Page 97 of Gods of the Sea

“It can’t be true,” Luc replied, pulling back his arm and searching it. “I would never steal another man’s wife. Not after my—”

He stopped, swallowing hard again. The king stepped forward, putting a hand on his shoulder and speaking softly.

“Your cleansed spirit wouldn’t be able to understand your tainted one,” the king said. “Once you’ve been purified, your old sins will repulse you.”

“He’s suffered a great loss,” Jacques added. “Multiple times across multiple lives. Whatever sins he committed, he paid for them.”

The words sank into our ears, but they seemed to hit Luc’s the hardest.

“Maria…” he whispered, his eyes glossing into the most sorrowful I had ever seen them. “Forgive me. It was my sins that killed you.”

The king brought his hand to Luc’s hair much in the way my father did when I was in pain.

“Your sins have been paid for,” the king said. “Now it’s your choice on what to do with your freedom.”

Luc nodded. He turned his head away, wiping his thumb under his eyes and clearing his throat.

“I would like to find my home,” Luc said.

The king’s face was firm. “You understand the weight of your responsibilities? If you accept your wings, you must return to the skies, weighing the souls of man as you once did. You can be tried and cursed again at any time.”

Luc nodded. “I understand.”

The king lifted Luc’s head, looking straight into his eyes for a few moments. He smiled warmly, nodding.

“Yes, your heart is true,” King Melchior said. He turned back to Jacques. “Shall we give him his wings?”

Jacques looked him over for a moment. “He’s been purified, and he helped reconnect the spiritual and physical worlds together. I have no objections.”

I stepped back automatically as Luc followed Jacques to the center of the rose lake in the middle of the throne room. They walked along the thin bridges of dark stone that stretched across it until they were in the direct center, the water rippling below them.

Jacques motioned for Luc to stay still on the platform, leaving him to go to the throne. Luc stood still over the water. My heart pounded in my chest as we waited.

Vito and Hugo stepped away from the throne, taking new places on the sides of the room. The king stood at his throne, waiting for Jacques to stand beside him before speaking.

“You’ve done well, Luc,” the king said. “Or…should I call you Rhys once again?”

With that, the throne split in two, a red glow bursting from the crevices. The glow twisted in the air—much like the teal strands in the courthouse did—and swarmed around the lake in a deep mist. The water rose from the lake and twisted with it, creating a breathtaking rosy wave that towered Luc on both sides. I saw him flinch right before the water swallowed him completely, wrapping around him like a cocoon.

The water split into multiple sections, twisting and weaving until it created rose-colored wings on Luc’s back. They fluttered, sending water scattering across the lake; then they dripped, more and more until the remnants turned into the shape of feathers. Luc fell to the ground, sitting up and breathing roughly as the wings burst into full expansion.

They were absolutely breathtaking to look at. They were dark, but sparkled like stars, equally darkness and light.

The throne then closed on itself, becoming whole once again. The king helped Luc to his feet and brought him away from the lake back to the throne.

Luc looked back at his wings, a smile bursting across his face as an excited cry left his lips. He twirled with his wings like an old friend, and they fluttered in return, lifting him clear off the ground.

I could only stare. I couldn’t even breathe.

“I remember!” Luc said. “I remember everything now. All the lives I’ve lived…I remember.”

He turned back to the king, gratefulness spilling out of his eyes. He bowed on one knee, holding King Melchior’s hand.

“Your Majesty,” he said as if he had known the king since childhood. “Forgive me for my actions against you.”

The king laughed, stroking Luc’s head in adoration. “It’s good to have you home again, Rhys.”

Rhys.

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