Page 111 of Fate and Flame
“This is my draconian guard,” I said, knowing the words would strike them with at least curiosity. “I am ordered by my king to stay with him and the female at all times.”
They exchanged a look and hesitantly motioned us forward. The moment we stepped beyond the veil of the ward, the entire scene changed. A thriving city appeared before us. Paved streets, tall buildings, thousands of fae everywhere. I froze. Unable to move as I closed my eyes and listened to the sound of fae children running through the streets, the smell of fire from chimneys, and laughter from a world of people living as if all hell hadn’t broken loose.
I couldn’t imagine why anyone would leave this. Convincing the king, leader, whatever they called him, to join us when his world was completely safe and undamaged was going to be a chore. We strolled the bustling streets. Gaea took in the sights. The buildings with art hanging in the windows and the musicians singing on the street corners. Greeve hadn’t taken his eyes off the guards leading us. He was dark, lethal and completely unaffected by the Winterlands. That was why I’d chosen him.
The fae began to line the streets, gathering to watch us walk by. Their eyes were wide and some pointed and whispered to each other. I couldn’t help but feel that more eyes were on me than the draconian, but likely they didn’t know what he was. Who knew when the last time an outsider had passed their wards?
“We worship the seven gods here. You will stop at the temple to beg passage before you can be brought before Heva.”
Gaea opened her mouth to protest, but I grabbed her hand and shook my head. “Whatever is required,” I said through clenched teeth.
We were taken to the tallest building in the city. We climbed a hundred gilded stairs until we reached the top and I turned to see the view below us. The fae were tiny but the city was massive. There were no decrepit buildings, nothing that indicated one portion of the city was not as rich as another. This was a city of prosperity. Even the winter weather seemed to subside here.
“Come,” the guard said.
We walked into the ornate church. The sun cast colors of light onto the shining floor as rows of perfectly aligned cherrywood pews lined each side of the aisle. At the front of the church, along the dais, were seven empty gold basins.
“Choose the god you wish to ask for passage. Kneel before their offering bowl and lay something meaningful to you inside.” The guard set the tip of his weapon carefully onto the floor.
The gods were represented by sculptures. The Warrior was symbolized by a fae with a knocked arrow. The Mother, a female and her child. Nature, a tree. The Scholar, a book. Time, an hourglass. Death, a hooded figure. And finally, Life, a seed. I didn’t know their names. I’d had only a brief lesson on the gods from Oleonis.
Gaea moved first. She knelt before the god of nature’s statue, hands shaking as she placed something small into the bowl and bowed her head, her hands flat on her thighs. Greeve chose the Warrior. He dropped a knife inside, the sound echoing through the entire church, and assumed the same respectful pose as Gaea. I stood between Life and Death. I was a product of both.
The guard cleared his throat behind me, and I stepped forward and kneeled. “The offering,” he barked.
I had nothing but the barrier ring I pulled from my finger. The ring Gaea had given me. The ring that had saved me from King Autus. My heart skipped a beat as I dropped it into the golden offering bowl and bowed my head.
Why have you chosen death?a feminine voice asked into my mind.
Death is only a door to eternity.
Indeed. But you feel connected to me, do you not?the god asked.
I carry a power that is yours.
You have made a great offering. No longer immune to the northern king’s magic, what will you do when he captures you?
I may pray to the God of Life then.
I heard the God of Death’s deep, ominous laughter within my mind, and the hair on my arms rose.
I will enjoy our eternity together. For now, you may take back your offering. You do not need to seek passage to the gods’ city. You were granted that privilege at birth.
I don’t understand.
You will.
My mind went quiet as the God of Death left me. I stayed hunched over for several moments thinking about what she had said, then stood, pulled my ring out of the bowl, and placed it back on my finger. Greeve and Gaea were motionless on their knees. I could see the strain on their faces as their offerings vanished. Their eyes opened and they looked at each other.
Whatever messages they had received, they were also granted passage into the Winterlands, or apparently, the gods’ city. We left the church, and the crowd at the end of the stairs had only grown. As the guards led us down, they cheered, knowing the gods had blessed our passage. They only stared at me and waved and clapped, not at my companions.
We followed the fae males, clad in armor down a city street over a bridge and toward the largest cottage I had ever seen. Heva’s home. They knocked on the rounded, wooden door and a female answered, dropping a glass to the hardwood floor as her eyes landed on me.
“P-please,” she stuttered. “Come in. Heva is in his study.”
At this point, there was no question that something strange was happening. Gaea and Greeve both moved closer to me as we entered the house. We walked down several long, bare hallways until we came to the very end.
One of the guards knocked on the door and let himself in, shutting it behind him.
