17 | ACT I, SCENE XVII

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P R E V I O U S L Y

"The - the last ones to live here..." he stuttered failingly, not meeting my eyes. "The last ones to live here in this room... it was Zadicus and Pandora, your Grace. The oldest Titans."

WEDGEMORE, NORMOUNT

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WEDGEMORE, NORMOUNT.

TRISTAN

"ADMIT IT. YOU, MY DEAR FRIEND," Eros grinned, "you want her."

"I do not," I huffed, drawing myself up and ruffling my hair in the wind to hide the tinge in my voice.

We were walking through Normount, another one of Endollon's six Kingdoms. Normount was the seat of the Everlys - Deimos and his spoilt family. Its capital, Wedgemore, was a cruelly deceiving place, breathtaking in looks yet hiding malicious secrets.

I used to be king of Stormholt after overthrowing my father, Apollo, who was both callous and terrible. But that had meant just holding control over one sixth of Endollon. Now, as the High King of Endollon, I exercised power over all six of its Kingdoms, including Normount.

Disturbing rumors had prompted me to take a stroll through the streets of Normount, where danger and horror often lurked. Deimos, being the god of terror, had a habit of terrorizing his people as Lord of Normount to collect more and more taxes. His powers allowed him to change to the form a person found most terrifying. I intended to catch hold of him and put an end to it today.

Eros, Erida, Deimos and Fayette were siblings, being the children of Thanatos. So Eros insisted on coming along with me to help, but now his comments left me wondering to what his actual purpose was.

"I know you want her!" the god of love said excitedly, nudging me with a sly grin. "Edwina is a beauty, isn't she?"

I kicked a pebble hard with the tip of my boot, clenching my fists as the sky cracked with a sudden blast of thunder.

"If you recall, I am her husband, not you," I barked.

Eros clapped his hands, overcome with excitement and giddiness, not a least bit perturbed by my harsh remark.

"Oooooh, hmm... I'd daresay you like her a lot, at least?" he questioned, peering right into my face.

"No."

"Hmm... not even a little?"

"I have work to do, Eros," I growled, avoiding his question and taking a turning down the next street. I continued along the direction where I was walking previously.

I heard him guffawing behind me as he followed me, and I clenched my fists to keep my temper in check. If I lost it, the sky would tear open and chaos would wreck it apart.

We continued walking, the people in the streets parting for us at the sound of the click of my boots. The rich, the poor, the scarce, all of them peered out of their houses and between their hands to watch where the two of us were going. I kept my eyes straight on the path, walking past the upturned buildings which shone maliciously in the afternoon light, hiding the cracks holding them together. All the way past the horizon, the Everlys' half of the Derwentwater gleamed, further over I could see the tall castles of Dracnesse rise, bordering the river on their side. The air chimed with the tinkle of bells that rang like warnings. We passed the borders of the markets selling the rare perfume and daggers of Wedgemore, right until we reached the heart of the market, where the proud and richly dressed strutted about showing off the wares they brought.

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