Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 121924 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121924 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
“Yes.” My aunt had given me a serious look. “And so should you. You’re an instrument of the gods, Anara. If they chose a mortal for a Sayer, they did so for a reason. I suspect you’ll find out what that reason is once you’re at Deimos. Trust in their plan.”
I wasn’t so sure that there was a plan. I didn’t see what value a human could have as a Sayer—I was too weak to act as a divine vessel, so I wouldn’t be able to physically serve the gods in any sense of the word. ‘Instrument’ would therefore be the last term that could be applied to me.
Kemp looked at me, still pale. “What do you think will happen to us? Really? I mean, what could the Sovereigns possibly do with so many new servants? Would we even be needed? Where would we stay?”
All good questions. I heard the one buried beneath them, one he hadn’t dared ask, one that plagued me just as hard …
Or are we, in truth, being taken to slaughter?
CHAPTER TWO
Peering at the foamy river up ahead of us, Aurelia asked, “Do you think that’s blood?”
I considered it for a moment. “Probably not. The gods likely colored it red somehow.”
It had been a long three days, but finally we were almost at Deimos. It was located beyond the bridge we were approaching—a place of tall mountains, sandstone pillars, and a blackened forest shrouded in an ominous shadowy fog.
Reaper’s Pines.
“They say death awaits any who step foot on the island uninvited by the Sovereigns,” Kemp remarked, speaking to no one in particular.
I felt my nose wrinkle. Personally, I doubted that it was a literal term. More like a reference to how dangerous the terrain was, given the many creatures that allegedly inhabited it. Unless you knew the way to the city and could find it through the fog, you were bound to become dinner for something during your travels.
“We’re with the Black Tapestry, so we’ll be fine.” But there was a note of uncertainty in Aurelia’s voice. She glanced at me. “Right?”
“Let’s hope so,” I said.
I’d gotten to know her and Kemp a little better during the days we’d spent on the road. Traveling through Cathadonya wasn’t always safe. Not when the unclaimed parts were home to wild animals, bandits, and mercenaries. Some of the latter were not only scavengers but cannibalistic, if the stories were true. However, the road trip had been uneventful.
Most of the offerings were wound tight at this point. Myself included. The confined space of the cramped wagons only made me edgier.
We’d made regular brief pit stops along the way—for which I was eternally thankful. We’d typically stopped four times throughout the day to eat, relieve our bladders, stretch our legs, and refill the leather water pouches that the officiates had handed out on the first day.
Only when it was time to sleep had we paused in our journey for more than half an hour. As such, my butt hurt thanks to the hard bench, and my joints were stiff and achy—most especially my knees from having to keep my legs bent for hours on end.
Likely because they weren’t quite so nervous as the humans, Atticus and his fellow godkin were currently asleep, leaning against each other, their breaths light and easy.
Kemp slanted me a quick look. “What kind of reception do you think you’ll get from the Sovereigns?”
I blew out a long breath. “Not a welcoming one.”
Aurelia caught my eye. “I’d expected the officiates to shoot you constant glares, considering godkin in general aren’t happy that a human was made a Sayer. But they seem more curious than anything else. Same goes for Talon.”
I’d often caught him watching me, his eyes narrowed, his seemingly permanent frown etched onto his face. Having his attention might have made my stomach all jittery if there was anything sexually appreciative about his looks, but there never was.
I’d heard some officiates whispering to each other, debating what it could mean that the gods had chosen a human for a Sayer; if Aegeas could be right that it didn’t mean anything at all.
I hadn’t gotten irritable over being stared at. It would have been hypocritical—I’d been paying close attention to the officiates, curious about the stunningly beautiful godkin. Due to having never left Phoenixia until now, I hadn’t encountered the other godkin races of Cathadonya before. But I’d heard about them and knew how to tell them apart.
The godkin of Delphiae sported white hair, a slightly upturned nose, and a glowing earthy skin tone. Those from Nemea were dark-skinned with wide cheekbones and black hair that boasted pure-gold streaks. Any from Lykaos possessed large amber eyes, low-set ears, and heavy-framed builds. Those in Phoenixia shared pointed ears, narrow faces, and widely spaced-eyes.
There had once been other races, but many had been wiped out during battles. Only one other remained—the godkin of Deimos, who all had alabaster skin, black irises, angular faces, and were said to drink blood. More like them existed, but they lived outside of Cathadonya, having fled to the Dark Lands after the failed mutiny—or the Uprising, as most referred to it.