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“Men, ugh,” Raven said, making a sound of disgust.
“Really, quite worthless, the whole lot of them. However, I needed his seed and what was done is done. I got rid of him afterwards. There was no point in keeping him around once I’d conceived.”
Raven froze. The casual manner in which Domnu spoke of murdering her lover, Raven’s father, reminded Raven exactly who she was dealing with. Though her mother was being friendly with her now, it was a grave reminder that the woman could turn on her at any second. At the same time, weren’t those Raven’s intentions?
Like mother, like daughter.
It hurt, more than it should have, to know that the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. In the end, even if she fought on the side of the light, she’d still have blood on her hands. Though her chances of survival were slim at best, she’d known that when she’d agreed to come here.
“He was…human?” Raven asked, starting forward when Domnu gestured for her to walk alongside her.
“Not fully, no. Of the songbird tribe.”
“I’m sorry, what? What is that?” Was her mother saying she was descended from a bird?
“Hmm, they’re both gods and animals. They shift between the two forms. There are various tribes of them. The songbirds are the least annoying, in my opinion, and he did quite amuse me with his music.”
“He sang to you?” Raven’s heart clenched. He actually didn’t sound all that bad. Maybe that’s where she got her love of music from. Maybe, if Domnu hadn’t killed him, she would have led a very different life.
“Nonsense really. His magick wasn’t powerful enough for mine, but I suppose he was amusing for a moment. Until he wasn’t.”
“What happened?” Raven wanted to know what had caused the Dark Goddess to turn on a man willing to make love to her and sing her silly songs.
“He wanted forever.” Domnu shrugged. “Nobody had wanted that before with me, which meant it was likely in a bid for my power. So, he had to go.”
And this was why he was a jerk? The man had put up with Domnu and then pledged love to her and she’d killed him for it?
“Enough about him,” Domnu snapped. Crossing the barren field, she paused. “It’s time to complete our journey.”
“Where are we going?” Raven asked, needing to shift the conversation away from speaking of her father for fear she might say something to cause Domnu to turn on her.
“My castle. It’s much nicer than that embarrassingly pitiful one you were just at. Now you’ll see what power really looks like.” Domnu paused and waved a hand in the air. The barren landscape in front of them shimmered and shifted, like when someone throws a pebble in the smooth surface of a pond, and suddenly an entire city materialized before them. Raven’s mouth dropped open, and a shiver drifted over her skin. The whole time they’d been talking, Raven had thought it was just the two of them. But once Domnu lifted the illusion, she saw that she was surrounded by hundreds of those same silvery Fae that she’d killed.
Wait, shehadkilled already. Even if the Domnua were different from the Fae she’d met and befriended, had they still deserved to die at her hand? Kill or be killed. Was that the way of it in the Dark Realm? Raven took a deep breath to steady herself as the army parted for Domnu and she marched up to the most imposing building that Raven had ever seen. Made of obsidian glass and all sharp corners and spiky edges, it reminded her of an executioner’s wet dream. Not a soft or comforting corner in sight, instead the castle gleamed with malice.
“Gorgeous,” Raven murmured. If you were someone that enjoyed casual torture for a living, that is.
“Isn’t it?” Domnu cooed, trailing a finger along a gold sconce shaped in the form of a skull with bleeding eye sockets. “Shall we dine? Have a glass of wine? Is that what mothers and daughters do together?”
“It’s a starting point,” Raven agreed. Her stomach felt like someone was hacking at it with a knife, and she worried that perhaps her plan had been overly optimistic. At the time, when they were standing alone in a barren field, she’d been more confident about taking down the Dark Goddess. But now, surrounded by an army of Domnua in a castle that looked like every piece of décor could be a weapon, Raven wasn’t feeling so sure of her decision.
You’re not going to get out of this alive.
The thought almost brought tears to her eyes, and she had to will them back as she followed her mother into a large dining room. There was no use crying about the reality of the path she’d chosen. The sooner she accepted her fate, the quicker she’d be able to make her move.
What did it matter then, if she ate a fancy dinner with her mother and indulged in a glass of wine? Raven now understood, she could feel it in her bones, that she wouldn’t see the light of dawn again.
In a matter of moments, servants had appeared and spread the table with food, and Raven was ushered into a seat. Domnu looked the table over with an eagle eye, and then gave a sharp nod, dismissing the help.
“This looks nice, doesn’t it?” Domnu looked strangely uncertain as she turned to Raven. “I…frankly I always dine alone. I don’t put much thought to the needs of others. Will this suit you, daughter?”
“It suits,” Raven quickly agreed. “Truly, there’s more food here than I could ever eat. Thank you for bringing it.”
“Go on then. Enjoy.” Domnu waved a hand. Though Raven wasn’t certain she could actually break bread with her mother, she did pick up her glass of wine. Waiting until Domnu did as well, she tapped her glass to her mother’s. A pleased smile hovered on Domnu’s lips, and the snakes slithered around her head, smiling as well. The hair was such an odd thing, like a mirror of her mood, and Raven desperately wanted to ask about it. Instead, she waited until Domnu took the first sip, having watched a servant pour them wine from the same jug, and then she took a sip as well.
The wine was delicious.
At least she couldn’t fault her mother’s taste.
