"So then… How did Fate ruin him? Was it through imprisonment?" His voice dipped lower. "Or death?"
The elder's eyes narrowed. She slowly shook her head. "Neither imprisonment nor death…" Her voice grew quieter. "Fate's punishment came through Her."
Julian's brows lifted ever so slightly. "Her?"
"The Mother of All Heavens," the elder whispered, each word trembling as though it risked being overheard by unseen ears.
She pushed herself up from the chair, her movements stiff, as though speaking the name alone demanded respect. "The wife of the Deity of Creation. The one who embodies the womb of all existence."
Her gaze shifted away to the window, to the faint shimmer of afternoon light spilling into the room.
"It was she who delivered the curse upon our bloodline."
