Prologue
Nyx
When subdued Wolf left the chamber of her Sanctum, Nyx stepped slowly across the starry marble under her bare feet. Dragging her fingertips along the threads covering the walls, she wasn’t surprised when the primordial darkness covering them dissolved following her path. She felt Erebus materialize and watch her when she stopped beside the end of the tapestry.
Nyx’s fingers stopped on the edge of the tangle of threads right before the jagged End. As much as she dreaded it, she couldn’t help how it fascinated her.
The tapestry of fate loomed before her, a web of possibilities, choices, and paths… too many to decipher the outcome, even for her.
“You had given them all you could,” Erebus’s stern tone finally broke the silence, and Nyx sighed, half turning toward her husband. Keeping her fingers over the threads, she smiled sadly to see a dark scowl on his sharp features.
“Would that be enough, though?” she asked, then turned her starless eyes toward the tapestry, raising both hands to its tangled threads. “Conjunction is upon us, Erebus, and even I do not know how it will end. The possibility I’ve shown Fenrir…” she motioned toward the patch of tapestry she stood during Wolf’s visit, then to how the tangled threads cut off abruptly. “…or the End. This test,” she joined her hands over the unreadable, tangled web, “will either make or break the rules, beloved. All my schemes, deals, and prayers… and I can do nothing but watch. It’s too late to do anything, but I hope they’ll prove my idea worked. Too late to change anything… and I fear, Erebus. For the first time in eternity, I fear my investment will prove wrong and fail to forestall the End. And with one of our children working against us…” she trailed off and closed her eyes as she let her hands drop to her sides. “The dagger. Which one was it?” she asked softly, feeling the soothing tendrils of his darkness wrap around her form.
Erebus’s arsenal of weapons was as wide as they were old, many blades containing magic long forgotten even among the gods. She didn’t recognize the dagger brought by Fenrir, but her husband’s fury spoke volumes. Not to mention that risking stealing it had to be worth it…
“The blade of obedience,” his voice resonated with rage, any but her would tremble at. “Nicked with it, your prize would become a thrall, Nyx. A mindless puppet serving whoever supplied that miserable mortal with it.”
Nyx nodded slowly, then opened her eyes to once more look toward the tapestry.
“The game is at its end,” she whispered as the cocoon of his darkness thickened around her. “They know it as much as we do… and grow desperate. Less than a month left, Erebus,” she sighed tiredly. Then they both dematerialized back into the light and darkness of the night sky, leaving behind only his darkness—an impenetrable shield—once more covering the grand tapestry.
They knew, better than anyone else, that at this point, any mistake could prove fatal. And the torn End of her design proved that the price for failure would be more than the universe was able to pay.
