Page 2 of Gods of Prey
Sebastian steps forward. “Together? We will live these lives together?”
Myelle’s expression twists into something slightly more sinister. “Yes. You will always be born as twins. You will always find each other. And you will always face death together. Often violently, as punishment for your interference with the natural order.”
“And after these fifty lives?” Siennara demands. “What then?”
“If you learn true respect for the cosmic balance, if you understand the weight of life and death as mortals experience it, then you will return to your duties with full powers restored,” Caelum answers.
“And if we refuse?” Siennara challenges, though her voice wavers slightly.
Myelle’s form shifts once more, now an infant with ancient eyes. “Refuse, and face eternal oblivion. Not death, for death is your domain, Siennara. But complete erasure from existence.”
The hall falls silent. Sebastian reaches for his sister’s hand, squeezing it tightly.
“In your absence,” Myelle continues, shifting back to her mature form, “Erebus will manage Umbraeth. Revel will oversee Aurelys. They will maintain the balance until your return. Or until new deities of Life and Death must be appointed.”
Siennara’s eyes flash. “Your son and your closest disciple. Convenient,” she bitterly bites out.
“Who we choose is none of your concern,” Myelle barks.
Siennara sneers back, refusing to cower like her brother has. “No one can maintain Umbraeth as I do.”
“Then you had best complete your sentence and return,” Caelum states coldly.
Thorne rises from his throne. “The decision is made. Fifty mortal lifetimes, beginning at midnight. Erebus and Revel will be summoned to assume temporary control of your realms.” He looks at the twins with something like pity in his eyes. “May these lives teach you what eternity could not.”
Myelle approaches them one last time, her hands glowing with temporal energy. “Your first lives will begin in Venice, 1347. A challenging time for mortals. A fitting start to your journey.”
“The plague years,” Sebastian murmurs, his face pale.
“Indeed,” Myelle confirms. “You will experience suffering, joy, love, and loss, as mortals do. You will watch loved ones die.You will face your own mortality. And perhaps, when you return to us, you will be wiser gods for it.”
The golden threads binding their wrists dissolve, but before either twin can react, Myelle places her palms against their chests. A blinding light engulfs the hall, and when it fades, the Goddess of Death and God of Life have vanished.
In their place remain only two small hourglasses, the sand within them flowing not downward but in a continuous loop—fifty cycles marked on each stem.
“It is done,” Myelle announces, her voice echoing through the hall. “May they return to us humbled and whole.”
The councilors rise in unison, their faces solemn. They know the twins’ journey will be long and painful. They know that some among them—particularly Revel and Erebus—will oppose the severity of the sentence. But the cosmic order must be maintained, even if the cost is fifty lifetimes of mortal suffering.
As the council disperses, Myelle remains, watching the hourglasses spin their sand in endless cycles. She shifts to her youngest form, a child with ancient eyes, and whispers to the empty space where the twins stood:
“Learn well, children of eternity. The greatest gods are those who understand mortality.”
1
Sienna
Ifucking hate dying.
That’s right. Me—Death herself—hates dying.
My seemingly endless freefall comes to an abrupt halt as my chest hits the stoney ground and air is knocked out of my lungs in one huge burst.
That devastating feeling in the moment between a mortal life ending and my memories as a divine being returning has got to be the worst part. Where I want to cling as hard as possible to being mortal until I arrive in Umbraeth and realize I’m finally home.
The fall comes faster than my wings can react.
I brush my fingers against the crumbling gray rock, scraping a few on the sharp pebbles that broke free with the impact of my drop. Testing all my limbs to ensure nothing is broken, I climb to my knees and swipe away the dusty debris clinging to my jacket. Moths with large black eyes and skulls marking their backs flutter off in all different directions, as they always do when I travel between realms.
