“You aren’t who I was expecting,” she stated flatly. There was an edge of disappointment to the words, supported by her lips tilting down at the side.
I could think about what that meant later.
“You aren’t who I was expecting either,” I admitted cautiously. Convincing her to free me may be challenging, especially with blood covering my face from biting at the cuffs. Not exactly an approachable visage. “But I’m glad to see you. Can you please get me out of these?” I raised my cuffed wrists the couple of inches the shackles allowed.
“Why are you back here?” Her eyes scanned me slowly, assessing.
How much did she know? Where would I even begin? I didn’t want to waste any more time sitting here. Viv needed me. “I don’t have time to tell you. My mate is one of your sisters and I need to help her.” Hopefully she knew she had sisters.
“I’m not driving this van to the facility. You’d have to walk the rest of the way,” her warm golden-brown eyes were sharp, neutral.
“Tesilvis?” I guessed. “No. I need to go South. She’s in Cyciciah.” Would she know where that was? I had no basis for how much she did or didn’t understand about this world. Something in her leer told me she wasfarfrom naïve.
She didn’t seem sold. Her lips twisted thoughtfully.
“Look, I’m on your side. I’m friends with one of your other sisters, Faeryn—”
“You know Faeryn?” Her tone softened just enough to tell me I’d found an in.
“Yes!” I couldn’t mask the relief in my voice that we had a common interest. “Her mate is like a brother to me. I know theywere here last summer, and my other friend Mykie helped break her out. Please. I don’t have the time for all of this.” I’d never felt so small, and I allowed that desperation to show on my face. I needed help. The best way I could love Vivian properly, was to admit it. Show my belly.
“Alright, fine,” she said, stepping up on the bench next to me and crouching to undo my chest restraint.
With a “click” my upper body was freed. I shifted forward to get up, but the cuffs on my wrists pulled me back. She looked down at my hands, thought for a moment, then looked back up at me.
“I’ll find the key. Stay put and stay quiet if you don’t want to attract attention.” She pushed the door open and slipped silently into the night.
The wait was excruciating. I was helpless. Pathetic. I could tolerate it, I told myself. The moment I had all six limbs back, I’d be a force of nature. I would destroy anything standing between me and my female.
The goddess returned, tried some different key combinations, and finally, I was freed. She wiped her reddened palms on her muscular thighs and stated “I’m driving” before hopping out of the back. I would expect the average person to bemuchmore distressed over the state I was in, but she didn’t seem bothered by the gore. She reminded me of the more hardened hitmen I’d worked with at G.P.O.
I jumped out and rounded the corner of the van. In the darkness, I could faintly make out the heap of a Pyran-Quadmos Hybrid sprawled out on the ground. I stepped over their legs quickly. Their dead body was actively being feasted on by a small, frail, unfamiliar bipedal beast. I was surprised it wasn’t retreating from me. I’d grown so used to the crystal tied aroundmy neck scaring things away. That effect on wildlife must be regional.
I reached for my necklace, happy to feel it there. A piece of home.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and continued towards the passenger side door. There would be larger scavengers soon. Time to get moving.
The goddess must’ve had the same urgency. The moment I closed the door behind me, she shot the vehicle into reverse and cranked us around, heading in the opposite direction.
I’d never been to Tesilvis. I had only snippets from a textbook in my head.Uninhabitable forest with dangerous predatory life wandering its densely packed trees.That didn’t do the creepiness justice. The windshield wipers swiped endlessly at the humidity forming droplets on the glass. The gnarled tree branches reached toward the road like they were trying to strangle anyone who dared to carve into their territory. Moss hung from their bark, looking like the tattered remains of animal hides, unmoving in the non-existent breeze. I could only imagine the grisly food chain hidden by the dark cover of the trees. I felt pity for the goddess that was ported out here. Someone must’ve been, if there was a factory running.
I craved the ethereal peace of Vivian’s field. Even with the strange creatures that surrounded it, Cyciciah was heaven to me. A world of blues, waterfalls, rich smells, and enchanting groves that glowed in the dark. Nothing bad could touch it. Her magic could not be tainted. What was happening at this very moment while I wasn’t there to protect her?Why couldn’t this van go any faster?
“I’m Theo,” I said with as much pleasantness as I could muster, given I wanted nothing more than to scream.
“Dia,” she replied, not shielding the aggravation in her tone, unlike me.
“Thanks for helping me, Dia.”
She didn’t reply.
Fine. I could deal with gruff. She’d still have to talk to me. “So, who were you expecting back there?”
“Patton Gable.” The words were coated in venom.
“You wanted to kill him?” The fury in her eyes told me it was a fair enough guess. Her earlier tone of disappointment made sense now.
“He was supposed to be passing through right now,” she growled. “Yeah. I wanted to kill him.”
