“There’s more you’re not telling me,” I hazard a guess, and was surprised when the Bondsmith’s eyes grew soft and distant.
“There’s much I cannot say as it is not my tale to tell. Nor am I able to tell it,” she answered cryptically, and I sighed, exhaustion weighing heavy on my mind.
“The answers you seek to the questions you have are within that story. You just need to know the questions to ask,” she added quietly. “I am sorry I cannot be more help. Back when I was much younger, I made a bargain and am unable to speak ofcertain things. There are always loopholes to these deals, but this one is fairly ironclad.”
My lips thinned at the sadness in her voice.
“Was it worth it?” I asked, surprised by my own question. If the Bondsmith was intrigued by my interest, she masked it well.
“It was,” she whispered.
We sat in silence then, each lost to our own thoughts.
“Is it possible to pull someone into . . . Meru with me?” I hedged a bet that the dream walking I thought I was doing was actually a variation of my body—corporeal or otherwise—visiting the home of the gods.
But why?
The smile that lit her face was like the force of a thousand suns.
“I knew you’d be intelligent. My Faylinn would like you, if given the chance,” she said as her smile dimmed a notch at the mention of Faylinn.
Faylinn? From the village?My eyes widened in sudden understanding, and the Bondsmith’s smile turned sad.
“There are many sins I have to atone for, none heavier than what I owe my daughter,” she explained, and I blanched.
“Faylinn is a key to this puzzle.” It wasn’t a question, but something I knew with utter conviction.
Of course she’s important—the Matriarch wanted her for a reason.
Suddenly, I shook with energy, a thousand thoughts whirring through my mind.
“Yes, it is possible,” the Bondsmith stated, drawing me from my spiraling thoughts. “You would simply need to tether your soul to whoever you wanted to bring with you.”
She said it so simply, but something about it filled me with dread.
“Tether my . . . soul? Like a Bond?”
The Bondsmith shook her head. “In a way, but not the type of Bonds you’re thinking. No, a tether is more of a string that connects one soul to another. Almost like a leash. Each side can yank on it and pull the other’s soul into their mind.”
“Sounds . . . dangerous.” I wrinkled my nose slightly, thinking of the horrific things a tether could do if given the chance.
The Bondsmith cackled loudly. “Oh, you have no idea, Lord d’Eshu.”
I chewed my lip in thought. “You can create the tether.”
She stopped laughing and sighed, twirling the empty glass between her palms. “Yes,” she said quietly. “I can create the tether.”
“But?”
“But it comes with a cost. As do all actions of a goddess.”
“I’ll pay anything.”
“I imagine you would, Lord d’Eshu. We would do anything for what we love. I suppose the gods and mortals are similar in that way,” her voice was soft and distant again. “You have to know that whoever you tether is bound to you for life. There is no removing a tether—your soul is tied to their soul for eternity.”
Her gaze bored into my own, and I pulled at the edge of my collar as I grew uncomfortable.
“What happens if one of us dies?”
