Khalida’s brow creased. “I’ve actually never thought to ask that, so I’m not sure. I doubt it, though.”
Skimming through the information on the page, I hummed thoughtfully. “She really did help with the Uprising. If she hadn’t overheard Sarpedon’s plans and forewarned the gods, things might have happened differently.”
Khalida nodded hard. “Hence why she was offered the prize of immortality. Though she turned it down, they neverretracted their offer. She could have changed her mind at any time. She just never did. Not even when the gods warned her that they were leaving our realm and wouldn’t be back for a long time, meaning she’d be ‘stuck’ as a mortal.”
That she hadn’t chosen to spend eternity with Talon didn’t really scream ‘love’ to me. How could you love someone yet leave them over and over? It would be different if she’d intended for them to go their separate ways, but not to repeatedly reappear in his life and expect him to welcome her each time; not to repeatedly put him through the pain of having to lose her again and again; hold her dead body again and again.
Taking another look at the drawing of Eva, I cocked my head. “Is it just me, or does she slightly resemble Skye?”
“It isn’t just you. But despite that she must surely remind him of Eva’s first body, he’s never touched Skye.”
Ignoring how my stomach seemed to protest at the mere thought of him touching her or anyone else, I closed the book. “Maybe that’swhyhe’s never taken Skye up on her invitations. He might find it weird due to the resemblance.” Idly tracing the book’s bumpy leather binding, I added, “I still can’t help thinking how hard it must be for him to walk in skin that isn’t meant for him.”
“I know.” Khalida leaned back in her chair. “It must make it so much harder that he’s expected to protect the sons of the being who changed him.”
“I was reading about dragons a few minutes ago.” I flicked the pages back until I found the one I was looking for. “I didn’t know it was believed that the four statues on the battlement are actuallyrealdragons turned to stone.”
Khalida pulled a face. “Some believe it. Not many, though. It seems odd that the gods would encase the last remaining dragons in stone, but it’s said that they’ll be freed once—or if—the gods return to this realm.” She shrugged.
“They’re truly magnificent, if the drawings are anything to go by,” I said, skimming my fingers over said drawings.
“Typhaos was the most badass,” said Khalida, pointing at the black dragon. “He was the Alpha of the horde. Echidna was his mate; she mostly patrolled the border of the isle, and usually by water—it turns out dragons are awesome swimmers. Ladon guarded the golden apples at the Garden of the Gods, and Campe mostly guarded the Black Tapestry.”
“It’s crazy to think that the half-bloods almost wiped out an entire race of beings. It’s even crazier that the primordials left their unruly children to their own devices and returned to their realm.”
“Agreed. I wonder if maybe they thought that their absence would calm things down.” She sighed. “Sometimes, I wish at leastoneof the gods would get their ass back here and deal with them.”
“Do you think they ever will?”
“Not really. You?”
“I’d like to believe that they would, because then there’s hope that things might one day change.”
“My father always said it’s dangerous to hope.”
Funny. Mine had said that we had nothing without it.
CHAPTER TEN
“Sometimes, I want to knock their heads together,” said Khalida the following evening, her attention on the two bickering officiates who were hovering near the bonfire. Layna had accidentally bumped into Jelani, who’d accepted her stiff apology … but they had somehow ended up arguing over something. Bickering seemed to be a favorite pastime of theirs.
“Have they always been like this?” I asked, raising my voice slightly so I’d be heard over the amount of noise in the garrison—fire crackling, music playing, people laughing and whooping and talking.
“Only after they grew close as friends,” she replied. “It’s maddening watching them both fight what they want instead of fightingforit.”
I took a quick swig of cider from my tankard. Recalling how he had been put off by Khalida telling him I’d want something exclusive … “I have to wonder if the reason he doesn’t offer women more is that he only really wants one person in particular. Aka Layna.”
Khalida’s back straightened. She twisted on her chair so she faced me. “You could be onto something there.”
Hearing playful barks, I looked to see a Laelap running around with a branch that was no doubt meant for the bonfire,several of his pack mates behind him. People were jumping backward to avoid the long branch, but it smacked a few in the legs.
The outside of the garrison waspackedwith people—both officiates and candidates alike. It was Vesper’s birthday, so the Order was ensuring that she spent the evening celebrating it. Only those acting as sentries were unable to attend.
The birthday girl was currently dancing with a bunch of people, including Nakoa and Soule.
Music came from the officiates merrily strumming lutes or banging drums. Many were sprawled out on the courtyard grass. Others sat on hay bales or chairs that were taken from the tavern and library. Some danced near the bonfire, laughing and changing dance-partners by the second. Then there were those leaning against buildings or sitting on the gravelly ground playing cards.
At first, I’d stuck close to the bonfire, seeking warmth as the sun set and the air cooled. But before long, my eyes had begun to sting and water from the smoke. So now Khalida and I lounged on chairs that were set further back.
