Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25521 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 128(@200wpm)___ 102(@250wpm)___ 85(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25521 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 128(@200wpm)___ 102(@250wpm)___ 85(@300wpm)
And it's a good thing I don't, with Anteros walking back into the room at that moment. "Halyna?"
"Yes?' I automatically straighten as I turn to face him. The black-haired god is second to Eros in age, and although he has been nothing but kind, I still can't help feeling a little nervous every time he speaks to me directly.
"We'll give you a moment with Eros, and afterwards, we would like to hear about what happened."
Cordial his tone may be, but I know a command when I hear it, and I promise to join them in a few minutes.
The door closes behind them, and my gaze turns back to Eros when we're alone. It almost seems like an eternity ago when I first learned the truth about his "identities", and I had entertained thoughts of doing things that could hurt my god and make him suffer. I had wanted him to have a dose of his own medicine, and I realize now that was the only reason I had asked for space.
I just wanted him to hurt.
But now that he is hurt, all I can think about is how he's fought and bled to save me, my parents, and everyone else.
Nearly killed himself even, and I would never, oh God—-
I'd never forgive myself if that happened.
I'm sorry it took me so long to go back to you, kyrios.
My desire to make him pay feels so mortifyingly shallow now.
Please open your eyes, Eros.
I curl my fingers around his, but my god's fingers remain unmoving.
(please God please)
Pops and Dad were right.
No one is perfect.
And right now, all I want is to have another chance to love my imperfect god.
****
A quasi servant is waiting for me in the hallway when I step out of Eros' room, and I nod and mumble my thanks when she offers to take me to the divine sanctum.
Rosethorne students move to Coriander House when they reach their fifth and final year, and I somehow imagined it would look no different from the other Rosethorne buildings in my world.
But I was quite, quite wrong.
I'm not sure why it is, but there's something about this place that feels poisonous, and the feeling persists even though the servant has me walking through lofty stone hallways with cathedral-shaped wall openings that overlook rolling hills and picturesque flower fields.
Something sick and deadly seems to be crawling unseen under my feet, but that can't be. Can it? Maybe I'm just being paranoid? Or am I simply feeling weird because it's my first time in the Old World?
A stone bridge arching over a moat connects Coriander House to its divine sanctum, and my breath catches when I see that its walls appear entirely made of flowers.
New England asters, to be exact.
It has a distinct scent that's not quite pleasant, but this pales in significance as soon as its lovely petals unfurl in shades that vary from white to red and lavender to purple. If I remember correctly, New England asters typically bloom up to a maximum height of six feet, but since the ones in front of me are easily sixteen feet tall, I can only guess that they've been blessed by the Anthousai.
And if that were the case, then...doesn't it mean I'm just overthinking like always?
I may not be an expert on all things divine, but surely no nymph would care to grow flowers in a place that was sick and deadly.
Right?
The servant's steps slow down before a wooden door, and I find myself craning my neck since the thing is about thrice my height.
"Our Master awaits you inside."
She opens the door, and I nearly end up gaping. It's as if they've magically made an entire rainforest fit inside this so-called room. A "mini" waterfall in one corner gives out a tranquil melody of water rushing down big, black boulders while colorful Old World fishes leap and splash about in a pond that circles the entire "room."
The trees here are also exactly like the ones guarding over Eros' cabin, and even the butterflies fluttering around have the same glowing light outlining their rainbow-colored wings.
"Milady?"
I reluctantly pull my gaze away from the lush scenery surrounding us. "Uh, yes?"
"May I take my leave?"
"Oh, um, yes. Thank you again."
The servant bows before taking her leave, and Eros' brothers shed their invisibility as soon as she's gone.
"Are you ready to speak to us, Halyna?" Anteros asks.
"Yes." And the words come pouring out, fast.
The devil is in the details, and if there's one thing I learned from Cen's death, it's how exceptionally time good is at eradicating evidence. I need to get everything out while memories of our equine ordeal are still painfully fresh, and I don't care if I end up traumatizing myself in the process.
By the time I finish speaking, Anteros feels like a living, ticking bomb, and while I would forever trust him with my life, I'm also glad that we're fighting on the same side.