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Charos continued before I could ponder the god of love’s strange behavior, “You care for Darshaw. I could easily kill him if you don’t comply.”
I rolled my eyes. He was being ridiculous now. “I don’t think Mother would appreciate you killing her sibling.”
“She’s dead.”
“Of course.” I nodded sagely. “Perhaps in your old age you’ve forgotten, but if your soul mate dies, you’d know about it.”
“She's dead … to me.”
I laughed and clenched my stomach, tears forming in my eyes. “I forgot how dramatic you are.” Wiping my eyes, I said, “If we’re done here, I’ll be leaving.” I turned my back on them once again.
“We aren’t done! You’ll do as we tell you!” Riseir shouted.
Satisfied they were thoroughly frustrated with me, I turned to face them and smiled. “I’ll do as you say and train the titan and his soul pair.”
“Sorry?”
“I will train them, but you will let me into the treasury to take what I needed before with no questions asked. I will not inform the pair that they are the saviors. They will follow me in my task, of which you are not involved. You will not demand anything more from me. If those terms aren’t acceptable, then you’ll need to train him yourself.”
They were quiet. Then Riseir sat back down with a long sigh and rubbed his forehead. “I can't help but think this is exactly how you wanted this to go.”
I grinned cruelly. “You called me here. How could I have planned for this?”
“Fine. Take what you need. Train the pair and take them on the tasks your mother gave you. But I want reports on their progress. I want it to start immediately, and when you are finished with them, return them to us for more instructions.”
I smiled and nodded. The outcome was more than I expected when they first mentioned the soul pair. Now I also got the sacred item and to rub their faces in my victory.
Charos and Riseir rose from their thrones, stepped off their pedestals, and left the hall without a second glance at me. Hedri passed me as he sheathed his sword in the arm of his throne and followed the others.
I narrowed my eyes as I watched them leave. Their strides seemed unsteady, and their golden skin seemed duller. Despite being thousands of years old, they had never aged, and their strength had never waned. I wondered why they suddenly seemed more subdued.
But it wasn’t important. I had a soul pair to train.
A lovely smell had been tickling my senses throughout the discussion with my fathers. The familiar smell of blood, only this was fragrant and delicious beyond anything I had ever inhaled before. Following my nose, I found the faded outline of two bloody handprints. The handprints of the titan who pleaded with my fathers to save his soul pair. It was her blood.
My fangs descended, and I resisted the urge to lick the floor like the beast I was. Using my titan powers, I pulled the remaining specs of blood up from the floor and had it follow me as I left the room to the treasury.
Without my fathers blocking my entry, it was easy to unlock the door and walk inside.
I knew exactly what I wanted. I’d spent years here as a child, looking at the many magical items of old. Items our people had made for various uses. I loved the history, the stories of how they came to be. I knew, after my mother told me my mission before she disappeared, exactly what item I needed to be successful.
On a cushion in the far corner of the room sat a golden ring. The Ring of Gyges. When placed on my finger, I could turn invisible. A trick that would have been useful today but would also help in many more rescues I had planned.
I grinned as I slipped it onto my finger, willed myself to invisibility, and laughed as my body disappeared.
Who said being a savior was all work and no play?
I darted to my old room, the blood still following, and slammed the door behind me. As much as I wanted to play with my new toy, I had to find out more about the soul pair. Without much thought, I printed the blood onto a full-length standing mirror by the chest of drawers. I watched as it sank into the glass and disappeared.
The mirror had been a gift from one of my spies in the Álfheimr realm and gave me the ability to see anyone I wished to communicate with as long as I had something of theirs. It helped when I started setting up my army, but when I left my fathers, I hadn’t taken it with me.
I hadn’t wanted Darshaw to use it to find my mother.
As I stared at the mirror, it turned black, and I held my breath in anticipation. The smell of the blood made me excited.
A human female appeared, pale pink skin and light hair, marred with filth and dirt. Her body seemed to be purple with bruises, and she lay curled against a male, her eyes closed and relaxed in sleep. She was beautiful, and something about her made me angry that she was hurt. My fangs descended with the desire to protect her, and my heart thumped painfully.
Ignoring the strange sensations in my body, I studied the male who held her. The human male. He was also covered in filth and snoring in his sleep, his hands wrapped around the female possessively.
