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Yet, none of that pride quelled my desire to escape and take back what was mine. Several thousand years was a long time to simmer in my anger and hatred while plotting revenge on those who’d put me here.
“This world is a better place because of your rule, my friend. Don’t forget that.”
“I can’t. You won’t stop reminding me.” I smirked at her, then returned my gaze to the ocean just as a shadow of unease drifted over me, tightening in my chest. The rich scent of sweet apples and earthy oak reached me.
That was . . . new.
“Do you smell that?” I asked, and Styx raised an eyebrow in question.
“Smell what?”
Shaking my head, I did my best to brush it off. “Nothing.”
I could feel Styx’s gaze as she assessed my every move. A deeper part of me began to feel distress and I couldn’t explain it. Emotions whispered, teasing the edge of my mind, but they were not my own.
Without another word, I made for the castle entrance where the sand and ocean met. Built into the rocky mountainside terrain of an active volcano, it looked more intimidating than inviting.
She followed, taking the steps two at a time to keep up with me.
“Caius, what’s wrong?” she asked between heavy breaths.
“I’m not sure.” I knew I couldn’t hide that something was affecting me, but I couldn’t give a real answer when I wasn’t entirely sure what was happening myself.
We weren’t halfway there when heavy beads of sweat dotted my brow and began to drip down my temples. I came to a stop, wiping it off with the back of my hand. The temperature here remained the same, and I climbed these steps daily. Never once had this realm elicited a reaction like this without a more intense physical exertion.
The response was almost . . . human.
Bursting through the doors into my throne room, I walked through the attached atrium and headed for a table. A pewter pitcher and goblet sat near a stack of parchment. Gulping water did nothing to cool me off.
Styx spoke softly to a porter, instructing him to bring in the rest of my trusted court. He nodded at the command and turned to leave.
“Wait,” I called, and he froze. “Summon Broca as well.”
The young man nodded again, scurrying out quickly. Styx groaned obnoxiously, not trying to hide her displeasure.
“Tell me how you really feel,” I said sarcastically, taking a seat at a large round table. Ivy and various medicinal herbs grew along trellises on the wall, creating a warm, inviting space amidst the rock. I could use some of those medicines right about now. My gut twisted again, and I grit my teeth at the discomfort.
Styx scoffed in derision. “She’s not a soothsayer, and she speaks in riddles. Don’t give credence to anything that old goat tells you. You never know if a glaistig is helping you or trying to screw you over.”
Turning to her, I raised a brow. “You doubt her?”
She gestured vaguely. “To be fair, I doubt everyone. Pollux and I have that in common. I wanted to stab Oberon the day I met him.”
“And yet you didn’t.”
“I’m still not sure I made the right choice.”
My trusted companions, Abyssian, Oberon, and Pollux walked into the great room, an urgency in their steps.
“I heard that,” Oberon said, flipping her off.
She turned to look at him as she stood with her arms crossed. “I sure hope so. I said it loud enough.”
“You look like shit, Caius,” Abyssian said, assessing me from head to toe.
“Feeling like it, brother,” I muttered, rubbing the side of my temples as a momentous headache began to form.
The unsettling clacking of hooves sounded in the hall, and Pollux squeezed his eyes shut before grumbling, “Why is she here?”
