The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

Nahadoth smiled then. This smile was not cruelhe was free and had no need of cruelty anymorebut neither was there mercy in him. I imagine this task will take some time.

Itempas said nothing, because he could not. Nahadoths words had taken hold of him, and with the aid of my power the words wove chains that no mortal could see or sever. He fought the chaining, once unleashing his power against ours in a furious blast, but it was no use. A single member of the Three could never hope to defeat the other two. Itempas had used those odds in his own favor long enough to know better.

But I could not leave it at that. A proper punishment was meant to redeem the culprit, not just assuage the victims.

Your sentence can end sooner, I said, and my words, too, curved and linked and became hard around him, if you learn to love truly.

Itempas glared at me. He had not been driven to his knees by the weight of our power, but it was a near thing. He stood now with back bowed, trembling all over, the white flames of his aura gone and his face sheened with a very mortal sweat. I will never love you, he gritted through his teeth.

I blinked in surprise. Why would I want your love? Youre a monster, Itempas, destroying everything you claim to care for. I see such loneliness in you, such sufferingbut all of it is your own doing.

He flinched, his eyes widening. I sighed, shook my head, and stepped close, lifting a hand to his cheek. He flinched again at my touch, though I stroked him until he quieted.

But I am only one of your lovers, I whispered. Havent you missed the other?

And as I had expected, Itempas looked at Nahadoth. Ah, the need in his eyes! If there had been any hope of it, I would have asked Nahadoth to share this moment with us. Just one kind word might have speeded Itempass healing. But it would be centuries before Nahadoths own wounds had healed enough for that.

I sighed. So be it. I would do what I could to make it easier for both of them, and try again when the ages had worked their magic. I had made a promise, after all.

When youre ready to be among us again, I whispered to Itempas, I, at least, will welcome you back. Then I kissed him, and filled that kiss with all the promise I could muster. But some of the surprise that passed between us was mine, for his mouth was soft despite its hard lines. Underneath that I could taste hot spices and warm ocean breezes; he made my mouth water and my whole body ache. For the first time I understood why Nahadoth loved himand by the way his mouth hung open when I pulled back, I think he felt the same.

I looked over at Nahadoth, who sighed with too-human weariness. He doesnt change, Yeine. He cant.

He can if he wants to, I said firmly.

You are naive.

Maybe I was. But that didnt make me wrong.

I kept my eyes on Itempas, though I went to Naha and took his hand. Itempas watched us like a man dying of thirst, within sight of a waterfall. It would be hard for him, the time to come, but he was strong. He was one of us. And one day, he would be ours again.

Power folded around Itempas like the petals of a great flower, scintillating. When the light faded, he was humanhis hair no longer shining, his eyes merely brown. Handsome, but not perfect. Just a man. He fell to the floor, unconscious from the shock.

With that done, I turned to Nahadoth.

No, he said, scowling.

He deserves the same chance, I said.

I promised him release already.

Death, yes. I can give him more. I stroked Nahadoths cheek, which flickered beneath my hand. His face changed every moment now, beautiful no matter how it lookedthough the mortals probably would not have thought so, since some of his faces were not human. I was no longer human myself. I could accept all of Nahadoths faces, so he had no need of any one in particular.

He sighed and closed his eyes at my touch, which both gratified and troubled me. He had been too long alone. I would have to take care not to exploit this weakness of his now, or he would hate me for it later.

Still, this had to be done. I said, He deserves freedom, same as you.

He gave me a heavy sigh. But his sigh took the form of tiny black stars, surprisingly bright as they sparkled and multiplied and coalesced into a human form. For a moment a negative phantasm of the god stood before me. I willed it to life, and it became a man: Nahadoths daytime self. He looked around, then stared at the shining being who had been his other half for so long. They had never met in all that time, but his eyes widened with realization.

My gods, he breathed, too awed to realize the irony of his oath.

Yeine

I turned to find Sieh beside me in his child form. He stood taut, his green eyes searching my face. Yeine?

I reached for him, then hesitated. He was not mine, despite my possessive feelings.

He reached up just as hesitantly, touching my arms and face in wonder. You really arent her?