“I didn’t know,” I whispered, with regret coating my words.
“In order to bring forth the one prophesied to save the world, they demanded a sacrifice. I traded my life for yours, Aria. I was told what would be required of me, and then shown a path to take. The Fates demand a hefty price for altering the future, which is what I have done. They offered me insight into your life. I was shown your desires, tragedies, and the life you’d live. In order to secure your future, I needed to put aside my desire for vengeance against my enemies. I was told who to mate with, who had to fall so you could rise, and then told I’d be given five trials to pass, which cost me dearly. I’ve never questioned my choices, nor do I know. Seidr magic isn’t without cost, and oftentimes the price is hefty.”
Goosebumps spread over my flesh. Had she actually sacrificed her life in order to create mine? Sacrifices were rumored to be made for acquiring souls, but it was unprecedented. In fact, it was forbidden to meddle in the crafting of another’s soul. Swallowing past the lump forming in my throat, I struggled to put what she was saying together to see the larger picture.
“It isn’t something you’ll be able to discern or understand fully, Aria,” she stated before nodding toward the serene pool. “Please undress and enter the pool. The land waits for no maiden.”
I stripped out of the black, skin-tight outfit, and the moment my feet were submerged in the pool, a tranquility flitted through my entire being. At my soft gasp of shock, Scylla chuckled.
“I felt that inner peace the moment I surrendered to the land, too,” she explained before lighting the burners of oil around the pool. “When the Fates tell you what to do, you don’t question them. Once you’re set on a path with them leading, you follow. Each test they handed me, I did without question. However, some left holes in my soul, as I’d known they would. Some forced me to lie to those I loved most, others forced me into uneasy alliances.”
“I don’t know if I’m worth all of that,” I admitted, hating that anyone had sacrificed anything for me. Even so, I refused to be forced into a corner for something I had never asked for.
“I shall be the judge of that. I had to trust an ancient enemy in order to secure your future. The Karnavious Dragons didn’t start out as our enemies. The Fafnir bloodline, at one time, were dragons along with the Karnavious line. Draghana was the last to hold the ability to shift. Her grandmother was Hela, who was rumored to be the sister of both Fenrir the wolf and J?rmungandr, the World Serpent. As you know, she was also the queen of the afterlife realm of Hel.”
“Holy shit.”
“You say that a lot.”
“What do you expect when you’re dropping some pretty heavy shit on me?” My eyebrows pushed together as I waited for her reply. Her silvery hair swished around her as she nodded, a sly smile played on her lips.
“As I was saying. Draghana held the ability to shift, which my bloodline lacked. We made up for the shortcoming with mana. It created a balance, but balance is a fickle thing. A single misstep can shift it, and Draghana did so by creating life with a mortal man. Dracarius Karnavious wasn’t like us, nor did he belong in our world. When he appeared in the Nine Realms, he brought others with him. It ruined the balance as Dracarius and Draghana fought one another over land each desired to be theirs.” One handmaiden held a basket out for Scylla, who took it with a genuine smile burning in her turquoise eyes.
“What is that?” I questioned with uncertainty clinging to each word.
“It’s the flower petals the land chose for you. The land provides us with what is needed to tether our souls to it. Sunflower petals for your burning soul.” She pinched a few and dropped them into the pool of water. “Holy basil for endurance. Sage for cognitive-enhancement and brain function. Lavender to ease the fear growing within you. And last but not least, lemongrass oil. You enjoyed its lemony scent when you were an infant.”
“Oh,” I whispered as the water became a mixing pot of oils, herbs, and flower petals. “It actually smells fantastic,” I admitted as the soothing scents calmed the anxious energy growing in my emotions.
“The land wouldn’t cause you discomfort, child. It seeks to engage your soul and forge a deeper connection.” Once she was happy with the amount of herbs and petals she’d sprinkled in, she sat at the edge of the pool, soaking her feet in the soothing water.
“I don’t have a choice here. Do I?” My question caused her face to tighten as she considered her reply.
“No. Not unless you don’t wish to reach for your birthright. If that’s the case, then Hecate will continue to rule the land in your stead. But you can walk away from it and bury your head in the sand if you so choose,” she explained bluntly.
“Don’t hold back on me now,” I muttered before sinking beneath the watery surface. When I opened my eyes and looked up through the swirls of petals, there were several skeletal figures around the pool that weren’t there before. I emerged, already swimming back and away from the edge as an ear-splitting scream turned my throat raw.
“Aria!” Scylla shouted before flicking her skeletal hand to send a spray of water in my face. “There’s no reason to lose your shit, child.”
Her tone held humor, which shouldn’t have freaked me out, but it did. What the fuck? One minute, she’d looked like me, then she was freaking Skeleton Barbie! A glance around the pool showed everyone in it was dead, other than me. At least, I fucking hoped I wasn’t. Backing up, I held my hands in front of me.
“What the fuck?” The whisper barely registered before I screamed it, louder. “What the fuck?”
“I’m dead. What were you expecting? You’re literally inside my tomb, Aria. It’s a part of the Kingdom of Fire, which cannot be reached other than on the spiritual plane.” She shrugged her shoulders, which freaking crackled.
“You didn’t think to warn me! I mean, you’re a freaking skeleton, for fuck’s sake.”
“Would it have made you feel better if we had?” Her tone held humor, as if she’d enjoyed my hysterics.
“Maybe?” Her brows pushed up to her silvery hairline. “It would’ve fit perfectly on the fuck-it-bucket conversation we just had.” Crossing my arms over my naked breasts, I scowled at her and the handmaidens, who snickered. Slowly, as I continued to glare at the lot of them, the anger dissipated.
“Don’t be cross with my ladies, Aria. They followed me into the afterlife out of loyalty, which isn’t something most have chosen to do.”
“That’s about the only thing that makes sense at the moment,” I uttered beneath my breath. “What do I do to let the land know I’m willing to meld with it?”