Page 53 of Crown of Betrayal and Blood

I don’t know what he expected me to ask, but clearly this wasn’t it. If all the other things happening in my life didn’t make me constantly question everything, losing Mother certainly has.

“The bonding sacrifice is not the only way to find your loved ones who journey through the dark lands, simply the easiest.” Though the priestess’s features are mainly hidden in the dark, her voice has me speculating that she’s at least my mother’s age, if not older. The soothing, somehow maternal tone echoes with wisdom I can only envy. “You can simply look for them as well, but it will take time. Envision the darkness behind your eyes. The darkness of sleep. Of the womb. The darkness that cradles life. Doing that should help bring you closer to Nyc.”

I breathe a sigh of relief. I will at least have a chance to apologize to him in the next world, something I wasn’t able to do in this one.

“However…” The priestess shifts closer, and I’m surprised that she stands several inches above me. Behind her black veil, her eyes are mere glimmers, and they burrow into me as if seeking my soul. “You have shared kin. A sibling. Once you are bonded, if they bonded to your father, then you can find your father through them.”

Confusion engulfs me. “I don’t understand. The only sibling I have is my sister, Leesa, but she isn’t a blood relative.”

The priestess pauses with her head cocked, as if listening to a voice no one else can hear. “Not a sister. A brother. One who shares the same father.”

My heart stills before erupting into a frantic rhythm, pumping hope through my veins. I believed that all my immediate biological family was dead. If the priestess is correct, that’s not true.

I have a biological brother. Now, it’s just a matter of finding him. “Do you know where my brother is? Is he somewhere in Tirene?”

“He’s close. You merely need to open your heart and trust your instincts, and he will be revealed.”

I huff an annoyed puff of air. That sounds like the same type of vague nonsense you’d hear from a phony fortune teller, but I tamp down my frustration and table the subject. I can’t afford to piss off the priestess before we get the answers we seek.

“Praise Nyc.” I force the prayer from my mouth. “And thank you.”

“Indeed.” Her teeth shine for a moment in what I think is a smile. “Are there any other questions weighing on your minds?” She slowly cocks her head at Sterling, and his fingers tighten around mine.

“Can you tell us any information about the drachen? Or of phoenixes?” His urgent, rushed voice cuts through the quiet.

The priestess shakes her head, the motion poking holes in my hopes. “The drachen are not of our scriptures, nor, as creatures of fire and light, are the phoenixes.”

“Oh.” Sterling deflates next to me, his white-clad form easy to identify in the meager candlelight.

“I was not there the night of the attack, but I have heard the tales, as well as descriptions of the drachen’s appearance. They remind me of the stories about Nyc’s son, Narc.” Her whispery voice seems to bounce off the very walls. “The god of nightmares.”

A shiver runs down my spine.

Nightmares.

That does sound like the drachen.

I lick my bone-dry lips. “Could you…tell us more about him?” I keep my voice low as well, part of me scared that Nyc will overhear me asking for gossip about her son and strike me dead on the spot.

“Narc was Nyc’s second child, her first son. While her eldest daughter Mar was the goddess of dreams and visions who blessed people, Narc punished those who deserved it by bringing them nightmares that fed on their fear.”

While the priestess delivers the story with obvious familiarity, it’s the first time I’ve ever heard of such a god.

Judging from Sterling’s expression, he’s never heard of such a god either. “What happened to him? Why are there no temples to Narc or clerics who speak his name?”

“Narc…” For the first time, sorrow tinges her voice. “The god of nightmares was tormented by his own existence. His job required him to punish those who committed wrongs, whether it was a small misdeed committed by a child or depravities reveled in by the truly evil. He began spiraling into darker acts in an attempt to correct human behavior. That is, until he found a method to force humans to behave in such a way he would never have to punish them again.”

“How?”

“He managed to cage free will.”

But…the gods never force us to do anything. They only inform us of what we must do to gain their favor and relay the consequences of certain actions.

“How is that possible?” Sterling sounds as shaken as I feel. This is world-changing information. Why isn’t it better known?

“I am but a simple priestess and do not know all the secrets kept in the dark. You may find better answers from a high priestess or an archivist. I know it was considered a crime so heinous the gods themselves intervened to stop him and restore free will to all.”

Sterling’s hand finds mine, a steady warmth as we listen.

---