Page 127

“I do not have the time nor the energy for you right now,” Scarlett said with a quiet snarl.

Her mother was still. Her entire being seemed to have a faint silvery glow about her. “You are very much like your father.”

It was Scarlett’s turn to still.

“You take after him more than me,” Saylah added. Scarlett stood gaping as the goddess lowered to the sand. “He would spend hours listening to the waves. Said it was a song that soothed his soul.”

Scarlett swallowed thickly, not knowing what to say.

Her mother looked up at her, eyes shining as brightly as the disappearing stars. “You have suffered another loss in all of this. I am sorry.”

“His death should not have happened,” Scarlett replied in a harsh whisper. “My people are continuing to pay the cost for your failures.”

“Many have paid the price for my failures. I pay the cost for the failures of others. It is a vicious family cycle, I am afraid,” Saylah answered, her gaze going back to the sea. “I wish it had been me to pay the cost to get you outside the wards. Tethys would have been better suited to raise a king and queen of this realm. He was one of the most treasured things in my long, immortal life, aside from you and your brother.”

For some reason, Scarlett held back her sharp retort. She couldn’t picture it, though. She couldn’t see the goddess sitting in the sand as anything but the cold, demanding being she had been from the moment Scarlett had set foot unbidden in the Shira Forest.

“I need to be getting back,” Scarlett said, turning to walk up the beach and Travel. “Sorin will wake soon.”

“Cethin is making sure he knows you are safe and well,” Saylah replied, hands clasped and resting atop her bent knees.

“That isn’t necessary.”

“I know of sacrifice and loss, Scarlett,” Saylah said. Her long silver hair shifted in the slight breeze, but otherwise she sat unnaturally still.

“Forcing others to sacrifice for you and experiencing loss are not the same thing,” Scarlett retorted.

Saylah’s sharp gaze slid to Scarlett. “Do you think I have lived for thousands of years and not experienced loss?”

“I think living for so many years has made you callous.”

“Experiencing so much life has a way of hardening one’s soul,” Saylah agreed. “But you would understand that, wouldn’t you? Even in your short years.”

Scarlett fell silent, crossing her arms. Her attention fixed on the waves gently rolling to the shore. After several moments of silence, she asked, “Would he have gone with you? When you left this world?”

“Yes,” Saylah answered softly. “He would have. The gods do not have twin flames—not like the Legacy and Fae—but he would have gone with me. With us.”

Scarlett nodded.

There was another extended silence before Saylah said, “Some gods are selective in who they physically create offspring with. Like Sargon.”

“That is an incredibly callous way to speak about having children,” Scarlett muttered.

Saylah let out a sharp sigh. “I did not mean it to sound as such. I did not wish to have children. Knowing the kind of life they would lead because of happenings outside of their control. It seemed cruel to bring them into existence just to be hunted by others.”

“And yet here I stand. Are you asking for a thank you for the gift of life?”

Saylah ignored her sarcasm as she said, “Tethys was the only one I have ever wanted something more with. Thousands of years, and there was only ever him.”

Scarlett may not have lived for thousands of years, but that last part? She understood that in the depths of her being. She may tease Sorin about his past experiences, but there would never be another. He was it. No one else, and she wasn’t about to share him with anyone either. It would only ever be him.

“When I first came to this world, I stayed hidden with no one but those who had traveled with me. We discovered there were Legacy here after a time. They called themselves Avonleyans after the kingdom they had built. They once ruled the entirety of the realm. Avonleyan, Fae, and mortal. All living in harmony. This world had been a secret from many. We thought it would stay that way. A sanctuary hidden among the stars.”

Scarlett had lowered to the sand as Saylah spoke, hugging her knees close to her chest and resting her chin atop them.

“I was forced from hiding when the Everlasting War found its way here,” Saylah continued. “Tybalt arranged a meeting with the then Avonleyan King. He was your father’s uncle. We wanted to spare this world. Protect it. The Fae Queens were sent across the Edria to lead that continent, knowing who and what we would be facing. The Fae Courts had long been ruled by an Avonleyan and a Fae, and the mortal kingdoms were once one, ruled by a mortal king and queen, but aided by the Courts whenever required. Our aid was welcomed, and for a time, we appeared to be triumphant in our efforts. Until Esmeray betrayed us all and joined forces with Deimas. That was when I left to get more help.”

Scarlett sat up straight. “You left?”