Amortal Song

14.Dangerous Sort of Beauty

Calypso

Solekki placed a cup of tea in front of me, took the seat across, and began scooping flower petals that were placed in the dishes set before us. I watched silently as the petals dissolved into her tea, tinting the clear liquid until it became an icy blue.

"Go on," she said, "Take your pick."

I warily took some pink flowers showering them over the tea until they faded away, an eerie remembrance of watching Odysseus' soul get taken, taken by a flower no less. A flower speaking lies about me. Solekki placed a purple petal in, adding, "These are always my favorites." The color leeched out of it, leaving the flower a milky white before it dissolved altogether. I took one of the spoons she offered, gently stirring my tea and basking in the fragrant smell that filled the air around me.

It smelled like a herb shop I had once gone to in a past life, mixed with an undertone I couldn't quite note, almost a mix between jasmine and lavender.

Picking up one of the delicate cookies placed by the flowers, I broke it in half, spraying crumbs everywhere. Solekki offered a light smile, muttering something about me being, "Just like her son." I didn't quite like that comment but pushed it aside as I placed a half in my mouth, allowing the cookie to melt on my tongue.

She took one of the small cakes and said, "Now you may be wondering why I would want to talk to you and I'm sure you can already guess. Vespera was right about you, you are a smart one. Don't look so shocked." She motioned for me to close my mouth, "You'll always have at least one god watching you, or at least someone you're with. I was watching Arden, of course, but couldn't do anything until it turned life-threatening for you. It's the rule among the gods, no interfering, no matter how much power you may hold."

Solekki bit into the cake, allowing me a few moments to mule her words over before she added, "Unless something like what Vespera did to you happens. Many gods became aware of it, almost immediately after she drew that dagger, a dagger that hasn't been used in eons because of the power it has, the dark and twisted past it was used for."

I felt myself shudder, the scars itching at the thought of what had caused them. Solekki gave me a pained look, her eyes silently apologizing for what I had gone through. "Most of us were disgusted, of course, some at Neortis, others at Vespera. A certain few stayed out of it...but others, others have called for a Council Meeting among the board of the Ancients or the main 12 gods. And I'm in full support of it. They have also asked for you to attend but...you have a task you must complete."

"You still have to get out of Umbeunter. Once you make a deal with a god, you can't reverse it, and neither can other gods. And that's a rule all of us have agreed on, no matter the situation. That's your dilemma, and while time is frozen in my realm and not adding on to that week you have, your time is cutting close. Since you began, you only have 2 days left."

"Two?" I felt a chill run through me. It had only felt like one day. Less than that. I looked at Solekki, searching for any sign that she was joking. But I found none.

"I'm sorry, dear." She reached out her hand and touched mine, my uneaten cookie falling to the table as my hands began to shake. I felt a rebellious tear slip down my cheek, the blood draining. If I thought I was going to end up as a spiriost before, I surely would now with this new and cruel twist in the game.

And the gods could do nothing to change the rules.

Silent sobs racked through my body and Solekki seemed to not know what to say, an overwhelming silence surrounding us. I didn't want it to end. I could drown in the silence and not want to come up for a breath of air if I could. But I couldn't.