Soul Relenter (Soul Saga #3) (46 page)

Aleco said nothing more. He watched her across the fire until he looked away. Accacia turned to Zyle, who was also watching her. “Could you excuse us for a moment?” Zyle nodded and walked away from the campfire, disappearing into the blackness of night.

“Why did you dismiss him?” Aleco asked.

“I don’t think you would want him here. I need to tell you something.”

“What is it?”

“Father Giloth wanted me to relay a message to you.”

Aleco stared at her. Now he understood why she asked for privacy. Aleco felt his heart race in his chest. He was being given a message from the dead. He feared for the worst. “What does he wish me to know?”

“There are two things,” she said simply. “Here is the first one: he says he forgives you, Aleco.” Aleco didn’t change his facial expression but she knew he was feeling a rush of emotion underneath the skin. He closed his eyes for a moment and sighed deeply. “And there is something else as well.”

“What did he say?”

“Don’t ever lose hope. He said you would be happy again someday—remember that.”

A
leco closed his eyes at the words. He knew Father Giloth was referring to Accacia. He had said those words to him when she was leaving these shores forever. He had never felt so low, and Father Giloth told him he would be happy again. Aleco didn’t know what to think of these words. He had lost Accacia to Zyle—she wasn’t ever coming back. He had no idea what the old man meant. Perhaps he knew Aleco would find happiness with another woman—he doubted it. If Father Giloth had looked into the prescient stone, he may have seen Aleco’s future happiness. Aleco knew his uncle was trying to stop him from killing himself—he wanted him to wait. Aleco didn’t know how long he could. As soon as Accacia left, he wanted it to end. He had no purpose being on this earth—it was time for him to go. Aleco wondered if Father Giloth had told her about his plan. “Did he say anything else?”

“No,” she said.

“So he didn’t say what he was referring to?”

Accacia sho
ok her head. “Do you know what he’s referring to?”

Aleco didn’t answer.

“You don’t have to tell me what it is,” she said. “I just want to know if you understand his meaning.”

“Yes, I know what he meant.”

Accacia nodded. “Good.”

They sat in silence for a moment, staring at each other across the flames. Aleco saw the abs
ence of fire in her eyes and knew she was depressed. The loss of her aunt had practically destroyed her. Aleco wanted to comfort her but he refrained from doing so. Aleco remembered their time spent traveling the Continent. He had found her both annoying and attractive. Aleco had succumbed to her charms and had fallen for her with his whole heart. She had selflessly protected him when she had no reason to. She refused to forgive him for what he did to her but he knew she had the moment she sacrificed herself. She had just been afraid to love him. Aleco swallowed the lump in his throat. The memories were painful. “You could use the stone, Accacia—just this once.”

Accacia looked at him. “I can’t.”

“Yes, you can.”

Accacia knew he w
as referring to the Death Stone. She could bring back her aunt from the dead. “Why is her soul more important than the others who lost their lives? I can’t be selfish, Aleco.”

“Yes, you can,” he said firmly. “You just saved us all—twice. You deserve to have what you want.”

“No,” she said. “The Death Stone is complicated. Bringing someone back from the peace of death can have horrifying consequences. I won’t do it.”

Aleco sighed. “That is your decision to make.”

Accacia smiled. “Since when did you start respecting my decisions?”

“This is just a one-time thing,” he said with a smile.

Accacia felt her heart ache. He had said the same thing to her the first night they made love. She looked away, hurt by his words.

Aleco caught her look. “I apologize, Accacia. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I’m going to get Zyle,” she said as she left the campsite.

She returned a moment later with Zyle in tow. They lied under their blanket and closed their
eyes. Aleco lied in his bedroll on the other side of the fire and looked up to the stars in the sky. Aleco didn’t look at the king and queen on the other side of the fire. He ended his jealousy of their relationship. He finally accepted it.

Zyle snuggled next to Accacia
, and she stared up at the sky, wondering what Aleco was feeling on the other side of the flames. He didn’t seem to care about the closeness between Accacia and her husband. Accacia suspected her fear was true. He didn’t love her anymore.

Zyle kept his eyes closed but he could feel the profound sadness emit from
her body. She was in excruciating pain. Zyle wondered what the source of her despair was. He wondered if it was Laura’s passing or the conversation between her and Aleco. Zyle suspected he knew the answer. He didn’t say anything to her but held her closer to him, hoping that his love was enough to ease her sorrow.

Orgoom Forest

40

The three approached the border of the forest by mid-afternoon. Aleco released his steed in the forest, removing its saddle and reigns and tossing them to the floor. Accacia and Zyle did
the same. The forest was empty. All the citizens had returned to their homes in the neighboring provinces, and the surviving Asquithians returned to their ship, mourning the loss of their people. Half of their society had been killed in the battle.

Aleco approached the house with Accacia and Zyle into tow. He t
urned around and looked at the king and queen. “I suspect you will be leaving now,” he said simply.

“We
will infringe on your hospitality a few more days,” Zyle said. “We need to gather supplies for the journey home. My people also need to rest.” Accacia didn’t say anything. She felt her heart ache at the thought of leaving.

“You’
re always welcome in my lands. Stay as long as you wish.”

Aleco reached for the door and stepped inside.
Accacia and Zyle walked behind him. As soon as Aleco stepped into the parlor at the front of the house, Penelope ran to him and embraced him, kissing him on the cheek. She grabbed his face. “I’m so glad you’re back.” Accacia felt her heart fall at their interaction. She was starting to hate the woman. “Thank the gods you’re alright.”

Aleco kissed
her forehead. “Yes, I survived.”

Penelope didn’
t even look at Accacia and Zyle. It was as if they didn’t exist. “I will be leaving for Roslyn in a few days. My husband expects my return.”

Aleco nodded. “The man has waited a long time.”

“He wants you to come as well. The new king needs to be appointed.”

“I’m not interested.”

“Then escort me at least.”

“What about our agreement?”

Penelope’s eyes sagged. “You haven’t changed your mind?”

“No.
”

“Does it need to be done right away?”

“It needs to be soon.”

Penelope hugged him. “Okay,” she whispered.

Aleco stepped away from her and looked at Accacia and Zyle. “You owe them your appreciation as well, Penny. The victory would have been lost if it weren’t for Accacia. She saved my life as well.”

Penelope stared at Accacia but said nothing. Eventually
, she nodded to her, unable to overcome her hate for the girl after what she did to Aleco. Accacia would never know how much pain she caused him. She turned back to Aleco. “You must be exhausted. Can I do anything for you?”

Aleco shook his head. “I just want to be alone, Penny. But thank
you.” Aleco turned back to the king and queen. Accacia saw the pragmatic look he gave them. Their relationship didn’t bother him whatsoever. “You’re welcome to stay in the house but I’m going to retire for the afternoon—alone with my thoughts.”

Zyle nodded. “We’
ll be at the ship, preparing to leave.”

Aleco nodded. “Goodbye.”

Zyle and Accacia returned to the ship. The Asquithians were already preparing for the voyage by gathering food and supplies for the journey. They were desperate to leave this place. The Asquithians were quiet and mournful, depressed over the loss of half their population. Accacia felt responsible for the loss. If she had gotten there sooner, so many people would have been spared—especially Laura. Accacia looked at Zyle and knew he was thinking the same thing. He looked away from her, ashamed of his mistake. The king and queen consoled their subjects and assisted them in the movement of supplies. Accacia and Zyle were not rulers that deemed the work to their inferiors—they worked their bodies to help in whatever way they could. Accacia kissed Zyle on the cheek before she walked away. “I’m going to the Lorunien Tree,” she said. “I want to be alone.”

Zyle nodded to her. “Will you be back by this evening?”

Accacia locked her gaze with his. The last time she said she was leaving she had never returned. The experience had frightened her life partner. “Yes, I will.”

Accacia walked to the base of the tree and sat before it, looking up into the canopy and admiring the leaves and blossoms that covered the branches. The tree did not communicate with her
, and Accacia was glad. She didn’t understand anyway. Accacia pulled the stones from her armor and laid them on the grass before her. She looked at each one in turn and admired the beauty of each gem. They were all unique in their coloring. She grabbed the Time Stone from the grass and held it in her fingers. It was yellow with the symbol of the sun in the middle. She felt the smooth texture under her fingertips as she appraised it under the light of the evening sun.

Accacia felt someone approach her and she looked up to see Aleco standing beside her. He was looking up into the canopy. After several moments
, he sat beside her and looked at her. “The Nature God is happy,” was all he said. She assumed he was referring to their victory. Aleco looked down at the stones in her hand. He didn’t reach out to touch it but he stared at it for a long time. “Which one is that?”

“The Time Stone.”

Aleco nodded. “And what do you plan to do with it?”

Accacia said nothing for a moment. She couldn’t hide her feelings from Aleco. He seemed to understand her better than Zyle did at times, even though they had been apart for a year. Aleco knew she wouldn’t be holding the stone in particular unless it had meaning to her. “I don’t know,” she said honestly. “I’m not sure what I should do.”

“What are your thoughts?”

Accacia sighed. “A lot of people died, Aleco. It could have all been avoided if I had arrived there along with the rest of you. I wouldn’t have lost Laura—my only family in the world. I wonder how different it would have been.”

Aleco nodded. “There is no way to know,” he said simply. “But you’re probably right. If you had been among us, the battle would have gone quite differently. I’m sorry that I forced you behind. I know you’re angry with Zyle but you should be upset with me, not him. I was the one who convinced him to do it.”

“It doesn’t matter. I have forgiven him.”

“No you haven’t, Accacia. I can tell you haven’t.”

Accacia didn’t speak.

“And if you alter our past, it won’t change the way you feel. Zyle won’t know that it ever happened but you will. You will remember it while the rest of us will forget it, having never experienced it. I suggest you truly forgive him, Accacia—he meant well.”

“I know—but—I lost Laura because of it.”

“That isn’t his fault, Accacia, and you know it.” He stared at her but she didn’t meet his gaze. “I would have done the same thing, Accacia—any man would.”

Accacia looked down at the stone in her hand, watching it catch the light. It shined a brighter shade of yellow under the light. She knew Aleco was right but she couldn’t release her bitter anger. She had lost her aunt because of Zyle—they had lost a lot of people.

“Have you thought about changing anything else?”

Accacia met his gaze. He knew what he was really asking. She told Aleco that she regretted leaving the Continent—she hated herself for abandoning him in the first place. They would still be together if she had
, and she never would have hurt him so deeply. She meant what she said. “Yes.”

“And what did you decide?”

“I don’t know—we may never have won the war if I never left. The Lorunien Tree may have only deemed me worthy because I was the Queen of the Asquithians. I can’t correct the alteration of time. If we fail, I can’t just change it back.”

“If you
were certain that Drake would be killed—without a doubt—would you do it?”

Accacia c
losed her eyes. “There is no way to know.”

“Answer me.”

Accacia shivered at the command in his voice. He didn’t want to know her answer—he needed to know it. Accacia didn’t know what her answer was. If she decided to change the past, then Zyle would never have known her. She never would have been his life partner and he would live out his life never knowing she existed. It would be like it never happened. Her subjects wouldn’t have lost their lives in the attack and would never have left their shores at all. The Soul Binders would be destroyed and they would live in peace. Koku and Pia wouldn’t know who she was, and the boat she had sailed to the island on would disappear. The bedroom Zyle and her made love in wouldn’t be ruffled with messy sheets. She would know her soul mate existed in the wrld but he would never realize it. Aleco would be free of the pain of her betrayal because it never came to pass. They would be exactly what they were before. Aleco would make love to her thinking he was the only man she ever loved and he would be happy, not depressed and a shadow of a man that he was now. Only Accacia would be aware of the rewritten past, of the pain of an alternate reality. “I—I don’t know, Aleco.”