Page 7 of Bound Paths
Aaron shook his head, unsure he’d heard her correctly. “Luc is…”
“A demigod. Yes.” She nodded. “Aterra is his natural father.”
The hand poised to drag itself down his face made its move. “What does that…”
She waited, letting him decide what to ask or what to say.
He let the sentence hang, unfinished.
Rose realized she didn’t have his patience. Now that she’d started, she needed to keep going. “It’s important for the rest of the story. I need you to hold on to that.”
Aaron nodded slowly, in a daze. He seemed aware he had no choice but to accept the information in Rose’s provided order.
“We were tracking Aterra. I don’t know how much Luc told you before we left, but I’m sure it was more than he should have.” Her lip tipped into a smile, knowing Luc would have told Aaron everything, even when it was confidential. It would help her now if he already had the context of what they’d been doing.
“The Compass Points knew Aterra had done something to disrupt the balance on the continent. We were unclear onwhathe had done. We’ve since learned that one of his sins was creating a demigod that would become the Suden Point.”
Aaron nodded again. Words still failing him.
“As you know, our purpose as Compass Points is to stop a god should they upset the balance. It was what we were created for, but the ability to do so had never been tested.” Rose shook her head. This missing piece of the gods’ plans was still a sore subject for her—one of the many grievances she would lay at Zrak’s feet if he answered their call. “We learned to work together, the four of us.”
Aaron’s brows raised a little at that. It was the most animated reaction she’d received from him yet. It was telling of the state of the fae courts that he could accept his half-brother was a demigod but was unsure he believed the Compass Points worked in cooperation.
She smirked at him. “I know. It’s difficult to believe.”
Even though he had more experience with lake politics than she did and had the right to suspect her words, he didn’t call her a liar. He seemed unwilling to stop her from getting to the heart of her story.
“We could hold Aterra when our powers merged—when we could trust each other enough to let our elements blend. Unfortunately, we fought Aterra in a location filled with wild magic that strengthened him.” She knotted her fingers together in her lap, providing a physical distraction as she relived her failure.
“We could hold him, but we had nowhere to put him.” Rose paused and took a deep breath. “We were out of options. So Luc came up with his own.”
“What does that mean, Rose?” Aaron asked. His arms were folded over his chest again as he perched on the desk’s edge, but he leaned forward to catch her every word.
“He used his power.” Her voice trembled as she held back tears. “He created a hole between realms. And he took Aterra into it.”
“Rose…” Aaron was on his feet now.
She paused, giving him time to respond. His jaw clenched as he paced. She could only guess what was going through his mind.
“I think he knew he could do it after the hole in Loch.”
Aaron stopped pacing and turned to look at her.
“In hindsight, Loch was a primer for what he did beneath the Lake of the Gods. He had a few more ways to enhance his power.” Her cheeks heated as she thought of the sword she’d made him. “But the concept was the same. His element didn’t just dig a hole, it tore through realms. He took Aterra beyond the veil.”
Aaron slumped into the chair beside hers. She understood the sentiment.
They sat in silence. Rose continued to mentally torment herself—trying to decide how much more to say. She focused on the Luc-shaped hole in her chest—the space where his magic should be.
Aaron’s nostrils flared again. Was he smelling her? She wasn’t using her magic, just reassuring herself it was there. No scent should be present. She mirrored his movement, sniffing herself. Her hygiene hadn’t been its best on their journey, but surely this wasn’t the most appropriate time to comment on it.
“You smell like him—his magic.”
Rose sucked in a breath. It wasn’t possible. Luc wasn’t here—he hadn’t been on the continent for days. His power was no longer connected to her. She opened her mouth to say so; she didn’t want Aaron to get the wrong idea.
“How are you going to get him back?” Aaron asked, cutting off the protest on her lips as he turned to face her. His stare was piercing as it met hers.
Relief that he believed it possible washed over her, followed quickly by anxiety at the expectation. She pushed down her worries. Getting Luc back was her priority, and she’d conquer every fear if it meant returning him to her side.
