Now, when it came to a fight, Ziph not the kind of man you dismissed. He was built like a concrete dam holding back a wall of riverwater. When he walked, muscles rippled beneath his chalky-white skin. His chin was bony and rounded, and his neck was thick like the trunk of a tree.

It was no wonder Isshakhu chose Ziph as a replacement husband, Millagua thought bitterly, as he looked on from his hiding place behind the veil of weeping emeralds.

Siynh had urged Millagua to challenge Ziph to a fight ot the death in the Opal Colosseum, but Millagua was an old man and not one to be tricked so easily. Now that he had been woken back up by the enchanted amber pendant that he now wore, he would not be taken back to sleep so easily.

In fact, Millagua spent a great deal of time thinking: was revenge really the answer here?

It was true that Isshakhu had humiliated him in front of all the gods. She had overreacted, but wasn’t this whole thing his fault to begin with? After all, Millagua was the one who was unfaithful. When Isshakhu had caught him, Millagua had hoped she would forgive him. To his mind, Millagua had loved Isshakhu no less for his unfaithful act – that was just how men were sometimes. He knew Issakhu would be upset. Millagua had assumed that he would be given a chance to earn her trust back.

Now here he was plotting his revenge.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

Yet, wasn’t this revenge just an inversed form of obsessive love? It was true, love and hate were two sides of the same coin. Once upon a time, Isshakhu had loved Millagua severely. That must have been why she had taken her revenge. Did he now still love her with that same severity, such that he would risk his newfound life to battle her new lover to the death?

Millagua withdrew his gaze from Ziph, who was padding barefoot on flat purple stone slabs which formed a wide path along the dragonsnapper wingfish swimming in the Green Pool of Tranquility in the center of the palace garden. He fixed his gaze on his son.

“Siyn,” he said, “you are the one who woke me from my time-stasis, so if you want me to challenge Ziph, I will do it. But I urge you to reconsider. Although I still love your mother enough to enjoy this passionate violence, I think I would be just as happy to escape the land of gods altogether.”

“Father,” said Siyn.

“You could come with me,” said Millagua, mulling it over. “We could start our lives anew.”

But Siyn was full of hot, youthful fire. “No,” he said, “I will not run away until the issue is satisfied.”

“Very well,” said Millagua. “After today, whether I win or die at the hands of Ziph, you will have your honor. The gods and courtiers will no longer treat you as a bastard whelp.”

Siyn bowed his head. “Thank you, father,” he said. “After that, if you still want to leave this place, I would gladly join you.”

But Millagua did not answer. Instead, he looked back at Ziph, who was now walking down the path away from him. The sight of Ziph’s height, frame, and rippling muscles filled Millagua with dread.