Page 84 of Bound Paths
Rose couldn’t take it anymore. She couldn’t take what Zrak’s words might do to Arie. “Why don’t you explain it? Arie said you like plans. You seem to be the puppet master of our lives at the moment. We deserve to know what you do.”
Zrak’s sigh was dramatic. Rose wanted to roll her eyes but held the motion to see if the Lost God would finally reveal his secrets. For everything to fit into place, he had to know things before they happened.
From Arie’s memories, it was clear Zrak had suspected Aterra wouldn’t change his behavior. He seemed sure that one of the gods, though he never named who, would continue to throw the continent into chaos. Did he also know how to stop him?
Zrak had to know that another veil cat shifter would come before he went to Cassandra seeking sanctuary.
Finally, he had to know that something would drive the Compass Points beyond the veil. He had to know they’d eventually come for something. Need on the continent would be so great that the realm beyond the veil would be the only sanctuary. Or, in their case, the only place strong enough to hold the Suden god.
Her magic thrummed in her chest. The bond with Luc pulsed as she considered the only available option—magic.
“Can Zrak see the future?”
“It’s the only thing that makes sense,”Luc’s voice echoed in her mind. She could feel him considering the thoughts she was already processing, putting into words the things she hadn’t yet been able to.“I don’t think it’s…seethough.”
Of course, the Osten could hear secrets on the wind. Rose’s experience was that secrets traveled on the wind when they were particularly potent—when strong emotions were attached. She didn’t know if they had to be in progress when they were carried.
The pulse of Luc’s magic was strong as she completed the thought. He seemed to agree. There was nothing left to do but test her theory.
“You can hear secrets on the wind,” Rose said, not as a question but as a statement.
Arie’s head swiveled toward her. It tilted to the side in his traditional bird-like movement. “That’s always been his power,” Arie said carefully. Not having fully put together what Rose had only guessed.
“The secrets he hears”—she looked at Carter—“they’re not just in the present.”
Now, she had Carter’s attention. His gaze pinched as he worked out what Rose was saying.
“He knew my secret before I existed. It’s what he went to Cassandra with,” Carter said. “He knew a secret from hundreds of years…in the future.”
Zrak’s lack of response to her accusations was its own confirmation.
“Zrak?” Arie echoed. “Is that true?” The hurt in his voice was too much for Rose. She wanted to throttle the Lost God for the pain he was causing Arie, a friend who trusted him—who believed in him against all odds.
“Yes,” Zrak replied, defeat coating the single word reply.
“Secrets from…” Arie repeated the words, trying to make sense of them. “Secrets from the future?” He was in Zrak’s face now. His finger pushed into Zrak’s broad chest. “You didn’t think that was important to tell us before we started down this path five hundred years ago?”
Zrak sighed again.
“No! You don’t get to sigh at me like this is exhausting,” Arie said. “How much did you know? How sure were you? How much information did you have before you bet all of our futures—the continent’s future—on these secrets?”
Arie pushed Zrak back with both hands. “Get out of my sight. I can’t even look at you.” He shook his head as he paced in a circle. He pointed at Zrak. “But answer their questions first.” He waved his hand like he was flapping a wing. “They’re cleaning up our mess and deserve to at least know everything we do.” Ariecouldn’t be stopped now. He appeared to be unraveling before them, talking to himself. “I guess it’s not things all of us know, is it? It’s things only you know.”
He ran his fingers through his hair. Rose agreed with the sentiment but was relieved to finally have some of this out in the open. Seeing her friend’s world come crashing down brought her no joy. Arie held Zrak on a pedestal for hundreds of years. It was heartbreaking to watch his realization: the Osten god was as flawed as he was.
“I made the best decisions I could with the information I had,” Zrak said, straightening his spine.
“You made decisions for us!” Arie said, fire rimming his eyes. The temperature in the burning garden elevated as Arie’s temper rose.
“I had to go with what I knew!” Zrak roared back. “I didn’t know what telling you would change.”
“Oh, please,” Arie yelled. “You could have at least tried to talk to me!”
Zrak’s shoulders sagged. He appeared to be losing steam. “I couldn’t, Arie. The secrets are never clear. They are simple scenes, simple words. I had to put the pieces together about the speakers.” He sighed again. “While I only heard Aterra’s plans for power, I couldn’t be sure he acted alone.” His gaze flicked to Aurora.
Her eyes narrowed at him like she didn’t appreciate the implication. She didn’t interrupt though. She sensed Zrak needed to make his case to Arie alone.
“I heard you with the Norden Point, but I never heard enough to determine if you knew of Aterra’s actions. You were so guarded with her.”
