Page 98 of Somnium

When she turned to look at him, she found him in the same position as before, with no indication that he had even spoken. For a moment she wondered if it was possible to develop auditory hallucinations after a ritual, but then he spoke again, this time angling his head the slightest bit toward her.

“Your bravery in there has helped us a great deal. More than you may ever know.”

Heat pricked the tops of her ears. She may have been brave before, emboldened by the trace amounts of their power washing over her, but now that they were out, all she could think about was what he had watched her do. What they had all watched her do. Yet here he was, talking to her about it so casually, as if she had just agreed to loan him a cup of sugar.

“That was definitely a new experience for me. I don’t normally do that sort of thing … in front of people,” she said, pulling her cardigan tighter as if it could protect her from any silent judgement that he may hold.

Seth smirked and gave her a sideways glance. “Don’t worry, my dear. I’ve been around long enough that I’ve witnessed much worse things than some light exhibitionism. It takes quite a bit more than that to shock a deity.”

Cadi let out a surprised laugh. She hadn’t really thought about it that way, but he made an excellent point.

A comfortable silence crept between them. Cadi’s eyes dropped to her hands where they rested in front of her, beginning to pick at one of her nails as she searched for the right way to voice the question she had come over to ask. She was starting to consider going back, leaving Seth to his quiet peace and scrapping the whole idea when he turned to face her.

“But my reassurance isn’t what brought you over here, is it?” he asked.

She stared into his dark eyes, her pulse ticking up even higher as she shook her head.

Seth didn’t say anything, didn’t prod or push. He just waited with one elbow propped against the rail as he watched her.

She pulled in a deep breath and asked, “The night I met you all, when you told me about what Oneirios was doing … you mentioned something about the high priest. You said that he may have more of a reason than anyone to hate Oneirios considering what he continues to put him through.”

Seth nodded. “I did.”

“What did you mean?”

A kind smile found his lips as he gazed down at her, something soft dancing in the depths of his stare.

“My brother uses his influence over dreams to torment the high priest, plaguing him with visions of what he wants above all else. The one thing that Oneirios is determined to never let him have.”

Cadi’s brows knitted, her curiosity pushing her forward. “What is it?”

Seth’s expression shifted to a look of deep sadness, the steady calm of his presence waning until Cadi could no longer feel its comforting aura. “Love.”

Something tightened behind her ribs. She didn’t know what to say. Thankfully, Seth continued, saving her from the impossible task of filling the silence that hung between them.

“Every night he sees visions of her,” Seth continued. “They are a constant reminder of Oneirios’s reach, and what is truly at risk should the priest step out of line.”

Cadi’s breath caught. She couldn’t imagine the cruelty it would require to do that to someone, or the pain the high priest must feel every night while he slept and every morning when he woke. She looked over her shoulder to where Elias and Sera still stood beneath the streetlight arguing. The ache in her chest grew stronger as she watched them, imagining the pain of knowing who Elias was, knowing what he could mean to her, but never being able to reach him. It would hurt less to have never known him at all.

The flutter in her chest flared brighter for a moment, shouting its agreement.

When she looked back, she found Seth watching her, his head tilted in curiosity. She fought the urge to fidget; this would have been the perfect moment for him to use that calming trick of his.

“How does Oneirios know who she is?” Cadi asked, hoping to shift his focus. “If the high priest has never met her, how does Oneirios know that she’s the one he would love?”

Seth chuckled, a soft sound that spoke of an ancient knowledge. “All gods know of the fated pairs. After all, there are so few of them. It really is quite easy to keep track.”

Cadi looked down at her hands. The high priest was one-half of a fated pair. He wasn’t just being kept from love, he was being kept from the one person in the world whose soul had been made to complement his own. The feeling of being separated from her must have been agony.

“I wish there was a way I could thank him,” she said, “He’s risking so much.”

Seth nodded, smiling down at her. “More than most, but I assure you, he is aware of our gratitude.”

Cadi smiled back at him, content with that answer for now. She pressed her palm against her chest again and breathed deeply in the hope that the tranquility of the sea might help tame her stubborn heart.

“Are you alright?” Seth asked, drawing her attention back to him. “That’s the second time you’ve done that.”

He gestured to her hand, something unreadable flashing in his eyes. Cadi gave him a reassuring smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. Probably just something lingering from the ritual.”