Page 67 of The Ascended
Slowly, his smile turned lethal. "I do so enjoy when my theories prove correct."
Sand filled my throat. "I don't know what you mean."
He stalked closer, that dual-colored gaze never leaving the coin. "Only an Aesymarean can imbue an object to this alchemical level." His voice dropped. "The blessed simply lack the... capacity for such creation."
Then those eyes were on me, dissecting me down to bone and marrow. "Divine blood runs through your veins, starling. As surely as it runs through mine."
I stared at my creation, silently cursing myself for falling into his trap. This—thiswas what betrayed me. Not my unnatural strength, not the breathtaking things I could do, but this godsdamned piece ofmetal I'd poured too much of myself into. My mind scrambled desperately for some explanation, some lie that could salvage this.
But I was already caught in his web.
"So," he said, walking a slow circle around me, "who is it then?"
I lifted my chin, trying to summon the same defiance that had rattled him before. "I told you my story."
Xül's laughter had an edge to it. "Well, you clearly left out some rather imperative details."
He began to pace, his hands clasped behind his back as he laid out his evidence. "The Proving was honestly enough to sound the alarm. But more than that, there's your strength." His eyes raked over me appraisingly. "And let's not forget your unnatural beauty. The kind that is so distracting, starling. That flush of divinity.”
I swallowed hard. Could he see the rapid flutter at my neck?
"I'm assuming it's your father," he continued, conversational as discussing the weather. "Hard to hide a pregnancy in Voldaris."
Blood roared in my ears. I pressed my lips together until they ached, fighting every urge to confirm or deny.
"And I know exactly which books you've been devouring in the library." His tone turned mocking. "Fascinating coincidence—I recently borrowed those same texts. But you knew that already, didn't you?" Darkness crept into his expression. "Your brother possesses abilities undocumented since the Primordials walked among us."
"You're wrong." The words came out hollow, pathetic.
Xül stepped forward. Too close. He was always too godsdamned close.
"I don't take kindly to being thought a fool," he whispered, his breath warm against my ear. "And I’m not known for my patience. So tell me now, starling, before I inform the Twelve that someone has been putting their cock where it doesn't belong."
I stumbled backward, the truth of my exposure washing over me. My secrets now lay visible in Xül's unflinching gaze.
I'd spent my life constructing walls around my true self, learningwhich smiles deflected questions, which words diverted attention. This vigilance had become so much a part of me that it was as easy as breathing.
Now Xül had dismantled those defenses with unsettling ease. He'd found the hidden door I’d never meant anyone to discover and walked through it as if it had always stood open. I felt stripped bare.
The feeling left me dizzy with a mix of dread and dangerous relief.
"I don't know who my father is," I lied desperately. "The man who raised me is mortal."
Xül tilted his head, studying me with those unnervingly perceptive eyes. "And your mother?"
I looked down, tears welling up despite my efforts to remain strong.
"Ah," Xül said softly, as if pieces of a puzzle had just clicked into place.
I couldn't speak past the lump in my throat.
"Let's see now," he mused, tapping his fingers against his thigh in contemplation. "Which Aesymar would spawn both a starwielder and a god killer? Who would break such a sacred, divine law? It couldn’t be one of the Twelve, of course." His eyes glittered. "I know better than most how strictly they enforce such things."
My legs felt weak, and I stumbled back to the sitting area, slumping down onto the cushioned bench. Xül followed, crouching in front of me as he tried to meet my eyes.
"Tell me what you know," he said, his voice gentler now but no less insistent.
I forced myself to look at him. "I know nothing."
