Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75457 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75457 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
I frown. “That implies you have murky visions? Deandra said you had nothing of value.”
“I only answer the questions posed to me. I was asked who was opening the veil. I couldn’t give an answer. I was never asked why.”
“Fucking unbelievable,” I mutter. My own personal questions are going to have to wait. “I’m not going to ask specific questions to start. Just tell me all that might be related to the tears in the veil, no matter how trivial you think it might be or how cloudy. Even impressions are helpful.”
Faush smiles, respect in his gaze that someone understands that his gift is often clouded in nothing more than feelings.
He starts skinning the rabbits one by one. “There is no motive to hurt Faere. There is a bigger purpose to the tears.”
“Distraction,” I guess. That was my first hunch.
His nod is hesitant. “It feels that way. It also feels… catastrophic. Like, whatever is happening will change everything.”
“So, it goes beyond the Underworld?”
“Perhaps. Or maybe whatever will happen in the Underworld will send shock waves to other dimensions. But the thing I dream about the most is someone rising, someone of great importance, and that creature will have more power than all the gods.”
“Impossible.” I push off the wall, stunned by that revelation. No one is more powerful than the gods.
Faush shakes his head as if flummoxed, hands covered in blood. “I’ve tried to see who it is. I’ve tried to see how it happens, and all I get is that time is of the essence.”
“Time is of the essence? What does that mean?”
“It can mean many things. It’s not for me to decipher, only to give you the clues.”
“What else?” I demand, my mind whirring. Are we on the verge of something happening right now? Do I need to leave?
Is Zora safe?
I hate that she is one of my main concerns, but there you have it.
“Nothing else,” he says as he lines up the three skinned rabbits and moves to gut them. “At least not regarding the tears in the veil. But I know you have other questions. Questions that are more important.”
I nod and move closer to the table. “My brother, Lucien—”
“A demigod thrown into the Crimson River,” he says, letting me know he doesn’t need the background.
“Will he return? Do we have the power to bring him back?”
Faush lifts his gaze from his work. “I can’t see him in the future, but that doesn’t mean he won’t appear. As of right now, I cannot see him. However, I can tell you there are means to get him back.”
“The Book of Shadows?” I ask.
Faush shrugs. “I’m not sure. I know great power will be required, but I guess that’s a given, right? The Crimson River is eternal.”
I’m at least hopeful we can save Lucien, and I haven’t felt that yet. “Anything else?”
Eyebrows drawing inward as if concentrating, Faush gives a slight shake of his head. “I’m not sure what it means, but I’m getting the same feeling as with the veil… time is of the essence. And before you ask, I don’t know what it means. I don’t know if you need to act quickly now or at some point in the future. But it feels the same. Time is important.”
I tuck that away. It’s not helpful now, but hopefully, all will be revealed.
“I thank you for your advice.” Reaching into my pocket, I pull out gold coins that weren’t there a second ago and lay them on the table. They’re enough to put him in much nicer living accommodations, but I get the feeling he won’t use them for such.
“But you haven’t asked all your questions,” he says.
I try to play stupid. “I assure you… I have.”
Which I haven’t. I want him to tell me what my future holds in regard to Zora, but I’m also afraid of the answer. I know the woman and her stubbornness. Her decision has been made, and if I were a gambling demigod, I’d bet nothing will change her mind. She’s trying to live her life as a god as best she can, and she’s convinced that she needs to be hard and closed off to do it. It’s difficult to convince someone otherwise when they’ve known nothing of love and have lived their life behind walls.
“I feel the yearning of your heart,” Faush says as his attention goes back to the rabbits. I refuse to engage him, but I steel myself because I have a feeling he’s going to say what’s on his future-seeing mind.
And yet, he remains silent on the matter.
His gaze lifts to mine. “I’m sorry. I can’t see the gods or what they will or won’t do. That’s always a blank for me.”
Completely unhelpful, but it’s a little freaky he knows my issue is with a god and not another immortal or even a human.