AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Domi floated a green bottle of wine in our direction using the silvery tendrils of her magic, picking up our discarded glasses along the way, and we each accepted the empty glass that hovered in front of us. She maintained her magic as she uncorked the bottle, then used it to pour a hefty measure of the bubbly liquid for each of us.
“Show-off,” I teased her, and she winked at me before her magic disappeared.
The four glasses clinked and we sipped from them, savoring the fine wine. My brain immediately thanked me as more alcohol hit my stomach, relieving at least some of the headache and malaise still clinging to me. When my stomach growled moments later, I snickered, then grabbed a plate and piled it with cheese, fruit, and bread before settling on a lounger and picking up a handwritten menu of treatments.
Domi and Immonen carefully removed their jewelry, placing it strategically on an empty table far away from the water, then stripped out of their clothes, entering the pool fully nude, glasses in hand. Izidora looked between them and me, chewing her lip as if she were trying to decide what to do.
“Get naked and grab a robe!” I called, realizing that this was her first experience like this, and I’d left her clueless as to how to proceed.
With a giggle, she stripped, threw on a robe, and joined me for a quick snack.
“Sorry, I’m not sure how all of this works,” she admitted, her gaze downcast as she picked at her food.
“Hey, no need to apologize. We’ve been apart for so long I’ve forgotten that you didn’t grow up with things like this,” I reassured her. “We’ll hang out here for a bit, maybe soak in the water, and then when we’re ready for massages, we’ll just ring the bell and let them know. Today is all about us and relaxing.”
“Thank you,” she breathed, her shoulders dropping away from her ears. “But first, I need advice, Liliana, now that we’re away from all the tension and noise at Ryza. I’m so lost and confused.”
I glanced toward the deep end of the grotto where Immonen and Domi were chatting and sipping their drinks. “Whatever you’re going to say needs to stay between us. I love Immonen and Domi, but with everything going on, it's best that we only trust each other with this, okay?”
Izidora nodded and swiped a juicy berry from my plate, and I made a noise of protest before shrugging and downing more wine.
“I am half Angel,” she began, chewing slowly.
“I know.” I put my hand on her arm, reassuring her that her heritage did not bother me.
She swallowed the rest of the fruit, then sighed. “Okay, then I can skip ahead. There is another Angel at the Iron Realm, Zuriel, who was present the day the Goddess’s Prophecy was spoken over a millennia ago. You saw him at the archery competition. We’re related. His uncle was my mother’s mate – my real father. But he told me when the original prophecy was spoken, it was delivered in an old language. In our modern tongue, the meaning was misinterpreted. It called for two mates, which is why I have to choose.”
I sipped from my wine, needing it to steady me. “Go on,” I encouraged.
“Honestly, I didn’t know what to think, until Zuriel gave me a necklace enchanted with my mother’s memories. When I putit on–” she paused, looking to the ceiling as her throat worked. I stroked her arm soothingly. That must have been life-changing for her, to hear from the mother she never knew. “When I put it on, I fell into moments of her with both Ithuriel and Zalan. King Zalan was so awful to her. And I felt what she felt for Ithuriel. At the end, she told me what a male should be and what a male should not be.
“I told Ruslan I needed time to decide. I wanted to see Kazimir again, to see which of the two was the better male. Because the fate of our world rests on who I pick, and the burden is so heavy.” She took a drink, steadying herself. “But when Kazimir rode up to the citadel, I sensed he was different. He was not the male I left. He was,” she paused as if she were searching for the right word, “sinister, almost reminding me of the guards in the cave.”
Another sip as she recalled the horrific memories she carried.
“In the receiving line, he was so unnecessarily cruel. And then he called Ruslan a rapist and stabbed him. The Kazimir I knew would never have acted that way. But when we went out on our date and he returned Mistik to me, the old Kazimir broke through, and it sparked this tiny hope in me, despite the obvious warning signs.”
I rubbed circles on her back as tears welled in her eyes. She dipped her chin, and with a shuddering breath, continued. “I am also an empath, so I feeleverything. So deeply. A few nights ago, I slept and dreamed of them – my mother, my father, and the Goddess. I got to embrace them–” A sob wracked her petite frame, and I pulled her into my arms. My best friend had been through so much, all on her own, and my heart hurt for her.
She pulled away when she was ready to speak again. “You don’t know Ruslan very well, but I do. We understand each other in a way that no one else can. He grew up parentless, just like me. He did what he had to do to survive, justlike me. He struggles with his emotions, just like me. And that understanding means everything. He is afraid of being abandoned, just like me. He has his darkness, yes, but he follows my light. Our pain dances together and creates something beautiful. I want to choose him, but with the weight of the decision… I don’t know. I guess I am fearful of making the wrong choice.”
Izidora’s voice broke, and then she shattered, tears flowing faster and harder than the small waterfall at the back of the grotto. I clutched her tighter to me, and her hands fisted my robe, clinging to me like she needed someone to save her from the demons that plagued her mind and the impossible decision that lay before her. My eyes burned, and not from the scented steam of the mountain’s water. Guilt also settled in my belly, as I knew information that would help her make this choice, but would imparting it sway her in the wrong direction?
That was the thing about prophecies: they were all so vague and open to interpretation. And if I were the one who forced Izidora on the wrong path, what kind of friend would I be? Her burdens were already so much, I couldn’t add to them.
So I sat in solidarity with Izidora, allowing her the space she needed to feel and process without pressing my opinions on her. Because the last thing she needed at that moment was to feel pressured by me to choose one way or another. How was anyone supposed to know what was light and what was dark until after the fact? Everything in this life existed on a spectrum of gray, and even then, how could anyone be certain of the shade unless it was held up against another?
“Izidora, you are so incredibly strong to go through all of this on your own. And you have empath magic – such a rare gift. You are the perfect person to wield it,” I murmured after a few moments.
“I only want to do what is best for everyone around me. I don’t want to plunge the world into chaos because I’m being selfish in my decision,” she sniffed, lifting her head from my chest and revealing her watery, red-rimmed eyes.
“Well, someone has to take care of you, and it sounds to me like you could use a friend no matter what. You will always have that person in me, Izidora, no matter who you choose.” I smiled at her through my own blurred vision.
She threw her arms around my neck and sobbed. “I thought you wouldn’t want to be friends anymore after I told you I thought Ruslan was the right choice.”
“Females first, always.” I meant every word, and I hugged her back. “You are my friend, my best friend, and no male will ever change that.”
“Thank you.” Her laugh was hoarse and thick. “If Kazimir had someone else, I wouldn’t feel so bad. Honestly, it would make this choice easier.”
