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A stone of Light. And it was astone, not a crystal, dangling between her breast on a delicate golden chain, shoved out from its hiding place in her bodice. Glaring there in the dark, shining without cause. My stone. The last piece of my soul, revealing itself to me. In my shock, I swore it said,I have been waiting.
And I have been searching, my heart answered.
It was a joyous song, and I let it flood my senses as I snapped the chain from Melany’s neck and brushed my thumb along its smooth edges. So in awe, I almost didn’t feel the Silverwood she’d pulled from her thigh sinking into my chest. I almost didn’t hear the triumphant laugh that came from the goddess below me as she twisted the blade’s hilt. I had been wrong.
Death, I thought as I slipped into its waters, was cold—but bright.
SYTHE
seventy-two years ago
I sat at my father’sright hand, as I always did during family gatherings, sharpening my blade against the stone leg of the table. At least once in a half-moon, our family was summoned to Sythe for meetings of the Council. It was an odd name for such a group, I thought because it really only consisted of the six members of our family. Sure, occasionally one of my siblings chose to bring their Yields along for the drama of it but putting such an official name to the occasion did nothing more than glorify what most would callfamily dinner.
I was always the first to arrive, which was ironic, what with time being Gabriel’s particular gift. Funny how Mother had divided up her powers. As if she knew what weaknesses her children’s fleshed bodies would produce and wanted them on full display for the mortals. I, myself, was the Light after all, but my moods had always made it seem like I was born off the breath that snuffed a candle—marked and resolute.
To Father’s left, sat Ione, the other suck-up of the family. She wore a dress of whale skin that clung tight to her slender figure, a shawl of fisherman’s net draped over her shoulders.
I thought I might compliment the windswept styling of her hair or the shade of glimmering teal that shone only when the light hit just-so, but decided better of it. In the last few millennia we hadknown each other, Ione had never made even the slightest effort to befriend me, let alone partake in familial flattery. She had been too busy coddling our younger brother.
Down the long stretch of the dining table, I could just pick out the green flash of Dario’s eyes dancing across the basalt. He was testing his power again, making the flame in the centerpiece candles move from wick to wick in wild little leaps. The right side of my mouth curved down in pity at the display.
Dario had come into his powers much later than the rest of us and had taken it in a sign of good faith that he was ill-favored by our Mother. She was generally disgusted by mortals—with the exception of our father—and had gifted Dario control over what she cared least for. Sometimes, he thought she had forged him from the molten core of the world for the sole purpose that mortals would look at him and see what ghastly, hideous creatures they were, a mirror for them to look into and see nothing but insignificance and limp flesh.
I always hated those thoughts. Not because my brother had felt that way about himself for the whole of his life, but because I felt them just as if they’d risen from my own heart. My ability to see the Truth in all things, to read people like bolded words on a clean sheet of paper, had kept me at a distance from many. This applied to family first and foremost, especially my twin.
Melany entered now, like my absent-minded thoughts had pressed a hand at her back from wherever she had been and ushered her through the great iron doors of her own hall. That could not have been true, of course. If I’d had any sway over my sister at all, I would have used it long before now, and for much greater a purpose.
Gabriel followed, several feet outside of the dark plume of smoke that winded around Melany always. He wore a characteristically smart grin. I took notice of the clock hands above the doorframe inching backward and counted along with them in fives until they reached the three-quarter hour. It made me laugh. Bastard, I thought, reveling in Gabe’s mischief about as much as he did.
“Children,” Thesion’s choral voice rang out through the room as my siblings settled into their seats. Father always spoke in that tone, as if he were addressing a congregation of devout mortals and not his five, hardly sanctimonious children. We were gods ourselves, and by consequence had absolutely no interest in religion.
“We are summoned today by your sister, Sage of Shadows,” he continued. “Vaguely, she has informed me there is a great development in the faction of Sythe and she wishes to share it with us all. Daughter, you may rise.”
“Thank you, Father.” Melany wore a coy smile on her garnet lips and the twinkle in my twin’s eye was so bright, I wasn’t completely sure she hadn’t drawn on my own magic to amplify it. A quick sweep with my mind and I was reassured all was well, at least as far as the Light was concerned.
There was something, though. A dark well that opened up in my belly and hinted Melany was on the verge of leveling us all. Then again, I had weathered plenty of her antics before now. I need not be paranoid, I minded as Melany stood, very lady-like, and rolled her shoulders regally.
“My brothers and sisters. Father,” she repeated, sweetening her features as she glanced dotingly at Thesion. “I’ve summoned you all to Sythe to discuss a matter of particular excitement. I wanted you to hear it before it was formally announced at my court,” she said haughtily. How lucky we were, to hear it first, and from the Shadow Sage herself. I let my eyes take a resentful turn about the room, pausing to note the haunting effigy of a crow paned in the stained-glass dome above us.
“Oh!” Gabriel put a hand to his robe, feigned excitement gleaming in his violet eyes. “You are finally putting in aqueducts to rid the city of that piss smell?”
I dropped the glance he threw my way, not wanting to stir up any more trouble. I’d already swallowed down the giggle thatburbled inside my throat at his gall.
“No, dear brother,” the look she gave him was dark enough to put out the light in his stars, but Gabriel was not one to cower. “Although, I would consider it if we had the budget. As you well know, the Continent’s coin is currently being put to the fire in Cypra, what with that nasty syphillus outbreak and all.”
At that, Gabriel’s smile slid right off his chin.
“Children,” Thesion warned, glancing over to me in desperation. I gave him a bored shrug, trying to even out my more than smug face.This, I thought,is why I am Father’s favorite.
Ione, noticing Thesion’s not-so-silent pleas to refocus the discussion, chimed in her voice of silver, “Please, dear sister, do get on with it.”
She still wanted to grind Gabriel’s face into the dirt floor, but Melany knew that scaled tone of Ione’s. Smooth and polite at one turn, sharp and cutting at another. “You all ruin the fun,” she huffed, flopping down into her chair. “I am to be wed.”
She revealed it as one would reveal the flavor of tart after a meal. My brows arched in pure shock. Since we had come of age, Melany had never expressed any interest in matrimony. A few unlucky mortal men and women had taken to her bed and found themselves drunk on a potion of oleander and ambrosia—unknowingly of course. But even then, my sister had never made to marry any of her Yields. She’d always thought marriage such a moronic institution, which about summed up her view on mortals in general.
I took a careful survey of the others’ expressions before offering any more of my own. Ione was rubbing a crease from beneath her hairline in stress. Dario had remained bored-faced but perked up slightly in his chair, and Father...well, Thesionwas doing what any formidable parent would do, gracing a brilliant smile across his rouged cheeks, a twinkle of pride upon wet eyes.
“Marvelous,” Gabriel chirped, happy to find new amusement in distracting us from Melany’s pointed drag earlier. “Tell us, sister, the name of the unluckiest bastard in the world!”
