Страница 96 из 146
Kerren pauses, then begins. “It happened many, many years ago, back when Old Suuol ruled the mid-lands.” When Aron nods, he continues, gaining confidence. “The great Lord of Storms was at war with Kalos, god of darkness, who had claimed the kingdom of Sollist for himself and enslaved their people. Old Suuol fought a glorious war against Sollist and the armies of darkness, but they were no match for Kalos and his ghouls. Aron led battle after battle, but the people of Suuol begged him to end the war. He went to the god Kalos and demanded that he free Sollist, but the dark god said he would end the war if given an ancient magical sword called Brightblade, which was once carried by the finest of heroes in the land.
“It seemed simple enough, but what Aron did not know was that the sword was hidden deep in the mountains, in the lair of Old One-Tooth, the most ancient of dragons.”
“Oops,” I say, and take Aron’s hand in mine. “And the dragon…temporarily blinded him? What?”
“No, I defeated him,” Aron says proudly, taking over the story. “Slew him with a single blow of my mighty axe. But then Rhagos interfered.”
“Rhagos?” I echo, then mentally go through the list of gods in my head. “God of…the Dead?”
“And Kalos’s brother,” Kerren adds. “He brought the dragon back to life and it attacked Aron once more.”
“Damned hard to kill something that won’t stay dead,” Aron says, all grumpiness. “That was when I lost my eye.”
I stare at his handsome mien, at the scars that crisscross the left side of his face, over the bright green eye. “How…”
“It is a lesser known legend, because Rhagos does not like for it to be told.” Aron grins fiercely. “After I delivered the sword to Kalos, I went to the underworld and took one of Rhagos’s eyes in repayment for the one I lost.”
I stare at Aron in horror. Is this why he’s got two different colored eyes?
“You did not know this?” He rubs his thumb over the back of my hand.
Wordlessly, I shake my head. For some reason, I don’t find the story fu
He holds my thigh tightly, as if to reassure me. “Not all of the gods are enemies. Many would not dare to cross me.”
I think of Tadekha, and how she coyly suggested an alliance with Aron and he shot her down. He didn’t trust her in the slightest. “But you trust these gods? The Spidae?”
“They do not take sides.” He shrugs. “They will give me the answers I seek.”
“And that’s great, but what if your other Aspects have the same idea?”
Aron’s mouth forms a hard, hard smile. “Then we are all in the same place at one time.”
I push his hand off my thigh, because I’m suddenly no longer feeling very cuddly. “I really hope that’s just the arrogance talking, because I really, really don’t want to die, Aron.”
To my surprise, his eyes practically blaze with emotion. He hauls me against him, tighter than before, and the look on his face is fervent. “No one will touch you, Faith. I will never let you come to harm.”
I gaze up at him. “You can’t promise that. You have two other Aspects out to take you down. You can’t promise I’ll be safe, Aron. Not if I’m the target.”
His jaw clenches. I think for a moment that he’s going to argue with me, but instead, he jerks to his feet. Before I can protest, he’s carrying me away from the others and into our tent. Inside, it’s just as frosty, but a bed has been made for me on a linen tarp to protect from the mud, and it’s here that Aron sets me down gently. Aron kneels so we’re both on the ground, and then he cups my face, forcing me to look up at him.
“Faith,” he murmurs. “I know you’re worried. I know you feel isolated and alone. But I will never, ever let anything happen to you.”
“Because I’m tied to you,” I joke, nervous.
“Because you are mine,” he corrects. His fingers skate lightly along my cheeks. “My companion. My woman. My anchor. My Faith. I will protect your life with my own.”
“Aron.” I press my hands over his because I feel like he’s not grasping just how out of place I truly am. “My life is your own. It’s been tied to you since the moment I put my hand in yours. If I die, I don’t know what happens to me. You go back to your heaven, your Citadel of Storms, and I go…where? I don’t even know if my afterlife exists in this world. If you die, you’re just one step closer to your ultimate goal, but I’m destroyed utterly.”
He shakes his head. “Faith, you don’t understand. I will cease to exist if I die. All of who this Aspect is”—he gestures at his chest—“will be removed from who I am.”
“But you’ll still exist. Aron will still exist.”
“I won’t be the same. He won’t be the same. He won’t know what it means to make the rain stop for a starving farmer and his wife. He won’t know what it’s like to race away from a crumbling citadel and have glass picked out of his back. He won’t know what it’s like to hold you close.”
My breath catches in my throat.
He caresses my face. “I told you once that you’re my heart, Faith, and I mean it. You’ve shown me a different way of looking at things, and not just because you like to argue.” His hard mouth curls into a hint of a smile. “I learn from you. I learn to think about how my presence affects others. I think of how I can be a better god to my faithful. Every day that I am here on the mortal plane with you changes me, Faith. I don’t want to lose that. I don’t want to lose you.” He smiles. “That’s why I’m going to win.”
For some reason, I’m equally terrified that Aron will die. I thought he was eternal…but Liar Aron got wiped out, and I know he’s different from this Aron.
My Aron could die.
“Well,” I say after a moment. I clear my throat. “I guess we’ll just have to fucking beat their asses into the ground.”
He laughs, pleased. “Now you sound like me.”
I’m pretty sure I don’t, but I’ll take the compliment anyhow.
I can’t sleep that night. It’s not the cold. It’s that every time I close my eyes, I see Aron dying. Aron turning into a wisp of sparks, Aron fading out like a bad polaroid. I saw it happen to his rival right in front of me. Liar Aron had his hands on me, was looking me in the eye…
And then he was just gone.
Ceased to exist.
I’m terrified of that happening to my Aron. Of course I’m worried about my own safety. That’s a given. But it’s a fear I’ve lived with for so long that I’m comfortable with it. It’s not new. It’s not fresh. My own safety is old news; Aron’s is increasingly worrying me.
If we don’t succeed, we’re both screwed.
Aron’s arm tightens around my waist. “Go to sleep, Faith. You need your rest.”
I do need my rest, because I’m his anchor. I’m his mortal tie to this plane. I have to keep myself healthy for the both of us. Even so… “I’m scared, Aron.”
He strokes my arm, comforting me. “If you were not, I would say you were a fool.”
Huh. No over-the-top declaration there. No arrogant posturing. Somehow, it makes me feel better. When I’m at his side, I feel safe. Like everything’s going to be okay even if we’re looking certain doom in the eye.
He makes me think maybe we do have a shot at this. We just have to be smart.