But inside me was still a hollow. Filled recently with Nero’s Awakening and Theo’s love. Not as chilled as it once was. Not as isolated and alone, drifting and lost. But it was still there. And I feared if I looked too closely it would swallow me.
I shuddered. The fire flared brightly. Warmth invaded.
The hollow retreated. Slightly.
Rest easy, Aether, Earth said inside my mind.
Breathe free, Air added on a whisper of wind.
Fear not what you are unable to see, Fire offered.
Come dance, Water finished, ruining the riddle completely.
The Aeras shaman had once said those exact words to me. Rest easy, Aether, breathe free. Fear not what you are unable to see. Easy for him and the Elements to say. But fear rode me hard. Doubt dug deep into my psyche. And sadness so consuming threatened to break me in two.
I had all four Stoicheio now; I shouldn’t have continued to feel so imbalanced. But a residue of that disparity remained, whether real or imagined, I couldn’t say.
“Aether spoke to me,” I said quietly. There was no successful way to ease into this, Hip’s vague answers and existential directions made that an impossibility. Sometimes blunt was what was called for.
“That is promising,” the Aeras guide said.
“It has to Awaken too, doesn’t it?”
“Of course.”
“I hadn’t realised,” I admitted.
“‘One, two, three, four. The fifth makes it so much more.’”
“Will you stop repeating your grandfather’s riddles,” I snapped.
Hip only smiled. “Quintessence is the key to our salvation,” he offered instead. “With it Awakened, all will make sense.”
“Everything?”
“Yes,” he said simply. “Quintessence is the divine gift of our god.”
“And the other Stoicheio?”
“Our birthright. Precious and unique to Ekmetalleftis. Ours as devised by Aetheros. But Aether is not a gift we all receive.”
“Just me.”
“You are special,” he said with an incline of his head. “You are Aetheros’ chosen.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good thing.”
Hip didn’t reply, leaving me feeling worried.
We stared into the flickering flames of the fire silently and only moved when Theo approached.
“It’s been decided,” he said, sitting down beside me on the outcropping. “Aktor and Sonya shall remain here. This will be our retreat, should things not go as planned.”
I was relieved Sonya would be kept away from the danger, as a human she couldn’t possibly survive the Nero’s anger. And Aktor was more than capable of protecting her. He would lay down his life, already had once, to save my best friend. I nodded my head and Theo went on.
“Mark and Isadora will follow, but keep a healthy distance,” he said. “We have no way of knowing how the Nero will react to an Alchemist in our midsts. If they are working with them willingly, we may be able to use your brother in some capacity. If they are being forced to cooperate with the Alchemists, however, his presence could incite their rage.”
I hadn’t thought of that. What if the Nero were being coerced? It left a bad taste in my mouth. I wrung my hands where they rested on my knees. Theo watched for a moment and then lost his internal battle and reached for me. The Pyrkagia Prince was still evident in the intense way he rubbed a thumb over my knuckles. But the Thisavros was also present. How could he not be?
“That leaves you, me and Nico to confront the Rigas,” he said quietly. “A small group may appear less threatening. But we are more than capable of fighting if required.”
“Three against an entire branch of Ekmetalleftis,” I said with feeling.
“This is what you desired, is it not?” Theo asked carefully. “To confront them?”
“Yes, but…” But I hadn’t thought through the logistics, clearly. Three against so many. This was suicide. Insanity.
But what choice did I have? We needed the Nero. Just as we needed the Aeras, the Pyrkagia and the Gi. Balance. The world needed balance before Genesis struck again and the Alchemists took advantage of the dire situation. I had to do something. And this seemed like the only course to take.
I shook my head, straightened my shoulders. It was time.
“Sounds like a good plan.”
Theo chuckled. He knew it was suicide too. Or he had an enormous amount of faith in me.
“I should like to accompany you, as well,” Hip suddenly said. I’d almost forgotten he was at our side.
“Oh, OK,” I offered. Theo nodded towards the Aeras, an acceptance and understanding forming. “So four against…how many?”
“Too many,” Theo admitted. “But we will be cautious.” He gave me a pertinent look as if those words were a warning just for me. “We also have Mark and Isadora as backup, and a fallback position should things not go smoothly.”
“They’re likely to not go smoothly,” I pointed out.
Theo turned and looked down at me, an amused look gracing his features. “Perhaps you would like to reconsider the Gi?” he asked, brow arched imperiously.
It had to be the Nero. I knew it, but I wasn’t sure why.
“No,” I murmured. “The Nero. And besides, even if we changed our target now to the Gi, we’d still be outnumbered. We have to start somewhere.”
“So we start with the branch that is most likely in league with Alchemists and no doubt has placed a bounty on your head for destroying their hidden city.”
I smiled, it was tremulous at best. “We’ll see,” I said, pushing up to standing. “So, shall we?”
Theo sighed, ran a hand through his hair, and then came to his feet smoothly. Hip also stood and started to move away. I wasn’t sure why, until Theo said, “Oraia.” Somehow Hip always knew when to make himself scarce.
I turned and looked up at my Thisavros. Fear and worry and a love so deep it seemed bottomless stared back at me out of jade and amber eyes. I walked into his embrace immediately, drawn to the man and the Ekmettaleftis alike. Gold splashed the bare rocks around us, matching the vibrancy of the sunrise.
“You will survive this,” he growled into my hair. A vow. A demand. A promise. “And you’ll retreat if things start to crumble. Protect yourself,” he urged fervently. “Protect our child.” His hand rested on my stomach, a soft rub, a soothing touch. My knees buckled.
“Child?”
Theo’s arms were rigid around me, his breath hot against my cheek, his heart beating faster than usual. Everything about him spoke of urgency. Fear and urgency.
“I scent him, do you not?” Theo said softly, a growl still evident in the quiet tone. “I feel him,” he added. “You were right.” Right? “Back in Wellington. It wasn’t intentional, but our Thisavros rejoining was too powerful. Too…” he struggled to find the right words. “Too emotional. I couldn’t hold back. You accepted me with open arms. I’m still unsure how it happened without our god’s involvement, but there you are. It has. A miracle in amongst mayhem.”
Aetheros. I closed my eyes, my hand on top of Theo’s on my stomach. Aetheros had been there. Theo hadn’t heard him, but I had. The Ekmetalleftis god had sighed in joy when Theo had offered me his seed. Aetheros had wanted this child.
But why?
Fear made it suddenly hard to breathe.
“Casey?” Theo called, but his words sounded so very far away.
No. Oh, dear God, no. That couldn’t be what would be sacrificed. Could it? I shuddered, a sob escaping, my arms wrapping around my midriff, my body bowing, caving in on itself.
“Casey!” Theo shouted. “What is it? Oraia, please tell me. I promise it will be all right.”
It wasn’t a promise, this time, which he could keep. It wasn’t a promise anyone could keep. I let out a scream, back bent, face to the heavens.
Aetheros! I shouted inside my mind. You can’t have him! You ask too much.
Wind whipped around us, lifting the thin
layer of dirt on top of the mountain into tiny flurries. The ground shuddered and groaned, an avalanche of rocks could be heard off in the distance. Rain started pelting down, sharp, stinging, persistent. And the campfire exploded; shards of burning wood and charcoal flying out in all directions.
Sonya screamed. Aktor and Nico shouted something. Mark called my name. But Aetheros was silent.
“Casey!” Theo yelled above the furore, shaking me slightly. “Stop it! Please, Oraia, it will be all right. We’ll protect him. We’ll make this work. Please don’t worry. He is ours.”
Tears coursed down my cheeks as I turned to look up at him. My hands still pressed protectively to my stomach. Theo thought I didn’t want our child. He thought I was panicking at the prospect of becoming a parent.
That was the furthest thing from my mind.
“He can’t have him,” I growled.
“Who?” Theo asked, dumbfounded.
“Aetheros.” I snarled the god’s name.
“Aetheros? Casey, you’re not making any sense.”
“He can’t have our child!” I yelled.
Silence.
The rain stopped. The fire snuffed out. The wind died away. The mountainside stilled; expectant; waiting; anticipatory.
“Aetheros,” Theo breathed, and gold danced into his eyes. His fists clenched, his face took on the mien of a hardened warrior. “Never,” he swore, taking a step closer to me. “Never, do you understand? Never.”
I nodded, seeing the conviction there, the lack of doubt; the words a proclamation. A vow.
Theo’s hands came up and cupped my cheeks.
“No one will take our child,” he said ardently.
“No one,” I repeated.
“No one,” he said back to me.
But Aetheros was a god. A disgruntled one. The shaman had said it. Hip had confirmed it. The answer is never clear, but lies in what you fear. Quintessence must balance all, Aether’s task so very tall.
But that wasn’t all, was it? Because the shaman had also said, Aether wrapped in Quintessence feels brave. Courage enough to do what’s grave.
I couldn’t. I wouldn’t. Nothing could prepare me for that. For sacrificing my unborn child. Even to save the world, I would never do that. He asked too much. He expected the impossible. Aetheros could go to hell.
“Theo?” Nico called softly, approaching with care. I fisted my hands and turned my back, angrily wiping away the tears. “Is everything all right?”
The world looked blurry; shadows lurked everywhere. I wasn’t sure if it was my watery vision or my imagination. So dark this world had become. So hard and unforgiving.
“Hip,” I said softly. But the Aeras guide had heard. Close enough to eavesdrop or simply reading my lips with Air’s enhanced sight.
“Yes, Aether?” he said, appearing out of nowhere. I hadn’t seen any lightning.
“Don’t call me that,” I growled. Hip didn’t even bat an eyelash. “What do you know of the sacrifice?” I demanded.
He suddenly looked so very sad. My stomach twisted. My heart thudded painfully inside my chest. Theo wrapped an arm around my shoulders, holding me upright.
I think Nico might have sworn. Theo had obviously told him. I wasn’t surprised, Nico was part of Theo’s inner circle. And right then, I didn’t have enough strength to feel anything but anger at their god.
“I know not of things you fear,” Hip said softly. “I only know of things I hear.”
Riddles. Freaking riddles. Now Hip had turned all shaman.
“Then what have you heard?” I shouted. Sonya gasped. Aktor murmured something soothing to her, too low for me to hear. I was aware that we were now surrounded. Isadora and Mark also in attendance.
Hip held my irate stare with a passive one of his own. White blazed from his eyes.
“I hear the wind,” he said, his gaze distant. “I see the breeze. I feel the chill. It is coming.”
“What is coming?” Theo demanded.
“The Reckoning.”
“The what?” Isadora asked. I ignored her, stepping out of Theo’s hold, and wrapping a hand around the Aeras guide’s neck.
White stared back at me, but he did nothing to defend himself.
“What is The Reckoning?” I growled, tightening my fingers.
“Judgement Day. Doomsday,” he added. “The moment of truth.”
My body shivered; Hip’s tone so final. Chills invaded my bones. Breathing became difficult.
“Run,” Hip whispered, nothing of the carefree Aeras guide evident in his façade. “Run, Aether. Hide.”
“What?” I said, my hand at his neck loosening slightly.
“Run!” Hip screamed, white blinding me, making me throw up my free arm to shield my eyes.
“Casey!” Theo yelled, reaching for me.
“It is coming!” Hip shouted. “It is coming. It is coming. Oh, it is coming.”
And then he collapsed to the dirt, not moving, not breathing, silent.
An eerie chill pressed in on all sides, pressure building like an electrical storm. My harsh breaths crystallised on the air before my lips. Breathing was difficult. Shards of ice piercing my lungs. I turned to look at our group, unsure what had just transpired.
“Theo?” I said.
“We leave now,” he ordered in a clip. “Aktor take Sonya to the Temple. We’ll rendezvous there once this has been done.”
“What has been done?” Isadora demanded, hands on hips, eyes chips of golden glass.
“If Genesis is winding up for round two,” Theo announced, understanding Hip’s madness so much faster than anyone else. “Then we need to move forward with our plans.”
“You want to invade Nero now?” Isadora asked, incredulously.
“Casey?” Theo pressed, involving me in the decision.
He was right, though. We couldn’t run. We had to fight. And for that we needed allies. Hip had just proven how fragile our alliance with the Aeras was. We needed the Nero.
I let out a fractured breath of air, scrubbed my face, and then nodded.
“Nico,” Theo called.
“Here!” his cousin replied.
“Aktor?” Theo asked.
“We’re ready to leave immediately,” the old butler replied, one hand on Sonya’s shoulder, the other holding several packs of gear.
“Mark?” Theo finally turned to my brother. Marcus nodded, his eyes flaring ice-blue as they met my Thisavros’ hard gaze.
“Let’s do this,” Theo announced.
I reached out and took his hand, Nico coming alongside to grasp my other. My eyes landed on Hip. Still immobile. I felt my stomach somersault with unease.
“We’re leaving him here?” Sonya asked as Mark took hold of her hand, Isadora already grasping his other, Aktor holding on to her free side. It was a lot of people for Mark to transport via borrowed lightning. We’d thought we’d have Hip as a travelling conduit as well. Now it was just Marcus and me, and I was so much stronger than my brother.
“The Temple first,” I said, ignoring Sonya’s question regarding Hippolytos; I couldn’t face the Aeras guide’s betrayal just yet.
I walked toward the group and took hold of Aktor’s hand; still clutching our supplies.
“Miss Eden,” the old butler said. “Are you sure?”
“The Temple is sacred ground, isn’t it?” I asked. Theo had told me once that all Athanatos disputes were ignored at The Temple of Aetheros. That peace reigned there.
“I fear much has become imbalanced,” the ancient Pyrkagia murmured in reply.
I looked into tired eyes, saw the weight of so many millennia of memories, and squeezed his wrinkled hand. I didn’t have any answers for him. I didn’t know how to protect Sonya and battle sea monsters and get Aetheros’ attention in order for the absent god to return. I didn’t have the answers.
“I’ll protect her,” the old butler promised, squeezing my hand in return, clearly seeing my uncertainty. “You do what you must, Cassandra.”
> What I must. I looked across the top of Table Mountain at Hip and bit my lip in anguish and fear.
This wasn’t how it ended. It couldn’t be. I wouldn’t let it be.
This was not going to be the end. For anyone. Least of all Sonya.
And absolutely not…for the child that I carried inside.
Chapter Sixteen
They’d Forgotten
The wind howled through the broken arches and crumbled columns of the temple. A mournful sound that left a scattering of chills down my spine. Shadows lurked in corners where sunlight should have reached. Dawn announcing that Judgement Day was here.
We all stood silent and still waiting for an ambush, but that expectancy that was hinted at in the harsh rush of air that funnelled through the broken temple was the only threat to greet us. Aetheros’ Temple lay forgotten and shattered much like the Elemental god himself.
“Make camp,” Theo instructed Aktor. “But be ready to run if need be.”
The old butler nodded his head and moved off into the far reaches of the sacred site with Sonya in tow.
“You want us to stay here or move closer to that?” Mark asked Theo, his head nodding in the direction of Atlantis.
It hadn’t sunk. It still existed. A part of me let out a relieved breath. Storm clouds hovered above its peaks and domed rooftops. From this distance, it was hard to see the extent of damage, but the thick, black and ominous looking sky reflected what was surely an angry bunch of people.
The Nero were still fuming.
“Stay here, but keep watch,” Theo advised my brother. “If we need backup, I’ll send up a signal,”
“This is it, then?” Nico said softly off to the side. His eyes kept being drawn inextricably back towards Atlantis. “Do we have a plan?”
“They’re expecting us,” I said.
“How do you know that, Cassandra?” Theo asked carefully.
“Because they’re not here.” Praying. Pleading with their god. Searching for salvation.
“I don’t like this,” Isadora remarked.
“What’s there not to like, Princess?” Mark drawled. “Or are you just angry you’ll be missing out on all the action?”
The Tantalising Taste Of Water (Elemental Awakening, Book 4) Page 15