Page 9

A urora left the realm of dreams slowly. She’d never felt more comfortable. No aches or pains, just her, floating on a bed of clouds. She must have died. Was she in the Loom, waiting for her thread to be respun by the goddess, Fate, back into the Tapestry? Maybe she could ask Fate to be kinder to her in her next life. She opened her eyes and was met with distinctly corporeal surroundings. A rock overhang decorated with a profusion of colourful cloth, sapphire lights winking out between the rock and cloth. Had she made it inside the mountain after all? But that meant…

“Fae,” she whispered, tears stinging her eyes.

“Pervert.”

Aurora gasped, tearing out of her bed only to be hit by a wave of dizziness that landed her back on her side. She closed her eyes, breathing through it. Phaedra was here. How?

“Hag.”

Silvanus? She’d never heard such venom from him before. What had happened?

“You take that back. I’m the most beautiful woman you’ve ever met.”

“You’re definitely the most something I’ve ever met, but it’s not that.”

“Admit it, you proposed this ridiculous exercise just to grope me.”

“I’m attempting to concentrate—”

“On my tits.”

“On the bond. Your constant interruptions only prolong this for both of us.”

Aurora got up more slowly this time and parted the cloth partition of her strange bedroom. The room was cosily decorated and lit with orbs radiating light. Phaedra sat across from Silvanus on plush cushions, their eyes closed, his hand pressed against her heart. What in the Loom were they doing?

“Oh, it’s pro longing something, you degenerate.”

Silvanus opened his eyes, pushing Phaedra to the floor with a growl. Aurora covered her mouth with her hands, feeling like she was interrupting some intimate moment. She hid behind her curtain, peeking through the barest opening. Didn’t they hate each other? Well, if Phaedra did hate Silvanus, she was more than equipped to deal with him as she saw fit. Suffocation tended to be an effective deterrent against most unwelcome advances.

“Trust that if I attempt to seduce you, there will be no question about it, Phaedra. ”

“That’s right,” Phaedra purred, rubbing his groin with her thigh, “It would be just that, an attempt . And a pathetic one at that. As if a backwater little no one like you knows how to please a wom—”

He captured her lips, his fingers teasing her nipple. Aurora was about to intervene when Phaedra gripped Silvanus’ moonstone-coloured hair in her hand and devoured him in turn, pressing herself against him. So now she wanted him? Goddess, Phaedra could be so contradictory sometimes. Why couldn’t they do this somewhere else? Aurora hid in her little bed, mentally sighing as the two continued getting…well, whatever that was out of their systems. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be long until Phaedra—

“If you don’t fuck me right now…”

No, she was not going to listen to that . Not even for Phaedra. Aurora ripped open her curtain.

“Alright, that’s enough! I’m not going to sit here listening to the two of you,” she huffed, trailing off when she realised just what state they were in. Clothes and hair in disarray, hands down each other's pants, they were a single slip from the act itself. Aurora slapped a hand over her eyes and pointed in the direction of another curtain. “Please, just get dressed or go somewhere else,” she groaned, blushing madly. It wasn’t the first time she’d caught Phaedra in the middle of a tryst, it wasn’t even the seventh, but it never stopped being disconcerting.

“Aurora! You’re awake!” Phaedra launched herself at Aurora, wrapping her arms around her.

Aurora hugged her back, holding her as tight as she could. Phaedra was alive. Whole. Her heart ached with relief.

“At least wash your hands first.” Aurora choked on her laugh.

“My filthy hands are as close as you’ve gotten to fucking in months. You should be grateful.” Phaedra squeezed her back.

“Animal.”

“Prude.”

“I thought you’d died,” Aurora whispered.

“You saved me.”

“Nonsense.”

She needn’t speak lies just to make Aurora feel better. Didn’t she know that her being alive was treasure enough?

“No, truly.” Phaedra pulled back. “The whole world around me was suspended in time. I escaped the blast because of your magic.”

She was about to deny it, but Phaedra was most definitely healthy and whole, not a scratch on her. But she’d never seen her in such garb before. The fabrics were soft only because they’d been worn hundreds of times, the colours dull and washed out. They looked like a well-to-do farmer’s hand-me-downs. Aurora would know. Her family were esteemed cloth merchants, specializing in rare dyes.

“What are you doing up? You’ll undo three days of hard work, young woman!” A middle-aged woman with tawny skin and black hair strode into the room, a bundle of clothes on top of a basket in her arms.

Aurora looked around for the person the woman was remonstrating. Silvanus had disappeared, only to re-enter behind the stranger.

“Aurora, this is Macris. Macris, Aurora.”

“A pleasure to meet you,” Aurora said, stepping out of Phaedra’s embrace to shake her hand. Macris took her hand and led her to one of the cushions Phaedra and Silvanus had tossed aside. Macris sent him a dark look.

“Never mind the introductions. Sit down, Aurora. Goddesses, I can’t believe you let her get out of bed. Weren’t you supposed to be watching her?” Macris hissed at Silvanus.

“I came to get you as soon as she woke, did I not?” Silvanus replied, his cheeks red.

Macris waved him off.

“I don’t understand what all the fuss is about. I’ve never felt better.”

“That’s because you’ve been under my care for three days. You broke your back. Among other things. You’re all lucky to have survived, but you especially. Now sit still and let me have a look at you.”

Broken her back? Three days? Merciful Triad. She didn’t remember much after they’d barrelled into the mountain. Perhaps that had been a blessing. Perhaps that was also why, now that she paid attention, she smelled like she hadn’t made the acquaintance of perfume in some time. How embarrassing.

Macris’s gaze was distant and unfocused. Magic poured through Aurora as if she were a sieve, over and over. A sharp pain ran up her spine. Aurora gasped, fists gripping the fabric of her trousers. These too had been well-worn but cared for. She closed her eyes, trying to shift her focus, holding her breath as the pain built and built. Then, in a sudden rush, it drained from her.

Macris sighed.

“There. Now you’re stitched up, stronger than ever.”

Aurora released a shaky breath. She’d never been ill or injured badly enough to have needed a healer possessed of wild magic. The medics who studied at the Temple of Knowledge had always been able to tend her. It was a strange experience, to have another’s magic coil through you, your physical body like an open book without the benefit of a sturdy cover. She hoped never to need it again.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. You can put it on Silvanus’ tab.”

“You know Silvanus?”

Macris raised a dark brow, looking between her and the man in question.

“Have you not told her anything yet? Have you explained anything to either of them?”

“No,” Phaedra answered with an indignant huff.

Macris stood, rounding on Silvanus.

“You said they were trustworthy! It’s the only reason I didn’t tell the others about your arrival. I sheltered you in secret, Silvanus. How dare you risk my place here like this!”

Silvanus held up his hands.

“There was no other choice. And they can be trusted,” he punctuated his words with a killing glare at Phaedra.

“Will someone please explain what’s going on?” Aurora asked, daring to interject.

Macris looked to Aurora and Phaedra with pity before turning back to Silvanus, pointing at him with a furious glare.

“You made this mess; you clean it up. I’ll go prepare the bath,” she said before storming out.

Phaedra placed herself in front of Aurora, shielding her from Silvanus.

“Sit down. We need to talk.” He gestured at the cushions.

“I think we’ll stand,” Phaedra replied.

He sighed, taking a seat.

“Do you want the short version or the long version?”

“Short,” Phaedra replied.

“Long,” Aurora said at the same time.

“Of course you would want the long version,” Phaedra scoffed.

“I like knowing the details,” Aurora retorted.

Silvanus watched them as if they were a great, perplexing mystery.

“The short version is that you’re currently standing in one of the last dualist sanctuaries in Trisia. I’ve implied that you’re both dualists seeking safety, and I would appreciate it if you played along. And if you do anything to threaten its security or the safety of the people here, I, as your guarantor, am duty-bound to kill you.”

“There are dualists still alive? And there’s a sanctuary here? Can we see it?” Aurora asked, her heart leaping with excitement.

“Of course you’re a dualist. Why wouldn’t a monster also be at the beck and call of the people who caused the first cycle of calamity?” Phaedra scoffed.

“Actually, there’s no evidence to definitively prove that. Most of the texts dating from that period are scanty at best,” Aurora corrected her, bumping Phaedra’s hip with her own.

“They’re also infamously anti-imperial,” Phaedra scowled at her.

“I imagine most people who are systematically hunted down by imperial decree are going to end up that way.” Aurora shrugged. “And you seem to like at least one of them well enough.”

“Well… he also has divine eyes! Did you know that? ”

“He does?” She turned to Silvanus. “You do?”

Today was a day of discovery then. Blessed Triad, all the things he could tell her. All the things she wanted to ask him!

“I… You seem a lot less frightened by that than I expected,” Silvanus said, staring at her like she was mad.

“But you can see the Tapestry! Do you know how few accounts of it exist? What does it look like? Have you ever encountered one of the deities there? Can you actually manipulate fate?”

“Aurora, stay away. He’s dangerous!” Phaedra pulled her back.

“So are you,” Aurora replied.

Aurora raised a brow. Phaedra could choke someone to death on a whim or shove them off a balcony without trying when she was in a foul mood.

“I can’t mess around with your soul! He can!”

While that was technically true, he didn’t seem so inclined.

“Do you plan to do that, Silvanus?”

“Only if I need to.”

“See? There! He admitted it. He can’t be trusted,” Phaedra said, gesturing wildly.

Aurora folded her arms. If Phaedra truly thought him a threat, he’d already be dead, goddess’ avatar or not. She wouldn’t try to convince Aurora of it so much as deal with it outright. When she saw a threat, she ploughed straight through it and then turned around to stomp over whatever remained. Her complaints seemed to stem from shame, as the colour in her cheeks seemed to indicate. Aurora bit back a smirk.

“Then why did you stick your tongue down his throat?”

Silvanus choked on his next breath. Phaedra’s cheeks heated further as she scowled. Aurora raised a brow.

“I was caught up in the moment. I’ve been cooped up here for three days. You know I make bad choices when I can’t move around freely,” Phaedra muttered.

“You would never be intimate with someone you genuinely thought would kill you.” Aurora poked her in the side. Phaedra swatted her hand away.

“Yes, I would,” Phaedra pouted, crossing her arms mulishly.

“Liar.”

“Villain.”

Silvanus cleared his throat.

“Can I get your solemn vows not to speak of what you see or learn here? And not to cause trouble?”

“Yes.” Aurora readily agreed. She couldn’t wait to start uncovering the mysteries of the dualist cultists.

“Ugh, so be it.”

“Good.”

There was a short pause as all three stared at each other. Aurora did her best not to tap her foot in anticipation. When was he going to begin his explanation?

“So, what’s the long version?”

“Aurora!”

“What?”

A curious mind was a gift, according to her patron goddess.

“Why do you even care? He lied to gain your trust.”

“I punched you to gain yours.” Aurora shrugged.

“That was different.”

“Well, he risked his life to save me, and it seems he broke the rules to make sure we recovered from our injuries. He also just told us the truth, at great personal risk. I think he’s earned a little of our trust. And besides, studying dualism is something only high-ranking scholars are allowed to do! Why wouldn’t I be interested?”

“Dualists actually worship Lies, Aurora. Half of everything they say will be laced full of shit.”

Ah, she was getting desperate now. To think she could win against Aurora in a debate about theology or academics was a fool’s errand. This was all just bluster. Perhaps she was especially embarrassed to have been discovered in this latest tryst? Phaedra was nothing if not prideful, and kissing your family’s sworn enemy twice over was probably the first liaison she might be feeling an ounce of shame about.

“All our sources are laced with bias. Dualists wouldn’t be unique in that.”

“There’s no winning with you when you get like this,” Phaedra huffed.

“I know.” Aurora smiled, triumphant. She turned back to Silvanus, “When can we see the sanctuary?”

“Why don’t you bathe and eat first? I’ll need to talk to Macris before we set out.”

“Right. I stink. Lead the way!”

“I’m coming too,” Phaedra announced.

Silvanus parted the curtain of the homey dwelling to reveal a soaring hallway lit with the same sapphire lights as inside the bedroom, in addition to sconces lit without the use of fire. Aurora wandered over, reaching up to touch it. How did it work? Such technology would make the use of candles and fire obsolete if she could understand it. Perhaps it had been constructed after studying an ancient artefact, like the hovering trays used at the dig site and many of their other modern amenities. Phaedra yanked her along. Hopefully, she would discover its secrets later.

The bath was heavenly, hot water supplied through pipes that came from goddess knew where. Once clean, they reconvened inside Macris’ home for a hearty meal. Aurora fell on it like a starving beast, gratified that no one said a word about her lack of manners.

“Before we go out, we need to talk about your magic,” Silvanus said.

Oh . She deflated. Aurora had been hoping not to think about it, preferring instead to bury herself in a new avenue of study. She’d been so good about not letting herself remember the calamity that had chased her into the mountain.

Sensing her shift in mood, Silvanus continued, his tone softer.

“You only seem to use your magic when you panic. That’s not unusual with wild magic. Most wild magic is tied to the things that keep you grounded in your physical body. Emotions are important catalysts for harnessing it. I would like to try to coax it out for you, so you can get used to using it.”

“How?” she asked, swallowing nervously.

“By stepping into the Tapestry and tugging on the thread of your magic. Will you allow it?”

“You don’t have to,” Phaedra interjected. “You don’t know what that will do to you.”

But if she never learned to control it, everyone else would suffer. Phaedra only survived by the grace of the Triad, not because of anything Aurora had consciously done. If it came down to it, she needed to know how to save her again.

“No, I need to learn this. Do what you need to, Silvanus.”

“Close your eyes.”

She complied. The room was quiet as Silvanus worked his magic. She thought she might feel something, but whatever he was doing left no physical trace. Should that make her concerned? Was her magic atrophied so badly he couldn’t find it within her thread?

Aurora gasped, eyes snapping open as she pressed a hand to her chest. Silvanus stared through her, his eyes glittering like sapphire jewels.

“There. Do you feel that?”

“Yes,” she groaned. It felt awful, like a wriggling creature trying to get free.

“Forgive me, your magic is…elusive. Close your eyes and focus on the feeling. Once you do that, I want you to picture your magic as an animal inside you. What does it feel like?”

Aurora closed her eyes, focusing on the writhing magic inside her. What did it feel like? Like a dog twisting and fighting her hold. But it was too elusive for that. Whenever she tried to grasp it, it evaded her. It was more like the long-eared desert mouse, jumping free at every turn. One of her earliest digs in the Aurean desert had been plagued by the little pests, and as a lowly acolyte, her job had been to chase them off.

“A fairy mouse. Slippery little beast trying to run away.”

“Good. I’m going to loosen my hold. I want you to concentrate on that fairy mouse. When it tries to hide, hold its image in your mind. That’s how you’ll capture it.”

The insistent tugging let up. She could breathe again. As her magic tried to escape her, she did as Silvanus instructed, holding it with the image in her mind. It settled, ceasing its attempt to flee her. She imagined it with colour, a coat of the palest pink, bright black eyes rimmed with dark lashes, little tan spots on its large, long ears and equally long feet. This wasn’t so bad. The magic was definitely strange, but it felt good too, like she was finally stretching a muscle after a cramp.

“I think I’m—”

She felt a horrible tug.

Aurora was not where she’d been. This was no cosy abode of smooth rock and comfortable cushions. Wherever she was, all the edges of her vision were blurred, the sharp details quickly dissolving into a dark mist the closer she looked. Three statues towered above her, adorned in robes of red, black and white, gold garlands sitting atop their heads. The Triad? No. Each statue was double-sided, two heads, two bodies, merged at the back into one, so their glittering jewel eyes stared out from opposite sides.

Obsidian and onyx for Knowledge and Lies. Ruby and garnet for Passion and Death. Diamond and quartz for Justice and Vengeance. Had she travelled to the heart of the dualist sanctuary?