‘How did it sense that years before the first signs of his corruption spread?’
Ithrean annoyed Navaah Ora, even angered her, but she was also curious. If she was to lose her mind, she would get answers before she couldn’t remember them.
‘IT’S A FORCE THAT’S DIFFICULT TO EXPLAIN. IT IS IN ALL THINGS. YOUR MAGIC IS OF THAT FORCE, AS IS MINE.’
She huffed. ‘And you, what, compelled it to tell you when Ceallach was about to become a problem?’
‘YES.’
Maybe, if Naavah Ora held on long enough, she’d understand some of it.
‘How long has it been?’
Naavah Ora had never spent this long on Dunhă’s red grass before, but she knew that time worked differently here. She thought of Ash, imprisoned and sentenced to death. Thought of his warm smile and the way cats flocked to him wherever he went. She’d always thought someone chosen by animals couldn’t be all bad, and Ash was so much better than not all bad. She’d never see him again or Doran and Levi, who she’d sent to save Ash. Who she thought of as friends. All her life, all she’d wanted was just one friend who understood her and cared about her, and then, just like that, three had come along, just for Ithrean to wake up and take it all away again. It wasn’t fair.
From the day Naavah Ora had been born, her grandmother had taught her the responsibilities and duties she’d be expected to fulfil as her clan’s heir one day. Her bedtime stories had been about her predecessors and how they had improved their clan. Naavah Ora had no delusion about her life being her own, but was it so wrong to want just one small piece for herself? One little bit that didn’t belong to someone else?
Deep down, she knew this likely wasn’t Ithrean’s first choice either. Her goddess had done what she had to, not to steal Naavah Ora’s future but to save her family. Naavah Ora would have done the same thing and more if it had saved her clan from Ceallach’s corruption. But understanding Ithrean’s choice didn’t make her loss any easier. Maybe it should have, but it hurt regardless of what actions Naavah Ora might have chosen.
‘IT HAS BEEN A DAY.’
Then Ash was still imprisoned. Doran and Levi couldn’t have reached Alt Võina that fast.
‘WE WILL BEGIN WHEN YOU’RE READY.’
At least Ithrean had a plan. It was a small mercy in all this… this… Naavah Ora wasn’t sure what to call it. Was there a word for times when you’d lost everything but had to carry on and save two worlds anyway? If there was, her grandmother hadn’t taught her it—her grandmother, who Ceallach’s corruption had slaughtered alongside the rest of their clan. They couldn’t fight anymore, but Naavah Ora could. She’d pity herself when Ithrean claimed the rest of her mind. Ellasan willing, she wouldn’t be conscious enough to miss what could have been.
‘What do we do?’
She felt a tension inside herself, like Ithrean had clenched her fists without Naavah Ora’s fingers twitching.
‘WE KILL CEALLACH AND TAKE BACK WHAT IS MINE.’
Naavah Ora had grown up revering her gods and doing everything in her power to please them, as every good young elf should. A god’s anger, her parents and her grandmother had taught her, was a terrible thing. She’d never believed it to be a real thing, but she’d felt some of Ithrean’s fury since the goddess had awoken, and a tiny part of her felt sorry for Ceallach.
But then, Ceallach wasn’t without power either. He’d stolen Dunhă from its creator, for one.
And he’d turned the dead against their goddess.
And his influence was leaking into the world of the living, spreading a plague that made whole forests rot and people’s hearts turn dark.
But, above all that, he had killed her family. If Ceallach feared Ithrean, he’d have nightmares about Naavah Ora.
‘How will we do that?’ she asked. ‘Does he know we’re here?’
‘I EXPECT HE SENSES THAT I AM AWAKE. I CAN’T SAY HOW MUCH HE KNOWS, BUT I DOUBT HE IMAGINES WE ARE ONE. HE WON’T EXPECT YOU.’
So, their advantage rested on her. Naavah Ora was proud of her skill and her knowledge, but she wasn’t so arrogant as to think she alone would stand a chance against a real monster.
‘Won’t he be looking for me?’
Ceallach had murdered the Suf’afir of the other elven clans and destroyed the books they used to teach the young. The books had taught them about Ithrean and her connection to Dunhă, and the Suf’afir were the only ones that could enter this realm. They’d been a threat, and he had eliminated all but one: her. Whether he knew she shared a mind with Ithrean or not, he wanted to kill her.
Although, Naavah Ora wasn’t sure how her ability to go to him would benefit her.
Her insides warmed—Ithrean was smiling. Naavah Ora’s lips twitched, but she forced them back down. This was her body, and she would control it for as long as possible.
‘DON’T FIGHT ME. YOU MUST KNOW YOU CAN’T WIN.’
‘You picked the wrong elf if you want blind obedience.’
That annoying warm feeling didn’t leave her cheeks, but Naavah Ora sensed that it wasn’t condescending. Ithrean was pleased with her strength. Good. Naavah Ora had plenty left.
‘YOU MAY NEED TO SURRENDER TO ME FOR US TO DEFEAT HIM. ARE YOU PREPARED FOR THAT?’
Naavah Ora swallowed. She had believed that she would do whatever it took to save Dunhă and restore the dead’s peace, but this… Ithrean was a goddess. Surely there was another way?
But she wasn’t prepared to discuss it just yet.
‘You didn’t answer my question. Won’t Ceallach try to find me?’
‘HE WILL, BUT YOU ARE SAFE HERE. I HAVE SHIELDED THIS AREA AGAINST HIS INFLUENCE. HE CAN’T SEE US OR GET TO US.’
Naavah Ora frowned. ‘We’ll have to leave eventually.’
‘DUNHA IS MINE, NAAVAH ORA. HE WON’T SEE US IF I DON’T ALLOW IT. HE HAS TAKEN MY CHARGES, BUT I HAVE GIVEN MYSELF TO DUNHA’S CREATION. YOU MIGHT SAY WE ARE ONE. IT ANSWERS WHEN I CALL BECAUSE IT CAN’T NOT RESPOND.’
As much as Naavah Ora hated this situation, she loved the knowledge it brought her. Few elves had the chance to question their gods, never mind share a mind with one. They just needed to learn to co-exist. What they were doing now seemed to work; she didn’t see why it couldn’t continue.
‘How do we proceed? Where is Ceallach?’
‘I’M NOT INTERESTED IN HIM RIGHT NOW.’
Naavah Ora raised an eyebrow. ‘Who else is there? No one living can enter Dunhă besides the Suf’afir, and you’re sharing a body with the only survivor.’
Her lips twitched again. It was harder to fight it this time.
‘YOU’RE WRONG. CEALLACH DIDN’T KILL THE SUF’AFIR. HE BROUGHT THEM HERE, INTO DUNHA, AND I KNOW WHERE THEY ARE.’
Naavah Ora gripped her staff so tight her knuckles turned white.
‘You’re wrong. I—’
She had wanted to say that she’d seen them die with her own eyes, but she hadn’t. All she had was Lena and Valeria’s word that he had destroyed one clan, and speculations.