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)
“But I can see that your heart will be healed one day. Not sure when or how it will happen, but I do know you’ll need to let go.”
“I’ve already done that,” I say. Because Zora pushed me away, and I didn’t fight it.
“Then there is nothing more for you to do. I suggest you concentrate on saving the world.”
I thank him again for his time. When I leave, I don’t head back to the town or travel through the veil to the Underworld to report to Amell. Instead, I move deeper into the forest keenly searching.
Though I find no discernible path, the trees are widely spaced and easy to move between. There’s no thick undergrowth, only a pristine carpet of ferny moss. Up ahead, a tree comes into view. It’s at least fifteen feet in diameter, perfectly constructed so the lavender bark is uniformly positioned in straight lines down the trunk. But the closer I get, the more imperfect they become.
Moving, writhing, and reforming until a dark knot in the center grows bigger and bigger.
It darkens even more and stretches into a large oval until it’s wide and tall enough to accommodate me.
As I pass through it, I walk not into the center of the tree but out onto a grassy knoll, the Council’s gazebo in the distance. The minute I step foot into their realm, it ensures they will congregate to greet me, for demigods do not come unless invited. Showing up without petition will indicate to them that I have something serious to report.
It used to be more difficult to reach the gods when Rune was a part of the Council. But given his transgressions and the danger it put the world in, the gods loosened their boundaries.
As I get closer to the gazebo, the gods appear one by one. Zora is the last, and yeah, my fucking heart lurches when I see her.
Those prismatic orbs lock onto me but there’s not an ounce of feeling within her expression.
Cold, aloof and guarded. She’s now a god, through and through.
I push my disappointment aside, and when I’m at the edge of the dais, I offer a slight bow of deference. “Thank you for seeing me.”
“You have news to report from Faere?” Zora asks.
I’m surprised she’d even deign to speak to me. The hopeful part of me wonders if she wants to know what I’ve been doing because she misses me, but the realistic part says she’s cutting to the chase.
“Yes. The tears in the veil are still occurring and a Light Fae family has been murdered. Deandra has demanded Amell use all his forces to patrol and we are arranging that now.”
“These are trivial matters to bring before the gods,” Cato says.
“That’s not why I’m here.” I turn my attention to him, making one last search of Zora’s eyes for something to hold on to. They’re blank. “I met with the Scryer. He has had visions that cause me concern.”
None of the gods flinch. They’ve seen a thousand apocalypses throughout the universe, so one lowly visionary won’t pique their interest.
“He said the tears in the veil are not based in motive to bring harm to Faere, but rather are a distraction. He said someone or something is rising to power and will eventually have more power than all the gods.”
Circe scoffs. “That’s ridiculous.”
I ignore her brush-off. It’s not my job to tell them how to act in the face of this news, only to relay it. “He also said whatever is coming will be catastrophic.”
“There is nothing more powerful than the five beings before you,” Onyx says with confidence.
“Maybe,” I say with a respectful tone. “Maybe not. I’m reporting what he told me. He also said time is of the essence. He had no context for that, merely a feeling. If you have any inkling what this could be, I urge you not to ignore it.”
Veda steps forward. “Do you have an idea of what it could be?”
“No,” I reply. “But I would look to those who have the potential to want that type of power.”
“Amell,” Circe says confidently. “Zora gave him too much power, and now he wants more.”
Zora gasps and whirls on Circe. “He wouldn’t. He didn’t want the power I gave him or the rule of the Underworld.”
“But he commands all the Dark Fae,” Onyx muses. “And they are full of evil intent.”
“And he reigns over the Crimson River,” Cato adds. “That’s a weapon in and of itself.”
“It’s not Amell,” Zora snaps.
“What about a coup by the demigods?” Veda suggests.
They argue, Onyx and Circe convinced Amell is making a power move, Zora heatedly defending him, and Veda and Cato trying to interject reasoning.
“What about Rune?” I ask. I don’t yell it, but the power of my words causes them all to turn to me, shock on their faces.