Page 105 of The Arcane God

Ena nodded—she’d known that was likely to be the case, but where that left her, she wasn’t sure.

“But give them time,” Greya said, noticing her upset, “and maybe a chance to meet this little one, and who knows.”

Their conversation faded as they crossed the threshold of the front door. Greya’s house was cozy and smelled of whatever delicious baked good was currently cooking, and Ena took what felt like her first full breath in months.

She was home—or at least the closest thing she currently had to it. She was safe, with her sister, and all those she loved. It was so familiar and comforting, and part of her was so happy and relieved to have made it here. The house was an almost exact replica of Heran’s old one, so everything was the same.

And yet, just as she’d felt the last time she’d been here after the unbinding ritual, everything was different. She was different. And something about that made her feel deeply sad. Like she’d lost something she’d never truly get back.

Greya led them all into the sitting room, only relinquishing the baby when he began to stir, turning in towards Greya’s breast looking for milk. “I still can’t believe I’m an auntie!” she said, almost squealing with glee as she passed him back to Ena. “I’ll go fetch our other guest while you feed him.”

“Other guest?” Ena asked, but she didn’t get a response, as Greya was already off and down the hall towards the cellar door. “Who could…?”

“Steig!” she heard Greya call. “You better come up here.”

Ty and Turner looked at each other like little boys given an entire bowl of sweets.

“Steig is here?” Turner asked, barely contained excitement in his voice.

“What do you need me for?” Steig grumbled as he came up the stairs. “I thought you told me to stay out of sight so as not to upset—” His words cut off as he followed Greya into the room and his eyes landed on them all. Ena saw more emotion pass over his face than she’d ever seen from him before—shock, relief, joy, pain. Honestly, she hadn’t thought Steig was capable of it, but he was clearly overwhelmed as he rushed over to Ty and Turner, who stood to greet him.

He pulled Ty in for a hug first. “I heard you tried to die on us, you bastard,” Steig said, his voice tight as they embraced.

“Ah, it wasn’t as bad as all that,” Ty said flippantly.

“Which river were you at?!” Turner responded sarcastically, before turning and beaming at Steig, who pulled him in for a hug next.

“What are you doing here, brother?” Ty asked him after Turner and Steig had released each other. “Shouldn’t you be back home?”

“It’s a long story,” Steig said darkly. “We have much to catch up on and—”

Just then, Ladon let out a fussy cry, and Steig’s eyes landed on him. “Fucking Iblis, is that…?”

“My son, yes,” Ty said, pride oozing from every word as he smiled in loving satisfaction.

“Congratulations, brother,” Steig said, clapping him on the shoulder. “To both of you,” he added, nodding graciously at Ena. “I guess the bad omen Greya told me about must not have come to pass. He looks healthy—you all do.”

Ty looked over at Ena, the two of them exchanging a heavy look. How much did they want to tell them, and when should they open that jar?

“Yes, we are now, but the trip was not without its…challenges,” Ty said by way of explanation. “Nor was the birth. And there is much we have learned from being with the stryx.”

Greya, who had flitted into the kitchen when Steig entered, came back into the room, carrying a tray of biscuits, jam, and clotted cream, along with a steaming pot of tea, and Ena thought she had literally passed into a dream. Not only had breastfeeding made her ravenous, but she hadn’t had a full, hot, cooked meal since they’d left the Underworld almost ten months ago. They’d been surviving on hunted and gathered foods, which she’d become accustomed to. But still, it wasn’t the same. Not nearly.

She didn’t even have to ask—Ty immediately began slathering jam and cream on a large one for her, before handing it to her so she could eat while Ladon fed.

“How’s that going?” Greya asked, looking down at Ladon on Ena’s breast.

“It’s…okay, I think,” Ena answered honestly. “It’s all been very overwhelming, and difficult, but Ladon is healthy and so…wonderful.” She didn’t know how else to describe it. How to describe someone who felt brand new and like a part of her at the same time. Someone who brought her both joy and frustration in equal measure, and someone who made her feel like a totally different person, and yet somehow, without him, she felt incomplete.

“It’s a big change,” Greya said, sitting beside her as Ty, Turner, and Steig caught up with one another on the other side of the room. “I’m sure you’re still adjusting.”

Ena appreciated her sister’s wise words, and yet “big change” felt like the understatement of the year. Sometimes, it felt more like she’d lost everything she’d ever known. But she knew that feeling wasn’t solely because of Ladon’s birth.

“Speaking of change,” Ena said, finishing her biscuit and brushing off a few wayward crumbs that had landed on Ladon. “There’s something…big I need to tell you. About Dad.”

“Dad?” Greya said, confused surprise in her voice. “What could you possibly have learned about Dad while you were on the other side of the Chasm Mountains?”

“Remember how I told you that the story—the one you learned from Dad that you used to tell me when we were little—was true?”