Page 42

CHAPTER 42

AURORA

A urora watched Riverton whisk by the carriage window. The closer she got to the inn, a familiar warmth filled her. She had missed the bite of Clara’s sharp words and hearing Sissy’s voice float across the kitchen. She missed pieces of this life. Ella had thought this life difficult, but Aurora now understood its simplicity. Hard was dealing with immortal beings that had a hundred lifetimes to invent new games in which only they could win. Hard was having to choose between death and love. Hard was being a god.

That’s what she was, a god, and that would not change. This soul was like the five others she had taken. Just a means to an end. In fact, Aurora had warned them. Told them to stay away from the old woman Death disguised himself as. They had brought this on themselves. She could not help them even if she didn’t need one of their souls. So this was on them. Not her.

Not to mention she was a god, and gods love no one but themselves.

And sometimes one another.

So that was how she would handle this. Just a god doing what a god does. These were mortals, flesh and bone, who would die at some point. She was actually saving them from suffering.

Aurora nodded to herself, satisfied she had cleared her conscience.

But by the time the carriage pulled up to the inn, that resolution started to waiver. The carriage driver opened the door for her. “ Wait here.”

The inn was quiet, and Aurora wondered how much time had passed. Aurora wandered back to the garden, where she found Sissy bent over the vegetables.

“Hello?” Aurora called.

“Ella!” Sissy stood rushing over to her. “ You came back.”

Relief flooded Aurora as Sissy neared. There was no need pushing against Aurora’s fingers to snatch Sissy’s soul.

“Where is everyone?” Aurora opened the gate and stepped through it.

“Oh, look at you.” Sissy stopped and took Aurora in.

Aurora looked down at the blue dress she had chosen, the one Ella had picked up. “ Yes , look at me. I , um… well, I guess…” Aurora hadn’t rehearsed this part. How did she say goodbye?

“You don’t need to say it. I’m just glad you came back. Gods can be so cruel.” Sissy turned, picking up the basket she had left on the ground. “ You just missed Clara . She’s met someone. A boy from the Moon Festival .”

“What boy?” There was no way Death would do that. Try and seduce Clara into giving up her soul. Aurora paused. She would like to see that. Clara and Death . Clara would make Death work for her soul. No ! Aurora shouted at herself. She followed Sissy down the rows of corn that had started to turn yellow.

“Just a boy. They’ve been getting close.”

“Close?” Aurora pushed. “ How close can two people get in a day?”

“A day?” Sissy smiled, looking over her shoulder. “ You’ve been gone for almost two weeks,” Sissy said as she carried the basket to the water pump. “ The boy is from Greendale . He bought her a wish. You should see her.” Sissy smiled brightly. “ She’s all soft and glowing with the blush of first love. He’s an odd boy, two different-colored eyes. But they seem happy.”

“Two weeks. I just left,” Aurora said more to herself than Sissy . Death could have convinced the whole village of Riverton to sell their souls to him.

Sissy pumped some water into the bucket, smiling. “ Our world moves much faster than yours. Or maybe yours moves faster than ours.”

“We will get back to that. But first…” Aurora held up a hand. “ Did Clara say that she had to trade anything for that love?” Aurora tried to hint.

Sissy cocked her head. “ No , that’s not how love works for mortals.”

“You seem to think I am something that?—”

“You are not?” Sissy teased as she scrubbed the vegetables she had just picked. “ I knew what you were the moment Mrs . A brought you home. Your eyes gave it away. So did your beauty, even if dulled for the mortal eye. I didn’t figure out which god you were until Mr . Tenebris showed up. Tenebris is Latin for darkness. Then I knew. You were Dawn , he, Darkness , and he must’ve broken your heart again,” Sissy said as if she were telling Aurora another one of her stories.

“If you knew then why didn’t you tell me?”

Sissy shrugged. “ I tried. Why do you think I told you all those silly stories?”

There wasn’t time to rehash that. She still had the issue of why she was really here.

“Lots of things have happened since you left,” Sissy said, going back to cleaning the vegetables. “ Besides Clara finally finding love, and not with a rich man. Mrs . A has found a way to save the inn.”

“How?” Aurora watched Sissy .

“Apparently she had a rich aunt who died and left all her money to Mrs . A .” Sissy shrugged. “ Was that your doing?”

“What? No ! Why would you say that?” Aurora blinked back the tears that burned her eyes.

“It happened the second day of the Moon Festival . Clara and I thought maybe the money came from you and Mr . Tenebris .”

“No.” Aurora turned to the inn. She didn’t know if she should be relieved or sad that it was Ailith who would have to die. Ailith was older and had lived most of her life. “ I should go and say goodbye. Are you almost done?”

“Almost, but they are not here. They went to Morro this morning. Mrs . A had some papers to sign.” Sissy wiped her hands on her apron. “ So you’re leaving?”

Aurora looked to see if the inn glowed with Death’s touch. She’d have to figure out a way to do it when no one was watching. It would be hard on Lillian to lose her mother right before her wedding. Aurora sat down on the small bench by the washtub. The weight of what she had yet to do pressed down on her.

“Ella?” Sissy sat down next to Aurora . “ Is there something wrong?”

Aurora forced a smile. “ No . Um … I guess.” Aurora looked around the garden. Ella had spent many hours here, she and Sissy dreaming of silly things. Ella had found peace here. “ I didn’t think it would be this hard to say goodbye.”

“So this is goodbye?”

Aurora could feel Sissy’s sadness, and she would regret that. There were lots of things that Ella had done that Aurora would have to regret. “ For Ella , yes.”

Sissy looked down at her hands. When she lifted her eyes, there were tears. “ I’ll miss you.”

“You will?” This was also new for Aurora . “ Why ?”

“Because, silly, you were my friend. Or at least as Ella , you were. It’s weird thinking of you that way. You were Ella , and yet Ella didn’t exist.” Sissy walked over to where Aurora sat. “ You will wait and say goodbye to them, won’t you? Mrs . A . and Lillian . They were worried. I told them that Mr . Tenebris had asked you to marry him. I didn’t think you’d come back.”

“I hadn’t planned on it,” Aurora confessed. Gods didn’t have friends so they couldn’t mourn the loss of them. And it would’ve been easier not to. To let Ella fade from everyone’s memory.

“I’m glad you did.” Sissy blinked back the tears.

“Me too.”

And that was true. Mortals weren’t her favorite creatures because she believed they were fragile and frivolous. And some were, but others like Sissy , Clara , Mrs . A , and Lillian were just trying to get the most out of their lives. For a year Sissy had been Ella’s soft place to land. She had been kind to Ella . They all had loved her unconditionally, which was something the gods could learn from the mortals.

“You were good to me. I owe you for your kindness. So I will grant you a wish. Any wish. But know that there are limits to what I can give you.”

“You will?” Sissy blinked back the tears.

“Yes.”

“Okay.” Sissy thought for a moment, then closed her eyes.

Aurora waited for Sissy to speak her wish. When she didn’t, Aurora took her hand. “ You have to say it out loud, silly girl, or I can’t hear you.”

Sissy opened her eyes. They reflected back the warmth Ella had needed the most. “ I wish to be happy.”

Of course Sissy would wish for the simplest yet most complicated wish. She pressed a kiss to Sissy’s cheek and whispered, “ That which is wished from below shall be granted from above. It’s done. All the happiness is yours.”

“Thank you.” Sissy rested her head on Aurora’s shoulder. “ I will miss you.”

Aurora rested her head on top of Sissy’s . They sat in the peace that would come to a bitter end tonight. She needed to move forward. To forget all of this as well as a god could, and that meant cutting the ties tonight.

“Do you remember the story I told you about Darkness breaking Dawn’s heart?” Sissy asked, lifting her head.

“I do.” Aurora memorized her friend’s face. Aurora would never see Sissy like this again, youthful and full of life. Time would leave his mark on all of them.

“Tell me the end of the story. Tell me you got a happy ending.”

Aurora looked at Sissy , her eyes wide with hope. “ Gods don’t get happy endings because we have so many endings.”

“I should have wished for that.” Sissy looked back to the setting sun. “ There is someone else who will not get his happy ending.” Sissy looked down at her hands. “ William has been worried. Please go to him and let him know you are well. And that Mr . Tenebris didn’t kidnap you. He wanted to call the king’s guards in.”

Aurora took a deep breath. “ I really should see to Mrs . A .”

“They won’t be back until dark. You have time, and you owe it to him. He loves you.”

“I’ll make you a deal.” She smiled at how she sounded a bit like Death . “ I’ll go say goodbye to William . But I don’t want you here when I say my goodbyes to Mrs . A and Lillian . It’ll be too hard on you. Me being here.” Aurora skirted around the lie.

“Okay.” Sissy reached for Aurora’s hand, touching it lightly. “ I will tell my children’s children about you.”

Aurora stood. “ When you do, please give me a happy ending.” Aurora looked one more time at the inn and the peace that surrounded it before turning back to Sissy . “ Live a good life.”

“I will. Goodbye , Ella .” Sissy turned back to the garden

“Goodbye.” Aurora stepped back through the gate and to the next goodbye.

The last would be the hardest.