Page 21 of Rise of the Gods: Vardor's Destiny
"Let him try," she pushed her chin out defiantly. "I must do what I must do; you of all people should understand this."
I did. I truly did. But that didn't change the fact that she wasn't just my goddess, she was my life. She was my mate. My heart and my soul. I would gladly die, but I needed to know that she was safe.
"Forgive me," I pulled her into my arms and lifted her off the ground.
"Forgive you for what?"
"Asharat," I yelled, and he immediately came in, followed by several warriors pushing a large crate.
"Vardor, what are you doing? Let me down!" Vaelora demanded.
The hatch was already open, and I carried Vaelora inside as she kicked and screamed at me. The priests had assured me it would keep her safe. They placed spells on it she couldn't escape. "I'm sorry."
I closed the door and sealed it, certain she was yelling and screaming inside, but no sound came through the thick walls.
"Take her to the ships," I placed my hand on Asharat's shoulder. Like his predecessor from long ago, Tavrek, I trustedhim implicitly. "If you don't hear from me in two days, take off to the lands of the Lemurians. Don't let her out until you reach it."
Asharat nodded solemnly. We both knew that Vaelora would kill him the minute she was out. It was a lot to ask of him, but Asharat was as devout to her as he was to me. "It will be done just as you ordered, my lord."
"It has been an honor," our eyes met, and he placed his hand on my shoulder.
"My only regret is that I won't be fighting at your side tomorrow," he said.
"Your fight will be a hundred times harder." I tried to smile, but my lips didn't budge.
Just as Asharat had forfeited his life with his promise, I knew I had done the same with mine. Vaelora would never forgive me for my betrayal, no matter that it was to keep her safe.
"Oh that's dreadful," Abigail St. Clair, my best friend, declared when I finished telling her about my last two nights.
It was Sunday afternoon, right after mass, and like every other Sunday since we were children, we were spending the rest of the day together. Even her wedding hadn’t changed this. I didn't know what Callum thought about it, but since he spent his Sunday afternoons in a tavern with his friends, I didn't think he minded all too much.
Abbie hugged me tightly, and it felt so good. She and Helen were the only ones who had ever embraced me or thrown any kind of love at me.
"Don't worry. We'll make a plan," she promised.
The warmth of the kitchen wrapped around us, the air rich with the scent of steeping tea and the lingering sweetness of cake. A pot simmered on the old stove, its gentle bubbling the only sound between us for a moment. Candlelight flickered against the walls, casting soft shadows, a quiet contrast to the world outside. The shutters remained drawn, shutting out the city beyond. I wish it would have been that easy to shut my life out.
Neither Abbie nor Callum came from wealth, but Callum’s success as a solicitor now ensured they lived comfortably. Still,there was nothing extravagant about this place, nothing that felt untouchable or distant. It was lived in, warm—a home.
Her cook and maid had Sundays off, leaving us to our own little tradition.
"What plan?" I snorted derisively. "There is no plan that will work, Abbie, my life is over."
"Oh, quit being such a drama queen, Ro, that's not gonna help," she scolded, making me laugh.
"Alright."
"Alright," she grinned, digging her fork into the lemon cake.
Neither one of us bothered with plates. We just dug, completely unladylike, into the entire cake. Our once a week treat. A week ago, our biggest worry was how we would stay friends after I became a countess, and I’d promised her that she would always be welcome at mypalace. We had giggled and laughed about it, like when we were children. We had even included Callum into our dreams. We’d decided that Thomas would hire him and get all his aristocratic friends to do the same, and he would become filthy rich.
What a difference seven days can make.
I stared gloomily into the fire in the stove. No gas in Abbie's household.
"You have jewelry, right? Plenty?" Abbie asked.
I shrugged, "Yes, but so what? It's not like I can just run away."
