AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Will I remember?”
“That, I cannot answer.”
Nix shook his head. “No.”
She paused, her eyes sliding to Luc.And you?her voice said inside his head.Would you make the same choice?
“Excuse me?” Luc asked, shaken and unsure if what he’d heard was real.
“Luc?” Nix asked, confused by his outburst.
“I’m okay. Sorry. Just in my head.”
“How old is this unascended god?” Sister Prudence asked.
“Living. A generation removed,” Nix answered.
Luc reached out to touch the bookshelf near him, sliding a finger along the books to feel the grooves between them to test if this was real. He pressed his palm to his chest to feel his heartbeat and waited, worried that perhaps it wasn’t there and he was imagining everything.
“What is wrong with you?” Nix whispered to him.
Luc straightened and swallowed, shoving the hand that had been on his heart into his pocket. “Nothing,” he replied, but he knew he was saying it equally to himself.
Without a word, Sister Prudence turned and started through another archway, which led to more rooms and shelves upon shelves of books. “The Hall of Records would be a place to begin our search. Each godblood is recorded upon birth and death and any pertinent information is marked for the soul’s life. Like for you, Lucian Uraiahs.”
“Excuse me?”
“Like your betrayal of your brother, your subsequent banishment, and the loss of your power.”
Lucian pulled up short, swallowing as Sister Prudence continued. Nix stopped and turned to look at him, indicating with his dark head to keep up. “That’s recorded?”
“Yes,” she said. “You should research your father sometime. It’s quite an extensive list.”
“I can imagine,” Luc replied and shared an eye roll with Nix.
“It might surprise you.” She stopped at a long, low shelf stacked with pale tomes. The white coverings were faded and marked with repetitive use, the edges frayed and worn. She indicated they were marked by eras, then pulled a set of ten books. “I will collect the rest.”
“Well,” Luc said. “We better get started.”
They carried the books to a nearby table, and Luc sat, pulling a thick book toward him. Inside were names upon names, dates, ascension and relinquishment, marriage, yoking, progeny, accomplishments, disgraces, an index of lists without any context offered. Lives reduced to facts without a story.
Luc could imagine his: Lucian Uraiahs, first son born to Ur and Aiah. Ascended age 25. God of day and light, betrayer of his twin Nixus. Then it would say: lost his power at 32 and faded into mortality where he died at 92. He swallowed, hating that was what his legacy would be. Instead of dwelling on it, he reset by asking Nix if he’d found anything.
“No.”
Luc flipped another page. “If she’s in hiding—where do we even start? Without her name, it’s impossible.”
“Search for all the unascended entries.” Sister Prudence pointed at an entry. “Unascended gods are rare, but this is where you will find the marker.”
Luc went through entry after entry. Eventually, he found his father—Ur Musaama. His entries stretched on and on, not all of them heroic or exemplary.
He could feel Sister Prudence watching him and when he met her eyes, she said, “Ur has acquired much knowledge.”
“You could say that.” Luc skimmed through the list, some things positive and many not. “It is a wonder he ascended as god of the Vasmost,” Luc said quietly, flipping the page to another set of entries still related to his father. He thought of his mother’s words earlier:One must rise to the occasion of their station, serve their function as best they can, and seek to find a replacement who will surpass their efforts. No being is perfect.
“You judge him?” Sister Prudence asked.
Luc shook his head. “No. I’m just surprised. I didn’t know.”
