I stared at the journal for what felt like hours, gathering the courage to open the cover. I wanted information from Lord d’Refan,cravedit, spent countless hours searching for it, and now that it was in reach, I wasn’t sure if I really needed it.
Just open the cover, Faylinn. Just the cover.
I took a deep breath and delicately thumbed open the leather cover to the first page. The paper was yellowing with age, dark spots of indeterminable substances adorning the page edges.
Great. It’s probably blood.
Grimacing, I pulled my eyes from the splotches to look at the title of the journal.
“Data and Conclusions from the Experiments on Pain and Pleasure Mages,” I read to myself. “Experiments conducted by Chief Alchemist Sirak and overseen by Lord d’Refan.”
My whole face scrunched into an expression of consternation as I chewed my lip. The scars along my arms ached with a phantom itch as if triggered by mere words.
I flipped to the second page, a content table full of names was next, and I absently flicked through, noting that each one read “failed” next to it. All, that was, but one.
Lex.
Chapter 75
Solace
The long road to Vespera—my throne—was nearly at an end; the blue haze of manufactured light from Mage Orbs washed over the wall that surrounded the city and illuminated the lush green grass that surrounded the base. We were still too far to see Vespera clearly, but we would be attacking by nightfall tomorrow.
I scoffed at Kaos’ last descendant’s folly—to think that a wall would keep me from claiming what should beminewas foolish at best.
I itched to bring the black stone monstrosity down, to expose Vespera’s innards and take what I wanted.
Soon.
Growling in frustration and anticipation, I turned from the wall to gaze at my army’s makeshift camp. I’d amassed quite a following since we first left the Stepstones, and the majority of my newest soldiers were men that were either impressed into servitude or those wanted to see if they could fuck a goddess.
After I publicly beheaded the second one that tried, I’d been left blissfully alone.
Most of my army slept on the ground using spare clothes for bedding; a lucky few remembered to bring tents from the Stepstones or were some of the newer recruits who had killed a more seasoned member for their shelter.
I didn’t involve myself in their petty squabbles—besides, it was better for my army if the strong eliminated the weak.
“Solace,” a soft voice intoned from near my shoulder.
If I were a mere mortal, the sudden intrusion would have spooked me.
But I’mnota mortal. I’m a goddess.
I held in the startle that wanted to work through my body before pivoting slowly on my bare feet, my toes sinking into the soft ground with the movement.
“Do you not bow before your goddess?” I asked the small, brown-haired man. He was entirely plain, even for a mortal. He was slightly dumpy with ill-fitting trousers and tunic, all in a drab khaki.
I wrinkled my nose as he peered at me with slightly watery brown eyes.
So plain.
“I bow before no one but Fate,” he intoned quietly.
I scoffed with a roll of my eyes, closing the distance between myself and the little man. It was a move that was meant to intimidate, but he stood his ground, simply shifting his eyes as I drew closer.
“One of my father’s followers, I presume?” I spat. The man simply blinked.
“Yes.”
