Page 231 of The Gods Order

“The prophecy required six. Mellcom had to exist for the path to unfold. If Sabe didn’t know her child had a greater purpose, she wouldn’t have had one at all.”

“Still,” I say, shaking my head. “Why not tell one of the other Goddesses? Her out of all of them?”

“Rella is brilliant, although cold. She would have found the weakness in every word I spoke. She would have searched for the child carrying the ties before the child ever had the chance to breathe. Calista would’ve done everything she could to ensure none were conceived because it wasn’t her idea. That’s what I really needed from Sabe.”

I stare at her, blinking.

“You needed to plant the seeds of an idea for the Beginning Gods to have children.”

“Yes,” she says. “And who better to foster that idea than the Goddess of Seduction. The Goddess whose goal since her creation was to have all the gods to herself. I know who Sabe is deep down. She does an impeccable job of swirling her wine and making everyone around her believe all she cares about is sin, sex, and power at Kira’s side. That is the furthest thing from the truth. Sabe is smart. Smarter than any of them. Even him.”

My forehead wrinkles. I haven’t seen proof of that, but I don’t live behind their doors, and knowing the shit Sabe pulled on Derivius, I really can’t or won’t put anything past her.

“You never told Kira about the prophecy,” I say. “No one did as far as I know.”

“No, I never said anything. There was no point. Kira doesn’t believe in destiny unless he controls it. He would have searched for a way to force the outcome. He would have taken the prophecy and twisted it until it served him. Sabe knows that as well, and that’s why she’s never shared the prophecy with him. Just…bits and pieces of an idea.”

Bits and pieces. It finally feels like the pieces are coming together.

“What about Meridamus and Derivius? I know Dad went to the nonmagical realm and made Derivius come home. After that, he felt like you all betrayed him because none of you told him how the prophecy would unfold.”

A flash of guilt spears through her eyes and she pinches them shut for a fleeting second.

“I did withhold that from him. I knew he’d stop it. I told him the wrong prophecy, then shared with him that when the fifth came, he would know of her arrival. I told him you’d have seven ties and his job was to protect the path ahead of you by any means necessary. He knew the prophecy required certain things to happen. He knew some truths needed to remain hidden until the time was right.”

By any means necessary…

“You should’ve been a little more specific with him. Splitting my soul was a tad much.”

She lets out a small laugh just as I do and the smiles linger on our faces.

“It wasn’t my girl. It was the perfect amount of protection.”

I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way.

“And Meridamus?” I ask.

Her smile turns sad.

“He knew Mellcom’s existence would be tied to the prophecy. He knew keeping the five sons together would lead to consequences none of us could afford. I shared more of the truth with him because he could see consequences no one else could. He knew what to say, how to say it, and when to.”

“What…” I close my eyes and shake my head. “What is Mellcom’s path in all of this? Aside from the prophecy requiring six gods?”

“Without him, there would have been no path forward.”

My brows pull together.

“But he isn’t one of the four.”

“No, he isn’t.” Her quiet mutter rings through my ears as her gaze stays fixed on the stars. “Mellcom’s purpose was to bring the Starwoven together. He succeeded in that.”

The Starwoven.

It isn’t the first time she’s said it, but it’s the first time my mind has clung to the word. The first time I ever heard it…

Starza. The Valmareri in the Lost Sea.

“What is the Starwoven?” I ask.