“The Third Isle, technically. One of the ones hidden in all this shit from the Godsfall.” She waved a hand, indicating the ash and fog beyond the office walls. “There’s an entire community of escapees there. The ash won’t let them leave the archipelago, but they don’t have to stay in prison, at least.”
“And this Ferryman will take us there, but not all the way to the Golden Mount.”
“Small steps are better than none.” Satisfied that she’d confirmed the shipping schedule, Dani shoved the papers back into the drawer and pushed it closed. “Once we’re at the Harbor, we can make plans to keep going. Find a boat.”
“Finding the boat isn’t the problem. Navigating through the ash is.”
“As if you haven’t been thinking on a way to manage that since you got here.” Dani gave her a sardonic look. “Don’t sell yourself short, Lore. I’m sure you can find some way to use that power of yours to get us to the Mount, even if you can’t do anything else with it.”
The mention of Spiritum sparked her awareness of it, made the air around Dani glimmer golden.
“Why haven’t you used it?” Dani continued, sitting back in the chair and crossing her arms. “Surely it could help you in some way.”
“How?” Lore barked a dry laugh. “The only thing I’ve come up with is killing all the guards, but that’s not going to get me off the island. More likely, all the prisoners would form their own tribunal and killme.”
“Yeah, probably.” Dani didn’t seem interested in discussing how people who’d had the humanity bled out of them were more apt to emulate their jailers than band together for some greater good. “Watch for me in a week. We’ll meet at night, slip away like we did when we got rid of that body. If we go inland and make our way across the cliffs to the southern dock, no one will see us.” She grinned. “I hope you don’t get seasick.”
CHAPTER TEN
GABE
When you meet together to worship Me, know that I can hear, even in the Shining Realm. And when you meet together to disparage Me, know that I mark your name.
—The Book of Holy Law, Tract 622
Another dream that wasn’t. Another memory.
Gabe was in that wrong body, alien angles, pushed to the back of an unfamiliar mind. Hestraon stood at the Fount, the wide sky above cloudless and perfect blue. He stared at the ground, at the three pieces of the broken Fount lying in the grass.
They didn’t look right. One of them didn’t, at least. There was the sun, the moon, the leaf and wind gust.
But on the end of the stone with the elemental carvings, there was another. A small lick of flame, the shape and size making it easy to mistake for a natural cleft in the rock.
Gabe could tell that this memory was old, not long after Hestraon’s ascent to godhood. Magic still felt foreign in the god’s body, sparks and embers flickering painfully along his veins, not yet settled. An earlier memory than the first one he’d seen, Apollius and Hestraon at the forge.
The ache in Hestraon’s heart wasn’t so great, not yet. There was still a shine of hope that he could become something Apollius and Nyxara could love the way they loved each other.
Hestraon weighed something in his fist. A hammer, handle sweat-slicked. He picked up the third piece and laid it carefully on the edge of the Fount.
Then He brought down the hammer.
His accuracy was impeccable. A crack appeared between the flame and the rest of the carvings; picking it up, Hestraon gently worked at it until the flame-carved piece broke off in his hand.
And what did you think that would accomplish?
A new voice, weak and distant, floating through the air.
Hestraon clenched his fist around the stone.
You are not like them, the voice continued.No matter what stones you split. They are a thing apart. More powerful. They drank twice, and offered you only a mouthful.
The god took in a shaky breath. He dropped the stone to the ground. He turned and walked away.
See?Hestraon’s voice came close, as if He whispered in Gabe’s ear. Present, not in memory, like He was watching this just as Gabe did.Loving Them is useless.
It doesn’t matter, Gabe answered.I can’t stop.
Hestraon sighed.Neither can I.
