Dauntice was not pleased to be sent on errands, but Onicent insisted he had no time to deliver wedding invitations—not just to Serse, but to every creature in existence. Dauntice sulked, but he knew better than to protest. Onicent was more powerful now than ever before, and Dauntice had no desire to meet the same fate as Maiguh.

  At least Airabella had been kind to him lately. She’d thanked him for going to fetch Serse. That helped. She’d been teary often, and Onicent wasn’t doing much to help. If Dauntice thought of it as helping her, the task felt more bearable.

  He found Serse’s village easily. The humans drew water for their crops from a nearby river, and where water flowed, Dauntice followed. He appeared at the edge of the village and quickly spotted Serse, standing in conversation with some strange beings. They resembled him in shape, but they radiated no power.

  Dauntice, who had always been better at reading people than his siblings, assessed them quickly. They weren’t dangerous. Just... ordinary.

  Serse spotted him almost at once and walked over, a small smile on her face.

  “I’ve come with an invitation from your sister Airabella,” he said.

  She raised a brow. “An invitation?”

  “She’s to be married,” Dauntice said, pausing before finishing, “to Onicent.”

  The change in her expression was immediate. The smile vanished, and a wave of emotion washed over her. Dauntice felt her fear and sadness ripple through the air.

  “Tell me she’s alright,” Serse whispered. “Please. Tell me he hasn’t hurt her.”

  Dauntice answered carefully. “Onicent won’t hurt her.”

  She seemed to calm a little at that, though the wariness lingered in her eyes. Still, she agreed to come. That was enough.

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  Before they left, Dauntice cast another glance toward the crowd of villagers now gathering nearby.

  “Who are these?” he asked, gesturing to the others.

  “They’re like me,” Serse said. “Born from the lava. They call themselves humans.”

  She spoke of them fondly, with a sense of kinship. But where Serse saw family, Dauntice saw potential. Power. The humans clustered around her nervously, clearly curious but cautious. They looked to her as their guide—and to him as something unknown.

  An opportunity.

  “I am Dauntice,” he declared, straightening his posture. “God of Water! Hail me!”

  He raised his arms, summoning a rush of water behind him that sprayed into the air like a fountain. The humans gasped—and many dropped to their knees.

  Serse only shook her head, unimpressed.

  That was when someone new caught his eye—a girl, younger than the others, sitting alone by the riverbank with her feet dangling in the water. She hadn’t noticed him yet, but her emotions rang out like a struck bell: sorrow, longing, and something more subtle. Isolation.

  He left the others behind and approached.

  When she looked up at him, she didn’t kneel. She stared with a puzzled expression, but not one of fear. Dauntice didn’t mind. Something about her reminded him of himself.

  “Why are you sad?” he asked.

  “I don’t belong here,” she murmured. “My sisters are better at everything. Even my father says so. I try, but I’m always the least of them.”

  Dauntice nodded thoughtfully. “Are there more villages like this one?”

  She thought a moment, then nodded. “Yes. There are more humans.”

  He considered. He had no interest in hunting down every human just to deliver a wedding invitation. But this girl… she wanted to prove herself. He could give her that chance.

  “I have a task for you,” he said. “One that will make your name known above all others. Even your sisters and your father will honor you.”

  Her eyes lit up slightly. He continued.

  “My brother—god of land and sky—is getting married. He wishes to invite all humans to witness it. All of them.”

  She straightened. “I’ll find them. No one will miss the wedding.”

  “In return, I’ll reward you,” Dauntice said. “This task was mine. I give it to you.”

  She hesitated. “Not to be difficult… but how will I feed myself while I search? I’ll have no crops.”

  Dauntice plucked a branch from a nearby tree and formed it into a rod. With a touch of magic, he transformed it—imbuing it with water’s gift.

  “Cast this into any river,” he told her. “And you’ll never be hungry again.”

  Her eyes widened. “Thank you.”

  Dauntice gave her a nod and turned to go, satisfied. He had avoided a tedious chore and found a new tool in the process.

  Serse joined him, and together, they made their way back toward the castle.