Page 27 of As Above, So Below

“How can you be sure it wasn’t a glamour?” His tone is scathing.

Irritation flares up my spine, straightening it. “Ifeltthe breeze upon my skin. Saw the night skywithoutthe filter of the veil. A hundred mortalssawme.”

“Light take me,” Vaelyn mutters, his voice barely above a whisper.

Staring with a mixture of surprise and awe upon his face, my twin remains silent. His eyes race to mine.

“What did she look like? How did you return?” The questions rush out of him in a tumble of continuous sound.

I’d have those questions too.

And I’d probably ask them the same way.

Giving him a weak smile, I answer. “You have her eyes and her feathers. She is tall, nearly as tall as you.”

Vaelyn leans back in the seat, letting his back rest against the edge of the desk.

He shakes his head as he says, “I’ve met many of the other gods, but never her. Netharis keeps her locked away except for that night, her ascension anniversary.”

Why would he keep her locked away?

Why one night of freedom?

“Because it’s easier to control someone when you give them just enough to have hope,” Vaelyn answers my unasked questions followed by a tight-lipped frown.

Foolishly, for a moment, I expected a sliver of genuine compassion from the god of death. Allowing Celesta the chance to see the realm she once lived in. But no. Her night of release isn’t a kindness; it’s a reminder of the power Netharis holds over her.

“Did she tell you what your Fate may be?”

I shake my head. “No. Neither did Netharis. At least not entirely. Whatever it may be, I’m destined to change the realms.”

Vaelyn’s eyes widen slightly. He’s masking his surprise.

“What could Nektos possibly want?”

“I don’t have an answer for that,” I reply, smoothing my hands over the comforter around me.

It’s a worn and tattered thing, held together by my haphazard attempts at stitching. I could have a new one, if I asked for it. But I refuse to ask Netharis for anything.

“All of this proves I was right.”

Vaelyn gives me a narrow-eyed and confused stare.

“I’ve never belonged to the hells.”

Sighing, likely because he knows it’s a futile argument, Vaelyn reaches, pushing the stack of books closer to the edge of the desk. “Ylara sent these. Reading through the titles as I brought them, they didn’t make sense. Now they do.”

Dragging my eyes to the desk, I tilt my head slightly as I read through the titles.Fae Customs, The Joining, Human Customs, The Vampire Courts, Major Cities of Eldoterra…She’s sent an assortment of titles relating to the living realm and its inhabitants.

Straightening myself, I stare at the stack of books and a small laugh escapes me. Clearly, Ylara already knows what I’m going to do, and she wants me prepared for life among the living.

“The one on fae customs and the Joining I thought was a joke,” he admits, letting his hand fall atop the stack. It lands with a mutedthunk. “Her way of teasing you about your dream fae.”

Honestly, I haven’t thought abouthimsince the night with Celesta. But now his words echo in my mind. While I’ve never believed I belonged to the hells, I’m not sure I belong to the living realm either. I would take the living realm over an eternity of servitude to the god of death if given the choice.

“I’m going to leave, Vae,” I say quietly, shoving the thoughts of the fae back into the dark corners of my mind.

“Don’t be stupid.” Vaelyn glowers. “Netharis willneverlet you leave.”