Page 45 of Bound Paths
“You have to understand,” Arie started, “we’re not the same as we were then.” He sighed deeply. It was the sigh of an immortal who knew less than he liked to pretend. “We haven’t discussed it much, but we were different before the Flood.”
Arie was right, of course. Rose hadn’t truly examined it—hadn’t thought through the implications as it pertained to her friend—but she knew it. She’d started to feel it even as she read the journal entries Aaron brought. The selfish gods were just so incongruent with the Arie she knew. She wanted to think only of this Arie—only of the friend, the protector, the one who’d stuck by her side for ten years. It wasn’t fair to him though. She had tosee him both as he was before and as the god he’d grown to be. She nodded at Arie’s words. “I know.”
“I’m not sure you see it fully. I’m not sure I want you to.” Aurora put her hand over Arie’s again as he spoke. Rose lost her appetite and pushed her plate forward.
“I know what your selfishness caused, Arie.” She scratched her temple. “Of course, I don’t dwell on the apathy you must have had to let the world burn as you did, but I can see that version of you.” She sighed. “I also see how much you’ve changed from that god.”
“I will choose to believe that,” Arie said.
“So, did the same behavior that affected the continent affect Cassandra’s realm? Is that it?” Rose asked, trying to make the connection.
“Cassandra, well, she never told us what happened.” Aurora continued. “She confronted the gods about fifty years before the Flood. That was the first time we met her. She was upset.”
“More than upset,” Arie chimed in.
Aurora nodded. “She was furious, claiming our negligence of humanity on the continent nearly destroyed her realm.”
Rose swallowed. “I could see why she’d be upset if that was true. Do you know what happened beyond the veil?”
“No.” Arie shook his head. “She wouldn’t tell us much. She and Zrak negotiated for some kind of recompense for our actions, and that was that.”
“It sounds like the journals Aaron brought you might have insights we don’t.” Aurora gestured toward the library.
“Yes,” Rose agreed. “Although, the one we need, Aaron is still looking for. He thinks the most useful journal will be that of the governor’s daughter, Celeste.”
Arie nodded. “She did something to Cassandra. Stole something from her?” he questioned as he ran his hand through his hair again.
“From what I skimmed in the journals, she made a deal with her,” Rose said.
“Cassandra was far too angry for it to have been a deal,” Aurora said. “We need to consider the perspective of who is telling the story. The villagers might think it was a deal, but as you said, the truth will probably lie with someone closer to the situation. We suspected a human stole from her out of desperation and somehow affected her realm’s magic. It would explain why she blames us for it.”
“As Juliette would say, it always comes back to power,” Rose said.
“I would say that, but what does it apply to in this case?” Juliette drawled as she and Carter entered the dining room.
“You’re just letting yourselves into Norden house now?” Rose asked, turning her head with a smile that said she was delighted by this development.
“I heard a rumor we were friends,” Juliette replied, looking at her nails. “That we were inseparable in our efforts to save your lover and the continent. The least I can do is let myself in the front door.”
Rose couldn’t hold in her laugh. The mention of Luc didn’t bring forth the familiar pulse in her chest. She needed to test her theory on her connection with this group—see if they knew what it was capable of, or if they’d doubt her.
“I’m glad you’re here. Have a seat and grab some food. Arie and Aurora were giving me a history lesson about the Lady of the Veil, and Aaron brought journals that might provide helpful context. But before we go further…” Rose allowed herself to reach toward the Luc-shaped space within. Though not in the heart of her magic, she could sense where his power resided.
Acknowledging her and Luc’s connection—no matter how unlikely—strengthened it. Part of her still knew it sounded ridiculous. A stronger part was sure that the more she told herfriends—even ones recently added to the list—the more easily she could access this bond between them.
And she needed to know what it could do.
She took a deep breath as she looked around the table. Her silence lingered for too long. All four of her guests stopped what they were doing to stare, waiting for her words.
Either they would believe her, or they wouldn’t. Rose couldn’t let her truth be governed by what they would think—no matter how much she respected the opinions of everyone in the room.
“Luc and I are bound.” She let the words hang there, the familiar warmth flooded her as she spoke them aloud. The more she said them, the truer they felt.
“We’re bound,”Luc’s voice echoed through her mind. She couldn’t see him, but she could feel the smile on his face—one she hoped to see again soon. Was he actually speaking to her? Could he hear her words? The connection was alive between them. She had to learn the details of what it could do. They had communicated across realms last night in the heart of her magic—of that, she was sure.
“We’re bound,” she said again, the strength of the words growing with the echo of Luc’s voice inside her.
Finally, she looked up. Her gaze met Arie’s sitting directly across the table. She wasn’t sure what reaction to expect from him, but his smile was broad and genuine. Warmth bubbled in her chest again. It was just as quickly doused as his smile turned to a smirk with his reply.
