Gameboard of the Gods (Age of X, #1)(95)

“Okay.”

“Anyway, I had this golden apple, and these three people wanted it.”

“They wanted you to pick the most beautiful?”

“No.” He frowned and seemed to be grasping for words. “It’s hard to explain. The apple wasn’t about beauty here. It was more than that. The choice was about, I don’t know, power. Power and allegiance.”

“Allegiance to what?” she asked.

“To one of these three. Giving the apple was a commitment, I guess.” The more he spoke, the more obvious it was that this dream had deeply affected him. “They told me I had power with the apple, but that if I gave it to one of them, they’d give me something in return. And just like in the story, they tried to bribe me.

“One of them was a man wrapped in smoke and darkness. I couldn’t really see him, but he spoke in this deep voice that made the ground shake. He told me if I followed him, he’d give me power and authority. He said I’d have wealth and influence and people scrambling to serve me. That they’d fear me. It was kind of intense, and he made some cryptic comment about how he knew my adversaries and could help me fight them. The woman—there was only one—was a little gentler. But still dangerous. And alluring. I could see more of her. Her skin was pure white, and she had gray eyes and silver hair. Not like graying silver. Like, real silver. Brilliant and beautiful…it nearly hurt to look at her….” He trailed off for a moment. “She told me she liked clever men and that if I gave her the apple, she’d give me wisdom that could unlock all the secrets of the world. I told her I already had wisdom.”

“Of course you did,” said Mae. Even in some life-changing dream, his self-confidence would still be going strong.

“She said I was wrong, that I had knowledge and cleverness—but not wisdom.”

“Like the Lady of the Book versus the Lady of Keys.”

The reference seemed to surprise Justin, but he nodded slowly. “I suppose so. The third guy was older, and I could only see half of his face. The rest was in shadows. He said no one could give wisdom, that it had to be earned. He said he’d teach me and that his thought and his memory would guide me. He also said he’d show me how to outwit my enemies and that I could have love that would make others stop and stare. That kind of pissed off the woman. She said, ‘So love can be given, but not wisdom?’ And he said that he never said he’d give it to me…just that I could have it, like if I worked for it. She called him a cunning bastard.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t give him the apple just for that. He sounds like a kindred spirit.”

“I didn’t get a chance to mull it over,” said Justin, though he had the first genuine smile she’d seen since they got back. “Because then the smoky guy scoffed and said that he could do that and more, that he’d give me more women than I’d know what to do with.”

“I assume you told him the impossibility of that,” Mae interjected.

“You’re on a roll here, aren’t you? Never thought I’d have a heckler while I was pouring out my heart and soul.”

“Okay, sorry.” She had to remind herself of all that was at stake.

“The old guy said I’d only need one woman, and that the one he’d send me would mirror me in light and shadow, that I’d know her by a crown of stars and—” Justin faltered for a moment and then cleared his throat. “He said she’d be carved of fire and ice, that she’d scorch me in my bed and live and die for me outside of it.”

Mae would have accused him of embellishing the story, but with his memory, he was probably reciting the flowery words verbatim.

Justin took a deep breath. “I ended up giving him the apple.”

“Because you’re a romantic at heart?”

“Because of what he said next. He told me he could also save my life. And even though I was in the dream, I suddenly realized the room I was sleeping in was on fire. He took the apple and said, ‘Follow the ravens.’ I woke up in a burning room.”

Now they were back to the arson story. “And you escaped.”

He met her gaze. “You ever been in a room that’s on fire? Been surrounded by flames? It was so hot. Probably hotter than the woman who was going to scorch me in bed. The heat smothered me, and I was choking on smoke. I couldn’t see anything but sheets of fire. Pieces of the roof were starting to collapse…and that’s when I saw them. The ravens.”

“The ravens?”

“Yup. Two big black birds, hovering in the air. They flew over to a corner of the room, and I followed them. I don’t know. Maybe I just didn’t have any other choice. And there, I saw that part of the wall had collapsed and that there was a small opening to the outside. Mae, you have to believe me. I couldn’t see that spot from the bed. There was no way I could’ve known about it without those birds.” His eyes suddenly became wide and desperate.

“I believe you,” she said, not sure if she did.

That seemed to satisfy him, but he still looked anxious and frantic as he dove into the old memories. “I managed to get out of it, though my shirt caught on fire. I had to kind of flounder around to put it out on the ground, but I managed. Got a few burns in the process. I saw a specialist later who was able to fix most of them up without scarring—except this one.”