Page 62 of Beneath the Veil of Tides
“I’m sorry to interrupt your moment, but our god has informed me of your task at hand. I worked as quickly as I could.”
“Thank you,” I exhaled, stretching my fingers on my healed arm.
“This, here, is one of our most powerful sorceresses. She could probably heal even the dead,” Noctis bragged.
The woman chuckled. “That’s not true, but thank you anyway. It is my honor to heal our realm’s goddess.”
My breath hitched.What did she just say?
“Goddess?” I stammered, looking between the god and sorceress.
“A god’s Blood Tie, whether mortal or not, gains the power and status of a goddess,” the sorceress answered as if unfazed.
What the woman revealed shook me to the core. My breathing quickened, hands glistening already in moisture, eyes trailing to the god.
Something in me had been trying to push Noctis away, and now I knew why. He kept holding the truth back, always just beyond my grasp.
Besides, I wanted no responsibility other than saving the people targeted by the Terraguard and Oceanwrought realms. A realm to lead was not what my heart desired. I still wasn’t quite sure what I wanted beyond fighting for safety.
“Thank you, Delaynna. Please tell your uncle I will visit him again soon.”
The healer nodded and walked out of the room.
“We will talk about this later,” I seethed, shoving my uninjured arm into his chest.
Noctis grinned. “I look forward to it.”
I was on my feet in an instant, moving through the door of the small clinic with Noctis at my back.
“Where exactly are we supposed to find the Writherbought?” I asked, scanning the foggy land before us.
He exhaled. “I have to lure it to us. It’s how we captured it last time when it—” He paused.
“When it what?” I pushed.
His tone went somber. “When it lured six of my kingdom rulers from their homes and drained the life from their bodies decades ago.”
I drew in a sudden breath, stunned into silence. The loss Noctis endured… the power the creature that killed six royals must possess. Their deaths meant something to him by his reaction.
“Did you know them?” I whispered, caught between my need for answers and my respect for his pain.
“I know every one of my people.” His eyes averted to the ground. “Their names, their occupations, families, what they love, what they hate. I know them all.”
“How did it… kill them?”
“It’s ancient magic, but the Writherbought drains power from beings, usually siphoning them dry, leaving nothing but brittle, hollow remnants. They’re difficult to catch, their mind control warps perception until nothing feels real anymore.”
“Great,” I murmured, rolling my eyes. As I should have expected, the task wasn’t going to be easy.
Noctis led the way around the building, and my face lit up in surprise.
We made it to the heartland of Aetherkin Bound. As the sun lowered beneath the cloudy realm, rainbows cast across the homes and shops—all made of the reflective glazed glass. The temples at the gate towered over the other buildings, a mosaic of hues across the entire realm.
The chatter between vendors and shoppers rooted in my heart, the whooshing of flying creatures in the air, and the cheery giggles of children playing in the streets.
A grand shadow flew over our heads, casting us in sudden shade. I ducked by reflex, but Noctis laughed.
“Meet Azrakel,” he yelled over the thunderous noise of massive wingbeats.
