Page 104 of Another Damned Storm
I stared down at my feet, at the fine thread of silver reflecting the cool light. “Is it the same vision as last time?”
She shook her head.
I pulled in a bracing breath and laid my hand over the chain. Suddenly, the world around me changed. The warm, humid air of the Nassa turned dry and brittle, and the soothing white glow of the moon was replaced with the dim red pulse of eternal dusk in the Alius.
The change was jarring, as was the realization that I wasn’t truly there. It felt like I was, but I was seeing and experiencing it through Never.
What was more unsettling, however, was the fact that myfather was there. He wore a tirelessly condescending smile as he made her an offer similar to the one he’d made me.
“Never, we both know you’re wearing down. You have fought admirably. Truly, I commend your effort. This realm is harder than any other I’ve encountered, but I promise you, it won’t get any easier than it is today.” He paused to let his words sink in. “You can save yourself from this misery. All you have to do is agree to leave my son behind. Renounce his power and you can return to the human realm as a mortal. No more godly powers. No more demon blood. No more of this torment. You and your family will be safe from this place forever.”
Heartless, soulless, and vile. Despite being a god, he was no better than the lowest of villains.
Never saw him for what he was, too. She was all but seething with hate for the man who sired me, and when she spoke, that hate layered every word. “The answer is still no, Iapetus.”
“It’s been nearly two-hundred years. Surely you can’t expect him to hold onto the memory of you for so long.”
She shook her head.
“Have you felt anything from him through that silly connection of yours? No, you haven’t, because he forgot about you long ago.”
Despite his cruel words, a glimmer of surprise lit her up inside when he mentioned the connection, but she was careful not to let it show. “If it’s been nearly two centuries, then you’ve asked me this same question almost two-hundred times. When will you accept that my answer will never change?”
“You are a foolish girl.” He shook his head. “No one in the universe is worth this kind of sacrifice.”
She kept her mouth shut and stared him down, but on the inside she was a barely contained ball of violent emotion.
Eventually, he shook the red dust off his robe. “Very well. I’ll see you next year, if you don’t fail first.”
When he disappeared, she collapsed to her hands and knees. Her fingers dug into the dirt like she was trying to anchor herself to the ground, and she let out a sound that sliced me open inside. It was filled with so much sorrow and misery that I would have torn out my own heart and given it to her if it meant it would ease her pain.
But then something strange happened. She stilled, and the tightness in her chest loosened. Relief washed over her for a few blessed seconds. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to let her pull in a deep breath and center herself.
The next thing I knew, I was on my knees in wet sand, clutching that damned necklace like it was a lifeline. “No! Take me back.”
Rue cast me an apologetic look. “You weren’t really there, Atlas. It was just a vision.”
“Why would you show me that?”
“I did warn you. Iapetus makes her the same offer every year, and every year, she refuses.”
I gripped the chain tighter. “She is in so much pain.”
“She is, except for those brief moments when you lend her your strength.”
I looked up. “Never can feel me?”
“You saw through her eyes. What do you think?”
The moment of relief. The one that smoothed the roughest of her emotions and let her breathe again. I got to my feet. “Are you certain?”
“Again, it was a vision. Nothing is certain, but if I were you, Iwould let your father go on believing he has the upper hand in this respect.” She held out her upturned palm and looked pointedly at the silver strand. “In the meantime, I believe that is mine.”
I hesitated. “Will it show me Never again?” I would give almost anything to see her and hear her voice once more.
Rue shook her head. “I’m afraid not. Enchantments like that are one and done.”
With a sigh, I handed it over. “I suppose I am once again indebted to you?”
