7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

A ya thought she was dead.

She stood in the afterlife of her people, the ancient forest looming before her. Beneath the bright blue sky, the towering trees with their gnarled, intertwined limbs, stretched out deep shadows across the tall grass. A breeze whistled through the amber meadow, pushing her toward the forest. To the very same direction the thread in her chest tugged.

At any moment, she expected them to appear. Perhaps her mother, or some other distant relative she possessed only vague memories of. Maybe even a stranger. After the murder of her father and brothers, she and the rest of their family spent their time on the run alone. It stopped being safe for necromancers to gather—not that it had made a difference in the end.

"They're not coming, you can breathe."

Aya spun on her heel.

A few feet away was a woman with obsidian curls, wearing a dress glittering like the night sky. Even without asking who she was, Aya knew. Could summon the name to her lips, as her own soul and magic recognized her. Like calling to like. Death to death.

"Akaria."

The shock quickly yielded to anger, the very same rage that had been with her since she was a child. The same questions that were never answered.

Akaria's face softened, as if reading those very thoughts.

All those years running for their lives, her mother had begged Akaria to save them—to do something. A prayer that was never answered. Aya stopped praying once she was the last. There wasn't much of a point after that. Either she died by soldiers or monsters, or she survived through her own stubborn determination. Not with any help from a goddess who abandoned her children.

She squared her shoulders, refusing to show warmth or kindness, and hardened her heart.

"What do you want?"

"To speak with you."

Aya snorted. "Why now?"

"Because of the crack in the barrier. I was able to finally see into the place you call home." Akaria's gaze hardened. "Those damn spirits did everything to make sure I had no way to see inside or to even visit you."

"You had every fucking chance when I was on the run or when my people—your children —were being slaughtered. Or were their lives not worth a damn?" she sneered, not giving a fuck what the goddess thought of her, or what line she was crossing in her venom.

Akaria flinched. "I couldn't get involved."

"But you can now?"

"This is different."

"How?"

The goddess half turned away from her, staring to the distant forest. Was she thinking of her children there, dead because she hadn't done anything to save them? Did she feel guilt or shame? Aya fucking hoped so. She prayed she dreamed of their screams and saw their blood on her hands. She didn't know if goddesses had nightmares, but she really hoped they did.

"I need you to free Aurora," Akaria whispered, so quiet Aya nearly missed the words and the desperation dripping from them.

"Fucking who?"

A pause. Akaria turned. "My wife."

"You're married? Who the fuck would—" Aya caught herself. "The one imprisoned in Purgatory…The one this whole fucking mess is about is your wife? "

"The gods did not approve of what we had. They feared us."

Aya pinched the bridge of her nose. She wished she was about a decade younger where the worst shit that she had to deal with was a kidnapping or some idiot who tried to fight her. Maybe even a male who had the idea that, with the right smile and compliment, she might suddenly find herself madly in love with him. Getting entangled with the affairs of the gods was the definition of a mess.

"Can't you come here yourself? Just slip through the crack?" Fix your own mess?

A bitter smile curled the goddess's mouth. "The crack only allows me to peer through. Even forming this connection is a strain. Your witch touched the pendant, and I was able to lock onto you." Akaria turned to her as sadness crept into those fathomless pools. "I can feel how much she loves you. Cherish it. Love is precious and worth fighting for."

Aya went preternaturally still. "Don't act as if you know anything of love after what you did."

Akaria's face pinched for a moment, the strain tightening her face into a frown. "I am sorry for the necromancers, and it will haunt me until my last breath that I could not help them. Had I done so…it would have been far worse. The consequences…"

"Your regret means nothing. "

"Perhaps you are right. I cannot change the past, nor convince you that my hands were tied."

"Then why are you here?" Aya spat.

"To offer you a deal."

"Why the fuck would I make any kind of deal with you?"

In a blink, Akaria was before her, lifting her chin to meet those dark eyes. "Because I would give you what you desire most."

"And what's that?" Skepticism dripped from her voice.

"To see the necromancers live. Every single one of them."

Aya choked out a laugh. "You let them die because you weren't allowed to save them. You expect me to believe you'd suddenly break the rules to give them life again?"

"Things have changed. If you free Aurora, I will resurrect the necromancers."

A trap, if Aya had ever heard one. The problem was a tiny spark kindled in her chest. A little voice that whispered, what if? It was a terrible little hope, childish, na?ve in every way to think that maybe the goddess wasn't lying to her face. Wasn't playing a game Aya had no chance to win.

No, it didn't matter if she was telling the truth. One terrible fact remained.

Aya wrenched herself away. "And if I free her, everyone in Purgatory dies—including myself—or am I to gloss over that little fact?"

"As you are of my lineage, once the barrier falls, I can anchor you to me child. You will be spared. As for everyone else, what if I said you could be the one to bring them back?" Akaria tilted her head. "Certain laws prevent me from doing it myself, but you could be the one."

"Love the faith you have in my power but I'm not that good."

"With my help, you could be so much more than good. You could be great. "

Aya's gaze narrowed. "I need time to think about it."

Akaria inclined her head. "If you end up freeing Aurora, then I will fulfil my promise. But watch yourself, my child. The spirits work at the behest of the other gods and whilst some might claim to desire Aurora's freedom, don't trust them."

"And I should trust you?"

"Only you can decide that. The cards are laid before you. It is up to you to decide what ones you will play."

Aya opened her mouth, a cutting reply poised on her tongue when Akaria waved her hand. The world burst into darkness and Aya was gone from the realm.

When she emerged from the inky blackness, she was in her bed. Warm, wrapped in furs and silk sheets. Floral notes perfumed the air, a scent she knew all too well. Blinking slowly, the faint outline of her room took shape, including the lovely witch curled protectively at her side. Pale sunlight tumbled across her fiery curls, framing a face that Aya swore was perfection. Instinctively, she reached out, gently tracing the curve of Elaine's jaw, the kaleidoscope of freckles across her cheeks. A stray curl hung over her brow. Aya tucked it away when Elaine stirred, groaning softly before her eyes flickered open. Sleep clouded those jewel-green depths before they flew wide. Elaine jolted upright in her arms, and Aya suddenly found her face seized with both hands.

"You're finally up!"

"How long was I out?" she asked roughly.

"Half a day. I woke a few hours ago but you…" Elaine's brow dipped. "You were still asleep."

Aya was silent for a moment, the conversation with Akaria still churning through her mind. She quickly shoved it away and sat upright, her back pressed against the cold bedhead. What an absolute mess it all was.

"What did you see?" she asked. "When you touched the pendant."

It was the last thing Aya remembered before she blacked out.

Elaine shuffled back to the edge of the bed, quiet for a moment. Then she spoke of what she saw, confirming at least in some way Akaria had indeed loved Aurora. When her lover finished, Aya spoke of her meeting with the goddess, and of the offer presented.

" Could you do it?" Elaine inquired. "Bring all of them back?"

"Akaria thinks so."

"But do you think so?"

"Right now? No."

Elaine tilted her head, seeming to consider the problem carefully before she spoke again. "Your people. Could they teach you? Help you connect to your power, learn to wield it? That way when Akaria does help you—I'm assuming by boosting your own magic—you could wield it with control?"

Aya shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe? My family only ever did ceremonies to celebrate death and help spirits pass on. I do not know if they even know how to do it."

She didn't know how long they lay there in bed. The next thing she knew there were footsteps rushing up the steps and making a bee line straight to their door. It swung open a second later and there was Tobias, flushed and panicked. One hand gripped the door frame, cracking it beneath his white knuckles.

Aya was up off the bed, knowing that look all too well. She met him halfway across the room. "What's happened?"

"Alexios. The Inner District. An attack. It's—"

"Breathe." Aya touched his shoulder, her own heart thundering to life. "What about an attack?"

Tobias did as commanded, but his grip remained tight on the frame. "Alexios got a warning from one of his vampires. Monsters attacking the Inner District. We must go help them."

Aya glanced over her shoulder. Elaine was already out of bed, tugging on a leather jacket and pulling on her boots. No question or hesitation. She was ready to help, to fight. How had she ever looked at her and not seen a fighter? Warmth spread in Aya's chest. Elaine grabbed Aya's sword from the wall and held it out.

She grabbed it then turned to Tobias with a nod.

"Let's go."

Downstairs, Sabra and Alexios were waiting for them. Wordlessly, everyone grabbed hands and assembled in a circle. Sabra met Aya's gaze, likely wondering about what had happened. The conversation had to wait.

One shit storm at a time after all.