Page 63 of The Arcane God

“Well, I will be watching with bated breath,” Ena said sincerely.

“You are thinking you might be able to Change too?” Xena asked her, looking over at her with curiosity.

“Yes, maybe,” Ena said, the thought causing her stomach to sink, though she wasn’t sure why.

Xena was silent for a minute, before she just said, “It is hard not knowing.”

“Yes,” Ena replied sincerely. “It is.”

“You know,” Xena continued. “The stryx believe that every time we Change, we shed our old selves, only to be born again anew. That is why we collect and bury our old skin—the one that falls away—when the Change is complete.”

“I didn’t know that,” Ena said. The idea of it was rather beautiful, she had to admit, even though the thought of Changing herself made her…uncomfortable. “Thank you, by the way,” she said, changing the subject. “For saving Ty and bringing him to your people. That was a big leap of faith.”

“I could not let the man die,” she said, shrugging as if saving her half brother’s life was no big deal.

Ty, who had been listening in silence to their conversation, snorted loudly. “I wasn’t going to die,” he said, surly. “I had it under control.”

Xena side-eyed him. “Yes, your makeshift home inside that snow-covered tree looked quite cozy. I’m sure you would have been just fine there indefinitely,” she said, sarcasm dripping from her very word.

Ty chuckled at her tone, then caught himself as the smile faded from his face. Ena could only speculate at how he was feeling about all this, since they hadn’t discussed it much, but she could imagine the idea of a sister was…confusing to say the least.

“Did you know?” Ty asked her seriously. “When you found me, did you know?”

She looked over at him, a hint of vulnerability in her eyes. “I’ve always known of you,” she replied. “Mother told me of you since I was a child. But I never thought…” She drifted off, seeming at a loss for words. “I didn’t know right away, but once you said you were there to find your mother, yes, of course I knew then.”

Ty nodded. “I did not know about you,” he said, a little bitterly.

“How could you have?” Xena asked, the question needing no answer.

The two of them looked at each other briefly, before both glanced away, and Ena had to suppress a smile.

Gaia, they were definitely related.

***

By around midday, after hiking practically straight up for several hours, they began to crest the peak, and Ena found herself slightly confused. She thought they had been going to a lake? How could there be a lake this high up in the mountains?

Her question was soon answered for her as they arrived at the mountain’s rim, only to see that it wasn’t flat or rocky across like the others. Instead, it opened up into an enormous basin—like a giant stone bowl carved into the top of the mountain.

The basin was several miles across, at least, and filled with the most crystal-clear blue water Ena had ever seen. Dotted throughout the water were tiny islands, a few of which had trees and other vegetation growing on them, and surrounded on all sides by the mountain’s rim—a ledge that encircled the lake. And beyond it, all you could see was clear blue sky and wispy, white clouds, as if the lake itself was suspended in midair.

It was absolutely breathtaking. A lake in the clouds.

“Iblis take me,” Turner muttered as a breath of wind gusted across the lake, dancing around them.

“My thoughts exactly,” Ty echoed, his eyes wide as an awestruck smile spread across his face.

“It’s so beautiful,” Ena added.

“Who is Iblis?” Xena said, coming up beside Turner and eying him.

All three of their heads swiveled to her.

“He’s just…he’s…you don’t know who Iblis is?” Turner asked, stumbling over his words a bit and looking shyer than normal.

Xena shrugged at him.

“He’s the God daemons serve,” Ty answered. “The force of chaos, discord, and discontent in the world.”