“The prophecy has returned!” yelled a man on the other side.
Soon, everyone stood, breaking out in applause as the room erupted in sound again.
Dez took my hand and moved me back toward his throne, offering me a small bow before kissing my knuckles. When I looked at Tristan, he was smiling at me.
“Dez and I had already visited a few of the villages these past couple of months to spread the word. It was his idea. Tonight isn’t about me, Morrigan.”
“I don’t understand,” I said to both of them.
“They’re here to celebrateyou.”
After the shock of it all had passed, everyone seemed to relax into a comfortable routine of dances and chatter.
Tristan kept a little bit of distance most of the night, remaining near the throne as he sipped his wine. Malakai was thecompleteopposite. He had grabbed at least twenty different girls for dances, and I could see the small sense of normalcy in his usually crazed eyes—like memories were returning from his old life.
Dez and I spent most of the night dancing together. I was able to convince Naaz, Cass, and D to join in at some point, but Kaiden and Eris remained on the other side of the ballroom, watching us.
Eventually, Cassius hadwaytoo much to drink and decided to retire for the night. He gave me a soft kiss before leaving, and I realized that the ballroom had become far too hot for me.
I walked toward Tristan, giving him a quick kiss on his cheek. “I’m going to get some air really quick. Did you want to come with me?”
To my surprise, he shook his head. “I’m… kind of enjoying just watching it all, if that’s okay.”
With a smile, I nodded and pranced through the ballroom until I reached the doors that led out onto the courtyard. The air felt brisk against the heat that slicked my skin. I didn’t even need a cloak against the chilled, spring air.
I walked toward the garden of roses and plucked one, bringing it to my nose and smelling the sweet, floral aroma that wafted from the flower. But then, a strange awareness washed over me that had my skin prickling in an instant. I perked up, looking around, though no one stood directly nearby. There were people outside talking to each other, and some were dancing to the music that bled out from the ballroom.
Yet, the feeling wouldn’t go away.
I vaguely recognized it.
Instinctively, I turned toward the trees that I had once walked through, and heard the slight hum of a voice on the wind.“Behold…”it whispered.
It was the same voice I heard saying that strange word when Azrael and I fell into the water. The same voice that pulled me onto the pier that day. I followed it, letting my senses guide me, until I found the hidden path and made my way to the beach.
When I stepped onto the pier, I could already see five pairs of eyes staring at me from the water. Once I reached the end, I knelt down, and they all swam closer, stopping at the edge.“Behold…”
“How am I able to understand you now?” I asked breathlessly.
One of them reached out to me, placing their slick hand against my chest.“Light.”
“Ryuk did this to you, didn’t he?” As all five of them nodded, anger slowly crept its way in. “It was you that saved us in the water, wasn’t it?” They nodded again. “How? I don’t understand. Only the gods can?—”
“Rosina…”
“To protect the child…”
Of course it was Rosina. She was the one who practically tore open the bridge between our worlds. It only made sense that she did everything she could to keep her son safe.
“What do you want from me? Why did you pull me into the water?"
"Home..."
"Want to go home..."
"Just tell me where it is, I can?—”
“Release us…”
