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As the light grew, it revealed a large room decorated in shades of onyx and ice-blue. In the center of the room was a massive arrangement of pillows placed like a bed, which flowed along the wall. A small table sat beside it, and a tapestry of knights mounted on warhorses with their blades held high covered the entire left wall. Across from it, nude women were sewn in various stages of undress, all of them sunbathing beside a massive waterfall. Narrowing my eyes on the imagery, I smothered a snort.
“Don’t like my tapestry?” Zyion asked as he reentered the room, holding a silk gown. At least, I assumed that was what he held.
“Inside the Tenth Realm, men have similar posters of women inside their rooms. I was merely comparing the men of the Nine Realms to the one I derive from.” His eyes skimmed over the naked women before slowly settling back on me.
“You don’t derive from the Tenth Realm, Aria. We forged you in this very cavern, which is also where she asked me to take her life. The only difference is that it was in our realm when it went down. Get dressed so that we may continue this conversation without you causing a stir, because your creamy thighs are on display.” He tossed the clothes to me before exiting the room through the door we’d come through. “Fucking Vanir blood.”
I sighed. At least now it made sense for him not to like me. If I’d sacrificed my chance of love and children to procure his prophecy of unraveling, I’d hate him, too. Absorbing a lot in a short time was necessary. I needed to get back and seal Hecate in her actual body before she healed from what I’d done. If I waited too long, we’d be back to searching for a way to weaken her enough to be able to force her into her original form again. She wouldn’t be stupid enough to face me again without taking precautions. If I fucked up the next time I faced off against her, I’d be dead and those who’d sacrificed so much to ensure I existed would have done so for nothing. I couldn’t allow that to happen.
Chapter Twenty-One
Aria
Dressedinthesoft,ice-blue colored gown Zyion provided, I sat on the bevy of pillows loitering on the floor of the chamber. I hadn’t realized Scylla had single-handedly created my existence and destiny. Hell, I hadn’t even known it was possible for anyone to create another’s destiny. Undoubtedly, no one spoke of those who had once flourished with power in the Nine Realms. Hecate had changed the history of the realms to center on her, and only her. If you spoke of those who’d ruled the kingdoms within the realms before her time within it, she considered it a slight against her. Punishable by torture, or even death.
Both Zyion and Scylla had sacrificed parts of themselves for my existence. It left me baffled as to how to absorb what I’d just learned because it was so different from what I’d been taught. The ones who’d sacrificed for me merely allowed the Fates to see to my rearing, or whatever. It meant everything I’d learned since coming here was basically useless.
I could comprehend that they’d changed everything pertaining to the prophecy. At least they didn’t expect us to wait for a child to grow into the savior. They’d claimed to have protected me by altering the stories, which had ended in repercussions. Hecate hadn’t stopped seeking to ensure the prophecy never came to fruition. Hell, she’d forced her own daughters to lose their sons to prevent one from being born. The information was overwhelming, and was hard to decipher how much of it was real, or more lies by those fed promises by false gods.
The sound of footfalls outside the chamber had me folding my legs beneath my bottom and sitting up straight. Then the curtain back, revealing Esme. Her violet eyes scoured the chamber, then settled on me. Eva strolled in behind her, slowly scanning the room.
“Fucking hell,” she spat out, wide eyes filled with wonder as she walked over and plopped down beside me. “This place is insane. Could you imagine if we created something like this for the orphaned witches?” Exhaling past the heaviness I felt at learning the cost for my existence, I grinned to ease the tension it would create if Esme felt my sadness.
“It would be nice to have such a place for them to hide.” My head moved between both girls, Esme, who was excited, and Eva, who looked ready to throttle someone.
“You left me, which wasn’t okay. I mean, I understand you didn’t have a choice and all that, but next time you get kidnapped? Take me with you.”
“Do you think I willingly mounted the dragon intending to be spirited off for a joy ride?” The moment the question escaped, I wanted to take it back. Her lips twitched with the threat of laughter shimmering in her violet gaze, smiling.
“Don’t answer that, Esme. Fine, next time a dragon seeks to snatch me up, I’ll make sure you come along for the ride.”
“Hey,” Esme exclaimed, holding her palms up in mock surrender. “You don’t need me with you to ride dragons. You can come all you want with the dragon, but if I were you, I’d only attempt that while on solid ground.” Eva snorted, and a quick glance in her direction revealed she was trying not to laugh.
“You’re an ass,” I muttered.
“You’re forgiven for leaving me behind. Besides, it wasn’t as if you wanted to do it, right?”
“Have I ever left you behind if the choice was mine?” Her cheeks jerked as a dazzling smile spread over her lips. “Besides, you’d have thrown up if you’d been on that creature’s back. It was as terrifying as it was exciting.”
Esme rested on the pillows, sinking down into their softness beside me. “Dragons actually stole you right in front of everyone. Honest to gods dragons, Aria. I wasn’t sure what to do at first, other than gawk as a man tossed you onto the beast’s back. Then, the entire shock of what was unfolding around me sank into my thick skull. I was lucky Eva was there to grab me from where I’d hidden behind the dais, or I’d have ended up rounded up with the others who were chained to one another, then forced into carts. It was insane.”
“Thank you for protecting and getting Esme to safety, Eva.” Her silvery head tipped, but it was the only acknowledgement she offered. “How did you two get here?” My question caused Eva to push from the wall before she fidgeted. As if she wasn’t happy about being here.
“Zyion insisted I bring Esme to you. It was more of a demand. I assumed it meant he’d found you, but was unable to return to the palace.” A soft rattle escaped her throat, exposing her unhappiness about being here at all. “If I’d known he was bringing us to the enemy, I wouldn’t have come.” There was tension in her jaw, which had the muscle pulsing. “We should be focused on getting back to Griffon and assisting him with whatever is occurring back at the palace. I don’t think you’re fully grasping the precariousness of the situation, or where Zyion brought you, Aria. We’re standing in a city that no one knows about, with men who are our enemies.” Eva began aimlessly pacing in the cramped, confined chamber. “This place shouldn’t even exist. I’ve trained and fought against the Karnavious dragons and bloodline my entire life. Yet they’re here, inside our realm that was created to escape both them and the witches.”
“I don’t think they are as bad as you assume them to be,” I mumbled with frustration growing at her inability to put the past where it belonged. In the past.
“If you think that, then you’re foolish and naïve. Do you honestly think they intend to let us walk out of here without a fight? Because if you do, then you’re much more naïve than I’d assumed you were, Aria. They’re our enemies, and even if you don’t perceive them as a threat, I assure you, they are. I get that you are fucking their king, which you assume makes you untouchable. It doesn’t, as his predecessors before him have done, King Karnavious will turn against you the moment he’s done slaking his thirst with you. Do you think you’re the first phoenix to ever bend over and let a murderous dragon abuse them? You’re not, nor will you be, the last. But if you intend to be the queen that our people need, you’ll need to put them before your carnal, salacious needs. A queen does what is best for her people, even at the cost of her own needs or covets.” The sharp barbs cut deeply. Her narrowed, accusing stare burned into my flesh as she waited for my reply.
“Why the fuck can’t anyone keep my vagina out of their mouth?” I snapped, then winced as I heard muffled laughter.
Whatever thread holding my mood back, snapped. It was one thing to insult me, it was a whole other thing to imply I was being used. I’d have fucking known if I was. I wasn’t some star-struck teenager with a crush on a celebrity. To also insinuate that I was placing my lascivious needs above others? No, fuck that, and fuck her talking shit as if she knew me.
“Why stop there, Eva? I came here under the impression that I’d be welcomed by everyone. You yourself told me my father and his people couldn’t wait to meet me. But that’s going well for me, isn’t it? I believe you wanted me here to prevent Griffon from being deposed. Then there’s Aden, who wants to marry me so he can take the throne to see if he could use my powers! You knew what he wanted, yet you promised me I’d be safe from that archaic bullshit, which was just another lie you fed me!” I snarled, shaking as the veneer I’d worn since arriving, flaked away under the flames of my anger. My hair floated around my head and the sun marking on my forehead reflected in her eyes, which were rounded in horror.
“Oh, Eva. Did you honestly think I didn’t see the bullshit? The moment I got here, I had a rancid taste on the back of my tongue. So, which one of us is the asshole here? Me, who walked into a mess and has shitty taste in men? Or you, who knowingly walked me into a realm laden in landmines just waiting to be stepped on?” Eva swallowed before opening her mouth to argue, but she must have decided whatever she was going to say wouldn’t change my mind.
“I didn’t mean to come off so harsh, Aria,” she finally offered. “You don’t know what we’ve been through. Some of us? We lost everyone in the war. I lost everyone but my brother, who sacrificed me to save himself. Aden is my brother, but not one I cherish. Our relationship is very difficult.”
