RISEN || The Keepers of Astraela #2

13.1 || EVA

|| CHAPTER 13.1 ||
|| EVA ||

THE SULFUR NEVER LEFT Eva's lungs. Even long after the smoke and searing heat faded into a damp, dark void, the stench lingered. Every moment of deathly silence added pressure to her chest. She waited for hellfire to obliterate the stillness.

She wondered if the last thing she saw would be Emrys' face, void of the life and love that she never thought would leave his essence.

Soon, the darkness faded. Eerily familiar chambers of onyx and silver penetrated her vision—but instead of fear, it was rage that boiled in Eva's stomach. She tried to shove down the feeling. Rage would only lead to another physical confrontation, and she wasn't going to risk her friends' lives outside whatever vision Thana had thrust her into.

"You found him."

When Thana's voice rumbled in Eva's throat, it was no longer a surprise—though no less unpleasant. She couldn't imagine any feeling worse than being trapped in a stranger's body that, supposedly, had once also been her own. It wasn't right; they weren't the same. Eva's heart hammered at the thought of what might be happening to her unconscious body in Havenwood—how Thana could've used her against the ones she loved.

Meanwhile, the Dark goddess was the picture of nonchalance. She leaned back against the headboard of her canopied bed, sinking into the plush mattress while she swirled Ambrosia around in her chalice. Shadows turned the emerald liquid inky until it mimicked the same Corruption that must've filled her blood. This time, however, she was alone. No Demons, no remnants of the infant's bloodied corpse on the polished floor.

It almost looked like a normal castle. But every time Eva gazed into a reflective surface, all she could see were Emrys' eyes blazing with fury. Hatred.

What had happened to him?

And, more importantly, how had he come back to life?

Despite all of the unspoken questions racing through her mind, her voice refused to resonate. Thana held her words under ransom, and the price of sacrificing her soul to combine with the goddess' once more was too steep to accept. Being held captive in her own mind was an unpleasant yet unavoidable punishment.

"Don't worry," said Thana. She licked at the droplets of Ambrosia dotting her lips. "He'll come back to us. He always does."

__________

Eva woke to a shadowed bedroom. When her eyes first fluttered open, she was convinced she must've still been in Thana's chambers. But the goddess' incessant droning never graced her ears, and as she heaved a deep breath, her chest moved by her own will.

Finally.

Her eyes adjusted slowly to her dim surroundings. The world felt blurry and slow, as if she had woken from a coma after years of forced slumber. All she could make sense of was a silhouette sitting beside her on the bed, reaching for something just beyond her peripheral vision. It turned to her and placed a damp, cool cloth across her forehead. Soft fingers brushed her forehead, strangely warm in contrast.

It almost reminded her of...

"Morning, sleepy head."

Nox's deep rumble brought her thoughts to a screeching halt. Of course it wasn't Emrys—not after he tried attacking them.

Tears welled in her eyes. Emrys was alive, and she had no idea how. But he had undoubtedly stood before them, encircling them in his own hellfire. And once Thana's rage overtook her with a force stronger than the one burning brightly in Emrys' eyes, there was no doubt.