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Amell isn’t moved, and he nods toward the edge of the bridge. The guards lift the man under his armpits, and he stares at the king. “I always knew I’d end up here one day.”
The guards start to drag him away, but to my surprise, Amell says, “Wait.”
He steps forward and asks the man, “What did you mean by that?”
Still crying, he shakes his head. “I’ve done so many bad things… I just… I deserve this.”
His tone is so defeated and heavy, I pity him. Amell seems perplexed and studies the guy with shrewd eyes.
And then I’m totally shocked when he says, “I’m going to reincarnate you.”
The man gasps and the guards immediately release him. He sags to the ground, and his head tips back to look at Amell.
“You’ll be given another chance at life, but it will be harder than the one you just left. Every obstacle and hill you faced, the new ones will be bigger and steeper. If you want to redeem your soul, you’ll do better. If you don’t, your next death will land you straight into the Crimson River. Do you understand?”
The man nods furiously before hesitantly asking, “Will I remember this? Will I know that I have to do better and what the stakes are if I don’t?”
Amell shakes his head. “No. You won’t.”
And that’s all the advice he gives.
A thick stream of light shoots down from the midnight sky above, the rays shimmering with billions of sparkles. From within the brilliance, two large men step forward. They’re dressed in black—weird clothing that’s not of the First Dimension but looks futuristic with clean lines and no buttons or pockets.
They lift the man under his armpits, same as the fae guards did to throw him into the Crimson River.
I step closer to Amell and whisper, “Where are they taking him?”
“To Zora,” he answers, his eyes watching the men as they step backward into the light to disappear. “She’ll actually reincarnate him.”
“And he’ll have no guidance?”
Amell shrugs. “Who knows? Circe might meddle in his fate.”
I know much more about the gods now since Amell has spent many nights, our bodies tangled in his bed, educating me on all the fantastical things about the universe.
“Why did you do it?” I ask, not sure I’m worthy of his thought process.
“Because he reminded me of you.” Amell stares down at me, his eyes warm. “You said those very words… knew you’d end up here one day. He might have deserved the river, but I can’t be sure. Perhaps he had things happen in his life that led him down a bad path, just like you.”
I have no clue if he made the right decision, but it touches me that my experience has made Amell look differently at situations. It’s no small power to change a king’s mind or have influence on him.
Not that I want to influence him, but it definitely makes him more real to me. It softens his edges a little.
There are more souls to be judged, and Amell works through them swiftly. He doesn’t spare another, and when he’s finished, he turns to me. “Want to fly?”
I glance up at the dark sky, curious what it would be like to be among those stars he created. “Yes, I’d enjoy that very much.”
“Then let’s go,” he says, and that’s the only warning I get. Amell sweeps me into his arms and cradles me against his chest. Those beautiful wings unfurl and push downward, propelling us off the ground. They make hard swipes against the air, sending us higher and higher.
Up, up, up until Amell angles his body and we move forward. He flies us right over the top of the castle, and I shudder as I look down. We’re hundreds of feet in the air, and Otaxis looks so small, the Crimson River just a tiny ribbon of reddish orange winding toward the horizon.
Amell flies us east through the starry night, and despite the height, I eventually relax, safe and secure in his arms.
“That road leads to Calashte,” he points out below. It winds along rocky, barren hills devoid of travelers. While Otaxis was by no means thriving with flora and fauna, it did have trees and bushes planted along the sidewalks. Cactus-like and spiky, they would hurt if you ran into them, but some bore flowers in muted colors. The trees had ghostlike bark and silver leaves.
Below is nothing but rocks and dirt. It’s quite depressing.
“Did you change all the cities or just Otaxis?” I ask.
