A Gift from the Goddess

Chapter 86

Chapter Eighty–Six 

“Aleric, ” I called out to him and carefully approached. 

Immediately, I saw how he tensed up at my presence, his eyes flashing dark for just a moment. I suppose i t wasn‘t that surprising to think he‘d be furious after all this time down here. 

However, his words seemed to contradict this first impression, only succeeding in confusing me. 

“Aria,” he breathed, almost as if in a sigh of relief, before quickly focusing again. 

My eyes narrowed as I looked at him, unsure what game he was playing at. Was this some sort of act? 

“You can let her go now,” I said, jutting my chin towards Lucy. “If you kill her, you won‘t have anyone to bring you your meals every day.” 

But his head moved back in confusion, taken off guard by my blunt response. 

“...What?” he simply asked, perplexed by my words. 

“I said... let her go or you‘ll probably end up starving,” I repeated, taking a few more steps towards him.” She isn‘t a part of this... But I get it though. You wanted to make some sort of big statement to get me down here, wanted to feel like you had a bit of control since I‘ve kept you locked up for so long. Well, Aleric, now I‘m here, just like you wanted. So what‘s the next step of your plan? Are you going to kill her and make me watch? Are you disappointed I missed that part when you killed my parents?” 

“I don‘t... what?” he asked again. “Aria... what the hell happened?” 

I tried not to laugh at that. What hadn‘t happened? 

Apart from learning that my existence was purely to serve the agenda of a higher power? Apart from Cai sleeping with Thea for months and possibly working with her? Apart from Aleric‘s betrayal? 

...Apart from feeling so empty inside all the goddamn time? 

It was a wonder that I was still bothering at all. 

“Just let her go or get it over with, Aleric,” I said. “Don‘t drag this out any longer than we need to. I‘m sure there are more important things we could be discussing right now. Such as... Where Thea is and why are you working with her?” 

However, he still didn‘t move, as if debating internally as to what he should do. His reluctance was only frustrating me further though. Why debate when he never gave my parents that courtesy? Did he value an attendant over them? 

“Go on, do it!” | goaded and moved in so close I could have reached out to touch them. “Do it, Aleric! Kill her! Just like the murderer you are!” 

Abruptly, he then let her go, finally releasing her from his grip. 

“If only you‘d shown this sort of restraint earlier,” I muttered and quickly grabbed Lucy away from the bars to safety. “You‘re okay, Lucy. Get out of here. You‘re safe now.” 

She didn‘t need to be told twice, scrambling to leave as soon as possible. 

“So you actually believe this false story that I‘m involved with Thea then,” he said. “You know, when you didn‘t come down to see me I thought that maybe something horrible had happened to you. But looks like I was wrong. Apparently you just decided to not even give me a chance to explain and believe wholeheartedly that I‘m the bad guy.” 

| shrugged a shoulder. “Don‘t need to ‘believe‘ anything when I heard it with my own ears. Or Lucy‘s ears, 

Chaplet Lighiy Sex 

depending on how you want to look at it. I saw in a vision how you asked her if she was there because of Thea ‘as well‘. I don’t know why you continue to deny involvement with her.” 

“You mean the attendant who just so happened to be at the hospital the exact moment I was there? You didn‘t think that was suspicious at all? And it was the exact moment that–,” but he stopped himself and looked at me more closely. “Nevermind.” 

“...What? You‘re actually going to blame Lucy now?” I asked, half laughing over how absurd that was. “Go o n, tell me, Aleric, tell me how Lucy is actually the villain here. In fact, I bet it‘s somehow her fault my parents are dead too and next you‘ll be telling me how she forced you to do it.” 

“Aria!” he growled. “It‘s the same attendant you put in charge of my care down here all these months. Why do you think I‘ve refused to say anything? You‘ve got a goddamn spy and you don‘t even realise it. I don‘t know what the hell happened to you but if you‘re so blinded to even the possibility she‘s involved then I don‘t know what to tell you.” 

“No, Aleric, I‘m not blinded to it,” I argued, walking back up close to the bars. “In fact, nothing would surprise me these days. I just can‘t believe you‘re trying to distract me with stories of Lucy though when you were clearly the one at fault, when I saw you with their blood on your hands! Do you even realise who Thea is? Who you‘re protecting?” 

“Why would I need to realise anything when I have nothing to do with that girl?” 

‘He‘s lying,’ the voice whispered. ‘He knows. He‘s just pretending.‘ 

would be a gross understatement. She is the literal Goddess of Sight; Selene‘s mother. A being created at the beginning of time that is now bound and trapped inside a mortal body. That ‘girl‘ is more powerful

all Aleric managed

you‘re done being useful. It‘s the same strategy she did to Cai; making

her, Aria!” he finally yelled, cutting me

up against the bars making him only a foot away and I looked up into his eyes. His green eyes that

I wasn‘t expecting. An odd

looked so... genuine. Like he might really be telling the truth. And a part of me really did want to believe him. Was that naive of me? To have a part of

feeling were inconsequential now.

with Thea, he

apologies were going to make up for that. Nothing would be enough to overcome such a thing, regardless of who‘s

he didn‘t want to wait long to prove my point either, my senses picking up on an impending

“LEFT. 

hand came up quickly, moving through

dodge it, falling into

scolded. ‘I told

snaking through the bars, grabbing my throat... slowly squeezing

from having to quickly react. “Didn‘t want to miss your only chance at getting to me? Were you not listening to what I just told you?! I can‘t kill you just like you should forget about killing me. Your survival is dependent on me living, just as Cai‘s is as well. Don‘t

and grunted out in

leave. I could feel already as my arm began to shake next to me, the fear she had induced inside

said over my shoulder. “And the next time you threaten an attendant, expect to be sharing your cell with a corpse for a few days.”

he slammed his hands against the

of sense left then you‘ll look into Lucy,” he yelled out just as I made it to

a moment, allowing for his words to

screamed otherwise. How could I even possibly entertain the idea when it seemed so clear to me that he was falling back into the ways of the prior timeline?

what if he was right?

my thoughts that I didn‘t even sense Lucy when she threw herself at me, pulling me into a hug. Her sobs were evident as

grabbing at my shirt. “Miss, thank you for coming to

because I had just been doubting her loyalty, but because I‘d been ready to let Aleric kill her if it meant proving a point. That I didn‘t see her, or any of the other non descendants, as overly important anymore so long

was

might have been

for a second there that he was going to do it but your

quickly detangling myself from her, moving to be able to look at her

her. How could someone with so much trust in me be a traitor working for Thea? I‘d blatantly thrown her to a meaningless death and she thought I‘d been bluffing.

I finally said, choosing not to answer, and walked back

all of it began eating away at me.

Aleric... but he wasn‘t wrong. Lucy had been there since the

Chapter Eighty Six 

the very first person I ever mentioned Thea to, therefore knowing since I was fourteen that I was after her. She was even privy to information regarding my whereabouts

of all the spies we‘d ever allegedly had... Lucy made the

been right there in front

motive that I was struggling with the most though. What

would be honoured to hold, even to the point where they would probably accept it for a fraction of the salary | offered Lucy. So what could Thea possibly offer her that I

me for

it started consuming my every thought more and more, driving me crazy from not being able t o figure it out. Wondering whether there was even the tiniest

decided it was time.

me back, I decided it was

it felt as though I was giving in to Aleric by doing so, that I was indulging his stories of denial, but somehow I couldn‘t seem

said a few days later, making her

been staring at her the entire time as she moved around, unable to focus on anything else while questions of her loyalty swarmed me.

“Miss?” 

I really about to do this?

I said, gesturing towards my visitor chair.

with a smile. “Thank you though. I‘m almost done here and then

back at her with complete seriousness.

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