Page 88 of Between Soul and Vessel
“You can take the sash off,” Artemesia said. “There areotherways we can ensure thisSorendoes not speak of Veshameer.”
“It’s alright,” I said, forcing a deep breath of air into my lungs. Even though my world was a pit of black, I closed my eyes. I recalled that strange feeling, of how it had felt to be disconnected from my body, unable to feel my arms or legs, unable to move. There was no sensation. Only nothingness. I focused on it, told myself it was what I was feeling now.
Keep going, spoke the ethereal female voices inside my head, effervescent and sparkling, like a cup of bubbling wine. I had heard those voices before, when I was rejected by the Endless Mist.
You once asked me who I was, I said to them.When I said I was Sage, you did not accept that answer.Why?
Because your answer was incorrect,they said.
And if I reply that I am the Goddess of Life, is that correct?I asked.
You are getting closer, but there is still so much you don’t know. Turn inward, and you will find the answer.
A hallway of doors appeared inside my mind, stretching on and on. I reached for the one closest to me, opened it up, and stepped through it.
Sage
If I were to ask the people of this realm one place that they would like to see with their own eyes, I would have been given one common answer—the Crest of Salvation, the emperor’s legendary arena. No mortal had ever been allowed inside before. The grounds were considered sacred, a place where only immortal ichor could be shed.
And yet, here I was, a mortal, seeing it now.
I stood on the private balcony, my hands settled on the stone railing as I took in the incredible arena. The Crest of Salvation was positioned between the peaks of two mountains, the sides carved to look like an eagle’s wings piercing the sky. In them, were thousands of rows of seats, filled with gods and goddesses—all dressed in the finest of robes.
The empress sat behind me, in her throne forged of opal stone. Beside it was another, the seat empty.
“You should sit down, child. Your eagerness makes you look like you do not belong here,” she said softly, the words delivered like a suggestion, but underneath the allure of them, I heard the command.
I turned to face her, opening my mouth to reply that I didn’t belong here, but then an immortal stepped through the open doorway. Streaks of gray ran through his brown hair, tucked back by a laurel crown. The leaves and branches were forged from a polished silver metal. That same silver color wrapped around his body, making him glow. And even though there was no breeze today, the hem of his chiton flowed.
When he saw me, his eyes flared wide, his lips parting in surprise. Swiftly, he swept the look away.
Thinking little of it, I dropped to one knee and bowed my head, for I was in the presence of greatness—the emperor, the creator of all.
“Why is a mortal here?” Emperor Alaric inquired, but his voice was not cold.
“Because I wish for her to be,” the empress answered, not a hint of warmth to be found.
Sandals appeared in my line of sight, along with a flowing hem. I could feel the immense power radiating before me, like standing in front of an open fire. “Rise, Sagentia, daughter of Luna,” said the emperor.
I did as I was told. “How do you know my name?”
“I remember every soul’s name,” he answered, a flicker of an unknown emotion flashing across his face. Gone faster than it appeared.
My eyebrows raised at that, for I could not imagine howvast his knowledge must be.
I felt a sharp prick against my forehead, like the tip of a dagger was being pressed against it. My gaze shifted to the empress, finding her fierce, glowing eyes glaring at me. Her fingernails dug into the arms of her throne. Teeth clenched like a bear trap, she grated, “The games are about to start.”
“I suppose we best sit down then,” the emperor said, giving me a wink.
I didn’t know if it was because I was standing in the presence of greatness or if it was something else, but I felt my heart warm at the gesture.
“A grand idea,” the empress replied sarcastically as we sat down—the emperor in his throne, and me on the other side of the empress.
A short while later, the games began. The first one was to test speed. The immortals moved so fast that they looked like blurs, racing around the tracks until a horn blared. When the victor raised her hands, the crowd’s roar was so loud it shook the heavens. Our attention shifted to the left of the racetrack, where the archers prepared for the next game.
“Would you like to make a wager, my love?” the emperor asked, his hand reaching across the space between their thrones.
“No,” she said as she pulled her hand from the arm of the throne and placed it in her lap, something I caught just out of the corner of my eye.
