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Kaia smiles and takes a step closer to the bed. “None taken. What about your parents? Did they practice?”
At the mention of my parents, tears prick my eyes. They’ve been dead for so long, and the years since have been so difficult, I hardly think about them anymore.
“Not that I remember.” Swallowing around the lump in my throat, I lean back against the pillows, stuffing the painful memories of my past down deep. “So am I fixed now? You’ve got all the power out of my blood or whatever?”
“I think so. I want to give you some time to rest and heal before I check again. I’d like to take another look at your wound if that’s all right with you. If I was successful in removing the latent power from your system, you’ll heal much faster and cleaner now.”
She stops next to the bed and gestures to the edge of the blanket. “May I?”
Begrudgingly, I lower the blanket and shift onto my side so she can tug the nightgown up over my leg and hip. The faster this wound heals, the sooner I can figure out how to get the fuck out of here. That is my only goal.
Kaia pokes gently at my stomach, her dark eyes fixated on my side. The searing pain I remember when I first woke up is replaced by a dull ache you might expect from a healing cut.
“I think we did our work well,” Kaia says to the woman standing on the other side of the bed.
She lowers the nightgown and offers me a kind smile.
“Does that mean I can go?”
Her smile falters for a fraction of a second before she stands, smoothing her skirts with long, thin fingers. “We’ll want to make sure you’re healed up properly first. Then we can discuss what comes next.”
It’s not really an answer to my question, and the vagueness of it makes me uneasy.
“You are going to eventually let me go, right?”
“Of course.”
But she hesitates, and I’m reminded of something my uncle used to say. How the only way to know if a god was lying was if their mouth was moving.
She sets the vial of blue liquid on the table by the bed and motions for the other woman to follow her out. I shudder when she passes in front of a torch and becomes translucent again.
“That potion will help you sleep. Sleep will help you heal.”
Kaia doesn’t wait for me to answer, disappearing through the door with the woman on her heels. I hear the thud of locks moments before a black cloud shimmers over the door, sealing me inside.
I have no idea how to get past a god or escape the Shadow Realm. But I do know I can’t stay here. The land of the dead is no place for the living.
Chapter Nine
The water runs red when I submerge my body beneath the surface. Technically, souls don’t bleed. They are more a memory of their mortal shells than a physical body, but I find the addition of it makes for a more satisfying experience. And their screams helped drown out the incessant beating of that woman’s heart.
Elora. Kaia must have worked her magick, because I can no longer feel the dull ache in my side where Elora’s wound was. It’s something else entirely now. A presence in the air and under my skin and in my consciousness I’ve never experienced before. I dislike it.
Steam curls away from my body in thin tendrils when I come up for air and press my back against the smooth stone. The hot springs aren’t far from the palace. You can see the looming structure through the trees if you look hard enough, and Elora’s tower is visible even at this distance, spearing up into the dull twilight sky.
If I hadn’t blacked out the windows to keep people from asking too many questions, I’d be able to see the yellow glow of candlelight. It’s just as well. I need her to remain hidden from as many people as possible until I can determine how she got here and if I want to let her out again.
Kaia won’t speak of it if I ask her not to, and the soul is bound to me and my secrets, so she can’t tell anyone even if she wanted to. It’s everyone else I’m concerned about.
A branch snaps, followed by the soft sound of a feminine giggle, and I sigh. So much for my solace.
I wait a beat, and Nevon emerges from the trees, his arm wrapped around a petite nymph with pale blue skin and short green hair. They’re both already naked, but only the nymph seems to care, squeaking in surprise and diving behind Nevon to shield herself.
Nevon chuckles, peering at her over his shoulder and giving her a wink. “Lord Thieran has seen more than one naked nymph in his time.”
Pushing out of the water, I’m dry by the time my feet hit the banks. “Haven’t we discussed you bringing Acarian nymphs back here?”
“These hot springs are the best on either side of the veil,” Nevon counters. “For all sorts of things,” he adds with a grin.
