Page 153 of Between Soul and Vessel
“Soworried!” Artemesia exclaimed. “It was awful out there.”
“How did you all find each other?” I asked as our arms unraveled from one another.
“A beacon of silver light came to each one of us, leading us to one another,” Folkoln answered as he stepped closer to us, bits of smoke breaking off from him.
“We figured it was you,” Von added, his arm wrapping around my lower back.
“Perhaps it was,” I said, thinking back on the light that had emerged from me, scattering the storm. I hadn’t realized I had sent it out to them, but somehow, I must have.
“Nockrythiam,” Naia greeted my mate as she walked toward us, her expression friendly. “How many millennia has it been since we last saw one another?”
Von’s gaze lifted from mine, traveling to the Goddess of Knowledge. He didn’t respond right away, which told me all I needed to know. Although she recognized him, he didn’t recognize her. By the tick in his jaw, I could tell he was analyzing, trying to figure out his hand before he played his cards.
My fingers threaded into his as I spoke through our private connection,We’ve come here to seek knowledge. If we are honest with her about our lacking memories, perhaps she can fill in the gaps of our past.
I hope you are right,Von’s words entered my mind, before he said to Naia, “I apologize, but I do not recognize you.”
Naia looked surprised at that admission. “Although I did not think you were the type, surely, you jest. We spent a great deal of time working together, serving the emperor.”
Again, I felt his hesitancy.
Tell her, I urged him through our bond.
“I do not have memories of my life in this realm, so I’m a bit foggy on who I did and didn’t know,” Von said, following up on our private channel with,There, happy?
Very much so,I replied back, smiling up at him.
“Well then, we will have much to catch up on,” Naia said, pausing for a moment, her gaze shifting over us. “You all look like you could use some rest and food. Please, if you would, follow me.”
Sage
Ashort while later, we were in the courtyard gardens, not a speck of sand in sight.
The vast grounds were as vibrant and lush as a spring meadow, the air fragrant with floral scents. We sat in the shade under a pergola, the stone structure wrapped in winding, green vines adorned with bright-pink roses. Two servants joined us, standing beside the pillars.
Von and I leaned back in a wicker sofa, his one arm tossed over my shoulders, my hand in his. Von’s thumb brushed over the glimmering emerald of my ring, and a flurry of emotions bloomed on my tongue—pride, satisfaction, immense happiness. Although the feelings belonged to him, they mirrored my own.
Artemesia and Folkoln sat across from us while Naia took the chair at the end. In the middle, there was a rectangular table full of jugs of wine and stone platters ladenwith fruits, cheeses, and thinly cut meats.
In front of the pergola was a pond full of goldfish. The water glistened under the bright gaze of the sun. Kaleb stood by the pond, watching them swim.
“How do they survive the heat?” he asked, looking to Naia.
For a brief moment, I could see the person I’d grown up with, who had yet to be tainted by everything that had taken place after he was conscripted. Kaleb was a tinkerer, infatuated with how things worked. Even more so, he liked to try to come up with solutions to make life easier. He was an inventor at his core, and it was good to see those curious cogs turning within his eyes once more.
“Place your hand in the water and see,” she instructed him.
Kaleb knelt, dipping his hand inside. Pulling it back out, he exclaimed, “It’s cool.”
Naia grinned. “Indeed. Now touch the plant floating directly in front of you. The one with the blue-tipped leaves.”
Kaleb reached for it. “Ah!” he gasped, swiftly jerking his hand back, a small, surprised laugh escaping him. “It feels colder than ice.”
“That plant is called winter’s caress, and yes, it is frightfully cold. That is how we keep the pond cool,” Naia explained.
“Fascinating!” Kaleb replied enthusiastically as he walked back over to us. He sat beside Folkoln. “I can’t believe how cold it is. Folkoln, feel my fingers,” he said,shoving his hand toward him.
Folkoln narrowed his eyes with the lethality of a blade poised to cut—the look was enough to make Kaleb retract his hand.
