Page 79 of The Arcane God

“Or…daemons,” Xena replied nonchalantly. Almost too nonchalantly.

“I don’t know,” Ena replied cautiously. That was certainly a strange question. “Why? Are you looking for a partner?”

Xena side-eyed her, as if the question was ridiculous. “No, of course not,” she said dismissively. “I have chosen to be a solux—someone who does not mate, so we can redirect resources to those children who already live. But I do wonder, for Xoe, you know. The stryx mate for life when they choose a partner, but there are not many stryx men of eligible age for her.”

“Oh, I see,” Ena said, wondering if she did, in fact, see—because, granted, Ena didn’t know her that well, but Xena’s reaction seemed a bit defensive, even for her.

The two of them fell quiet then, and hiked the rest of the afternoon in companionable silence. By the afternoon, they arrived at the cloud lake. The beauty of it was breathtaking, just as it had been the last time. The air was colder this high up and though the clouds were heavy in the sky this time, Ena still felt like she stood at the very top of the world.

Once they arrived on the rim, Ty, Turner, and Xena stayed behind while she ventured down a small path to the water’s edge. The vastness of the lake stood before them, its crystal-blue water sparkling in the afternoon light as Ena approached the rippling surface. She hadn’t noticed it last time she’d been here, but now, this close to the water, she Knew what Kaya was talking about.

The lake, while not bubbling up from a cold spring like the Sacred Pool, was filled with centuries of rain and snowmelt. The water was calm—still—and in its final resting place. She Knew it was sacred—special, powerful, and ancient—in the same way the Sacred Pool’s water was.

She smiled to herself, feeling slightly foolish for not having realized this last time, because now it felt like she was…familiar with the water. Like being around an old friend that she hadn’t seen in many years, yet whom she still knew intimately.

Taking her knife from her belt, she reached into her Knowing as she prepared to do the spell. She felt for the water’s intentions, felt the clouds in the sky gathering, heard the call of a unknown bird in the distance—grounding herself in the signs all around her—and then she turned her mind toward her sister. She pictured Greya’s face—her hair, her eyes, her smile—then she slit her palm with the knife, allowing the blood to drip into the water’s edge as she spoke her spellword.

{Sanguis}

The blood swirled into the water, blurring Ena’s own reflection, as she willed it to show her Greya—visualizing her face as if she were right in front of her. After a minute or two, her own reflection began to change, until it was replaced by that of her sister’s.

“Ena?” Greya asked, her voice muffled through the water. “Oh, Gaia, how is this possible? How are you contacting me?”

“Greya,” Ena said, a smile of relief coming to her face. “I found another source of sacred water, on this side of the Chasm Mountains. Ty’s mom told me about it and—Gaia, I have so much to tell you.”

“Start with this: are you alright? How’s the baby?” Greya asked, her brown eyes excited and frantic for news.

“Yes, I’m fine. The baby is fine—just, large,” Ena said, laughing slightly. “And, we found Ty. Or, more accurately, he found us.”

“He’s alive?!” Greya asked, the relief in her voice palpable.

“Yes,” Ena said. “And we found the stryx, the Omnis worshippers. We’ve been with them the last several months, and they are good people, Greya. You would like them.”

The relief on Greya’s face deepened as she smiled widely at Ena. “Oh, Ena, I can’t tell you how glad I am to hear that. I have been so worried. So, so worried.”

“I know. I’ve been worried about you too. How are things with the Coven? Last we spoke, you had been attacked and were holding Steig captive. Did you let him go?”

“Yes,” Greya said, sounding slightly guilty about it. “I let him go. After speaking with you, I realized he was not a threat, and instead, could maybe be our ally. So we let him go on the condition that he keep us informed of the king’s moves, which he has been—occasionally.”

Ena was so curious to hear how things were going in the Underworld, and what else Greya knew, but she could only lose so much blood for the spell in her condition, so she got right to the point.

“Greya, I need to tell you this while I can, because I have big news: we’re coming back,” Ena said.

“Back? Like back home?” she said, her eyebrows jumping up in hope.

“Yes. After the baby is born, Ty, Turner, and I need to come back to the Coven for a while, and we’re bringing the stryx.”

“Bringing the stryx? Why?”

“Because, long story short, they can’t stay here. The weather, the game…there’s nothing left for them here. Just like the story you used to tell me about the people on the other side of the Chasm Mountains. It was true. It was all true.”

Ena debated revealing what she knew about their stryx heritage, too, because Greya certainly deserved to know. If she ever drank blood, or found her bloodmatch, it could awaken her bloodlust as well. But she figured that was a conversation best had in person.

“Oh, Gaia, okay,” Greya said, rubbing the space between her eyebrows. “I will have to warn the Coven, I guess.”

“And there’s more,” Ena said, flinching slightly. She felt bad dumping all this on Greya’s plate so suddenly.

“More?”