Page 45 of A Spell of Bones and Madness
“Yes, well, he does have his moments.” Katrin said, giving him a slight kick under the table.
Marianna shuffled out and returned from the kitchen with a tray full of food, Horiatiki included. Even a small piece of swordfish lay on the two dishes she served, a blessing from the Grechi that morning.They ate every morsel of delicately crafted food, indulged in quite the assortment of wines and spirits—ouzo more than most.
He soaked up every smile, every sparkle of the stars above, every blush on her nose as he swung her around the small dancefloor by the back of the taverna. Especially every tiny hitch of her breath when he’d lean down and kiss her. Every brush of her lips and swipe of her tongue had him ready to fall to his knees. He would beg her to stay like this, live like this, for the rest of their lives.
At this moment nothing else mattered, only him and the magnificent woman who decided to love him back, scars and all. It was a night Ander would hold on to for the rest of his days, no matter how short they may be.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Kohl
Wind howled from the east, stirring a tempest below the hull ofThe Hydra. Rain had poured for days, thunder cracking overhead, lightning sparking in the near distance. They could not have picked a worse time to sail to this mysterious isle of Cyther. A few months ago, Kohl would have said it was impossible to sail between realms, but he had traveled over the seas to Skiatha, so why should it surprise him that they could make their way to another lost isle by ship.
However, it seemed the Grechi were working against them, threatening their course. Sailing into the wind put them behind several days. The captain had to tack the ship back and forth, sails pulled in tightly to make any headway. Men who lived on the seasstill ran to the rails of the ship, skin tinged green as they hurled the contents of their stomach into the treacherous abyss below.
Kohl couldn’t help but wonder if this was all his fault. The raging sea and foul weather a stark reminder that he fucked up. The gods were angered—punishing him for letting Alexander slip through his fingers. At least one god in particular.He would not have worked.The voice in his head only got louder with each day, each mile they crossed closer to Cyther.He was not the one I needed.Those words came to him everytime he let his mind wander, let the brand on his palm glow a blackened hue.
It was the least he could do, relinquish some of his sanity to the Olympi he now would serve—by his choice or not. Maybe then his thoughts would quiet. Thatvoicewould quiet. Although, by the will of the Fates he probably would not be so lucky.
The compass that wretched man, Dolion, had given Kohl was tucked safely away in his pocket. It did not seem that they needed it to travel past the veil to Cyther, his father and Edmund possessing whatever kind of magic one would need to pierce that ward, hidden from mortals, tucked away for centuries. Would it be like the journey to Skiatha—seemingly nothing for miles and then another world would just appear before their eyes? Would there be people waiting for them—acolytes to greet those loyal to the true God of Death?
These were all questions Kohl’s father refused to acknowledge before they set sail and Khalid disappeared back to Mornetius. The king was still bitter that his son let a woman best him. Two women to be exact. His sister and his wife—if he could even call Aikaterine that. How the tables had turned.Even after the gods take usmeant nothing to her. After allKohl had done for her, the empty vow stung worse than a sword to the heart. His father had been right, she would take everything from them, would protect her kind above all—protect Alexander. It gutted him that she would trust—would love—a man she knew mere months over him, someone she knew her entire life. Maybe he had her under some sort of spell, some mind-control of sorts. If Kohl truly was rewarded by helping to resurrect Hades, perhaps he could break that spell, get hisrealAikaterine back.
It must be that. It had to be. There was no other explanation for the sudden change in affection. He would save her, once he had more power. Once he was strong enough to kill a god. No one took what was his, especially his wife. His whole body heated at the thought—finally being able to rid the world of Alexander, what a beautiful thing it would be.
Drops of freezing rain fell and tempered their way down Kohl’s arms, puckering into steam as they hit his scorching skin, the black veins below slowly retreating back to their normal blue-green hue. A brief moment of relief from the voices. Eventually the storm would end, they would enter the land of the Olympi. Kohl only hoped that it was warmer there. The icy chill of late autumn was upon them, which meant winter was fast approaching, and Kohl hated winter. In Morentius it was much more temperate than the northern isles, and although he experienced slightly colder temperatures in Alentus, he never got used to the bite of the air against his skin.
A pale palm gripped his shoulder, startling him from his swirling thoughts. “It is time for you to come inside, Kohl. We will be approaching Cyther soon, and there is much to brief you on beforehand.Hehas spoken to me, and has told me what is necessaryof you.” Edmund’s blonde hair whipped around his face. “You will be a great asset to the cause.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Ember
Then we are all doomed. Ember had roiled over those words for hours as she lay on the couch in her chambers. Why did the Kirassos family love to end on such daunting words? Giselle had scampered out, running away to what—Ember could only imagine. It was strange, that her blood had somehow left its mark in such a peculiar way, but were they even sure it was because of her? Could it not have been Hades while he controlled her father’s mind? Or maybe the underworld knew its queen was on the verge of returning.
That was it. It most certainly was not Ember. No. Not at all. She would need to speak with the Queen of Nexos, figure out why she was so concerned with something as small as the white flowers. Even if those white flowers had sent an equally uneasy churning to her gut, and a chill down her spine.
At least if she was about to spiral—hear some ungodly reason these flowers would be their demise—she could do so from this bed. Nothing in this realm, nor any other could compare. What did Nexos have that nowhere else in existence did? It felt as if she was sleeping on a cloud, or the very seafoam in the crashing waves that sounded through her open window. Everything was crisp, light, and airy, much like Alentus, yet better. Ember sat wrapped in a thick navy blanket, the weave of the knit denser than most she had seen. A steaming cup of spiced tea sat next to the bed, ready to calm her racing mind as soon as she took a sip.
Light knocking came from the door to her guest chambers. Katrin wasn’t supposed to be visiting now, at least, Ember thought she wouldn’t—most likely still distracted by the dark-haired man who seemed to consume her very being.
“I thought you’d be too distracted by the prince’s bed to visit me—” Ember started, but was met not by the warm smile of her sister, but the curled locks and confused grin of the person she wanted to see the least.
Farah Athanas could have stayed in Alentus for all Ember cared and yet now she stood at her door. Gods, she could punch the traitor. It did not matter that she went with Katrin to rescue Ander—she could not be trusted. None of the Athanas family could.
“Well, that wasn’t the greeting I was expecting.” Farah leaned against the frame of the door, arms crossed tightly across her chest.
“Oh my mistake. I thought someone worthy was at my door.” Ember made to slam the door, but Farah’s hand caught the wooden barrier, shoving it backward.
“Look—I get that you hate me. I would hate me too. I lied to you. I made the man you love lie to you.”Love.She didn’t love Ajax—at least she wouldn’t admit she did, especially not to this woman. “I betrayed your trust before I really knew you. I confused you and made you think there was something between the commander and I. Because there wasn't, truly. I know what I said when I first saw you on the ship after the attack, but I wish we had told you, let you in on our plan. Spending time with your sister—with the others onThe Nostos—I realize that I was quick to judge. Maybe I should have trusted you more.” Farah had somehow snuck her way into the room, now pacing about the living chambers.
No—Ember couldn’t take this. Maybe she had gone with Katrin, but this—this was too much. She was here all of a sudden, apologizing for faking a relationship? For knowing what Ajax meant to her and using it to her advantage? For pretending to be a friend, an ally?
“How dare you come in here and try to apologize. I don’t care what you’ve done to wrap Ajax around your finger, but I don’t believe a word of what you’ve said. Your brother did the same thing—pretended to be on our side, pretended to care about Katrin and I—and he almost had us killed under the orders of your father! How do I know you aren’t just feeding our plans back to them?”
Farah reached for her hand, but Ember recoiled, stomping back toward the other side of the room. “You don’t. That’s what trust is.I mean it, Ember. I am sorry. I’ll do what I can to prove it to you. I am on your side—the side of all of you. How many times does Ajax have to vouch for me? Does it mean nothing that the spymaster of Nexos—Nexos thathatesMorentius—trusts me enough to be one of his aids? I would never give up any information to my father.”
Ember whipped around, clutching her fists so tight, tiny halos on her palms began to bleed. Something deep in her very soul swirled about like a tempest ready to strike. Her blood boiled under her skin, causing a slight sheen of sweat to coat her neck and brows. “Would you not? You betray your flesh and blood for what? I know how loyalty works in your family, even you are not foolish enough to betray them.”
