Page 15 of To Ashes and Dust
I brushed a gentle kiss against her brow and wrapped my arm around her waist to pull her against me. “You’re a force they’ll wish they’d never awoken.”
The dark of the moonless night hung over the city like a blanket, the lights of the cityscape pressed against the dome of ink above, as if keeping it from swallowing us whole. Cassie sat on the edge of the rooftop, her feet dangling over the brick edge as we waited for the others to arrive. The Complex stretched downward five stories beneath us, the icy winter air dancing over my exposed skin.
“What’s the Godsrealm like? That’s where Selene and the other gods live, right?”
Her question forced me to draw a deep breath. “Yeah. Selene dwells in an isolated part of the Godsrealm. It’s no fairytale world, and it most definitely isn’t the Olympus the Greeks believed it to be. It’s a realm not only of gods, but of monsters as well.”
Her head tilted as she absorbed the information.
“Any creature of myth in the Mortalrealm is a creature that found its way through a ripple in the veil between our realms when they weren’t supposed to. The darklings pale in comparison to the power some monsters of the Godsrealm wield.” While I missed our home in the Godsrealm, I didn’t miss the endless games the Elythians played in their courts, the senseless wars fought out of sheer boredom or over territory.
“The Elythians seldom fight their own battles, despite their power, instead sending fae and other less powerful races to fight in their stead, never suffering the decisions they made. Our kind were created by Selene for that very purpose when they fought against the Titans. Selene’s allies gifting their powers to create each of the houses of power to aid them.”
Cassie’s gaze drifted out toward the city. “It’s still weird to know that gods exist. I don’t remember too much of our meeting with Selene, just that she was… power. Pure power.”
“And there are those more powerful than her. Far crueler too.”
Cassie turned from the cityscape, her hazel eyes settling on me. The icy winter wind whipped loose strands of chestnut hair around her face.
I continued, settling my elbows on my knees. “In their boredom of their own realm, the Elythians slipped through the veil, sought entertainment in the company of the mortals wherever they could. Mortals were easy to manipulate, easy to deceive, and they acted so differently from the Elythians. Their reactions to the orchestrated tragedies and subsequent rescuing only encouraged the Elythians’ behavior. Ultimately, it’s how they came to be worshipped as gods.”
“Cruel sounds like an understatement,” she murmured.
“Eris is among the cruelest of their kind.” I’d seen the destruction she’d wrought before, and nothing compared to it. “She will turn friend and family against one another and watch as they tear each other down until nothing remains.”
“Have you been to the Godsrealm?” she asked.
I nodded, sorrow gnawing deep within my chest, but I pushed it down. I didn’t want to linger on what once was our home. “Within the Godsrealm are numerous kingdoms, each ruling over their own territory or domain. Some of the regions are beautiful. The moment you see them, this world dulls in comparison. The very earth is alive with magic.”
Curiosity lit up her hazel eyes. I smiled, imagining the endless paintings she might bring to life if she ever got the chance to see the lunassia flowers bloom on the Astral Mountains during the lunar solstice, or the Valleys of the Stryass where mist danced among the steep, wildflower dusted slopes, or... what once was one of her favorite places to visit, the Stellarion Forest, lit by the pale glow of countless, monstrous Dimós trees.
I shoved back the sorrowful memories. “But while there are many beautiful places, there are places of desolation, void of any life or goodness. If it weren’t so dangerous, I’d love for you to see the beautiful parts of it, but it isn’t a safe place for humans to enter. The few mortals who’ve happened upon ripples in the veil disappear and become the center of mystery and horror stories you humans enjoy.”
I smiled at the continued look of curiosity on her face. “The shadow creatures I summon...”
“You mean the shadow puppies?” A smile laced her tone as she threw a mischievous look my way.
I rolled my eyes. “TheLupaicome from the Godsrealm.” I knew she wasn’t serious, and I refused to admit it out loud, but it was adorable, innocent even, for her to call the Lupai ‘puppies.’ If the name had slipped from anyone else’s lips, it would have been an insult to their power. I reached into the dark void lingering within me, calling out, and a dark creature rose from the darkness pooling on the rooftop behind us. It ignored me, immediately rushing to her side before licking her cheek.
Her laughter lit something in me, and I couldn’t resist the smile spreading across my face. I rested my head against my fist, watching her as she interacted with the wolf of mist and shadows. The Lupai loved her, and it was no surprise as she’d once been master to the mother of their kind. Though she was different on the outside, they knew.
Lupa, the mother of the Lupai, was a powerful beast and had been a loyal companion of Moira’s over the centuries of her life, fighting faithfully by her side. As formidable as any creature of the Godsrealm, she’d been a powerful ally.
Unfortunately, she’d been an equally powerful enemy when Melantha corrupted her.
It had broken Lucia’s heart to fight her old comrade when the darkling queen had risen. She’d summoned the mother of the Lupai, corrupted her form, and while Lupa wasn’t anywhere near the size she was in the Godsrealm when we’d faced her, she’d nearly been too powerful for Lucia and me to face. Thankfully, we’d managed to bring her down, and she’d returned to the Godsrealm, free from the corruption of Melantha.
I feared what manner of dark creatures Melantha might try to summon this time.
“Are there other shadow beasts like the Lupai?”
I blinked, her question interrupting my musing. “Many creatures reside in the Godsrealm. I prefer the Lupai,and occasionally the Coronis, which are like crows. They’re both loyal creatures, smart, and work well together. There are also creatures resembling snakes, other kinds of birds, even some beasts you don’t find in this realm, some made of nightmares.”
I could already see another question lingering on her tongue, and her curiosity made me smile. I knew it was fueled by the desire to learn more about our world hidden in the shadows, a world just as much hers as it was mine, one she should’ve experienced if it weren’t for the mortal form trapping her soul.
She tilted her head. “Can others of House Skiásummon shadow beasts like you?”
Others of House Skiá...Her question hit deep, but I wouldn’t dampen her mood tonight—not before she was to hunt darklings at my side. “Members of House Skiácan summon all manner of creatures from the Godsrealm depending on their skill or level of magic.”
