“You seem afraid of him.” Ursula sipped her wine, eyeing her new dinner companion cautiously. Maybe she could learn a bit more about Bael while she was at it. “Is he cruel to you?”
Cera stopped chewing, her eyes widening. “Of course not. He’s very good to me, but all the lords have dominion over the oneiroi. If an oneiroi steps out of line, we can be brought before the council, and—” She glanced out the window, as if Nyxobas could overhear her. “The council demands obedience. Everyone has their place. The lords serve our god. Shadow demons serve the lords. Women serve their husbands. And oneiroi serve everyone.”
Lovely. “Can you tell me what happened to damage the manor?”
Cera swallowed the last of her meat. “When the lord returned, we were very happy. He had been away a long time. Having the lord in the manor makes it feel complete. Like we’re protected. But he was hurt. When the other lords learned of his injuries...” Cera swallowed, her pale eyes glistening. “They attacked. Our lord—he bravely fought them. He was able to defend the manor, but many oneiroi died. Only a few of us remain now. And he doesn’t come out of his quarters anymore.”
“What do you think will happen?”
Terror trembled in Cera’s voice when she spoke again. “The other lords will find another way to kill my lord. Among the warrior lords, only the strongest are considered fit to live. The weak are sacrificed to the void.” Ursula swallowed hard. “I don’t understand. If Nyxobas wants me protected, why did he put me with a mortal lord everyone wants to murder?” Cera lifted her tear-streaked face. “No one else knows you’re here. My lord is weakened, but Nyxobas trusts him like he trusts no other. When Nyxobas ordered the lord to protect you, he knew he would follow through with every ounce of strength remaining in his body. Even if he doesn’t like you.”
Gods willing, that will be enough. “I didn’t realize I was meant to be a secret here.” She nodded at the window. “Can’t people see me through the giant windows?” Cera shook her head. “No. The light reflects off them.” Cera rose. “Thank you for the meal. I’ll return tomorrow.”
“I hope you enjoyed it.”
Cera’s chin glistened with steak juices. “It was the best thing I’ve eaten in years.”
As Cera left her quarters, Ursula stared out the window at Asta. The protection of the night god was the one thing keeping Bael alive. And here, in the Shadow Realm, Bael was the one person keeping her alive. Terrifying as the god of night was, she needed him on her side.
Chapter 8
After Cera left, Ursula tidied away the clothes the little oneroi had left behind. She tucked the knickers into her bureau, then hung the dresses and shawls in her bedroom closet. As she organized, she ran her fingers over the soft fabrics: cotton dresses for home, delicate embroidered tulle for speaking to the lord.
Nothing she could fight in, but apparently that wasn’t supposed to be her role here. She just had no idea what her actual role was.
In her bedroom, she pulled off her bloodstained gown and slipped into a black cotton dress that hung to her ankles. And conveniently, the simple dress had pockets by her hips—so she wouldn’t need to store anything in her panties.
She glanced around the bedroom—the stark gray walls and clean lines of the violet bedspread weren’t exactly inviting. What were the chances Bael would allow her to decorate this place? She needed a reminder of her most calming dreams—of the dusty-blue forget-me-nots and yellow aster, bathed in the amber light. Those beautiful but intangible memories she could never quite grasp... Honeyed sunrise, blue flower petals, tall blades of grass. The warmth of a landscape so different from Nyxobas’s Shadow Realm.
With a shawl wrapped around her shoulders, she crossed to the enormous windows. What, exactly, was she supposed to do with her time? There was no TV in this place, no armory where she could hone her skills, not even a bookshelf with a collection of novels.
She stared out at the vast crater. The opposite side of the rim was so far away, its enormity dizzied her. Even Asta, with the strange, gray clouds that swirled around its violet peak, looked thin and delicate from this vantage point.
Ursula glanced down at the houses that clustered around the valley floor. Could she glean anything about the habitants by looking at their homes? In the darkness, it was difficult to make out much. What I wouldn’t give for a telescope right now.