Page 36 of Tear of Destiny

“That’s bullshit, and you know it. He’s an ovlem, a junkie who’s lost his mind and thrown all caution to the wind. That won’t happen to me.”

“Yeah, right, because you’re invincible.” Her eyes flash coldly, and her voice is sharp.

I’m surprised at her raw tone, the aggression in her voice. But maybe she’s just tired of having to talk Noah out of what she sees as errors of judgment. Unfortunately, she doesn’t seem to understand that it’s not her job.

“Noah, she has no business being in the Odyss. When will youaccept that?”

“Whether you like it or not, Teresa and I are friends. We help each other. For example, if it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t know that the Noctu are hiding a goddess of destiny in a retirement home.”

Frances’ eyebrows shoot up, and she looks back and forth between me and Noah. I can tell she doesn’t know whether to believe him.

“My parents must know about it, but they never told me. That’s the level of trust in a Noctu family. The Assembly is the top priority. The Odyss is all that matters. But I refuse to see it that way. If our own families are willing to betray us…”

Frances turns pale. Her hands flutter restlessly, as if she’s struggling to find the right words. Or is she just trying to process the information? She takes a few steps and then mutters, “Some decisions aren’t easy. Sometimes you have to do things that other people don’t understand. But you can never protect everybody. Your parents probably just want what’s best for you.”

“So you think it’s okay that we’re all kept in the dark about the fact that we have a goddess of destiny in our hands?” Noah asks. “Frances, wake up! Your parents are Assembly members too. I bet they know about the goddess. But they’ve said nothing to you either. Of course not! They ignore you the whole time as it is. Even when you were put through your test, they left you on your own; they weren’t there for you when you became a Noctu warrior – they don’t care about you. They keep important information like this from us and expect us to faithfully follow orders.” He shakes his head. “We need to find out what’s in this library, and I’m going to help Teresa with that.”

Frances now looks even paler if that’s possible. Her eyes are directed at the ground and her lips pressed tightly together. She slowly shakes her head. “You don’t understand the situation. If they’re keeping information from us, there must be a reason.Sometimes you protect the people you love by not telling them things. And I’m sure that’s what’s happening here. What do you think would happen if everyone knew about it?”

“We’re not everyone,” Noah retorts. “We’re the children of Assembly members. Their successors. They’re supposed to trust us.”

“What would you know?” Frances hisses.

And there it is again: that cold, scathing look. I can’t understand why it’s directed at Noah. He’s always been the person she cares about most. But this whole thing really seems to be getting to her.

“You make it so easy for yourself.” With these words, she turns around, takes her key out of her pocket, summons a door, and disappears.

“What was all that about?” I say.

Noah shrugs. “I’m not sure. But Frances has been taking things pretty hard lately. Her parents are back in the Odyss for the trial, but they’re totally ignoring her. I guess that’s upsetting her.”

We’re silent for a moment, staring at the spot where Frances disappeared. Noah runs his hand anxiously through his hair and turns to face me. “We should go.”

I nod and say goodbye to Yoru. “Wait here, okay? I’ll come back for you as soon as I can.”

Yoru looks at me with his keen eyes and then disappears around the corner of a building.

Noah takes out his own key and summons a door. I hold my breath as we fall through it, and I’m glad when I land more or less on my feet this time. Standing in the dark room with all the doors, I shiver. This place still gives me the creeps. Maybe because I can’t forget about the first time I came here and encountered one of the fallen.

Noah reaches out and summons another door, which slowly glides toward us. When it reaches us, he opens it. We stepthrough and find ourselves just outside the settlement around the old temple. To get to the ruins, we take several detours, which lead us through forest and fields. This place still seems so strange to me. It reminds me of something out of a surreal, somnambulist movie with all the lights floating in the air and the unfamiliar plants, which look so fantastically exotic. Although I’m actually in more danger of being exposed by a Noctu, I feel safer here than I do in the room with the doors.

The temple complex is imposing, even though all that remains of it are crumbling walls. I see illustrations on one of the interior walls, presumably depicting goddesses. I can make out three women in long robes with long threads coming out of their hands, which they’re weaving around a group of people. It’s really dramatic. The all-powerful goddesses determining the lives of all those insignificant humans.

“This way,” Noah says, and we follow a corridor into an area of the temple that’s not as badly destroyed. I can see that there must have once been three levels. The floors themselves are missing entirely, but I can imagine how magnificent this place must have been once. I see ruined columns, pediments, and figures that are now only recognizable by their rough outlines.

I hear a noise and freeze. Noah stops too. Approaching footsteps. I cast around desperately for somewhere to hide, but we’re in the middle of a corridor. We can only go forward or back.

“Act like everything’s normal. Just keep walking,” Noah whispers, continuing on his way.

Two women walk past, talking animatedly. They glance at us briefly as they pass but don’t interrupt their conversation to greet us.

“It wouldn’t occur to anybody that a Tempes might be here,” Noah explains quietly. “It’s all good.”

I try to calm my racing heart, but it’s not easy. I’m surroundedby enemies. A single mistake could cost me my life. But there’s no turning back now.

We enter a room with high walls that are more or less intact. But the ceiling is missing, and I can see the lights flitting around above us. Now and then, one drops down as if to greet us, pauses for a moment, and then floats away. I take a look around the room, its windows nothing but holes knocked through the walls. Stones of varying sizes lie scattered everywhere, and the occasional patch of grass grows between the slabs. It surprises me to see this sacred place in such a derelict state.

“It was decided long ago not to rebuild these halls. To keep everything the way it was when the goddesses left the Odyss. It’s all supposed to serve as a reminder of the betrayal by the Tempes, who were once on our side but turned against the goddesses in the end.”

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