47. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

3 months later

It was strange to be outside of Purgatory after all these years, prowling the streets of the very capital city that sparked a long hunt against her people. Aya perched atop the roof, basking in the moonlight, unseen, unheard. Wind brushed against her wings, curling around her to shield a little of the ocean chill whispering through. With every deep breath, she inhaled the tangle of muddied scents; from the fetid water trapped in the runoffs alongside the streets, to the bakeries with their old, decaying loaves thrown away, she smelt more of the city's rot than she cared to enjoy.

She stood up, oddly missing the aches that once would've assailed her after being crouched for so long. Another perk, she supposed, of being both immortal and a goddess. She cast one quick look over the city, wondering had circumstances been different, if she might've called this place home.

But that was a long time ago.

Tonight was about revenge.

She snapped her fingers and the world spun out. A little flutter swooped through her stomach as a room materialized. A royal chamber. At one side of the sprawling space, a four-poster bed was draped in rich, silken blankets and furs. A faint warmth crackled from the dying embers of a heart. She waved her hand over it, calling it to life.

As the amber glow spread over the room, alighting over the plush lounge and dressers, little side tables and mirrors, she felt a little smile curl her mouth.

From the bed, a woman grumbled ‘there's too much light' and for something to be done. Aya waved her hand and the fire roared brighter.

Two figures shot up in the bed.

Aya remained where she was, perfectly framed by the firelight. Preternaturally still.

The man, a balding, red-faced king was not what she imagined. In all her dreams, the one responsible for calling for the deaths of her people was a great bear of a man. Powerful and monstrous, looking every bit as wicked.

This was the furthest cry possible.

She almost wanted to laugh but the man turned sharply, his lips parting to call out.

She snapped her fingers and a deafening silence descended over the room. "None of that."

"I am the King!"

"I know who you are," she crooned. "And I know the deal you struck with the gods."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Aya tilted her head. "You know, my whole childhood I tried to picture what the man was like who would order the deaths of thousands. Now standing here, I'm disappointed."

Pale fear drained the blood from his cheeks. The woman behind him stilled, clutching onto him for dear life. Aya knew without asking her name that she was his new wife, married only several months ago from a prestigious family. She had faults—no one was perfect—but she was, at least in the crime that brought Aya here tonight, innocent.

In her mind, she beheld the woman's death. Forty years from now, surrounded by a different husband, children, and grandchildren. Aya smiled at her.

"Leave this room. When the door opens again, you may call for help."

Her gaze narrowed defiantly. "And who are you to demand such of me? I am the Queen. "

"And I am Aya, Goddess of Death, and unless you wish me to tell you precisely when and how you will die, I advise you do as I command." Aya flashed a chilling grin in return. "I will not ask twice."

She took one look at her husband before she scurried from the room. Clearly, there was no love between them. Though she wanted to say the woman lived a long and happy life, more struggles awaited.

Aya blinked, forcing her stare back to the man sitting up in the bed. She prowled forward, not stopping even as the tears sprung in his eyes, and he blubbered that he'd done only as the gods commanded. Who was he to defy them? Perhaps there was a kernel of truth in it, and maybe in another life, he might've said no, and the gods might've found someone else. One might even argue the fate of the necromancers was long sealed.

"You may be right," she conceded with a dramatic sigh. "But the truth of the matter is, you did give the order and now I've come to collect. I wanted the last face you saw to be a necromancer, so that you die knowing you failed, and I will ensure that your memory burns. " She leaned in close, letting her eyes bleed to black. "This is the part where you scream. "

Aya emerged from the shadows to her home. The sun unfurled across the trees, spidery fingers of gold cleaving little patterns along the leaflitter. Even the side of the house that was now consumed by blossoming ivy, the white flowers burnished gold in the morning. Thin tendrils of smoke coiled from the chimney, ferrying a scent that stirred through her chest; floral and fragrant, teasing notes of subtle tea and dizzying piles of books.

She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. Home. Safe and secure, no threat hanging over their heads.

"Are you going to stand out there all morning?" Elaine sang close by.

And there she was, standing in the doorway.

Fuck.

If it were possible to die, Aya wanted this to be the last thing she saw. Elaine wearing a tiny slip over her body, the thigh high cut sending heat plunging right down Aya's core. She nearly groaned at the sight. Aurora's magic now flowed through her witch, ensuring every tree and flower blossomed in bright colors; kept birds returning to nearby trees to rear their young, and every other manner of forest beast. Life and death wove within their woods, content in their cycle. Even the dead, once so restless and pained, faded by the day and took refuge in the afterlife.

Less pesky eyes to see Aya as she drank in Elaine, every glorious inch of her; from her red hair, burning the morning sun, to her naked legs. Perhaps…

"I know that gleam in your eyes," Elaine growled in warning, though her eyes twinkled, the edge of her mouth twitching. "Now isn't the time."

"Are you sure about that?" Aya whispered, drawing closer. Shadows pulled in around them until it was only the two of them, Aya's hand already touching the underside of Elaine's jaw. The air crackled and warmed. A little satisfaction curled through Aya as Elaine's breath hitched, her eyes darkening.

Elaine pulled back, light flaring from her, chasing back the shadows. "Yes. Sabra and Zari are nearly back from their hunt, and Alexios and Tobias are soon to join us as well."

Aya scowled petulantly. "Can't they come another day?"

She really wanted to strip Elaine naked and worship her, make her scream until she lost her voice. It really wasn't too much to ask, right?

Elaine snorted and headed inside. "We've already put this off for too long."

Knowing full well this wasn't an argument she was going to win, she followed Elaine inside. The warm scent of fresh bread and rich, savory pies assailed her fire. Piled high alongside platters of fresh fruit, more pastries and rich meat dripping in a succulent sauce. Aya groaned at the sight. Though she didn't need food anymore, she certainly enjoyed it, and with no one actively trying to kill them anymore, Elaine had taken up baking.

Having already forged a new barrier around Purgatory, along with wards to monitor those coming in and out of Purgatory, Elaine turned her interest to other ventures. Baking, gardening, weapon crafting—Aya had already been surprised with two finely forged daggers—and reading. To Aya's delight, Elaine maintained a more distant role as protector; ensured a general peace but allowed the council to retain the more public position. No one bothered her over small affairs.

Though that might've also had a little to do with Aya's more well-known position as the new goddess of death. It was fine by the both of them.

With Sabra opting for her own space in a little cabin close by, saying she wanted it so she might have some privacy as she figured things out with Zari, they had a lot more space to themselves. Tobias officially moved out, though not too far away either, having started construction on his own home in the woods with Alexios. He'd yet to find an official replacement, but there was more of an appetite, he explained, and that he'd be free soon enough.

"Oh, I spoke with Tarla today," Elaine said as she lifted a steaming hot teapot from the fire. "Grumbled about some nonsense with the council, but said her temple was starting to take new initiates on."

It'd taken time for Tarla to rebuild and for folks to trust them enough to return. Finally, it seemed little parts of Purgatory were healing. Some scars would linger, and the tension between the Inner District and Dusk Quarter was, temporarily, in a kind of peace. Nora's death left a deep gap and Aya firmly warned the council from making any attempts to capitalize on it.

Wisely, they heeded her warning.

"How's Nora and Aurora?" Elaine asked as she set the teapot down. "They are well, I hope?"

"Aurora seems to like being dead," Aya replied with a wry smile. "I made them a special kind of haven. It took a little bit of wrangling, but I found all those from their order who died. For those who wished it, I moved them there."

Akaria, to no surprise, had not left any kind of manual, leaving Aya to figure out everything as she went along.

"That's good." Elaine stopped and gazed at the table. Seeming satisfied, she walked right over to Aya and sat down in her lap. Aya offered no complaint as her witch nuzzled into her neck, breathing deeply. "I never thought I'd find this. If you'd asked sixteen-year-old me, I would've laughed at you."

"If you'd told sixteen-year-old me I killed the deity of my people and took her job, I would've asked what you'd drunk and where I might find it."

Elaine laughed. "I'm glad we didn't meet when we were younger though."

"Oh?"

"We would've killed each other."

Aya pulled back, cupping the side of her face. Those wondrous green eyes held a forest she was content to be lost in.

"Perhaps you're right, which would've been a damn shame since I would've never learned how fucking good you ta—"

"We've arrived!" Sabra sang as she flung open the door. "And I have brought honeyed wine!"

Aya groaned and kissed the shell of Elaine's ear. "Are you sure I can't tempt you upstairs?"

"Later." Then Elaine was gone, already out of her lap to embrace a grinning Sabra and a rather awkward Zari lingering in the doorway.

Sabra yanked them into the room. "Come on, just because that one is a goddess and the other is really one in all but title, they won't bite—no, wait, I take that back. Aya bites. Maybe just don't…"

Her voice trailed off as Aya stared her down, one brow lifted. "I bit you once after you kept stealing my food and I warned you. "

"You still bit me!"

"It was more a nibble."

"Good to see you two still argue like blood sisters," interjected Tobias as he swept through.

"I think the world would end if those two weren't growling at each other," Alexios added as he appeared, sliding a possessive arm around his mate. He nipped Tobias's ear, Aya's heart softening at the tenderness, and the way Tobias's cheeks grew bright red. "And I am quite content about the world as it is."

Newly mated, healed bite marks on their necks, the pair glowed. Aya's own mouth pulled into a wide grin, her heart tumbling over into knots. Soon, they wouldn't be the only ones bound. Her hand dropped to her pocket and cradled the little pouch, checking for the twentieth time the rings were right where they belonged.

For now.

Soon, though, they would be in a new home. Right on Elaine's hand.

She didn't realize she'd faded from the conversation. Blinking several times, she caught Tobias staring at her, grinning, as his gaze flicked down to her hand, then up. A secret glow sparking in his eyes.

Soon, she mouthed.

About time, he replied before joining the others as they unloaded the wine onto the table.

Aya watched them in utter delight, feeling light and unburdened, as one by one, they all sat down around the table. A family, unlike any she knew, but perfect all the same. A little messy and violent, and one no one in Purgatory—or even the gods themselves—dared to threaten.

It was just utterly perfect.

As the sun fell and the house eased into its quiet nightly vigil, Aya paced restlessly downstairs. She was sure she was going to wear a groove into the wood when footsteps creaked down the steps. Her gaze snapped up. Elaine was dressed simply in a green dress, cinched at the waist with a gold belt, matching the simple black boots peeking from the bottom of the skirt.

Simple, elegant, and hopefully, someone Aya might have the honor of calling wife.

But not just yet. There was one more thing to do, something long overdue.

Elaine greeted her with a sweet kiss. "Ready?"

"Nervous."

Wordlessly, Elaine threaded their fingers together and brought them up, kissing them. "I'll be right here."

Aya managed a nod and pushed the door open. Hand in hand, they walked away from the house. As they approached the trees, Aya snapped her fingers and they spun away from Purgatory. Wind whipped at her skin, the song of death— her new song—flowed around them. A melody calling out to her, guiding her.

As the darkness fell away, they appeared at the edge of a vast forest. A crowd gathered to meet them, some clustered before the trees, with many more scattered behind them. Her breath lodged in her throat, and as she stood there, she found herself frozen. She'd visited a couple of times since everything happened, and finally convinced her mother to agree to meet Elaine. It was a small step, but it was something.

It was start.

Only, she hadn't expected all of this. Her mother had said just the family.

"I thought I was just meeting your family," Elaine whispered, clutching her hand a little tighter.

"So did I."

From the crowd, her mother appeared. Then her father and her sister, and finally, her two brothers. The five approached, and Aya discovered she was already closing the distance. Then the space was gone, and her family was right there. Elaine leaned in a little closer, their shoulders touching, offering a little comfort and support.

"Family," she began, clearing her throat, "might I introduce the love of my life, Elaine Tormelin?"

Hopefully soon, Elaine Sinclair.