Total pages in book: 169
Estimated words: 161535 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 808(@200wpm)___ 646(@250wpm)___ 538(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 161535 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 808(@200wpm)___ 646(@250wpm)___ 538(@300wpm)
I flinch at his words, but they’re not meant to be unkind. He’s just speaking truth. “I think if it was up to Kalos, we’d have probably stayed back where I’d found him. I insisted we leave, though. I imagine it’s hard for him—or any of them—to motivate when they’re cursed like they are.” Staying and dying probably seems the quickest way “out” of their predicament, but I’m not about to lie down and let someone else steamroll us.
Omos feigns a lot of interest in the ladle. “I truly hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but my lord Kalos is unlike any of the other Apathy aspects I’ve read about. He’s far more alert than he should be.”
I’m surprised. That’s the second person that’s commented that Kalos isn’t like most Apathy aspects. It’s not that I had expectations of what “Apathy” would look like, other than depression. But to hear that Kalos is more cognizant than most throws me for a loop. What are the others like if not like him? I can’t imagine. “I guess that’s good, right?”
“Aye, it’s good. Perhaps you’ve given him something to be interested in.”
My face heats in a fiery blush and I hope Kalos isn’t listening in. “We’re just good friends. Road buddies. Trauma bonding.”
He’s a god and I’m just…a nobody.
“If you say so,” Omos replies.
He offers me the ladle again, but I’m no longer thirsty. My mind is spinning. I don’t know what to think. If Kalos isn’t like the other Apathy aspects, why not? “How is he different?” I ask. I feel like I’m pumping the monk for information but…how can I not? “In what way? What do I need to know?”
His eyes widen and he sets the bucket down. “I didn’t mean to alarm you. Just that, well, you’ll forgive an old man if he speculates.”
“Speculate away. I’m going into all this blind, and Kalos isn’t much of a help. I don’t think he paid much attention to mortals.”
“Even if he did, their memories are fractured when they arrive in the mortal realm. It’s something about living here. It doesn’t sit right with them. That’s one reason why the High Father ties them to a mortal Anchor. I met the god of battle, his arrogance Aspect, and there are certain things about Kalos that remind me of him. When one Aspect is destroyed, a small portion of him is reabsorbed by the others. If I am allowed to speculate, I would suggest that arrogance has already been quietly removed. Do you know anything about the other aspects?”
Kalos is…Arrogance as well as Apathy? I want to laugh, because what a shitty combination, but there’s nothing funny about the situation. He has been rather fussy about his clothing, but I thought he was just vain. Maybe it’s not vanity at all. “Is there a way to check? How can we tell?”
“There are spinners in some towns.” At my blank look, he continues. “Wise women. They can see some of the Fates’ great web from afar. You might consult one.
“Yes! Fantastic! Where can we meet one?” A psychic? A real one? I would give my left tit for answers straight from the gods. Given that I’m currently besties with a god, I have no doubt that these spinners can really talk to deities. Why not?
His expression falls. “The nearby village has one, but she’s the woman that I’ve been visiting. Her illness is quite severe.”
“Oh.” I’m crushed, because I don’t want to bother a sick old woman. It takes me a moment to remember that Kalos is the god of disease. “What if we visit her? I’m sure I can ask nicely, and he’ll fix her up. I think he’d do that for me.”
“In other words, he will only help the unfortunate when both of you get something out of it?”
Oof. Hit me right in the heart, why don’t you.
Omos hesitates, then continues. “If I may be so bold…”
I grab him by the shoulders. “Be bold. Tell me exactly what you’re thinking, Omos. I need all the help I can get. I need advice. Answers. A crash course on what the fuck we’re supposed to do.”
He looks torn. “I just…I just wonder what your plan is. You’ve been with Lord Kalos for how long now?”
“Two months? Three? I’ve lost track.”
“And you’ve been running the whole time. Is…that your plan?” He asks gently. “To hide out and run for the entirety of his span upon the mortal realm?”
I blink at him. “I don’t know…I mean, what else can we do?”
“You tell me. You are the one accompanying a god.”
I’m silent. Not because I’m angry, but because he’s forcing me to really think about our situation long-term. I’ve been taking it day to day, hour by hour, existing until the next nap, the next meal, the next town. I haven’t thought bigger picture.