached to it, somehow so similar to that of his sister and so different all in the same breath. Mab had no hint of lightness to her, no remnants of the sun in her hair—only the cool depth of night and darkness.

Rheaghan turned to look at me as I hurried into the center of the field, approaching where he fought with one of the other sacrifices. His light green eyes were confused as I made my way toward him, not bothering to heed the swords swinging between them. His sparring partner hadn’t yet noticed me, swinging her long sword with all her might. It was too late to stop the blow by the time I moved into its path, holding up my arm to block it from reaching anything vital. The blade was not iron, clanging off my skin as if my forearm was made from stone itself. Belladonna’s eyes flashed with purple light at the exact moment of impact, glowing from the spot where she remained wrapped around my bicep. She did not shift from her stone form, but I knew who was responsible for the hardening of my flesh.

The sound of the sword cracking in two as it bounced back echoed through the clearing, and Rheaghan’s eyes widened as he raised his own blade and pointed it at my throat in warning. I froze, staring down at the blade in confusion as I waited for recognition to come to his green eyes.

“Estrella!” Caldris’s voice called, and he approached the clearingcautiously, grabbing my forearm only when he was certain it was safe to do so. He pulled me back, putting distance between Rheaghan’s sword and my neck, studying the male he knew even better than I did. As much as it pained me to admit, my joy in seeing Rheaghan alive had clouded my judgment.

Even given what I knew now, he still didn’t know that I was his flesh and blood, that we shared a father and Mab wasn’t the only sister he possessed. That the sister who murdered him wasn’t the only family he had.

“He does not remember you, daughter,” Medusa said from the sidelines, her voice melancholy and a mirror of the sadness that I felt. I’d already deduced as much for myself given the knife to my throat, and the loss of everything that had made himhimwas one I felt in the marrow of my bones.

“Does he remember anything? Anyone?” I asked, thinking of the Sidhe woman who told such pretty lies to hide her love for him. Nila had done everything she could in an attempt to convince me that there was nothing between them, but I’d seen the careful avoidance they exercised when they were in court together. I’d seen the way they made sure never to look at one another too long, never to tempt the bond that they’d kept so carefully hidden.

She was his mate, and he had sacrificed so much to keep her from attracting more of Mab’s attention. He had given everything he could to keep her safe from his sister’s jealousy, only now to forget her altogether?

“None of them do,” Medusa answered, sweeping her hand out to indicate the entirety of the village. There were far more who had been sacrificed to the Tithe than I cared to recognize, an entire community gathered here and for what? How were they being useful to the Primordials? How was any of this needed? “Only when they achieve their purpose will they regain the memory of who they once were.” She guided us away, leaving them to train as another woman guided us to a handful of homes at the edge of the settlement. Rheaghan immediately resumed his training, fighting with the woman who gathered up another sword and continued in her efforts.

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