Page 80 of Worthy Promises
“If he’d stayed light, it would’ve changed nothing. His greatest concern and regret is Zarasha. As long as she is ato’faer, Xakiok will not be a complete soul.”
“Which is why he doesn’t have a mate,” Fate said from the doorway.
Death propped her hands on her hips. “Did it ever occur to you that the love of a mate might help mend his heart?”
“Nothing will mend him if he does not allow it,” Fate argued, stepping into space and sprawling on a chaise opposite Eternity. Her powerful blue gaze tracked Death’s movements, and she pushed a thick chunk of red hair from her shoulder. “Are we positive we cannot imbue someone in Sorcery D’Vaire with the right magic to fix Zarasha? Although I hate to suggest one of Death’s beloved charges, the Imperian has vast power. No one would question if he was suddenly granted a way to turn Zarasha into a girl again.”
Imperian Paszratorabiel Orxarias-Soriandras was the most powerful entity on the favored planet of the goddesses and was closer to a demi-god than a sorcerer.
“As wonderful as it would be to give Paszra such a temporary ability, it’s impossible,” Eternity said. “The reason Sorcery D’Vaire cannot fix Zarasha themselves is because they need the power of Life to create a new being for her to inhabit. Even if we could convince our sister to pass such an ability to him, it would fail. He is a dark sorcerer.”
“It’s true,” Death commented. “If his soul were any blacker, he’d have the ability to cross the veil without needing that vile tea necromancers require.”
“Which is why the Imperian must be monitored as he ages,” Justice remarked from the same doorway where Fate had so recently entered the room. “I’m not against him expanding his talents, but theebirllobais the uncontested territory of you, Death.”
“Trust me, I adore Paszra, but I’m unwilling to share control of my realm,” Death said. “We’ll coax his magic to stay far from necromantic abilities. He’s an imp, and it wouldn’t be expected for him to gain those skills. But he is so strong, I never know what to expect. It will be fascinating to watch.”
“I don’t know why you have such glee in your eyes,” Justice stated as she stalked in wearing a unique mixture of a gossamer gown in pale gold with gleaming plate mail covering her chest and torso. “He is one of a kind on purpose. If we allowed others to have that kind of power, who knows what would happen to our realms and planets?”
“A little chaos can be a good thing, Sister,” Death chided.
“You sound like Folly,” Life accused from over Justice’s shoulder.
“Bite your tongue,” Death exclaimed. “I will not be compared to that troublemaking idiot. How she has escaped us and the many punishments owed to her for her cruelty through the years, I do not know. What is going on in that hallway? Does everyone linger in there waiting for a conversation they can overhear so they can chime in with their opinion on the matter?”
“Of course not,” Life said, scooting around Justice and dropping onto the chaise next to Fate. “You talk unbelievably loudly. I couldn’t help but hear you as I passed by.”
“Well, I’m not concerned with Folly unless someone has found a trail to locate her,” Death retorted. “Nor am I worried about the perils of Paszra’s magic. He can handle whatever comes his way, and I’ll do whatever it takes to ensure he doesn’t venture into necromancy. That is Chander’s domain, and the Arch Lich is a wonderful leader.”
“Of course Chander is,” Life replied. “I ensured his soul was stalwart.”
Justice crossed her arms. “If those aren’t the things bothering you, then why are you pacing, Death?”
Eternity held in her sigh as Death halted, and emotion flashed in her dark gaze. Death prided herself on being a loner. In recent years, she’d spent less time in her castle and visited the palace frequently. By leaving behind a bit of her self-enforced isolation, Death had allowed the sisters that cared for her tolearn more about her. As Justice had just pointed out, Death was given to frantic movement whenever stress weighed her down.
Death recognized that Justice was right, and it rankled her because she prided herself on being mysterious. It was one of the many ways she’d fought tens of thousands of years of loneliness. As a goddess with her own realm of souls to tend and an ever-growing power source, Death was both feared and envied by foolish goddesses who were unworthy of her. Death failed to understand their desire to be emulate her—all she saw were their stares. She believed them to be judging her for the many differences between her and the other goddesses who lacked her skills and intense magic.
“If you must know, I’m worried about Sorcery D’Vaire,” Death said after a few fraught seconds of silence. Eternity silently applauded her sister. A few years ago, Death would have snapped out a scathing comment and escaped to her fortress until she was sure no one recognized a single facial expression or nervous tic. But Death was different now, and Eternity was so incredibly proud of her and her growth.
“Why?” Justice demanded, marching fully into the room and standing in front of the viewing mirror with her hands on her hips. “What’s wrong with them?”
“No need to grab a sword and start a war,” Death chided. “They are fixated on helping Zarasha.”
“But that is impossible,” Justice said.
“Try offering me some information I don’t yet have, dear sister,” Death retorted. “You have pinpointed the exact cause of my concern. They are going in circles and driving themselves nuts over a problem they refuse to admit is beyond them.”
“It is not beyond me,” Life stated quietly but forcefully.
Eternity sat straight up. “Yes, but you are here, and Zarasha cannot be rebirthed without death. How do we convince Sorcery D’Vaire to end her life?”
“That is a solution but not the only one available,” Life responded.
Justice turned slowly on one booted foot and stared at Life. “What are you suggesting?”
“I cannot grant my power to a sorcerer on our favored planet,” Life commented. “Not even the talented magickind we adore can handle a heavy enough surge into their soul to fix Zarasha. She requires a new vessel for her soul. No easy task. Especially not when creating a vessel for a life of eight years. We would break whoever we chose, and they wouldn’t survive such an onslaught long enough to remedy Zarasha’s situation. However, for me, it is simple to do.”
“Surely you aren’t suggesting you show up at the magical bubble that protects D’Vaire claiming to have the solution to fix Zarasha?” Justice asked. “While you could use a spell to convince them you were a mere sorcerer instead of a goddess, few know of Zarasha’s existence outside their extended family. If you could explain yourself, they’d hardly trust a stranger.”
