Page 155 of Between Soul and Vessel
I nodded, now understanding what she had meant when she said if her sister hadn’t wedded Alaric, she might have instead.
Naia reached toward the table, plucking her goblet by the stem as she reclined in her chair. She took a drink from it, then continued, “Alaric and my sister had been married for quite a while at that point, and although he loved her dearly, the façade of the blushing bride had worn off, revealing the power-hungry goddess beneath. Alaric worried what Avena would be like as a mother—fearing she would only use a child to become more powerful. Searching for answers, he disguised himself as a mortal and went to live amongst the woods so he could be alone while he thought things over. One night, he heard a woman singing, her voice so lovely, he felt compelled to follow it. Looking through the leaves of a bush, he spotted a young woman dancing under the night sky, her song praising the moon.The locket lifted from his chest toward her. Following its pull, he decided to introduce himself. Which didn’t go well, considering it was the middle of the night. I believe Luna screamed, threw her lantern at him, and ran.”
Von chuckled.Like mother, like daughter, he spoke through our bond, his voice a gentle caress.
I couldn’t help but smile.
“Yeah, that sounds like Mum,” Artemesia acknowledged. “She once threw a cast-iron pan at Father’s head when he didn’t take his shoes off and got mud all over her freshly washed floors. It was a good thing he had quick reflexes.”
The memory emerged from the cobwebs of my mind, and my smile grew wider. Artemesia and I had been sitting on the floor, playing with our wooden toys at the time. The pan had been full of vegetables, and it made an awful dent in the wall. There were peas and carrots everywhere.
“I remember that,” I acknowledged warmly, but then my smile faded as I realized . . . I looked at Naia. “Wait. Does that mean our mother was unfaithful to him—to Herulf?”
She shook her head. “She didn’t even know Herulf existed. Perhaps that’s why it was so easy for her to give her heart to Alaric over the short span of their time together. One night, under the gaze of the moon, with Luna’s blessing, you were conceived, Sage. By the next morning, when Luna returned home, knowing she was pregnant with you, she learned her hand had been given to the future chieftain of an allying clan. When she conceded to her mother she wascarrying you, her mother sped the wedding up and it took place within the week. Alaric was sick over it all, but he knew it was for the best. He also feared what Avena would do if she were to discover the truth. And so, he faded from Luna’s life so you could live yours.”
“How does that work exactly?” Kaleb interjected, prayer hands held in front of his face. He tipped them forward. “Like if Sage’s soul was in a pendant, how does the conceiving happen?”
All of us looked at Kaleb.
“What?” he asked, throwing his hands up. “I’m just asking.”
“It is a very mortal question.” Naia laughed softly. “But I will indulge your curious mind. Souls predate time itself, although some are connected in one way or another. They are not made by the joining of a father and a mother, but the vessel is. And so, that is what would have been conceived that night. Once the body is strong enough to house the soul, the soul will go to it, and two will become one. Does that make sense?”
“It does.” Kaleb nodded, his eyebrows raised in fascination.
All this talk of souls and vessels and conception had my thoughts wandering down a dark, lonely path. My thumb lifted to my stomach, brushing over it in one, small movement, so small, no one would notice.
Ask her, Von spoke inside my mind, proving me wrong—hehadnoticed.
Of course he had.
My gaze shifted up to Von’s.
It is one of the reasons we are here, to find out what happened to our child,he said.
What if it’s an answer I do not like?I replied.
Then I will tear the truth apart and craft a new one to your liking,he vowed to me. His large, tattooed hand slid over mine, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
I inhaled a deep breath, taking my time to let it out, before I looked to Naia and asked, “What happens to an unborn immortal child if the mother dies?”
Naia set her glass down on the table. She looked at Von, then back at me, studying us both. Her eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly, her voice soft, gentle, as she said, “I have seen that look many times before.” A small pause. “How far along were you?”
“Not very far.” I cleared my throat, my vocal cords strung tight. “Maybe five weeks.”
“I am so sorry,” she said, and by the solemn look in her eyes, I believed she was. She took another breath, then started slowly, “There is no easy way to say this, but five weeks is too young for a soul to enter a vessel, immortal or not, so upon your death, the child would have ceased to exist.”
I knew what I was being told wasn’t true, because I had felt our child’s power, seen it with my own eyes; however, hearingthatstill took me back. It made the words I wanted to say dissolve on my tongue, stifling my voice as if something had taken up residence in my throat, blocking it off.
So, my mate spoke for me, his body solid against mine. “No, their soul was there. Sage had planned to keep her pregnancy a secret from me, and our babe helped her.”
Naia’s eyebrows lifted at that. “If that is true, then yes, the soul would have been there. The vessel must have been exceptionally strong . . . although considering you two are the parents, I suppose that shouldn’t come as a surprise.” She thought things over then her eyes flicked to mine. “Tell me more about your death.”
I nodded stiffly. “It was an immortal one, but I did not return to this realm. I reincarnated in the one we were living in instead.”
“That complicates things greatly,” Naia spoke on a heavy exhale.
“How so?” I asked, eager to hear more.
