Anathema

Maevyth wakes up in an ice box in Uncle Felix’s basement. The cold numbs her body, but she struggles to get free. A figure that looks like Felix looks through the cover of the box and pounds on the door. He has mutated, much like the officer Moros kept in his basement, with jutting bones, a melting face, and horrible spines coming out of his back.

Felix opens the box and tries to grab Maevyth, who struggles to fend him off. He pursues her around the basement, and Maevyth manages to stick a needle in his ear. She uses Aeryz to repel him. A voice in Maevyth’s mind shows her the Osflagulle glyph, and Maevyth manages to summon a bone whip to defeat Felix.

Feeling like Aleysia may be in another box, Maevyth calls out for her. Another monster crawls down the wall, and she recognizes it as Agatha, also mutated. Agatha pursues Maevyth, who kills her with Osflagulle. Black spiders burst from Agatha’s body and cover Maevyth.

Suddenly, the spiders stop and float in the air, and Zevander appears. Maevyth collapses into him. He burns the spiders and sets the house on fire. He asks if she is okay, and she sobs. She insists that they find Aleysia, and Zevander agrees. They almost kiss, but Maevyth gets distracted by smoke coming from the Crone Witch’s chimney. Disappointed by the ruined moment, they agree to find shelter for the night.

Maevyth and Zevander approach the Crone Witch’s home, where a fire is lit with no one inside. The Crone Witch appears behind Maevyth and puts a dagger to her back, suspecting that Maevyth might be “infected,” but Zevander has a blade, too.

The Crone Witch invites them inside and reveals that her name is Elowen. Though Maevyth has only been gone for two weeks, Elowen says that the Banishing happened months ago. After the Banishing, people fought about whether to pursue Maevyth into the woods, but only Moros passed through. Hours later, Moros came back out of the forest with Aleysia. After his return, there was an infestation of black spiders that transformed the villagers into monsters.

Zevander notes that Elowen is speaking Nyxterosi. She reveals that she is Aethyrian, a Lunasier-born Nilivir who lived with the Corvikae centuries ago. Elowen was there when the Solassions took Corvus Keep and forced the Corvikae into the Crussurian Trench, into the Grymswood, turning their priestess into a tree and leaving the rest to die. The priestess gave Elowen the last rose of Morsana to give to a baby who would create a new generation of Corvikae. After centuries, Maevyth appeared, and Elowen masked Maevyth’s silver eyes and gave her the rose.

After centuries in Foxglove, Cadavros crossed over but remained in the woods. Elowen suspects that Cadavros is Pestilios, the God of Disease and uncle to Morsana. She suspects that he took Moros’s body as a disguise and will soon be powerful enough to return to Aethyria. Elowen once sacrificed a child to Cadavros to pass back to Aethyria, but she could not because she was not “worthy.” She offers to let Maevyth and Zevander sleep in her home, warning that the monsters come out at night to feed.

Maevyth and Zevander go to Elowen’s guest bedroom, where there is only one bed. Zevander undresses, revealing scars all over his body. Maevyth undresses, and Zevander is surprised to see that she has scars, too. Maevyth’s are from villagers punishing her, while Zevander’s are from the Solassion prison.

They get into bed and flirt, making each other laugh. When Zevander laughs about Maevyth never having had sex, she tries to leave, but he presses her back to the bed. He clarifies that he is only glad that Maevyth has never had sex because he is a jealous person. He confesses his feelings for her, but she struggles to ignore memories of being told that she was worthless or evil. They touch each other, intoxicated by their attraction and intimacy. Zevander performs oral sex on Maevyth, but he does not let her see or touch his genitals. He assures her that he wants her, but he does not explain why he will not let her touch him.

Zevander lies awake in bed next to Maevyth, marveling at Dolion’s prediction that Maevyth would be his mate. He worries about the possibility that she, being mortal, will die much sooner than him and thinks it is a fitting punishment for him. He knows that he cannot have sex with Maevyth without restraint because Loyce trained him to be rough and insatiable.

A sound outside alerts Zevander, and he uses echolocation to see a beast with antlers and hooves outside. Recognizing it as the creature from the woods, he goes to the window. A voice in Zevander’s head reveals itself as Cadavros, who chose to appear in this monstrous form instead of his human shape.

Zevander tries to block Cadavros from his thoughts, but he cannot because Cadavros cursed him. Cadavros offers Zevander the chance to join him. Zevander thinks about killing Cadavros, but Cadavros is linked to Durjan by a pendant that the king placed on the prince—Cadavros’s death would kill Durjan, unleashing a pestilence in Aethyria.

Cadavros tempts Zevander with a vision of Maevyth having sex with him. Zevander gives in to the fantasy for a moment, but then Cadavros orders him to kill her. He refuses and is jolted out of the vision. Cadavros repeats his offer to grant Zevander power for fealty before leaving.

Maevyth wakes up and finds Zevander lying next to her, tense and unresponsive. His eyes are open and black, and his skin is burning hot. She gets Elowen, who says that Zevander is suffering from abyssal binding, meaning that someone has trapped him in Caligorya. They try to lower his fever, and Elowen scoffs at the idea of Maevyth controlling Zevander’s sablefyre. They undress Zevander, revealing his penis with large metal piercings, as well as scarring on and around his groin. They cover him again, and Elowen goes to get herbs.

After an hour, Maevyth goes out to check on Elowen. She finds the Crone Witch past the archway and in the woods, collapsed on the ground. A chunk of flesh is missing from the back of her neck, and she stirs when Maevyth touches her. Elowen’s eyes turn black, and she begins to mutate in front of Maevyth. Elowen knocks Maevyth to the ground. Maevyth has a vision of a glyph carved into a tree of two eyes formed from scythes. She channels the glyph, and black smoke emerges from her fingers, wrapping around Elowen’s neck before turning her to ash. Maevyth sees two more monsters running toward her, and she retreats to Elowen’s home. Carvings on the doorway make a ward that repels the monsters. Maevyth goes to Zevander and pleads with him to wake up.

In Caligorya, Zevander has furious sex with Maevyth. She warps into General Loyce, taunting Zevander, and he feels a confusing mix of arousal and desire for Maevyth and violent hatred for Loyce. Cadavros makes fun of Zevander, noting how he cannot truly enjoy sex because of his traumatic youth. Loyce prods Zevander, minimizing his trauma and accusing him of enjoying the abuse he suffered.

Zevander hears Maevyth’s voice begging him to wake up, but he turns to see Maevyth’s dead body, oozing black from wounds he inflicted on her. Maevyth begs Zevander to open his eyes, and he closes his eyes, opening them again to find Maevyth leaning over him. Her eyes are silver.

Zevander wakes up and tells Maevyth about her silver eyes, though she has no way to see them herself. She wonders if killing Elowen lifted the spell. He tells Maevyth about his horrible vision in Caligorya, leaving out some details that he finds too horrific.

Maevyth explains what happened with Elowen and tells Zevander that she saw the scars and piercings on his genitals, adding that she thinks he must have been brave and strong even during the abuse. Maevyth hesitates to touch Zevander because of the new glyph that killed Elowen, but Zevander assures her that magic only happens in accordance with the user’s will.

They embrace, and Maevyth expresses curiosity about Zevander’s piercings. He lets her touch his penis, and she asks him how to make him feel as good as he made her feel the prior night. Zevander masturbates on top of Maevyth, ejaculating on her stomach, which thrills Maevyth. Zevander says that they belong to each other, and Maevyth agrees.

After hours of exploring each other, Zevander and Maevyth hear the sounds of the monsters outside, unable to enter because of the ward. They decide to leave the next day. Maevyth confesses that she feels like her narrow escapes from death have all been luck. Zevander says that Maevyth is strong and that they will go to Calyxar together.

Maevyth feels guilty about the fact that her bloodstone might save the world from pestilence, but Zevander says that he would rather watch the world end and protect Maevyth. They both want to see Rykaia again. Maevyth’s stomach growls, and she goes down to the kitchen to see if there is any food. Stumbling on a loose board, she uncovers a trap door. She opens the door to a crawlspace, in which she finds Aleysia.