Fire in the sun, p.16
Between Soul and Vessel: A Dark Fantasy Romance Series (Between Life and Death Series Book 4), page 16
“I’m failing to see how removing my clothes has anything to do with creating a better world,” I retorted, keeping an eye on Victor as he hung his jacket on a hook that was secured to the wall. He reached for the leather apron beside it and put it on. It reminded me of the ones the blacksmiths wore back home. Reaching behind his back, he pulled the straps and tied them.
The empress moved toward me, stopping an arm’s reach away. “The reason I have asked you to come is because I need you to get closer to someone who is known as Nockrythiam. I need you to earn his trust and learn what his weakness is.”
I had heard a great deal about the rumored Ender of Realms—Nockrythiam. I knew he was not someone I should ever try to cross. Yet, the empress was asking me to do exactly that.
There were only two reasons why someone wanted to know someone else’s weaknesses—to use the information as blackmail, or use it to destroy them. Something in my stomach told me it was the latter. Still, I asked, “Why do you want to know what his weakness is?”
“Nockrythiam is loyal to my husband. When he learns of my plans for the future, he will stand against me and do everything he can to protect the emperor. I am extremely powerful, yes, but I am not naïve enough to think I would be guaranteed victory in a battle against Nockrythiam. And so, I need to ensure the odds are tipped in my favor.”
She was going to kill him . . . with the information I fed to her. Despite the horrible stories I had heard about Nockrythiam, my stomach churned with unease. A grimy feeling settled over my skin.
“Why me? I’m a nobody, a mere mortal. Surely, there are thousands of better candidates for this task.”
“Indeed, there are, however, you possess something no one else does,” she said.
My eyebrows shifted together. “Which is?”
Victor started, “You are Nockrythiam’s—”
The empress held up her hand, silencing him immediately. “That is of little importance. The fact of the matter is you are the only one who can do this. Now, about those clothes.”
I was Nockrythiam’s what? It was a question I had no answer to.
“Sage,” the empress grated.
Still hesitant, I kept my arms crossed. “I want you to tell me what’s going to happen first.”
She pinned me with her glare. “Stubborn girl. Have you forgotten the deal you made with me? Your compliance ensures your sister’s safety.”
“And I will comply, but I want to know what I’m getting myself into,” I stated, tilting my chin upwards. To her, I might look like some feeble mortal, but I was the daughter of a great chieftain.
“Very well,” she answered, her heels clicking as she began to walk around me, circling like a vulture looking over a carcass, wondering which part it should snap off first. “Nockrythiam is among my husband’s best work; he is a handsome immortal, and you are a plain mortal. If you are going to catch his stubborn eye, we’re going to need to modify your vessel and make you appear immortal.” She stopped in front of me, her lilac orbs meeting mine. “Satisfied?”
“I suppose,” I said, my voice distant as I struggled to come to terms with what was about to happen to me.
“My patience is becoming very thin,” the empress warned, her voice snapping me from my private thoughts.
With trembling fingers, I began to remove my clothes. First, my tunic, which I slid over my head. I dropped it on the floor and then began to kick off my shoes and remove my trousers. Lastly, my underwear.
I felt the empress’s gaze, as well as Victor’s, rove across my skin, leaving a smear of invisible dirt in their wake—one that made me want to plunge into a bath and scrub it from my flesh.
“The body isn’t half bad, although those scars will have to go,” the empress said as she began to walk around me once more.
Victor stood in front of me, his hand scrubbing his chin as he debated something. “She’s a bit short, is she not?”
“She is.” The empress grew quiet, pondering something for a moment. “If you were to stretch out her bones, how long would it take?”
Stretch my bones? That sounded horrible, something I did not want any part of.
“It can be done, although it is no easy task. There are so many bones in the body. I imagine it would take me three to four weeks at least.”
“We do not have enough time for that. The height will have to remain.” She let out a frustrated breath. “One thing you must do is dispose of her red blood and replace it with ichor. If Nockrythiam sees, he’ll know immediately she is mortal.”
“Very well,” he said, his gaze drifting to my chest. His eyes burned hot, searing into my flesh. “And what of the breasts?”
I banded my arm over my chest, hating every second of this.
“I’m not worried about them,” she replied. Gently, she clasped my chin, tilting my head from side to side. “The face is agreeable. Smile,” she directed me. Unwillingly, I did. “The teeth are horribly crooked. Those will need to be straightened. Lengthen the canines so they look like the rest of ours.”
“Thoughts on making them retractable?” Victor asked.
She raised a brow. “For what purpose?”
“For convenience and to appease my inventive mind. If the retractable fangs work well, we could try it out on the new god species.”
“Will it take any longer?” the empress asked.
“It shouldn’t.”
“Then go ahead.”
“Very well, Your Majesty. Is there anything else?”
“No,” she replied before she turned to me. “I will return for you in two weeks’ time.”
When the empress left, Victor gestured to the stone slab. “Shall we begin?”
Sage
Someone was screaming.
The sound was so chilling it was like winter had plunged her hands beneath my skin and frozen my muscles stiff. Yet somehow, I was slick with sweat. The strange combination of cold and hot made me feel sickly.
I jerked upright. My mouth snapped shut, and the terrible sound stopped.
My hand flew to my lips, covering them—
I was the source of that horrible sound.
That desperate scream for the pain to stop, for the cutting and the slicing to end, but my words were never heard. Through all of it, Victor had used his dark alchemy to keep me conscious. He said having someone to talk to helped pass the time, even though the only sounds that came out of me were desperate pleas and endless sobbing. In the beginning, at the end of the day, when he was done working on me, he would leave me on the cold slab, blow out the candles, and leave me in the dark with his imprisoned, howling animals. All of that changed the day I tried to stab him with one of his torturous tools. After that, he would shove me into the cages, locking me in for the night.
By the time he was finished, a part of me had died inside.
Despite his drastic change in appearance over the years, I had no doubt the Victor from my past was the same Victor who worked alongside the empress now. If there was one thing I knew it was that he was a ruthless monster. There was not an ounce of humanity to be found within him.
“Sage?” a frantic Artemesia asked as she rushed in through the tent’s flaps, her expression full of concern. “I was down the river, but when word reached me that there were screams coming from your tent, I dropped what I was doing and raced back here. What has happened?”
“Just . . . the past catching up with me,” I replied, weaving my fingers into my hair, pushing it back from my forehead.
“Do you want to talk about it?” She sat on the side of the bed.
“I’d rather not.” I forced a deep exhale and slipped my hand through the rest of my hair. “I’m sorry to have frightened you.”
“I’m just happy you are alright.” She gave a soft smile.
Eager to leave the nightmare behind and think about something else, I changed the topic. “What were you doing down the river?”
“Fishing.”
“Did you catch anything?”
She shook her head. “Nothing worth keeping. I swear, the fish get smaller every year.”
A memory returned to me, of us as young girls, fishing with our father. She’d said that same thing back then, too. “You’ve been claiming that since we were little,” I teased.
“To which Father would always say—” She propped her fists against her hips, broadening her shoulders, and tipped her chin up ever so slightly, trying to channel our father. “That’s because you are getting bigger,” she said, imitating his voice.
I chuckled. “That’s right. I remember him saying that.”
She grinned. “Are you hungry?” She thumbed over her shoulder. “We can go get something to eat—it’s a bit past noon, but that won’t matter. Millie always has something yummy cooking.”
“I didn’t realize it was so late in the day,” I said, peeling the covers off my legs so I could change my clothes. “But yes, food sounds good to me.”
My stomach rumbled in agreement.
Shortly after, Artemesia and I were standing inside of a tent that smelled absolutely divine. Baking bread, roasting meat, various herbs and spices—instantly, my mouth began to water. Placed in three neat rows were long stretches of wooden tables, flanked by benches made from split logs. To my right, in the corner, was a large hearth crafted from stone. Flames licked at the bottom of a bubbling, steaming pot. To the side, a giant, mouthwatering slab of seasoned meat was being spit-roasted—a middle-aged man working the crank.
A woman with rosy cheeks and bright-blue eyes walked over to us. “Good day, chieftain.” She looked at me, her smile growing even bigger. “And you must be Sage.”
“I am,” I returned with a smile. “You must be Millie?”
“Indeed, indeed,” she spoke with a great amount of glee. “Come, have a seat.” She gestured to one of the benches. “You must be hungry.”
“Knowing my sister, I can almost guarantee that,” Artemesia replied with a chuckle.
Following Millie’s instructions, we sat down.
“I’ll be back in a moment,” she said warmly before she hurried back to the bubbling pot.
“She’s so sweet,” I whisper-spoke to Artemesia, who sat across the table from me.
“She really is,” she agreed. “One of the kindest souls I’ve ever met.”
We chatted for a short while, before Millie returned with two steaming bowls, which she set in front of us. “Some nice deer stew for you two. Fresh from the pot.”
We gave our thanks and then we dug in, reminiscing as we ate. Somewhere between my sister’s laughter and the good, hearty food, I could feel the icy grasp of the chilling memory I’d recovered beginning to melt away.
After we finished eating, the plates were cleared, and we had profusely thanked Millie, Artemesia slung her arm over the back of her chair and looked at me. “Sooo,” she started, dragging out the word. “Do you want to tell me what you’ve been up to all of these centuries?”
“That’s a loaded question,” I answered honestly.
She smiled. “We have nothing but time.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
Then, I told her all of it. Every little detail. Sometimes in order, sometimes not. I cried at some parts, laughed at others, but throughout it all, I longed for Von. He was stitched into every inch of my story. His name was carved upon my soul, in my bones. He was my other half, and I was incomplete without him.
When I got to the part about the child we lost, Artemesia reached across the table and squeezed my hand. With misty eyes, she said, “I do not know what it is like to lose a child, but I do know a little about loss. I know that when we love someone, we cut a piece of our heart out and give it to them. So, when they die, in some ways, we do too. But the thing is, we carry a piece of them with us, and so, in their honor, we must do the impossible without them—we must live.”
Pressure built between my eyebrows, and my eyes blurred with tears. They brimmed on my lower lash line, then spilled over, trickling down my cheeks. My voice crackled with emotion as I choked out, “That is beautiful.” Finding it hard to speak, I pressed my lips together, trying not to give in to the weight of sadness I felt welling within me. My gaze fell, and I shook my head. “I just wish I would have gotten the chance to know them.”
Softly, she squeezed my hand. “Who knows what comes after this realm. Maybe someday, you will.”
Von
An icy grip clutched at my limbs, dragging me under, but it was the heat boiling beneath my skin that shoved me to consciousness. With the speed of an arrow released from a bow, my eyes flashed open. I was in dark waters, among hundreds of glowing souls, their unconscious spectral forms tossed around by the tumultuous currents. When the current dipped low, one was shoved into me, her body drifting through mine, passing to the other side.
As I had zero desire to stay down here, I called upon my shadows to shadow walk me out of here. My umbra answered, sweeping around me, and then—
Nothing.
Nothing happened. My body didn’t move an inch. That was odd.
I supposed I’d have to do it the mortal way—I began to look for the surface.
There. The slightest bit of light gnawed at the shifting surface. Biceps firing, I started to swim toward it, heeding little mind to the phantoms as they passed through me. The waters fought against me, trying to pull me back down, but my will was unyielding.
When I reached the surface, I swam toward the jagged edge of the shoreline—viciously carved by the iron bite of the river. Placing my hands on the rocky ground, I heaved myself out of the waters. Kneeling there, naked as the day I had emerged from the soil, I took in my surroundings as the water dripped from my body. The innards of a mountain stretched over top of me, tunneling around the river. The light source that had guided me to the surface was from brilliant, glowing stalactites that lined the cave’s ceiling.
As I gazed up at them, I couldn’t help but think of Sage. Had she seen them too? Had she been here?
Now that I was in the same realm as she was, I wondered—
Sage, I spoke through our bond, my breath ceasing as I waited.
Silence was my only answer.
I tried again. Little Goddess.
Still, nothing.
Further down the river, Folkoln emerged from the agitated waters. He had one arm banded around an unconscious Kaleb’s chest while he used the other to swim toward the shore. Swiftly, I moved.
“Here!” he yelled over the roar of the river, passing me Kaleb.
“I got him,” I said as I pulled Kaleb up and out onto the rocky ground.
Folkoln emerged beside him, crawling on all fours. He flopped over onto his back, and with a wild smile, he panted, “Now that was a rush.”
I chuckled. Only someone as screwed in the head as my brother would enjoy getting eaten by a giant and shit out into a river of the dead.
“If that’s what you want to call it. Did you see anyone else?” I asked.
“No, just Kaleb. Figured I better grab him,” Folkoln said as he got up, shaking his head like a dog, water droplets spraying out everywhere.
I scanned the surface of the river. “We’ll have to find the others.”
Folkoln nodded.
I checked Kaleb over. I couldn’t see any visible damage, everything looked intact—ten fingers, ten toes, one pint-sized mortal cock. Check. Check. Check.
Fate’s words replayed in my mind, Six find their feet, two need time, one is broken. Folkoln and I were two of the six who had found their feet, which meant Kaleb either needed more time to wake, or he was the broken one.
Only time would tell.
A frustrated scream echoed through the tunnel, bouncing off the walls like a boomerang. I looked further up the river.
Saphira was standing there, going in circles. A long, black appendage with a piece of fluff on the end swayed behind her, twirling as she rotated.
Folkoln started, “She’s got a . . .”
“Tail,” I finished as we stood there gawking at our infuriated sister who swirled around and around. A black, snarling cat chasing her own tail.
Finally, grabbing ahold of it, she tugged on it and let out a pained yelp.
Folkoln burst into laughter.
And because I was every bit of the asshole he was, I did as well.
“Why are you laughing?” Saphira snarled as she thundered toward us, her eyes glowing with anger. “Did you do this?” Accusingly, she shook her tail, caught in in her firm grip, at Folkoln.
“No.” Folkoln shook his head, cackling as he said, “Although I wish I had.”
Saphira looked at me, and the fire in her eyes wicked out. Still on her good behavior act, she dropped her tail and didn’t dare ask if I had something to do with it.
“Ezra’s concoctions have side effects sometimes. I’m presuming this is one,” I speculated, crossing my arms over my chest.
She let out a frustrated sigh. “Do you think it will go away?”
“Hard to say,” I answered with a small shrug.
“Help!” an unfamiliar voice called out over the rushing waters. The three of us jerked our heads toward the river, looking to see who it was—
Lyra!
Without a second thought, I raced for the river and dove back in.
Arms churning, muscles firing, I swam to her.
Lyra’s wide eyes met mine as she struggled to keep herself upright. Underneath the water, in her arms, was Harper. Lyra gasped as she tried to keep the two of them from being dragged under. I grabbed them both, keeping the three of us above the water.
“Grab onto me,” Folkoln said to Lyra as he reached us.
She nodded, her hands wrapping around his arm.
When we were out of the river, Lyra crawled to Harper’s side. Her small fingers held Harper’s face as she knelt over top of her, small, strained whimpers coming from the back of her throat. Her tears plipped, falling on Harper’s unresponsive face.
I placed a reassuring hand on Lyra’s shoulder. “She’ll be alright.”
She turned toward me, gave me a nod, then wiped her tears in the crook of her arm.
“You were so brave to call for help. I’m proud of you, Lyra,” I spoke softly, and her eyes grew cloudy once more. “Hopefully, we’ll get to hear more of that voice someday.”
