Page 37 of Gods of Prey (Parallel Prey #3)

Revel

T he Divine Council’s chamber feels charged with ancient power. I’ve been here before, but never as a subject of their scrutiny. Usually, I stand behind Sebastian, a loyal second. Not the one being judged.

The seven councilors hover on their thrones of pure energy. I catch my mother’s eyes before she quickly turns away, her face twisted in shame.

“The balance of existence has been compromised,” the seven of them intone. “Tests must be passed to prove the new order can sustain itself.”

I glance at Sienna standing beside me. To my surprise, we were all summoned at the same time. Three divine days after we were sent to our realms.

It doesn't sound like a long time when you put it that way, but spending that time beside Sebastian as he obsessed over the state of his mortal lover made it feel like weeks.

Which means Seraphina was only trying to scare us before. We arrived alongside every other god who resides in Nytheris. They surround us in concrete, stadium style seating that’s been arranged in a full circle above us, their whispers hushed as they lean forward on the edge of their seats.

Sienna’s face is a mask of cool determination, but I catch the slight tremble in her hands. I move my palm through the small space separating us and wrap my fingers around hers, steadying them. She jumps at the contact, but instead of pulling away, I feel a gentle squeeze.

It’s odd, being able to touch her like this.

No cold chills or noncorperal mist. She's as solid as she was when I was with her on the rooftop—a night we still haven’t had the chance to acknowledge.

Regardless how this turns out, I look forward to a time where I’m solely responsible for my own mistakes and no one else’s.

Sebastian stands tall, his arm securely around Jovie, who looks overwhelmed but resolute. By the grace of all the fallen gods, she’s already completed the first round of tests and been deemed worthy enough to move forward.

Erebus waits in the shadows, his dark eyes fixed on Sienna with undisguised concern. Her closest friend in Umbraeth, watching over her as always.

“We accept your challenge,” Sebastian says, his voice carrying the authority of the God of Life even after his prolonged absence. “What would you have us do?”

The council’s collective gaze sweeps over us. “Each of you shall face a trial tailored to their weakness. Pass, and the new order may stand. Fail, and the original punishment resets. You’ll be responsible for serving another fifty lifetimes.”

A cold dread settles in my stomach. Fifty more lifetimes of death and rebirth for Sebastian and Sienna. Fifty more chances for the balance to collapse entirely.

Don’t they see the risk they’re taking?

“Sebastian, God of Life,” the council continues, “you abandoned your realm for love. Your test is to demonstrate that your divine duties will never again be neglected.”

Sebastian nods, his jaw tight. “I understand.”

“Jovie, mortal who desires to become immortal, you must prove you can withstand the burden of eternity without fracturing your mind or soul.”

Jovie swallows visibly but meets their gaze. “I’m ready.”

The council shifts their attention to Sienna. “Goddess of Death, you chose loyalty to your brother over your sacred duty. You must prove you can rule Umbraeth with impartiality, regardless of personal attachments.”

Sienna’s chin lifts slightly, her lip twitching in protest. “I will.”

Then their overwhelming presence focuses on me, and I feel laid bare under their scrutiny.

“Revel, interim God of Life who would walk between realms, your loyalties are divided between duty and desire. You must prove where your true allegiance lies.”

An icy chill runs through me. They know. Of course, they know about my feelings for Sienna. Feelings I’ve barely admitted to myself since the other night I got drunk and said too much. Did too much.

Feelings we’ve both pretended don’t exist.

“When do we begin?” I ask, my voice steadier than I feel.

The council’s energy pulses. “Now.”

The chamber dissolves around us, and I’m suddenly alone in a void of swirling mist. The tests have begun.

M y test materializes as a path through an endless forest. Trees stretch impossibly high above me, their trunks wider than houses, their canopies lost in the clouds. Life energy pulses through everything. In the soil beneath my feet, the insects buzzing around me, the very air I breathe.

A voice—not the council’s, but somehow familiar—whispers through the leaves: “ Follow the path to its end. Choose correctly at each divergence. ”

I begin walking. The forest is beautiful in a way that aches, reminiscent of the sacred groves in Aurelys that I’ve tended in Sebastian’s absence. But there’s something different here. A wildness untamed by divine hand. Life in its most primal form.

Soon, I reach the first fork in the path. To the left, a golden trail winds through sun-dappled trees bearing fruit so perfect, they seem almost artificial. To the right, a darker path leads through gnarled roots and mushroom-spotted shadows.

Instinctively, I start toward the golden path. It calls to me as a servant of Life. But then I pause.

This is too obvious. The council wouldn’t make it so simple.

So, I take the path to the right.

As I venture deeper into the shadowed woods, I notice small creatures watching me from hollow logs and burrows, their eyes gleaming and all too knowing. Death is present here. Not as an enemy of Life, but as its partner. Without death, these woods would choke on their own abundance.

Balance . That’s what this is about.

I continue until I reach another division. This time, three paths stretch before me. The first climbs upward toward bright light. The second continues straight through balanced light and shadow. The third descends into darkness so complete, I can’t see what lies ahead.

I consider each option carefully. The upward path represents Aurelys and my duties there. The downward path must symbolize Umbraeth and...Sienna.

The middle path suggests compromise.

What is the council testing? My loyalty to Sebastian and Aurelys? Or my ability to recognize where I’m truly needed?

I choose the middle path, walking the line between light and shadow.

As I travel deeper, memories surface uninvited.

Sebastian and I welcoming new souls into Aurelys together, the joy on his face when life flourished under our care.

Then, newer memories: Sienna’s rare smile when she thinks I’m not looking, the grudging respect in her eyes when I finally stood up for her, the electric tension between us during our arguments in that small Seattle apartment.

The path splits again and again, and each time I choose the way that balances light and shadow.

Hours or days pass—I’m not really sure. I’m still accustomed to the mortal clock, and time feels meaningless here.

Like I’m suspended in some in-between place that I can’t find my way out of.

Finally, I emerge into a clearing where the forest ends abruptly at the edge of a vast chasm.

Across the divide, I can see the golden spires of Aurelys shimmering in eternal daylight. On my side of the chasm stands a dark, beautiful palace that can only be Umbraeth. Between them stretches nothing. No bridge, no path.

“ Choose ,” the voice whispers. “ Where does your true allegiance lie ?”

I look between the two realms, understanding dawning. This isn’t about choosing light over dark or duty over desire. It’s not about finding the balance between the two. It’s about recognizing that my allegiance isn’t to a place at all.

“My allegiance is to balance,” I say aloud, my stomach tightening at the prospect that I could be completely wrong in guessing what they want.

My failure could cause the ones I care about to suffer immensely. But I have to remain steady. If there’s one thing I know the Divine Council hates—what my mother hates—it’s uncertainty. Whether I’m right or wrong doesn’t matter anymore. I just need to fully commit to something .

So, I take a deep breath and add, “To Life and Death existing in harmony. To Sebastian and Sienna fulfilling their divine purposes together.”

The voice is silent for a long moment. Then, “ And what of your heart, Revel? Where does it truly belong ?”

The question catches me off guard. I’ve been so focused on duty that I’ve pushed aside my feelings, dismissed them as inconvenient complications.

“My heart...” I hesitate, then force myself to continue honestly. “My heart belongs with Sienna. But I would never let that compromise the balance.”

“ Wouldn’t you ?” The voice changes, becoming Sienna’s.

The air shimmers before me, and she appears.

I know it’s not the real Sienna, but a perfect illusion.

Just like the one in my dreams. “If I asked you to let Sebastian stay in the mortal realm with Jovie, to let me rule Umbraeth alone while you maintain Aurelys—would you agree? For me?”

It’s a trap. I know it is. But the illusion is perfect, down to the slight tilt of her head when she’s challenging me, the intensity in her glowing green eyes.

“No,” I say firmly. This is how our relationship works. It’s real and raw. We don’t coddle or placate each other. “I wouldn’t, even for you. The balance is bigger than any of us. Sebastian must return to Aurelys. You must rule Umbraeth. And I...” I take another deep breath.

I’m not lying. This is exactly what I told Sienna when we were in the mortal realm.

The balance is everything, whether we want it to be or not.

But acknowledging it here, where I know thousands of other gods are inevitably watching, makes my chest burn with pure rage.

We shouldn’t have to choose. The Fates have set us up in this impossible situation, only to watch us all fail or suffer in some way. It’s bullshit.

But I have to play their game if I want the chance to change it.

“I will go where I’m needed to maintain that balance, regardless of what my heart wants.”