“What are the ones he gave dual life to?”
“There are only two. Ones that can shift into forms of large felines. They’re called wivern and can usually be found in Sirta. They are fierce fighters in both forms, and most gods know better than to get cornered by a pissed-off wivern.”
It didn’t surprise me that the gods who could take the form of such predators would be found in Hanan’s Court.
“And then there are the ceeren,” he continued, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he was aware that he still held myhand. “They are usually found in the Triton Isles.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. “Do they live in the water?”
“They can.” He arched a brow. “You’ve heard of them?”
“I’ve heard stories of them—old ones. Legends of sailors being lured from their ships by beautiful creatures in the sea that were half mortal, half…fish.” I wrinkled my nose. “Not quite sure how one is half fish.”
He grinned as we passed several rough-hewn chambers that I figured were meant to be more cells. Only a handful had doors, and I tried not to think about how far underground we must be. “Yeah, they are unique to look upon when they take that form. I’m sure you will see them eventually.”
I really wanted to see a ceeren. “And they’re the only ones who can shift forms?”
A faint grin appeared. “Some Primals and even fewer gods can.” Nyktos stopped then at the end of the hall, then pushed open a door. Letting go of my hand, he stepped inside. “Here we are.”
Flames from dozens of sconces cast a soft glow over the wide chamber, which appeared to have been carved out of shadowstone, the walls not nearly as smooth as they were on the floors above. Some sort of stone table had been built from the wall, standing a little bit higher than my waist, but what rested in the middle of the chamber caught and held my attention as I slowly walked forward. It was a…a large body of water. Like a lake—but not.
The door closed behind me as Nyktos joined me. “It’s a pool,” he explained.
“A pool?” I repeated, clasping my hands under my chin.
“Yes, like a very large bathing tub. The end here,” he said, gesturing to where water rippled over some steps, “is pretty shallow, but it gradually becomes deeper. Small mills at the end, where it is even above my head, keep the water moving, and the minerals that run off the shadowstone help to keep the water clean and cool.” He tipped his head back to look at the low ceiling. “The kitchens are above us, and the fires there help keep this chamber heated. It’s the closest thing I could get to a lake.”
My gaze cut to him. “Did you create this? With eather?”
“Using that kind of energy to create something like this could’ve destabilized the whole palace. This was done by hand,”he said, and my eyes went wide. “I didn’t do this alone. Rhain and Ector helped carve out the stone. Even Saion and Rhahar pitched in over the years. So did Nektas.” Another grin appeared. “Bele mostly just stood by and supervised.”
I snickered at that. “How long did this take?”
“A very long time, but it was worth it.” Pride crept into his tone. “Especially when sleep is hard to attain, or the mind is in need of a quiet place.”
I stared up at him as he turned his gaze to the dark, glistening waters that reminded me so much of my lake. I wondered how often he disappeared to this space—somewhere I knew was special, based on his tone and how he looked upon it. It might even be a little bit sacred to him. I also wondered why he’d decided to show it to me.
You miss your lake, don’t you?
That sweeping, fluttering motion returned to my chest as my gaze shifted back to the pool.
“Why did you visit my lake if you had this?”
Nyktos was quiet for so long that I looked at him. He was still staring at the pool. “Because it was your lake.”
Chapter 24
Out of everything I’d expected him to say, that wasn’t even on the list. “What do you mean?” I angled my body toward his. “Because when I saw you at my lake, you acted surprised to see me there.”
“Iwassurprised to see you there.” He looked down at me. “Out of the many times that I had been there, you never came.”
“But you knew it was my lake before that night?”
“I did.”
My brows raised. “I’m going to need a little bit more explanation here.”
He was quiet for a moment. “Before my father died, he told me about the deal he made with your ancestor. He didn’t tell me why, but I think I would’ve known even if he hadn’t told me.”