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Because the spirit animals answered to her now.
* * *
“I am a goddess,” Saylah said sharply.
“And I am your salvation or your destruction,” Scarlett replied. “It appearsIam your god now.”
“Calling yourself a god does not make you one.”
Scarlett shrugged. “Just as calling oneself a mother does not make you one, I suppose.”
“Careful, Child,” Saylah cautioned.
“No,” Scarlett snarled. “You do not get to call mechildwhen you have placed the fate of this world in my hands.”
“Do you think I wanted to do that? Do you think I learned of you growing in my womb and my first thought was to give you a responsibility no one should have to bear, let alone a girl who has scarcely lived?”
“You are a goddess!” Scarlett cried. “You could have done any number of things. Anything would have been better than this!”
Saylah shook her head, the stars of her crown shimmering in the moonlight filtering through the trees of Shira Forest. Shirina continued to pace back and forth between them, and Amaré ruffled his feathers in agitation at Scarlett’s shoulder. “I had no other options, Starfire.”
“You had no other options?” Scarlett repeated, her voice scarcely a whisper. Then louder she said, “You had no other options but to place the fate of the world on a babe not yet born?”
“You are correct.”
“That is your response to telling me you sacrificed me to save yourself?” Scarlett said in disbelief.
“To save this realm,” Saylah corrected.
“Oh, fuck all the way off,” Scarlett snapped.
“Were you taught nothing of respect for the gods?” Saylah demanded, her lip curling into a sneer.
“Respect for the gods? Which ones in particular? The one who birthed me then abandoned me? The ones who never answered my calls or prayers? Or the gods who have abandoned this world?”
“Not by choice,” Saylah countered. “They cannot come here. They can do nothing. You stated yourself moments ago that Achaz and Arius cannot come here.”
“But one was already here. One was already here and could have done something. Instead, she did nothing but hide in a forest.” She took another step towards her mother. “But you will do this, Saylah. You will find a way to fix all of this. You will find a way to restore Sorin his power. That is the price of my sacrifice.”
Saylah blinked at her. Her features were sharp and impassive. Eliné had never looked at her like that. Eliné had always looked at her with love and adoration. Saylah looked at her like…
Like she was a means to an end that was being uncooperative.
The goddess turned on her heel, the night seeming to part around her. “Come with me.”
“Love?”
Scarlett looked up from the chaise she was sitting on out on their balcony, wrapped in a blanket despite the temperatures getting warmer in the later weeks of spring. She found herself wondering what Solembra looked like in the spring. She’d only seen it at the tail-end of fall and into winter. What did it look like when new life was blooming? What was the Tana River like in the heat of summer? What would the view look like from the chateau windows?
She pulled the blanket back to allow Sorin to settle down with her, and she started when his skin touched her own.
Cold. Even through his clothing she could feel his cool skin.
She was used to his constantly warm touch from the fire in his veins. She hadn’t processed the long-sleeve tunic and wool socks he was wearing until now, and she wordlessly passed some of the blanket over to him. He pulled her into his side, pressing a kiss to her temple.
“It will take time, but we will adjust to this,” he murmured.
She nodded against his shoulder, swallowing down the emotions clawing at her. This would be fixed. This wasn’t forever.
