Page 46 of In Death's Hands
“Sheseems to be attracting them.”
All eyes are on me now. It feels like being stung by thousands of midges at once. I fight to keep looking towardsCelestina and curl my hands into fists to stop them from shaking.
“Why would they care about such a human?”
I bristle but keep quiet. I need to trust Nathan and let things play out.
“We don’t know, Supreme,” answers Thalnus with an obsequious tone that makes me snort.
I can feel the cold of Celestina’s stare on my skin, but it goes away quickly as Nathan says, “We went back.” Ripples of shock travel through the space like lightning. Apparently, they all know what he means by that.
The frown on Celestina’s face grows deeper, and I notice how her knuckles become white as she grips the armrests of her throne. “Brave, to step into that cursed place again.” Her lips tighten for a second.
“We stayed in the antechamber, Supreme. We would never enter the cave itself without your permission, of course,” adds Thalnus, throwing a hard look at Nathan.
“And have you learned anything new?”
“We remembered,” answers Nathan, causing Celestina to stand suddenly and more gasps to echo around us. I wonder if Nathan has taken lessons in how to be dramatic. “We remembered a fight from Before.”
I frown. I knew something had happened, but the bastards didn’t share shit, as usual.
“How?”
“We don’t know.”
Shock catches my next breath and holds it. I want to turn and see their faces as they lie to theirSupreme. But I stay rooted, focusing on Celestina’s now crinkled brow and fighting to get my breath back.
“Whatdo you remember?” she barks.
“We were in the cave, fighting the Novensiles. We only saw glimpses of it before it went black again.”
“That’s it?”
“Yes.”
“Nothing else?”
“No.”
“They have been fighting us since even before we lost our ways, then,” Celestina says, now talking to the entire room. “They are but men who have been granted too much power by the Fates. We know humans cannot handle such responsibilities. The Fates should have seen their greed rising.”
I frown, struggling to understand, and Celestina sees it. “Oh, I see your greed too, Oh. Lee. Via. You are unusual.” Her eyes feel all too probing, and I fear she might see what Nathan didn’t reveal directly written beneath my skin. “Why are the Novensiles after you?”
“We—” starts Nathan, but is cut off by the hand she brings up.
Her stare is anything but inviting, and yet I find myself answering her. “I don’t know. I only recently learned of their existence. But I think they’ve been trying to kill me for a long time.” Celestina paces back and forth on her dais, and I decide to break the uncomfortable silence. “How can the Novensiles fight you? You all seem…” The words fail me.
“Yes, we are, aren’t we?” A proud smile on her lips, she waves a hand in the air as if she finds the question annoying but is so very magnanimous for answering me. “The Novensiles are human. They live and die and reproduce as such.” Her lips curl in disgust. “The fact that they can fight and survive us makes it clear the Fates have intervened in their lineage somehow. WeAwoke and there they were, fighting us. It took some effort, especially there, but we did manage to kill them. Rats that they are.
“This new memory is surprising but could be a gift from the Fates. It certainly confirms that they’re the ones who robbed us of our memories.”
“Then let us use her,” says Nathan.
I swallow, trying to remember he’s helping me. I’m sure. Probably. Celestina stops her pacing to look me up and down.
“You say they’re after her too?” I keep my eyes on her but hear a grunt of confirmation at my back. “Then yes, she could be useful. I’m curious, though—how did you find her?”
“As usual with lost souls,” he says flippantly, “she found me.” People chuckle around me, and I think I’ve missed the joke. “And after the last time… Let’s just say I wanted to make sure she was a worthy gift for you, so I asked Thalnus for help. We took her to the cave to see if she’d attract the Novensiles there but found a memory waiting for us instead, confirming what you always thought.”
