Page 51 of Claimed By Stone
"That is another problem I have yet to solve, but with our magic returning, I'm hopeful we will be able to fix it. With Khuldruk and –" His eyes snapped to me. "It doesn't matter. That is a problem for another day. First, we must solve this beautiful puzzle," he said as he pulled me in close for a kiss. "Now, I'm going to get back to researching," he said before kissing me once more on the head and returning to his table full of scrolls and tomes.
As he returned to the table, I walked over to the statue’s base,mybase. The curve of the marble that had held my form, the ghost of stillness lingering in the stone. There it was, the golden glowing Godling inscription that had sent me reeling yesterday.
I needed to tell him this, too, if we had any hope.
“Thavros, I have to show you something. There’s something here,” I said, crouching to brush my fingertips over the faint etching near the pedestal. “This is what triggered the memory yesterday.”
Thavros came to my side, crouching low beside me, his brows knit tight in thought. The divine script shimmered faintly in the morning light—subtle, but unmistakable.
“I couldn’t read it at first,” I admitted. “But when I touched it… It was like a door opening in my mind.”
“What does it say?” he asked, voice reverent.
I hesitated, tracing the letters. “It’s not a sentence. More like… a title. A name. Followed by a riddle,” I swallowed. “It saysChild of Fire and Flesh. Of Lineage Divine.”Then I showed him the words written even smaller beneath that. “This here,” I said as I let my fingers trace the golden scrawl. “It saysOne road births ruin in fire’s breath, The other weaves love to conquer death.”
I wanted to look up at him to see what he had to say, but I didn’t dare. These words once again stirred the awful feeling that something terrible was going to happen.
Thavros stayed silent, but I felt the shift in him. His breath slowed. His presence wrapped around me like a shield.
“After I read these words, I remembered,” I whispered. “Pain. Voices trying to change me. Like someone was inside my mind, whispering lies over and over again.”
His hand found mine, strong and steady. I leaned into it, needed his support. I was afraid of what else I might remember.
My voice hitched as I remembered. "They tortured me," I said in a low whisper.
I felt the change in him the moment I said the wordtorture—his breath caught, his shoulders tensed, and the hand that had been holding mine curled into a fist on his knee.
“I’m alright now,” I said quickly, reaching up to touch his face. “Really.”
His jaw flexed, and his gaze searched mine like he was trying to determine if I was lying to protect him or myself.
“I don’t need you to be alright,” he said, voice rough. “I need you to be safe. I need you to never go through something like that again.”
“I won’t,” I whispered. “Not as long as I’m here. Not as long as I have you.”
But we both knew that safety wasn’t something either of us could promise. Not with memories still buried in the dark. Not with magic that pulsed through my blood like a ticking clock.
Even so, I leaned into him. Even so, he wrapped his arm around me, holding me like I wasn’t a threat but a treasure he couldn’t bear to lose.
The door opened beneath us as the sound of footsteps entered the war room below.
Khuldruk’s voice echoed through the halls. “Thavros. We have news,” he called out as he entered the room below them with what sounded like a handful of other orcs.
Seraphina turned to him with a questioning look.
“I’ll come with you,” she said softly.
Thavros hesitated. “You don’t have to.”
“I want to.”
He nodded, offering her his hand.
By the time they reached the round table, Frema had already arrived, dust clinging to her leathers like she’d ridden hard through the night. Callie greeted them with a bright smile.
“Hello again, I was coming to see if you wanted to walk with me to the stables?” she asked.
I looked to Thavros. The edge of his mouth curled up in half a smile. I knew I could go with Callie or stay here. Staying here meant sharing what we had learned, but I was beginning to think it was time to face the music.
