It had been a month since The Joining, and Celandine had adjusted well to her new position as the Architect’s mate. Adriel had been busy training, so she had decided to take Obsidian for a ride through the mountain valley. The pegasus whinnied happily as they trotted toward the Emerald Pools.
He had grown into a stunning creature, and Celandine had become attached to him. They had designed him to age at an accelerated rate and to stop growing when he reached maturity. In human years, he would have been about six years old and was still adjusting to his condensed training regimen.
The basin anchored the waterfall from their home, and if she squinted hard enough, she could make out the lines of their living room. Her face pinked as she remembered how they had made love on the sofa, the waterfall rippling playfully behind them.
She stepped down from the saddle, taking a plunge into the churning water, needing to cool her hot skin. Then she climbed out, wringing the excess water from her riding gear, and reached up to stroke his mane.
“Good boy, Obie,” she crooned.
She waited while he drank, stroking his neck affectionately. He unfurled his wings and stretched them out before curling them back into himself. Celandine did not need to worry about pinching them as they rode since they melded into him when they were not in use. This was by design so that she could bring him to Entheas when she traveled there. After all, a winged horse would be bound to spark questions amongst the mortals. Their world was not devoid of magic, but a charmed weapon was a short cry from a Celestial’s familiar.
Obsidian lifted his head when he’d had his fill, and she climbed back in the saddle. They completed a lap around the pool, letting the mist from the waterfall drift over them.
She led Obie to the stable that they had made and removed the reins, pulling the bit from his mouth. He looked sad, his big brown eyes begging her to stay.
“I’m going to find your dad, okay? I’ll be back later.” She kissed his muzzle then headed in to change out of her wet clothes.
She was feeling bold and decided to slip into some more risky undergarments, throwing on a garter for good measure. She donned a navy-trimmed peasant dress and headed for the training grounds.
It would be midday soon, and she thought she would surprise Adriel at work. They were training outside today, and she loved to watch him work up a sweat. The way his muscles shifted and flexed as he moved made her mouth dry and other places quite the opposite.
She scanned the training grounds, disappointed when she couldn’t find the half-naked body she was looking for. There were plenty of bulging pectorals to go around, but none that belonged to her mate. Feeling ridiculous for getting dressed up, she went inside to search for him. Maybe he is in the war chamber.
The space was aptly named and held an air of foreboding. She had only been in there once before when Adriel had given her a full tour of the military quarters. The chamber was shadowed in comparison to most of the spaces in Anistera, all walnut and dark granite.
The walls were lined with maps and books with information on all of her father’s largest creations. A large, circular table was the centerpiece, papers and ink strew about. There was a distinct lack of chairs. Celandine guessed this was due to the seriousness of making war plans. It would be hard to take a commander seriously if they looked like they were waiting for dinner to be served.
She sauntered up to the door, hoping to find him alone, when she heard voices coming from inside the room.
“I have prepared the ranks, Commander. They will be on standby for the unmaking to settle any unrest.”
Celandine stilled herself as her ears perked up.
“Thank you, General Corvus. All your requests will be granted as soon as this is done.”
“It will be my honor, Commander, to stand by your side when your plan comes to fruition. I hope you will allow me to continue to serve you after you unmake your father’s abomination.”
At this, she gasped, not believing what she was hearing. She peered through the crack in the door and could see Adriel leering at a map of Entheas in disgust.
Little did Celandine know that the mortals were no more than playthings to him. During his visits to Entheas, he would sow chaos.
Though the humans had free will, he was cunning and could easily influence their decisions. A push here, a pull there, and he could produce much devastation. And he reveled in it. She had been led to believe that he cared for them as she did.
“Yes, humans are vile creatures, aren’t they? I will be glad to be rid of them. Now, leave me. I must be getting home; Celandine will wonder where I’ve run off to.”
“As you wish, Sir.”
Celandine backed away, hiding in an alcove as General Corvus exited the room. He was an unfortunate character, and she had always sensed there was something off about him. His nose was pointed like the beak of a bird, his shoulder-length hair tied loosely at the base of his neck. He never said much, and she tried her best to avoid interactions with him.
She held her breath and remained out of sight until his footsteps went silent. She gulped in a few breaths and steadied herself. She didn’t have time to lose her head. She had but moments to compose herself, as Adriel would be out any second.
Right on cue, she heard his heavy footfalls head for the door and popped out of the alcove just in time to look like she had just arrived.
“Well, don’t you look handsome,” she lilted, touching his embroidered overcoat.
“And you, my sweet, look ravishing as always.” His eyes filled with desire as he leaned in for a kiss.
She did not hesitate, stroking his ego with her lips before pulling away, looking coy. “There will be more where that came from later,” she said, her eyes betraying nothing.
“I can’t wait.” He smiled hungrily. “But I will. Let’s go home.” He held out his arm, and she grasped it, using every ounce of self-control she had not to be disgusted by him.
“I’m ready when you are.”
Her mind was racing with the revelation from the two-minute conversation she had overheard. He wants to unmake Entheas. Why? She forced herself to remain calm as her insides turned to rot.
She looked up at him, thinking of all the ways she could end his life, but he was smart. She would have to take him by surprise.
She had let him into her heart, into her soul. She wanted to crawl out of her skin and light it aflame to erase every touch he had placed upon it.
The mating bond that steadily burned in her veins had gone ice-cold as she forced herself to keep it intact until the opportune moment. There hadn’t been a rejected bond in over a century, and it would be unimaginably painful to wretch her soul from his.
* * *
In a world where time had always been inconsequential, she suddenly found herself counting the moments and days as they passed. Every second that ticked by was one minute closer to the end of Entheas.
She had come up with a plan, but it was risky. She would have to face Adriel head-on.
Fear gripped her throat, threatening to collapse her esophagus, but she fought it back. She could do this. She had to save them, her beautifully flawed little things.
Adriel presented his plan in only a way a true narcissist could. He tried to convince her that Entheas was dying and they needed to unmake it to make it again. “It will be better for them all. We can give them a second chance.” He pretended as if he cared for them when, in reality, he loathed their entire existence.
“Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of free will?” Celandine asked, if anything, just to see what lies he would spin next.
She forced herself not to flinch as he touched her face.
“Of course not. We will keep everything else the same, just simply make the world a more fruitful place. They won’t even remember that anything changed. Their decisions would still be their own.”
She pressed her palm to his, ignoring the shiver of disgust that slithered under the surface. “If it’s to better their lives, I am all for it.” She smiled through her teeth, her response seeming to ease his mind.
They made a plan to complete the unmaking in two days’ time, when Entheas had a lunar eclipse. That way, any residual weirdness they felt could be blamed on the full moon.
They were the longest two days of her existence, and that was saying something, considering her age. She had forced her body under his no less than three times in the short window and had hated every second of it.
The body she had once loved felt foreign and cold. She tried to remove herself from her physical form as much as she could and played her role well. If Adriel sensed anything, he didn’t show it.
They stood in the same spot where they had created Obsidian, the people of Anistera waiting patiently below. Everyone had turned up to watch the unmaking, and all eyes were on them.
Their father stood to her side, and a look of understanding passed between them.
She took a deep breath and leaned forward to let her blood fall into the center of the eye. The cool metal warmed as the scarlet liquid marred its surface.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a crooked grin take shape on Adriel’s lips. She had to act. It was now or never. The fate of Entheas rested on her shoulders.
“Now,” Adriel said, his words dripping like ice down the back of her neck, “we remake the world.”
As he leaned forward, extending the Oculus to her, she lunged up with the dagger and planted it firmly into his breastbone.
He yelled out, his voice like thunder, “What have you done?” and staggered back, falling to his knees, coughing up blood.
Celandine had to move quickly. She grabbed the Oculus, broke it in two, and ran, leaving Adriel to choke on his own blood.
She didn’t know where she was going until she got there. She was gasping for air as she ran into the stable and launched herself onto Obsidian’s back. They shot out of the barn and headed toward the gate to Entheas.
Without a saddle, she struggled to grip the reins and dropped a piece of the Oculus as she righted herself. She looked back at the metal glinting in the dirt and let out a cry of frustration. She did not have time to turn back. She tightened her grip on the other piece and kept moving.
The humans knew not of her true existence, apart from rumors and stories. She owed them nothing. Nevertheless, she had grown to love these mundane creatures.
She had traveled to many worlds and had visited many planes and realms, but the humans were truly unique. They were flawed in the most perfect way possible, and they deserved to live.
She was willing to face Adriel’s wrath for them. Turn on her brothers and sisters if necessary. Her father understood. She could see it in his eyes at the ceremony that he knew what her future held.
She had existed for millennia and had experienced so much. She would go happy knowing she was right where she was supposed to be.
She held tight to Obie’s neck, closing her eyes. Gripping the broken half of the Oculus tightly to her chest, they jumped, and she shattered the bond.