Page 9 of Gods of Prey
But she’s returned from their shared mortal life. She knows what happened to Sebastian. And if anyone cares for him as much as I do, it’s her.
“Bring me a messenger who can cross to Umbraeth,” I command.
Minutes later, a small liminal spirit with wings like smoke stands before me. These rare beings can travel between Life and Death without harm. Messengers used only in the most dire circumstances.
“Go to the realm of Umbraeth,” I tell him. “Find the goddess Siennara. Tell her...” I pause, considering my words carefully. “Tell her Revel seeks an audience regarding her brother. Tell her it’s urgent.”
The liminal spirit bows and dissolves into mist, slipping through the barriers between realms.
I return to my private chambers, dismissing the servants who rush to attend me and remove the tight crown of vines, placing it on a pedestal where it immediately begins to wilt without Sebastian’s or my power sustaining it.
My feet move me to the balcony overlooking all of Aurelys without realizing. From here, I can see the endless gardens, the forests of impossible trees, the rivers of pure light. All of it glowing, perfect, beautiful.
All of it empty without its true ruler.
“What have you done, old friend?” I whisper to the golden horizon. “And what will it cost us all?”
I think of Siennara—fierce, cold, imposing in her terrible power. The opposite of me and her brother in every way. Where Sebastian gives, she takes. Where he creates, she ends.
I’ve never trusted her. Never particularly liked her. She has an influence over my friend that I’ve never appreciated.
But now, she may be the only one who can help me find our missing God of Life.
As night never truly falls in Aurelys, I watch the light shift to a softer gold, the closest this realm comes to darkness. In the gardens below, the celebration continues without me. Music drifts up, along with laughter and singing.
They don’t know yet. Don’t understand that their god has abandoned them. That something is terribly wrong with the balance between Life and Death. What will they do when they realize?
I close my eyes, feeling the weight of responsibility settle more firmly on my shoulders. The crown may sit on its pedestal across from me, but its burden remains.
Behind me, a familiar voice calls my name. Lyra has found her way to my chambers after all, her light dimmed to a gentle glow as she approaches.
“You seemed troubled at the celebration,” she says softly. “I thought you might desire company.”
Turning to face her, I see the genuine concern beneath the desire in her luminous eyes. It would be so easy to lose myself in her light, to pretend for a few hours that I’m truly the god they all treat me as. To forget the problems waiting for me with the brighter gold of morning.
Instead, I take her hand gently and kiss it. “Not tonight, Lyra. But thank you.”
Something shifts behind her. Dark, swirling shadows appear out of nowhere, slithering around like serpents ready to strike. My stomach drops, and Lyra hops against my chest with a squeal. Within seconds, the swirling ends and a mischievous smile appears inside the shadows as moths scatter around.
“Such a shame,” that familiar, smoky voice chortles. “She looks like the perfect little distraction.”
Siennara appears before us, the Goddess of Death in all her glory.
The shadows that transported her here disappear into her dress—so black, it absorbs all light like liquid night—in tiny wisps. A corset intricately inlaid with polished bone fragments wraps around her torso. A crown of silver spires sits atop her head, piercing the air. Her light hair flows across her shoulders beneath it, glowing like moonlight against porcelain skin.
And her wings. They don’t quite match Sebastian’s in width, but they exude every bit as much power in their own foreboding, majestic way. Dark feathers dissolve into shadow at the edges, trailing wisps of darkness that coil and dance around her.
She’s the true embodiment of Death and every horrible thing that comes with it. Lyra trembles in my arms at the sight.
“I’ll catch up with you later,” I mutter quietly into her ear, ignoring the taunting grin spread across Siennara’s face.
Disappointment flickers across Lyra’s features, but she nods and withdraws, leaving me alone with the goddess who I’ve avoided for centuries.
Somewhere in the mortal realm, Sebastian is alive when he should be here. This is a necessary evil to get him back.
“Thank you for coming, Goddess,” I greet with a low bow.
She releases a bitter chuckle, making no moves to greet me with the same respect.
