Sahli’s eyes glowed even brighter as she spoke in her breathy voice.
"I see. I knew you would come one of these days who could stay away from a beautiful woman for long."
Sahli’s cunning eyes flickered to Cassandra. The lost goddess of love was on her doorstep today.
"And you are the cursed goddess of love. Your father knows how to hold a grudge. I don’t approve of his ways but I needed a favour from him, the only reason I placed such an oath on your mate," Sahli revealed to Cassandra. Siroos tightened his hold around his queen’s waist, keeping her steady against his beating heart. He could sense her agitation and anger.
"My mate and I have suffered for centuries just because we chose to fall in love and because the gods like you and my father didn’t approve," Cassandra seethed out. Her companions nodded their approval.
Sahli dazzled a smile; her Erinyeses giggled behind her, and their eyes wouldn’t waver from Siroos.
"I understand your anger and I am not against your love. Don’t mistake me for someone who enjoys the suffering of others but I made a deal. Besides, what is love if not tested? I think it made yours stronger." Sahli took in how Siroos held her and how Cassandra’s body melted against his.
Lotus had to snort and roll her eyes at Sahli’s words. How typical of these gods to assume that.
"Don’t you think we have been tested enough?" Siroos interjected this time. Sahli’s smile widened at his words; she knew how much restraint this man had shown, and she was well aware of their suffering.
She leaned back into her throne, her veil slightly tightened against her mouth as she slyly asked.
"What do you want?"
"We want to be released from this oath. So I can father a child with my mate and we need to be granted permission to pass through these lands and reach the Tree Of Hope. My mate needs to unlock her powers and that curse that plagues me and my pack has to be lifted. We want to be free."
Siroos’s voice echoed in this chamber hall of hers. His golden eyes blazed dangerously.
"I second that. My brother deserves to live a normal life," Faris added his part; his heart had been strengthened by his SIL, and the Erinyeses and goddess of oath didn’t affect him any longer.
"My mate has kept more than his share of the oath. It’s time we are set free and allowed to live our lives on our terms instead of being shackled by any external forces."
Sahlia quietly listened to their words without speaking. Her sheer gown rippled over her beautiful body like waves.
Siroos was reminded of what that old man had said in the village. A slow smile curled his fuller lips as he addressed the goddess again.
"I think you understand falling in love with a mortal better than any other god. I thought you could sympathise."
Sahli’s broad smile melted away and her glowing eyes slightly narrowed.
"What are you saying, Alpha Siroos?"
"I know you were once in love with a mortal too. I don’t know what the full story is and why you had to leave your lover but I am sure you can relate to us," he answered without any reluctance, staring directly into her eyes, sensing how he saw longings and flickering emotions she had concealed.
Others intently listened.
"What is Siroos talking about?" Razial whispered to Lotus in confusion.
"I have no clue." She merely shrugged her dainty shoulders.
"Leave it to brother dear to always have some secret weapon up his sleeve," Faris triumphantly snickered. His orangish eyes shone with mischief.
Sahli let a snorting chuckle fall through her lips.
"Seems like you learnt a secret of mine. The one I buried so long ago. It’s true. There was a time aeon ago, even before any of you existed. When we relied on Lovis to shoot us with his arrows of love. Mind you he was a tricky little bastard who enjoyed making people suffer in the name of love. We were overjoyed when he decided to retire and you were born."
Sahli pointed to Cassandra. Lovis was the god of love before Asara was born but his tricky ways irked a lot of gods and people.
Everyone was intrigued and listened intently as she continued. A smile of remembrance emerged on her lips.
"He was a mortal man with principles deeply rooted in him. If someone breaks their oath, I can claim their hearts and own their souls. And mortals usually do, they break their oaths more than they can keep them. But not him. He brokered a deal with me to bring me a different kind of flower weekly if his tribe was offered protection against predators. I agreed and began to visit him weekly. Thinking he would fail, how many flowers could this man grow?" She paused and smiled as if relishing in a memory. Her eyes had this forlorn look burnt into them.
"Her story is making me sad. It’s not going to have a happy ending," Aiko mumbled to Faris and he gently rubbed his hand on her arm.
Sahli spoke again.
"He never failed and I would watch him for hours tending to those flowering plants of his. He was so gentle and kind that I fell in love with him. We had a child together, a mortal boy who looked just like his father. But then I had to return to the Underworld for some errands....when I went back ..." The Contours of her face hardened as if she was living through a torturous reminder of something that she had buried.
Cassandra felt her pain deep inside her heart.
"When I returned, his fields of flowers had withered away and not even a single one remained. The lands which experienced spring throughout the year were now barren, with harsh winters and snow covering every centimetre. The goddess of death and jealousy had colluded against me and frozen his lands so his oath would be broken. They claimed him right before my eyes and there was nothing I could do. His tribe was doomed to suffer forever and live in that frozen hell. I left my child with his parents and never returned. My heart couldn’t take it anymore."
A deep heartbreaking silence washed over everyone at Sahli’s sad tale.