12. Coward

The Past

Naia swung her legs back and forth over the River of Souls, transfixed by the ethereal, ghost-like surface, the color of lavender milk. The stream whispered the words of the departed souls as they journeyed to the Land of the Dead. Voices clambering on top of one another in a hushed chorale.

Solaris hauled himself up smoothly on the railing beside Naia. "There you are."

He arrived in Kaimana four days ago. A consistent routine of visits, only this one was not coincidental, as it happened to be during the five days of Naia's fertility.

Each night was the same.

Come nightfall, Raksa would escort Solaris into her bedchamber, stand in the corner on orders he could not leave, and watch as Solaris and Naia pretended to lay with one another.

They got creative in their endeavors, calling it fun and making a game out of it, instead of what it truly was. Shielded by the layers of her bedsheets, it was easy. Solaris only needed to mimic thrusting on top of her. Some nights, she wanted to kiss him. The friction of his body flushed against hers, with only the thin material of their undergarments separating them. She'd considered it, but the thought of becoming pregnant paralyzed her each time.

After Raksa left them, they wasted the night away in conversation.

Solaris never left her bed until morning. Naia slipped closer to him through the night to lay her head on his shoulder or nudging her backside against him as she pretended to sleep. In response, Solaris would bring his hand around her waist and hold her snug against him.

Naia gave him a once over, flicking the unbuckled strap on his leather tunic playfully. "Go away. I am enjoying the peace."

Solaris surprised her by slipping a porcelain jar out from around his back. "Are you hungry?"

Naia couldn't resist peeking inside. The flaky, fruity scent of blueberry pastries brought her pure euphoria. Lacking self-control, she plucked one out and took a bite, sinking her teeth into melted blueberry and warm, fluffy dough. The sweet, tangy flavor exploded across her tongue, and it took all her willpower to keep from moaning in pleasure.

"I've never seen such a beautiful sight," Solaris teased.

Naia shot him a glare.

A laugh sprung out of him. "I snuck those from the kitchen. Though it stunned me you had not already devoured them."

Naia's eyes bulged with her cheeks full of the pastry. "You stoe fem?" Crumbs spewed from her lips.

Solaris hopped off the rail, sending her a sly wink. "Anything for my future bride."

"We are in our second century, Solaris," she muttered after swallowing her large bite. "You have a way to go."

"Which is precisely why I said future bride." He winked and then spun around and started across the bridge. "I'll see you tonight, love."

Stealing a canister from the kitchen wasn't a sin, but she couldn't ignore how much it unsettled her. She recognized the elaborate porcelain the servants brought out to gift the guests with during feasts. The kitchen only prepared the extravagant container filled to the brim with treats on special occasions.

Naia stared down at the jar. Surely not…

Solaris's presence in Kaimana was hardly a special occasion.

She let it go, unconvinced. It's a coincidence. Perhaps the kitchen had extra lying around, or it was the only container sitting nearby when Solaris snuck the pastries from the kitchen. He would've needed something to store them in.

Naia glanced around for prying eyes before tucking the jar under her arm. She climbed over the railing and planted her feet down on the solid planks.

When she made it across the bridge, she found her three youngest siblings on the other side.

Since Marina's birth two centuries ago, their parents had welcomed three more children into the kingdom. Triplets in their fifteenth year. Naia made it a point to befriend them as they grew older, before their mother could intervene. Her efforts swiftly proved to be ineffective, as they grew up to be despicable individuals.

Malik, the oldest of the three, was crouched by the river, his silver bushy strands glistening from the sunlight, too fixated on something to look up at her.

Vex, the most dimwitted and arrogant, skipped rocks along the stream, his pant legs rolled up to his ankles with his muscled chest exposed and gleaming like an oiled cashew.

And then there was Astrid, with features as delicate as a button, silky-textured locks down to her waist, and a figure that could bring any man down onto his knees.

Her eyes twinkled with a bloodlust as she pointed to the jar tucked underneath Naia's arm. "What do you have there?"

Naia's pulse sped up, but she squared her devilish sister with a look. "None of your concern."

Astrid twirled the ends of her silver strands, feigning innocence by jutting out her bottom lip. "I'm only curious."

"You are too nosey," Malik said without looking up, voice deadpan.

Naia craned her neck to inspect what he was doing.Spread before him on the ground was a carcass of a fish. Its flesh mangled and stripped apart. Loose bones piled up to the side. Sticky eyeballs in the dirt. The tips of Malik's fingers pried apart meat and scales.

Naia shuddered.

"Leave her be," Vex said to Astrid, whipping his arm back to send a pebble flying across the river. "For she only has gluttony to cling to in her miserable life."

Naia bit down on her tongue, not interested in playing their foul games.

As she strode past them, Vex chuckled like the bastard he was.

During the dinner feast,Naia kept to herself.

The servants delivered a well-proportioned plate of lobster, roasted potatoes, and fresh greens to the table. Naia's appetite was nonexistent, squandered down by an awful feeling knotting in her chest. Every muscle in her body was tense as she overheard Astrid's cackle on the far end of the table.

Among the sea of narrow tables lining the great hall, Solaris and his attendants were seated in the front. Every so often, her eyes caught his, and he smiled.

"Solaris," Astrid's mink-like voice called out, "did you enjoy your gift?"

Solaris took a swig of his wine before positioning his body to regard her. "I am not sure what gift you are referring to."

Naia's heartbeat snagged.

"You did not receive it then?" Vex asked.

Solaris's gaze flashed between Astrid and Vex with uncertainty. "I suppose I did not."

"The gift was a canister of your favorite pastries." Astrid turned to Mira. Her bottom lip jutted out in a pout. "Mother."

"Did anyone perhaps notice the canister around the palace grounds?"Mira spoke loud across the hall.

Everyone fell quiet.

"I did." Malik rose from the table, seated four spots down from Naia. He turned and pointed his finger at her. "It was Sister. The canister was in her possession when I last saw it."

Blood rushed to Naia's head. Betrayal and disappointment stung tears in her eyes. Gods, I knew it.

Naia could feel Mira's frigid glare nipping at her cheek, waiting for an explanation.

Solaris looked right at her, conflict warring across his face.

She stared at him for a long second, baffled by his silence. Mira would be lenient if he took responsibility. He was a guest. And he was the son of a goddess she was supposed to be maintaining peace with—for the sake of the lesson inflicted upon them by the curse. Something Solaris was aware of, and yet, he hesitated to take responsibility for the misunderstanding.

"Naia," Mira said. "Did you steal Lord Solaris's gift?"

Naia, the gluttonous goddess.Of course she had. It was what everyone thought, and if she blamed Solaris, they would only scoff and claim she was being defensive. In their eyes, Solaris, known for his honesty and goodness, would have spoken up otherwise.

"Yes," Naia confessed. "I stole the canister."

Endure the punishment and it will be over.

Mira rose from her seat.

"It is fine, Lady Mira." Solaris stood as well. "I know of Naia's love for sweets. I would've given them to her, anyway."

Naia followed the sound of Mira's heels clicking along the platform. Her wrath was like a steel plate gradually pushing against Naia's back.

"Mira," Naia's father slowly stood from his chair.

The clicking of Mira's heels came to a stop close behind Naia.

She gulped down her nerves before forcing out, "Mother, I?—"

Liquid, the color of sea berries, sprang up in the air from the crystal chalices across the hall like blowholes. Each current swiftly banded together as a wide canal and advanced for Naia, the sound of it like a roaring waterfall.

"Mira!" Father boomed as the wine plunged into Naia.

She tried to scream, but the liquid crammed down her throat. The force threw her over in her chair. The sting of the wine burned her eyes. Her hands fumbled to grab onto something. The flow of the wine barreled into her stomach and seeped from her nostrils. The muffled sounds of her choking echoed in her ears. A rock of pressure sat in her skull. She attempted to push the current from her airways to no avail.

Panic lit like a match in her veins. Her knees shook against the floor. She implored all her strength to push against the momentum, but the current was too strong.

Someone please help me!

As if someone heard her plea, the jet stream of wine gave way and splashed over her onto the floor.

She heaved for air and fell forward, catching herself with her palms on the wet floor. Her arms shook against her weight. Tingles crawled across her cheeks. Blood, mixed with mucus and spit, oozed in long dribbles down her chin. The harsh copper taste infected her tongue, and she fought not to gag.

Father sank down on his knees beside her. He pushed away the soaked strands sticking to her face."Naia, are you okay?"

She attempted to speak, but an excruciating pain flared in her throat, like gravel scraping against exposed flesh.

"She is fine, Vale," Mira said somewhere nearby. "She is not made of sea glass."

"Naia?" he asked again, disregarding Mira.

Naia blinked to clear the sludge from her eyes.

Father's grip wrapped around her arms.

"We will replace the gift which was wrongfully stolen from you," Mira told Solaris—apathetic and without a trace of remorse.

As if nothing happened, Mira retook her seat at the table. "Carry on with your feast," she said to those filling her hall.

Shame, rage, humiliation—all of it burned through Naia.

She doesn't love you.

Naia pursed her lips into a thin line to keep from bursting into tears. It was no use, though. They pooled in her eyes.

Father lifted her up on wobbling legs. "Let me help you to your bedchambers, darling."

Naia lifted her head and met Marina's eyes. They were lethal and sharp, as dark as the night always sweltering around her.

The longing Naia had towards her was painful. To have her as a sister rather than a mere acquaintance, and for a brief moment, with their eyes boring into one another's, hope flourished in her like a seed. Because not once had Marina ever given Naia this much of her attention.

Marina's cat-like gaze cut from Naia to their father, and tension flickered across her face. It was barely noticeable, and had Naia not been forced to learn all the twitches of Mira's subtle expressions, she would have missed it.

Marina's glare twisted straight through Naia, withering her small breath of hope.

She kept her head down as she walked, clinging to her father's strong forearm.

He supported her weight fully, murmuring apologies over and over. "I am sorry I couldn't do more. I am sorry she caused you pain. Regrettably, I can't do any more than this."

The whispers of contempt fled the hall.

Ignore them all.

"Lord Solaris deserves far better," someone murmured.

It coaxed her to look up and find him watching her. Brow furrowed, eyes pulling away and returning. All of it was salt to her wound.

A chasmic disappointment carved in her chest. It was proof her hesitation in him had not been a figment of her fear, but something legitimate she could sense. Something she could not put her finger on—until now.

He is a coward.

Solaris remained seated as she passed by. The clattering of silverware and voices revived in the room. One of his attendants said something to him. He regarded the god with a look, readjusting in his chair—turning his back to Naia.

She loathed him at that moment for ruining what they had. With certainty, she knew if the roles had been reversed, she could not have endured watching him being tortured, let alone so publicly, by his own mother. The High Goddess of Lightning could've struck Naia down, but it wouldn't have stopped Naia from standing up for him.

Regardless of their fate, she refused to give herself to someone who could sit back and watch her drown.