Page 49 of Queen of Legends and Lies
The distant chirp of birds filters through the gloom, a reminder of life beyond these walls. Their song strikes me as odd for some reason. Out of place. Yup, there’s definitely someone in the room, hiding in the dark.
I take a slow breath, willing myself to remain calm. “Reveal yourself.”
My ears strain to hear what sounds like breathing. Not from Sterling, but from all around me, as if some sort of being hovers over my shoulder.
But there’s nothing there. Only darkness.
I glance over to the window, expecting to see the stars in the sky. Outside, the sun shines on a normal midmorning. But on this side of the glass, it’s as if the world’s been drained of light. None of it is bleeding into the room.
Fear curls in my gut. This isn’t natural.
Then it hits me.
Nyc is here.
She must be. That heavy, watchful presence is like an impatient cat stalking its prey. I sit up, anger giving me a momentary sense of courage.
“If you’re here, there has to be a reason.” My heart races. Despite needing one, I hope there’s no answer from the dark. I didn’t pray, didn’t sacrifice. Didn’t summon her. The goddess came on her own.
Sterling doesn’t stir next to me. Instead, he remains unnaturally still, like he’s under some spell that pins him to the realm of sleep.
The Goddess of Night’s doing, no doubt.
Outside, the birds continue to sing. The sun continues to shine. Nothing moves within the darkness except me. I think.
“Why did your daughter Mar send me those visions during my coronation? To shake me?” I scoff, though deep down, the memories crawl beneath my skin like thousands of ants. “Toscare me?” My chuckle sounds bitter in the thick air. “Nice try.” Another lie. “To throw me off my stride?” Well, I did fall to my knees.
A tangible silence, filled with the weight of unspoken threats, follows. I remember the prophecy, the one that spells out my doom.
My days, it seems, are numbered. The events of my death predicted before I was even born.
The goddess’s low, resonant laughter vibrates through the darkness. A mockery that chills my already cold room. It’s like she can sense the rapid beat of my heart, the icy dread coiling in my stomach.
“Are you trying to provoke me?” Her voice fills the black.
“Provoke? No…I…”Shit.That’s exactly what I’ve done.
Words falter on my tongue, regret squeezing my chest tight. I was too quick to anger, too slow to remember who I’m dealing with. Sterling lies beside me, oblivious, and I’ve just drawn a target on us both with my impertinence.
“Your fear,” Nyc’s voice shifts to a soft purr that scrapes against my nerves, “lives here in the dark. As does your lying tongue when your mouth is closed. You cannot keep it from me. Or Mar. Or from any of the gods, little human.”
My skin prickles with terror. The first time she came to me, when I asked for help dealing with the drachen, she demanded a favor. One I have failed to fulfill.
“Consider every sunrise my gift to you, Lark. One I can stop giving at any time.” The warning is clear. Nyc’s losing patience with me. “You need to cleanse the land. Burn my son’s bones and release his soul to me so he may finally find rest and peace.”
Steeling my shoulders, I muster what little courage I have left. “How can I do that? When I burned the eyril field, my fire wasn’t enough. I need your help.”
A frigid draft sweeps through the chamber, carrying with it the fury of a deity scorned. “Icannot.” A sharp, final snap echoes like thunder as Nyc withdraws her presence.
The light floods in, a sudden wave of morning sunshine that has me gasping.
The goddess is gone, and her absence scares me more than I care to admit. Nyc can’t help.
Alannah’s words about needing divine favor to win this war echo in my head. She’s not wrong.
But if Nyc won’t assist me, what in the fucking fuck am I supposed to do?
Beside me, Sterling stirs, his movements sluggish but growing more purposeful. He rolls over, his breaths shifting from the even rhythm of sleep to the shallower cadence of waking. How am I supposed to tell him we’re on our own?
